Ezekiel 21
The LORD draws His sword from its sheath against the land of Israel — it is sharpened and polished for slaughter. The king of Babylon stands at the crossroads using divination, and the lot falls on Jerusalem. The crown will be removed until He comes whose right it is.
| v | King James Version | Modern English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, | The word of the LORD came to me: |
| 2 | Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel, | "Son of man, set Your face toward Jerusalem. Preach against the sanctuaries and prophesy against the land of Israel." |
| 3 | And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked. | "Say to the land of Israel: This is what the LORD says: I am against You. I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off from You both the righteous and the wicked." |
| 4 | Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: | "Because I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, My sword will go out from its sheath against everyone from south to north." |
| 5 | That all flesh may know that I the LORD have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath: it shall not return any more. | "Then all flesh will know that I the LORD have drawn My sword from its sheath. It will not return again." |
| 6 | Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes. | "Groan, Son of man — groan with anguish and a broken heart before them." |
| 7 | And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD. | "When they ask You why You are groaning, say: Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand will go limp. Every spirit will faint and every knee will be weak as water. It is coming! It will be fulfilled, declares the Lord GOD." |
| 8 | Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, | The word of the LORD came to me: |
| 9 | Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished: | "Son of man, prophesy and say: This is what the Lord says: A sword, a sword is sharpened and polished —" |
| 10 | It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree. | "sharpened for the slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! Shall we rejoice? The sword despises every wooden scepter." |
| 11 | And he gave it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer. | "The sword is handed to the polisher to make it ready for the slayer's hand." |
| 12 | Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon my people: smite therefore upon thy thigh. | "Cry out and wail, Son of man, for it is destined for My people. It is for all the princes of Israel. They are thrown to the sword along with My people. Strike Your thigh in grief." |
| 13 | Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? it shall be no more, saith the Lord GOD. | "Testing will surely come. And what if the scepter, which the sword despises, does not continue? declares the Lord GOD." |
| 14 | Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together, and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it is the sword of the great men that are slain, which entereth into their privy chambers. | "So prophesy, Son of man. Clap Your hands together. Let the sword strike twice, even three times. It is the sword for the slain — the sword for the great slaughter that surrounds them." |
| 15 | I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that their heart may faint, and their ruins be multiplied: ah! it is made bright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter. | "I have stationed the sword for slaughter at all their gates, so that hearts will melt with fear and many will stumble. Ah, it is made to flash like lightning! It is drawn for slaughter." |
| 16 | Go thee one way or other, either on the right hand, or on the left, whithersoever thy face is set. | "Slash to the right! Slash to the left! Wherever Your blade is aimed!" |
| 17 | I will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause my fury to rest: I the LORD have spoken it. | "I too will clap My hands, and My wrath will be spent. I the LORD have spoken." |
| 18 | The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, | The word of the LORD came to me: |
| 19 | Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come: both twain shall come forth out of one land: and choose thou a place, choose it at the head of the way to the city. | "Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take. Both roads lead from the same country. Make a signpost where the road forks and leads to a city." |
| 20 | Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced. | "Mark out one road for the sword to come to Rabbah of the Ammonites and another to Judah and fortified Jerusalem." |
| 21 | For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver. | "For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen. He will cast lots with arrows, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver." |
| 22 | At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a siege fort. | "Into his right hand will come the lot for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to give the command to slaughter, to sound the battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to build a siege ramp, and to erect siege works." |
| 23 | And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths: but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken. | "It will seem like a false omen to those who have sworn oaths, but he will remind them of their guilt and take them captive." |
| 24 | Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because, I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand. | "Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Because You have made Your guilt known — your transgressions exposed and Your sins revealed in all You do — because You are brought to remembrance, You will be taken captive." |
| 25 | And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, | "And You, profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come — the time of final punishment —" |
| 26 | Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. | "this is what the Lord GOD says: Take off the turban. Remove the crown. Things will not remain as they are. Lift up the lowly and bring down the proud." |
| 27 | I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him. | "A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin. It will not be restored until He comes to whom it rightfully belongs. To Him I will give it." |
| 28 | And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; even say thou, The sword, the sword is drawn: for the slaughter it is furbished, to consume because of the glittering: | "Son of man, prophesy and say: This is what the Lord GOD says about the Ammonites and their contempt: A sword, a sword, drawn for slaughter — polished to consume, to flash like lightning —" |
| 29 | Whiles they see vanity unto thee, whiles they divine a lie unto thee, to bring thee upon the necks of them that are slain, of the wicked, whose day is come, when their iniquity shall have an end. | "while false visions are seen for you and lying divinations are told about you. The sword will be laid on the necks of the wicked who are to be slain, whose day has come — the time of final punishment." |
| 30 | Shall I cause it to return into his sheath? I will judge thee in the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy nativity. | "Return the sword to its sheath! I will judge you in the place where you were created, in the land of your origin." |
| 31 | And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath, and I will deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skilful to destroy. | "I will pour out My wrath on you and breathe out My fiery anger against you. I will hand you over to brutal men, skilled in destruction." |
| 32 | Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt be no more remembered: for I the LORD have spoken it. | "You will be fuel for the fire. Your blood will flow throughout the land. You will be remembered no more, for I the LORD have spoken." |