Ezekiel 21

1The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2"Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem and speak against the sanctuaries; prophesy against the land of Israel. 3Say to the land of Israel, 'Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am against you, and I will draw my sword out of its sheath
and cut off from you both righteous and wicked. 4Because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, my sword will go forth from its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north. 5All flesh shall know that I, the LORD, have drawn My sword out of its sheath; it shall not return anymore.'

6You, son of man, groan with the breaking of your loins, and with bitterness you shall groan before their eyes. 7And it shall be, when they say to you, 'Why are you groaning?' that you shall answer, 'Because of the report,
for it comes, and every heart will melt, every hand will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water.
Behold, it is coming, and it shall be,' declares the LORD GOD."

8Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 9"Son of man, prophesy and say, 'Thus says the LORD GOD: A sword, a sword! Sharpened and polished, 10sharpened to make a slaughter, polished to flash like lightning!' Or shall we rejoice? The rod of my son despises every tree. 11It is given to be polished, that it may be handled; the sword is sharpened and polished to give it into the hand of the slayer.

12Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is upon my people, on all the princes of Israel; terrors owing to the sword are against my people.
Therefore strike your thigh. 13For it is a testing, and what if even the rod which despises will no longer be? declares the LORD GOD."

14"And you, son of man, prophesy, and strike hand to hand. Let the sword strike twice, yes, three times, the sword of the slain;
it is the sword of the great slaughter, which surrounds them, 15that the heart may melt, and many fall at all their gates. I have given the glittering sword. Ah! It is made for lightning, polished to slay. 16Gather yourself to the right; set yourself to the left; wherever you face, there your face is set."

17"And you shall also clap your hands, and I will cause my fury to rest. I, the LORD, have spoken."

18The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 19"You, son of man, mark two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to come; both shall come out of one land.
Make a signpost, make it at the head of the way to the city. 20You shall mark a way for the sword to come to Rabbah of the Ammonites and another for Judah in fortified Jerusalem. 21For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination.
He shakes arrows, he consults images, he looks into the liver.

22In his right hand is the divination for Jerusalem: to set battering rams, to open the mouth for murder, to raise up the shout with a war cry,
to set battering rams against the gates, to build a siege wall, to raise a mound. 23It will seem to them as a false divination, because they have sworn oaths to them; but he remembers their iniquity, that they may be captured.

24"Therefore thus says the LORD GOD: Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered,
so that your sins appear in all your deeds; because you have come to remembrance, you shall be taken with the hand."

25"And you, profane and wicked one, prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose iniquity shall have an end, 26thus says the LORD GOD: 'Remove the turban, and take off the crown; this shall not be the same.
Exalt the low, and abase the high.'"

27Ruin, ruin, ruin I will make it. This also shall be, until he comes whose right it is; and I will give it to him.

28And you, son of man, prophesy and say, 'Thus says the LORD GOD concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach,
say also: 'A sword, a sword is drawn for the slaughter, polished to consume, to flash like lightning— 29while they see false visions for you, while they divine lies for you—to lay you on the necks of the wicked slain,
whose day has come, whose iniquity shall have an end. 30Return it to its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I will judge you.

31I will pour out my indignation upon you; I will blow against you with the fire of my wrath;
and I will give you into the hand of burning men, skillful to destroy. 32You shall be fuel for the fire; your blood shall be in the midst of the land; you will not be remembered, for I, the LORD, have spoken.'"