Ezekiel 21
A Sword Polished, and a King at the Parting of the Ways
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Against the Forest of the Nageb
21:1The Lord’s word came to me, saying,
21:2“Son of man, set your face firmly toward Thaiman, look toward Darom, and prophesy against the leading forest, Nageb,
21:3and say to the Nageb forest, ‘Hear the Lord’s word! Thus says the Lord, the Lord: Behold, I am kindling a fire within you. It will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The kindled flame will not be quenched, and every face from east to north will be burned by it.
21:4All flesh will recognize that I, the Lord, have kindled it, and it will not be quenched.’”
21:5I said, “By no means, Lord, Lord! They say to me, ‘Is this not a parable being spoken?’”
The Sword Drawn Against Israel
21:6The Lord’s word came to me, saying,
21:7“Therefore prophesy, son of man; set your face firmly toward Jerusalem, look toward their holy places, and prophesy against Israel’s land,
21:8and say to Israel’s land, ‘Behold, I am against you. I will draw My dagger from its sheath and destroy from you the unjust and the lawless.
21:9Because I will destroy from you the unjust and the lawless, so My dagger will come out of its sheath against all flesh from east to north.
21:10All flesh will recognize that I, the Lord, have drawn My dagger from its sheath, and it will not return again.’
Groan Deeply, Son of Man
21:11And you, son of man, groan deeply with your loins broken; groan in pains before their eyes.
21:12If they say to you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ say, ‘Because of the message, for it comes. Every heart will be shattered, all hands paralyzed, all flesh and every spirit expire, and all thighs be defiled with moisture. Behold, it comes and will happen, says the Lord, the Lord.’”
The Song of the Sword
21:13The Lord’s word came to me, saying,
21:14“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord: Say, “Sword, sword, be sharpened and enraged,
21:15so that you may slaughter victims. Be sharpened to become gleaming. Ready for paralysis, slaughter! Disdain; thrust away every tree.
21:16He gave it ready for his hand to grasp. The sword has been sharpened; it is ready to be put into the hand of one who pierces.
21:17Cry aloud and wail, son of man, for it has come among My people, among all Israel’s leaders. They will sojourn upon a sword; it has come among My people. Therefore strike upon your hand.
21:18For it has been justified. And what if even a tribe was rejected? It will not be, says the Lord, the Lord.
21:19And you, son of man, prophesy and strike hand upon hand, and double the sword. The third sword of the wounded is the great sword of the wounded, and it will terrify them,
21:20so that the heart is shattered and the weak multiply at every gate of theirs. They have been handed over as victims of a sword. It has been well prepared for slaughter, well prepared for gleaming.
21:21Pass through! Be sharpened on the right and on the left, wherever your face may be roused.
21:22I too will strike My hand against My hand and release My wrath. I, the Lord, have spoken.’”
The Two Roads for Babylon’s King
21:23The Lord’s word came to me, saying,
21:24“And you, son of man, arrange two roads for Babylon’s king’s sword to enter. Both will come out from one country, and a hand at the beginning of a city road; at the beginning
21:25of a road you shall arrange for the sword to enter against Rabbath of the sons of Ammon, against Judea, and against Jerusalem in her midst.
21:26For Babylon’s king will stand upon the ancient road, at the beginning of the two roads, to divine a divination, toss a rod, question the carved images and inspect a liver at his right.
21:27The oracle came against Jerusalem: to set a siege stake, open the mouth in a shout, raise the voice with a cry, set a siege stake against her gates, cast up a mound and build missile stations.
21:28He is to them like one divining a divination before them, and he himself recalls his injustices for remembrance.
21:29Therefore thus says the Lord: Because you recalled your injustices when your impieties were revealed, so that your sins were seen in all your impieties and practices—because you recalled them, in these you will be captured.
The Profane, Lawless Leader of Israel
21:30And you, profane, lawless leader of Israel, whose day has arrived in a season of injustice—an end!—
21:31thus says the Lord: You removed the tiara and put on the crown. This will not be such. You lowered the high and raised the low.
21:32Injustice, injustice I will make it! Nor will this be such until the one comes to whom it belongs, and I will hand it over to him.
Against the Sons of Ammon
21:33And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord concerning the sons of Ammon and their reproach.’ Say, ‘Sword, sword, drawn for victims and drawn for complete destruction, arise so that you may gleam,
21:34in your vain vision and your divining false things, to hand you over upon the necks of the wounded lawless, whose day has arrived in a season of injustice—an end!
21:35Turn back; do not lodge in this place where you were born. In your own land I will judge you
21:36and pour My anger upon you. I will blow upon you with the fire of My anger and hand you into the hands of barbarian men devising destruction.
21:37You will be food in fire; your blood will be in the midst of your land. There certainly will be no remembrance of you, for I, the Lord, have spoken.’”
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.