Historical
21 Then the ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to me, saying: 2 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], ·look [L set your face] toward Jerusalem and speak against the ·holy place [sanctuary]. Prophesy against the land of Israel. 3 Say to Israel: ‘This is what the Lord says: [L Look; T Behold] I am against you. I will pull my sword out of its ·holder [sheath], and I will cut off from you both the wicked and ·those who do right [the righteous]. 4 Because I am going to cut off the wicked and ·those who do right [the righteous], my sword will ·come out from its holder [be unsheathed] and attack all ·people [L flesh] from south to north. 5 Then all people will know that I, the Lord, have pulled my sword out from its ·holder [sheath]. My sword will not go back in again.’
6 “So, ·human [T son of man; 2:1], groan with breaking heart and ·great sadness [bitter grief]. Groan ·in front of the people [L before their eyes]. 7 When they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you will say, ‘Because of what I have heard is going to happen. When it happens, every heart will melt with fear, and all hands will become ·weak [limp; feeble]. ·Everyone [L Every spirit] will ·be afraid [faint]; all knees will ·become weak as water [or be wet with urine]. ·Look [T Behold], it is coming, and it will happen, says the Lord God.’”
8 The ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to me, saying: 9 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says:
A sword, a sword,
sharpened and polished.
10 It is sharpened for the ·killing [slaughter].
It is polished to flash like lightning.
“‘·You are not happy [or Should you rejoice…?] ·about this horrible punishment by the sword [L in the scepter of my son]. ·But my son Judah, you did not change when you were only beaten with a rod [L The sword despises every stick].
11 The sword ·should [L is appointed to] be polished.
It is meant to be ·held [grasped] in the hand.
It is sharpened and polished,
ready for the hand of a ·killer [slayer].
12 Shout and ·yell [wail], ·human [T son of man; 2:1],
because the sword is meant for my people,
for all the ·rulers [princes] of Israel.
They ·will be killed by [L are thrown to] the sword,
along with my people.
So beat your chest [C a sign of grief or sadness].
13 “‘The test will come. ·And [L What if…?] the scepter [C symbolizing Judah; Gen. 49:10], who is hated by the sword [C representing the armies of Babylon], will not last, says the Lord God.’
14 “So, ·human [T son of man; 2:1], prophesy
and ·clap [strike together] your hands [C a sign of scorn].
Let the sword strike
two or three times.
It is a sword meant for ·killing [slaughter],
a sword meant for ·much killing [great slaughter].
This sword ·surrounds [or closes in on] ·the people to be killed [L them].
15 Their hearts will ·melt with fear [L melt],
and many people will ·die [stumble; fall].
I have placed the ·killing sword [sword for slaughter]
at all their city gates.
Oh! The sword is made to flash like lightning.
It is ·held [drawn], ready for killing.
16 Sword, ·cut [slash; cut sharp] on the right side;
then ·cut on [swing; L put to] the left side.
Cut anywhere your ·blade [or face] is turned.
17 I will also clap my hands [v. 14; C a sign of scorn]
and ·use up [satisfy; exhaust] my ·anger [wrath].
I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Jerusalem to Be Destroyed
18 The ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to me, saying: 19 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], mark two roads that the king of Babylon and his sword can follow. Both of these roads will start from the same country. And make signs where the road divides and one way goes toward the city. 20 Mark one sign to show the road ·he can take with his sword [L for the sword to come] to Rabbah in the land of the Ammonites. Mark the other sign to show the road to Judah and Jerusalem, which is protected with strong walls [C moving south from Syria, the roads branch east and west of the Jordan River]. 21 The king of Babylon has come to where the road divides, and he is using ·magic [divination]. He ·throws lots with [L shakes] arrows and ·asks questions of his family idols [L consults the teraphim]. He looks at the ·liver of a sacrificed animal [L liver; C methods of divination, used here to determine which road to take]. 22 The lot in his right hand tells him to go to Jerusalem. It tells him to use ·logs to break down the city gates [battering rams], to shout the battle cry and give the ·order to kill [command for slaughter], and to build ·a dirt road to the top of the walls [siege ramps] and ·devices to attack the walls [siege walls]. 23 The people of Jerusalem will think this ·prediction is wrong [is a false omen/divination] because of their ·agreement with Babylon [or treaty with other nations; or covenant with God; L sworn oaths/allegiance] But ·the king of Babylon will remind them of their rebellion [or the siege will remind them of their guilt] and they will be captured.
