Ezekiel 19-21

Darby Translation

19 And thou, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

² and say, What was thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps in the midst of the young lions.

³ And she brought up one of her whelps; it became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.

⁴ And the nations heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with nose-rings into the land of Egypt.

⁵ And when she saw that she had waited [and] her hope was lost, she took another of her whelps, [and] made him a young lion.

⁶ And he went up and down among the lions; he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.

⁷ And he knew their [desolate] palaces, and he laid waste their cities, so that the land was desolate, and all it contained, by the noise of his roaring.

⁸ Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit.

⁹ And they put him in a cage with nose-rings, and brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him into strongholds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.

¹⁰ Thy mother was as a vine, in thy rest, planted by the waters: it was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.

¹¹ And it had strong rods for sceptres of them that bear rule, and its stature was exalted between the thick boughs; and it was conspicuous by its height with the multitude of its branches.

¹² But it was plucked up in fury, it was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit; its strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.

¹³ And now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground:

¹⁴ and a fire is gone out of a rod of its branches, [which] hath devoured its fruit; so that it hath no strong rod to be a sceptre for ruling. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

20 And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth [month], the tenth of the month, [that] certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of Jehovah, and they sat before me.

² And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

³ Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Are ye come to inquire of me? [As] I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you.

⁴ Wilt thou judge them, wilt thou judge, son of man? Cause them to know the abominations of their fathers,

⁵ and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up my hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up my hand unto them, saying, I [am] Jehovah your God,

⁶ in that day I lifted up my hand unto them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the ornament of all lands;

⁷ and I said unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I [am] Jehovah your God.

⁸ But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: none of them cast away the abominations of his eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I thought to pour out my fury upon them, so as to accomplish mine anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

⁹ But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they were, in whose sight I had made myself known unto them in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁰ And I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.

¹¹ And I gave them my statutes, and made known unto them mine ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live by them.

¹² And I also gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I [am] Jehovah that hallow them.

¹³ But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they rejected mine ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live by them; and my sabbaths they greatly profaned: and I said I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

¹⁴ But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.

¹⁵ And I also lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land that I had given [them], flowing with milk and honey, which is the ornament of all lands;

¹⁶ because they rejected mine ordinances and walked not in my statutes, and profaned my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.

¹⁷ But mine eye spared them so as not to destroy them, neither did I make a full end of them in the wilderness.

¹⁸ And I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk not in the statutes of your fathers, neither keep their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols.

¹⁹ I [am] Jehovah your God: walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them;

²⁰ and hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I [am] Jehovah your God.

²¹ And the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept mine ordinances to do them, which if a man do, he shall live by them; they profaned my sabbaths: and I said I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish mine anger against them in the wilderness.

²² But I withdrew my hand, and wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.

²³ I lifted up my hand also unto them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations, and disperse them through the countries;

²⁴ because they performed not mine ordinances, and rejected my statutes, and profaned my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols.

²⁵ And I also gave them statutes that were not good, and ordinances whereby they should not live;

²⁶ and I defiled them by their own gifts, in that they devoted all that opened the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I [am] Jehovah.

²⁷ Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In this moreover have your fathers blasphemed me, in that they have wrought unfaithfulness against me.

²⁸ When I had brought them into the land which I had lifted up my hand to give unto them, then they saw every high hill and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering; and there they placed their sweet savour, and there poured out their drink-offerings.

²⁹ And I said unto them, What is the high place whither ye go? And the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day.

³⁰ Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Do ye defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers? and do ye commit fornication after their abominations?

³¹ And when ye offer your gifts, making your sons to pass through the fire, ye defile yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day; and shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? [As] I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you.

³² And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the nations, as the families of the countries, in serving wood and stone.

³³ [As] I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, verily with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, will I reign over you.

³⁴ And I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out;

³⁵ and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there will I enter into judgment with you face to face.

³⁶ Like as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I enter into judgment with you, saith the Lord Jehovah.

³⁷ And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.

³⁸ And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me; I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I [am] Jehovah.

³⁹ As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Go ye, serve every one his idols henceforth also, if none of you will hearken unto me; but profane my holy name no more with your gifts and with your idols.

⁴⁰ For in my holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah, there shall all the house of Israel serve me, the whole of it, in the land; there will I accept them, and there will I require your heave-offerings and the first-fruits of your offerings, with all your holy things.

