[[Ezekiel 20|<< Ezekiel 20]] | [[Ezekiel|Ezekiel]] | [[Ezekiel 22|Ezekiel 22 >>]] ### Ezekiel 21 1 AND the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, ^1 2 Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop _thy_ _word_ toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel, ^2 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. ^3 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: ^4 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. ^5 6 Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of _thy_ loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes. ^6 7 And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it comes: 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 comes, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD. ^7 8 ¶ Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, ^8 9 Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished: ^9 10 It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemns the rod of my son, _as_ every tree. ^10 11 And he has given 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. ^11 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. ^12 13 Because _it_ _is_ a trial, and what if _the_ _sword_ contemn even the rod? it shall be no _more_, saith the Lord GOD. ^13 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 enters into their privy chambers. ^14 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. ^15 16 Go thee one way or other, _either_ on the right hand, _or_ on the left, whithersoever thy face _is_ set. ^16 17 I will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause my fury to rest: I the LORD have said _it_. ^17 18 ¶ The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, ^18 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. ^19 20 Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced. ^20 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. ^21 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 fort. ^22 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. ^23 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. ^24 25 ¶ And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity _shall_ _have_ an end, ^25 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. ^26 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_. ^27 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: ^28 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. ^29 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. ^30 31 And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, _and_ skilful to destroy. ^31 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_. ^32