24 “So this is what the Lord God says: ‘You have ·shown how sinful you are [L caused your guilt to be remembered] by ·turning against the Lord [L uncovering your trangressions]. Your sins are ·seen [revealed] in all the things you do. Because of this proof against you, you will be taken captive by the enemy.
25 “‘You ·unclean [profane; C ritually] and evil ·leader [prince] of Israel, ·you will be killed [L whose day has come]! The time of your final punishment has come. 26 This is what the Lord God says: Take off the royal turban, and remove the crown. Things will change. ·Those who are unimportant now will be made important [The lowly will be exalted], and ·those who are important now will be made unimportant [the exalted will be made lowly]. 27 A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! ·This place will not be rebuilt [or The kingdom will not be restored] until the one comes ·who has a right to be king [to whom judgment belongs; Gen. 49:10]. Then I will give ·him that right [it to him].’
The Punishment of Ammon
28 “And you, ·human [T son of man; 2:1], prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Lord God says about the people of Ammon and their ·insults [mockery; or humiliation]:
A sword, a sword
is ·pulled out of its holder [drawn] ·to kill [for slaughter].
It is polished to ·destroy [consume],
to flash like lightning!
29 ·Prophets [L They] see false visions about you
and ·prophesy lies [false divinations] about you.
The sword will be put on the necks
of these ·unclean [profane; C ritually] and ·evil [wicked] people.
Their ·day of judging [L day] has come;
the time of final punishment has come.
30 Put the sword back in its ·holder [sheath].
I will judge you
in the place where you were created,
in the land where you were born.
31 I will pour out my anger against you
and ·blast you with [breathe/blow out] the fire of my anger.
I will hand you over to ·cruel [brutal] men,
experts in destruction.
32 You will be fuel for the fire;
·you will die in [L your blood will be in the midst of] the land.
You will not be remembered,
because I, the Lord, have spoken.’”
The Sins of Jerusalem
22 The ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to me, saying: 2 “And you, ·human [T son of man; 2:1], will you judge? Will you judge the city of ·murderers [bloodshed; C Jerusalem]? Then tell her about all her ·hateful [detestable; abominable] acts. 3 You are to say: ‘This is what the Lord God says: You are a city that ·kills those who come to live there [L sheds blood in her midst]. You ·make yourself unclean [defile yourself; C ritually] by making idols. 4 You have become guilty of ·murder [bloodshed] and have become ·unclean [defiled] by your idols which you have made. So you have brought your ·time of punishment [L days] near; you have come to the end of your years. That is why I have made you a ·shame [object of scorn] to the nations and ·why all lands laugh at you [L a mockery/laughingstock to all lands]. 5 Those near and those far away ·laugh at [mock] you with your ·bad [defiled] name, you city full of ·confusion [turmoil].
6 “‘See how each ·ruler [prince; leader] of Israel in you [C Jerusalem; v. 2] has been trying to ·kill people [shed blood]. 7 The people in you ·hate [treat with contempt] their fathers and mothers. They ·mistreat [oppress] the foreigners in you and wrong the ·orphans [fatherless] and widows in you. 8 You ·hate [despise] my holy things and ·dishonor [desecrate; profane; C ritually] my Sabbaths. 9 The ·lying [slanderous] men in you ·cause the death of others [shed blood]. The people in you eat ·food offered to idols at the mountain places of worship [L on the mountains], and they take part in ·sexual sins [L lewd/obscene acts among you]. 10 The men in you ·have sexual relations with their fathers’ wives [L uncover their father’s nakedness] and ·with [L violate] women who are unclean [C ritually], during their time of ·monthly bleeding [L impurity]. 11 One man in you does a ·hateful [detestable; abominable] act with his neighbor’s wife, while another has shamefully ·made his daughter-in-law unclean sexually [L defiled his daughter-in-law; C ritually]. And another ·forces his half sister to have sexual relations [L violates his father’s daughter] with him [C all forbidden in the Law; Lev. 18:9, 15, 20]. 12 The people in you take ·money [bribes] to ·kill others [shed blood; Deut. 27:25]. You take ·interest [usury; 18:13, 17; Lev. 25:36] and profits and make profits by ·mistreating [extorting] your neighbor. And you have forgotten me, says the Lord God.
