Ezekiel 21:1-17

New American Standard Bible 1995

Parable of the Sword of the Lord

21 ^[a]And the word of the Lord came to me saying, ² “Son of man, ^(A)set your face toward Jerusalem, and ^[b](B)speak against the sanctuaries and prophesy against the land of Israel; ³ and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, ^(C)I am against you; and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off from you the ^(D)righteous and the wicked. ⁴ Because I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore My sword will go forth from its sheath against ^(E)all flesh from south to north. ⁵ Thus all flesh will know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword out of its sheath. It will ^(F)not return to its sheath again.”’ ⁶ As for you, son of man, groan with breaking ^[c]heart and bitter grief, groan in their sight. ⁷ And when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the ^(G)news that is coming; and ^(H)every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will ^[d]faint and all knees will ^[e]be weak as water. Behold, it comes and it will happen,’ declares the Lord ^[f]God.”

⁸ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁹ “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord.’ Say,

Or shall we rejoice, the ^[h]rod of My son ^(K)despising every tree? ¹¹ It 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. ^12 (L)Cry out and wail, son of man; for it is against My people, it is against all the ^(M)officials of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with My people, therefore strike your thigh. ¹³ For there is a testing; and what if even the ^[i]rod which despises will be no more?” declares the Lord God.

¹⁴ “You therefore, son of man, prophesy and clap your hands together; and let the sword be ^(N)doubled the third time, the sword for the slain. It is the sword for the great one slain, which surrounds them, ¹⁵ that their ^(O)hearts may melt, and many ^(P)fall at all their ^(Q)gates. I have given the glittering sword. Ah! It is made for striking like lightning, it is wrapped up in readiness for slaughter. ^16 [j]Show yourself sharp, go to the right; set yourself; go to the left, wherever your ^[k]edge is appointed. ¹⁷ I will also clap My hands together, and I will ^[l](R)appease My wrath; I, the Lord, have spoken.”