⁴¹ As a sweet savour will I accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you in the sight of the nations.

⁴² And ye shall know that I [am] Jehovah, when I have brought you into the land of Israel, into the country which I lifted up my hand to give to your fathers.

⁴³ And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils which ye have committed.

⁴⁴ And ye shall know that I [am] Jehovah, when I have wrought with you for my name's sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah.

⁴⁵ And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

⁴⁶ Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop [words] against the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;

⁴⁷ and say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of Jehovah. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flashing flame shall not be quenched; and all that it meets from the south to the north shall be burned thereby.

⁴⁸ And all flesh shall see that I Jehovah have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.

⁴⁹ And I said, Ah, Lord Jehovah! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?

21 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

² Son of man, set thy face against Jerusalem, and drop [words] against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel,

³ and say to the land of Israel, Thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, and I will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.

⁴ Seeing that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh, from the south to the north;

⁵ and all flesh shall know that I Jehovah have drawn forth my sword out of its sheath: it shall not return any more.

⁶ Sigh then, thou son of man; with breaking of the loins, and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.

⁷ And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore dost thou sigh? that thou shalt say, Because of the tidings, for it cometh; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall languish, and all knees shall melt into water: behold, it cometh; it is here, saith the Lord Jehovah.

⁸ And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

⁹ Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah: Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished.

¹⁰ It is sharpened for sore slaughter, it is furbished that it may glitter. Shall we then make mirth, [saying,] The sceptre of my son contemneth all wood?

¹¹ And he hath given it to be furbished that it may be handled. The sword,—it is sharpened, and it is furbished to give it into the hand of the slayer.

¹² Cry and howl, son of man; for it shall be against my people, it shall be against all the princes of Israel: they are given up to the sword along with my people: smite therefore upon the thigh.

¹³ For the trial [is made]; and what if even the contemning sceptre shall be no [more]? saith the Lord Jehovah.

¹⁴ And thou, son of man, prophesy, and smite thy hands together; for [the strokes of] the sword shall be doubled the third time: it is the sword of the slain, the sword that hath slain the great one, which encompasseth them privily.

¹⁵ In order that the heart may melt, and the stumbling-blocks be multiplied, I have set the threatening sword against all their gates: ah! it is made glittering, it is whetted for the slaughter.

¹⁶ Gather up [strength], go to the right hand, turn thee, go to the left, whithersoever thy face is appointed.

¹⁷ And I myself will smite my hands together, and I will satisfy my fury: I Jehovah have spoken [it].

¹⁸ And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

¹⁹ And thou, son of man, set thee two ways, by which the sword of the king of Babylon may come—out of one land shall they both come—and make thee a signpost, make it at the head of the way to the city.

²⁰ Appoint a way for the coming of the sword to Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and to Judah at the fenced [city] of Jerusalem.

²¹ For the king of Babylon standeth at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he shaketh [his] arrows, he inquireth of the teraphim, he looketh in the liver.

²² In his right hand is the lot of Jerusalem to appoint battering-rams, to open the mouth for bloodshed, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering-rams against the gates, to cast mounds, to build siege-towers.

²³ And this shall be a false divination in their sight, for them that have sworn oaths; but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.

²⁴ Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because ye make your iniquity to be remembered in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear; because ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.

²⁵ And thou, profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, at the time of the iniquity of the end,

²⁶ —thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Remove the mitre and take off the crown; what is shall be no [more]. Exalt that which is low, and abase that which is high.

²⁷ I will overturn, overturn, overturn it! This also shall be no [more], until he come whose right it is; and I will give it [to him].

²⁸ And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus speaketh the Lord Jehovah concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and thou shalt say, A sword, a sword is drawn; for the slaughter is it furbished, that it may consume, that it may glitter:

²⁹ whilst they see vanity for thee, whilst they divine a lie unto thee, to lay thee upon the necks of the wicked that are slain, whose day is come at the time of the iniquity of the end.

³⁰ Restore [it] to its sheath. I will judge thee in the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy birth.

³¹ And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow upon thee the fire of my wrath, and give thee into the hand of brutish men, skilful to destroy.

³² Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt not be remembered: for I Jehovah have spoken.