13 “‘·So, Jerusalem, [L Look; T Behold] I will ·shake my fist [L strike my hand] at you for ·stealing money [your dishonest gain] and for ·murdering people [bloodshed]. 14 Will ·you still be brave [L your heart stand] and ·strong [L your hands be strong] when I ·punish [deal with] you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will act. 15 I will scatter you among the nations and spread you through the countries. ·That is how I will get rid of [L I will remove] your uncleanness [C ritually]. 16 But you, yourself, will be ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] in the ·sight [eyes] of the nations. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
Israel Is Worthless
17 The ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to me, saying: 18 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], the ·people [L house] of Israel have become ·scum [dross; C useless] to me. They are like the ·copper [or bronze], tin, iron, and lead left in the furnace when silver is purified. 19 So this is what the Lord God says: ‘Because you have become ·scum [dross], I am going to bring you together inside Jerusalem. 20 Just as people put silver, ·copper [or bronze], iron, lead, and tin together inside a furnace to melt them down in a blazing fire, so I will gather you in my hot anger and put you together in Jerusalem and melt you down. 21 I will ·put [gather] you together and ·make you feel [L blow on you with] the ·heat [fire] of my ·anger [fury; wrath]. You will be melted down ·inside Jerusalem [L in the midst of it]. 22 As silver is melted in a furnace, you will be melted inside ·the city [L it]. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my ·anger [wrath] on you.’”
Sins of the People
23 The ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to me, saying: 24 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], say to the land, ‘You are a land that ·has not had rain or [or is not cleansed with] showers ·when God is angry [L in the day of wrath/indignation].’ 25 Like a roaring lion that tears ·the animal it has caught [its prey], Israel’s ·rulers[a] [princes] ·make evil plans [conspire]. They have ·destroyed [devoured] lives and have taken treasure and ·valuable [precious] things. They have caused many women to become widows. 26 ·Israel’s [L Her; Its] priests do ·cruel things [violence] to my ·teachings [laws; instructions; L Torah] and ·do not honor [profane; C ritually] my holy things. They make no difference between holy and ·unholy [common; profane; C ritually] things, and they teach there is no difference between clean and unclean things [C ritually]. They ·do not remember [disregard; L close their eyes to] my Sabbaths, so I am ·dishonored by [profaned among; C ritually] them. 27 Like wolves tearing ·a dead animal [their prey], ·Jerusalem’s leaders [L her princes/officials] have ·killed people [L shed blood and destroy lives] for profit. 28 And the prophets ·try to cover this up by [whitewash their actions with; 13:10–15] false visions and by lying ·messages [divinations]. They say, ‘This is what the Lord God says’ when the Lord has not spoken. 29 The people of the land ·cheat others [practice extortion] and ·steal [commit robbery]. They ·hurt [oppress] the poor and needy. They ·cheat [mistreat; extort] foreigners and ·do not treat them fairly [deny them justice].
30 “I looked for someone to ·build up [repair; 13:5] the walls and to stand before me ·where the walls are broken [in the gap/breach] ·to defend these people [L on behalf of the land] so I would not have to destroy them. But I could not find anyone. 31 So I ·let them see [poured out] my ·anger [wrath]. I destroyed them with an anger that was like fire ·because of all the things [L bringing down on their heads all] they have done, says the Lord God.”
Samaria and Jerusalem
23 The ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to me, saying: 2 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], a woman had two daughters. 3 While they were young, they went to Egypt and became prostitutes. They let men ·touch [fondle] and hold their virgin breasts. 4 The older girl was named Oholah, and her sister was named Oholibah. They became my wives and had sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem [C both names are related to the Hebrew word for “tent,” and refer to the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah].
