Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Son of man, turn your face toward the south, and speak against the south. Prophesy against the forest of the southern land,

Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel,

and say to the southern forest, 'Listen to the word of the LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Behold, I am about to set you ablaze, and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree within you. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from the south to the north will be scorched by it.

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.

All human beings will see that I, the LORD, have ignited it, and it will not be put out.

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:

Then I said, 'Alas, Sovereign LORD! They are saying of me, "Is he not just speaking in riddles?"'

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 the word of the LORD came to me, saying:

Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.

Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, preach against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel.

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.

Say to the land of Israel, 'This is what the LORD says: Behold, I am against you. I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.

Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Because I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, My sword will go out from its sheath against all flesh, from the south to the north.

Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished:

All humanity will know that I, the LORD, have drawn My sword from its sheath, and it will not return again.

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.

And you, son of man, groan with the breaking of your heart and with bitterness. Sigh in their sight.

And he hath 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.

And when they ask you, 'Why are you groaning?' you are to say, 'Because of the news that is coming; every heart will melt, every hand will go weak, every spirit will grow faint, and every knee will turn to water. Behold, it is coming, and it will happen,' declares the Sovereign LORD.

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.

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:

Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? it shall be no more, saith the Lord GOD.

Son of man, prophesy and say, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: A sword! A sword, sharpened and also polished—

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.

sharpened to slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! Should we rejoice in the scepter of My son, which despises every tree?'

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.

He has given it to be polished, that it may be grasped in the hand; it is sharpened and polished to be placed in the hands of the slayer.

Go thee one way or other, either on the right hand, or on the left, whithersoever thy face is set.

Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against My people; it is against all the princes of Israel. They are delivered to the sword with My people. Therefore, strike your thigh in despair.

I will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause my fury to rest: I the LORD have said it.

For testing is being done. What if even the scepter that despises authority will not continue? This is the declaration of the Sovereign LORD.

The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,

So you, son of man, prophesy and clap your hands together. Let the sword strike twice, even three times. It is a sword for slaughter, a sword of a great massacre that surrounds and penetrates them.

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.

So that hearts melt, and many stumble at all their gates, I have placed a glittering sword. It is made to flash like lightning and is prepared for slaughter.

Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced.

Unite yourself for the blow, turn to the right, and move to the left, whichever direction your edges are appointed.

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.

I too will clap My hands, and I will satisfy My wrath. I, the LORD, have spoken.

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.

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:

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.

As for you, son of man, draw two ways by which the sword of the king of Babylon can come, both coming from the same land. Place a signpost at the head of the road to the city.

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.

Mark out a road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites and against Judah, into fortified Jerusalem.

And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end,

For the king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road, at the head of the two ways, to seek omens. He shakes arrows, consults idols, and looks at the liver.

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.

In his right hand is the decision for Jerusalem: to set up battering rams, to open the mouth in slaughter, to raise the battle cry, to build siege ramps, to erect siege walls.

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.

And to them it will seem like a false divination in their eyes, because they have taken oaths of allegiance. But he will remind them of their guilt and seize them.

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:

Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you have brought your guilt to remembrance by exposing your transgressions for all to see—your sins revealed in all your actions—because you have been brought to mind, you will be captured.

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.

As for you, profane and wicked prince of Israel, your day has come, the time of your final punishment.

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.

This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Remove the turban and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are. Exalt the lowly and bring down the exalted.

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.

A ruin, a ruin, I will make it a ruin! It will not be restored until the one to whom it rightfully belongs comes, and to him I will give it.

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.

And you, son of man, prophesy and say, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says to the Ammonites and their insults: A sword, a sword is drawn for slaughter, polished to flash like lightning and made ready to destroy.

'When false visions are shown to you and lying divinations are given to you, to place you on the necks of the wicked who are to be slain, whose day has come, the time of their punishment end,'

Return the sword to its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, there I will judge you.

I will pour out my wrath upon you; I will blow against you with the fire of my fury and hand you over to brutal men skilled in destruction.

You will be fuel for the fire; your blood will be spilled in the land, and you will no longer be remembered. For I, the LORD, have spoken.