5 “While ·still my wife [L she was mine], ·Samaria [L Oholah] ·had sexual relations with other men [engaged in prostitution]. She ·had great sexual desire for [lusted after] her lovers, men from Assyria. The Assyrians were warriors ·and 6 wore blue uniforms [clothed in blue]. They were all ·handsome [desirable] young men, ·captains [or governors] and ·lieutenants [commanders] riding on horseback. 7 ·Samaria [L She] became a prostitute for all the ·important [elite] men in Assyria and ·made herself unclean [defiled herself] with all the idols of everyone she desired. 8 She ·continued [did not give up] the prostitution she began in Egypt. When she was young, she had slept with men, and they ·touched [fondled] her virgin breasts and ·had sexual relations with [L poured out their lust on] her.
9 “So I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians, ·that she wanted so badly [for whom she lusted]. 10 They ·stripped her naked [L uncovered her nakedness; 16:37] and took away her sons and daughters. Then they killed her with a sword [C referring to the fall of Samaria to the Assyrians in 722–721 bc]. ·Women everywhere began talking [It became notorious/a byword among women] about how she had been punished.
11 “Her sister ·Jerusalem [L Oholibah; v. 4] saw what happened, but she became ·worse [more depraved/corrupt] than her sister in her sexual ·desire [lust] and prostitution. 12 She also desired the Assyrians, who were all soldiers in ·beautiful uniforms [full dress; or full armor]—·handsome [desirable] young ·captains [or governors] and ·lieutenants [commanders] riding horses. 13 I saw that both girls were alike; both were ·prostitutes [defiled; C ritually].
14 “But ·Jerusalem went [L she increased her prostitution] even further. She saw carvings of ·Babylonian [L Chaldean] men on a wall. They wore red [Jer. 22:14] 15 and had belts around their waists and turbans on their heads. They all looked like chariot officers ·born in Babylonia [L the image of sons of Babel, natives of Chaldea]. 16 When she saw them, she ·wanted to have sexual relations with [lusted after] them and sent messengers to them in ·Babylonia [L Chaldea; C depicting Judah’s attempt at alliances with Babylon; 2 Kin. 20:12–15; 23:34—24:1]. 17 So these Babylonian men came ·and had sexual relations with her [to her bed of love] and ·made her unclean [L defiled her with their lust; C ritually]. After that, she ·became sick of them [turned away in disgust]. 18 But she ·continued her prostitution so openly that everyone knew about it [L uncovered her prostitution and uncovered her nakedness]. And I ·finally became sick of her [turned away from her in disgust], as I had her sister. 19 But she remembered how she was a young prostitute in Egypt, so she took part in even more prostitution. 20 She ·wanted men [lusted after lovers] ·who behaved like animals in their sexual desire [or whose genitals/L flesh were the size/L flesh of donkeys and seminal emission like that of horses]. 21 In the same way you ·desired to do the sinful things you had done [longed for the lewdness of your youth] in Egypt. There men ·touched [fondled] and ·held [caressed] your young breasts.
God’s Judgment on Jerusalem
22 “So, ·Jerusalem [L Oholibah; v. 4], this is what the Lord God says: You ·are tired of [turned in disgust from] your lovers. So [L look; T behold] now I will ·make them angry with [L stir them up against] you and ·have them attack [L bring them against] you from all sides [C a description of the siege of Jerusalem]. 23 Men from Babylon and all ·Babylonia [L the Chaldeans] and men from Pekod, Shoa, and Koa attack you [C people groups from the Mesopotamian region]. All the Assyrians will attack you: ·handsome [desirable] young ·captains [or governors] and ·lieutenants [commanders], all of them ·important men [officers and nobles] and all riding horses. 24 Those men will attack with ·great armies [a host of people/nations] and with their weapons, chariots, and wagons. They will ·surround you [L take up positions against you on every side] with large and small shields and with helmets. And I will ·give them the right to punish you [L assign judgment to them], and they will ·give you their own kind of punishment [or judge you by their own standards]. 25 Then ·you will see how strong my anger can be [or I will direct my jealous anger against you] when they ·punish [deal with] you in their anger. They will cut off your noses and ears [C acts of torture and humiliation]. They will ·take away [seize] your sons and daughters, and those who are left will be ·burned [consumed/devoured by fire]. 26 They will ·take [strip] off your clothes and steal your beautiful jewelry. 27 I will put a stop to the ·sinful life [lewd/obscene behavior] you began when you were in Egypt so that you will not ·desire it [or seek their help; L lift up your eyes to them] or remember Egypt anymore.
28 “This is what the Lord God says: You became ·tired of [disgusted with] your lovers, but I am going to hand you over to those men you now hate. 29 They will treat you with hate and take away everything you worked for, leaving you empty and naked. ·Everyone will know about the sinful things you did [L The nakedness of your prostitution will be uncovered]. Your ·sexual sins [lewdness and promiscuity] 30 have brought this on you. You have ·had sexual relations with [prostituted yourself with] the nations and ·made yourselves unclean [defiled yourself] by worshiping their idols. 31 You ·did the same things your sister did [L went the way of your sister; vv. 9–10], so ·you will get the same punishment, like a bitter cup to drink [L I will put her cup in your hand].
32 “This is what the Lord God says:
You will drink the same cup your sister did,
and that cup is deep and wide [C the cup of judgment; Jer. 25:15–29].
·Everyone will make fun of you [You will be mocked and derided],
because the cup ·is full [holds much].
33 It will ·make you miserable and drunk [L fill you with drunkenness and sorrow].
It is the cup of ·fear [horror; or ruin] and ·ruin [devastation].
It is the cup of your sister Samaria.
34 You will drink ·everything in [L and drain] it,
and then you will ·smash it [or chew on its pieces]
and tear at your breasts.
I have spoken, says the Lord God.
35 “So this is what the Lord God says: You have forgotten me and ·turned your back on me [L cast me behind your back]. So you ·will be punished [must bear the consequences] for your ·sexual sins [L lewdness and prostitution].”
Judgment on Samaria and Jerusalem
36 The Lord said to me: “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], will you judge ·Samaria [L Oholah] and ·Jerusalem [L Oholibah], ·showing [declaring to] them their ·hateful [detestable; abominable] acts? 37 They are guilty of adultery and ·murder [L blood is on their hands]. They have taken part in adultery with their idols. They even offered ·our children [L the children they bore to me] as sacrifices in the fire to be food for these idols. 38 They have also done this to me: They ·made my Temple unclean [defiled my sanctuary; C ritually] at the same time they ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] my Sabbaths. 39 They ·sacrificed [slaughtered] their children to their idols. Then they entered my Temple at that very time to ·dishonor [desecrate; profane; C ritually] it. That is what they did inside my ·Temple [L house]!
40 “They even sent for men from far away, who came after a messenger was sent to them. You bathed yourselves for them, painted your eyes, and put on jewelry [2 Kin. 9:30; Jer. 4:30]. 41 You sat on a ·fine bed [luxurious couch] with a table set before it, on which you put my incense and my oil.
42 “There was the noise of a ·reckless [or carefree] crowd in the city. Common people gathered, and ·drunkards [or Sabaeans; C inhabitants of Sheba, in present-day Yemen] were brought from the ·desert [wilderness]. They put bracelets on the wrists of the two sisters and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43 Then I said about the one who was worn out by her acts of adultery, ‘Let them continue their ·sexual sins [prostitution] with her. ·She is nothing but a prostitute [L …even her].’ 44 They kept going to her as they would go to a prostitute. So they continued to go to ·Samaria [L Oholah] and ·Jerusalem [L Oholibah; v. 4], these ·shameful [lewd; obscene] women. 45 But men who ·do right [are righteous] will ·punish them as they punish [judge them with the judgment against] women who take part in adultery and who ·murder people [shed blood], because they are guilty of adultery and ·murder [L blood is on their hands].
46 “This is what the Lord God says: Bring together a mob against ·Samaria and Jerusalem [L them] and hand them over to ·be frightened and robbed [terror and plunder]. 47 Let the ·mob [army; host] stone them, and let them cut them down with their swords. Let them kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses down.
48 “So I will put an end to ·sexual sins [lewdness; obscenity] in the land. Then all women will be warned, and they will not ·do the sexual sins you have done [practice the same wickedness]. 49 ·You will be punished [L They will repay you] for your ·sexual sins [lewdness; obscenity] and the sin of worshiping idols. Then you will know that I am the Lord God.”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.