God’s Sword of Judgment

1The worde of the Lorde came vnto me, saying: 2Thou sonne of man, set thy face towarde Hierusalem, and drop thy worde towarde the holy places, and prophecie agaynst the lande of Israel. 3Say to the lande of Israel, thus saith the Lorde, Beholde I am against thee, and wyll drawe my sworde out of the sheath, and cut of from thee both the righteous and the wicked. 4Seyng then that I wyll cut of from thee both the righteous and the wicked: therfore shall my sworde go out of his sheath agaynst all fleshe from the south to the north, 5That all fleshe may knowe howe that I the Lorde haue drawne my sworde out of the sheath, and it shall not be put in agayne. 6Mourne therfore O thou sonne of man, yea euen with the breakyng of thy loynes, mourne bitterly in their presence. 7And if they say vnto thee, wherfore mournest thou? Then tell them, for the tidinges that commeth: All heartes shall melt, all handes shalbe letten downe, all stomackes shal faynt, and all knees shall go as water: beholde it commeth, and shalbe brought to passe, saith the Lorde God.

8Agayne, the worde of the Lorde came vnto me, saying:

9Thou sonne of man, prophecie and speake, thus saith the Lorde God, Speake, the sworde the sworde is sharpened and well furbished.

10Sharpened is it to make a great slaughter, and furbished that it may glitter: Shall we then make mirth? It contemneth the rodde of my sonne as all other trees.

11He hath geuen it to be furbished, to holde it in the hande: this sworde is sharpened, and furbished, to geue it into the hande of the slayer. 12Crye and houle sonne of man, for it commeth vpon my people it commeth vpon all the princes of Israel: the terrours of the sworde shalbe vpon my people, smite therfore thou vpon thy thygh. 13Because it is a triall: and what if it contemne the rodde? It shalbe no more saith the Lorde.

14Prophecie thou sonne of man, & smite thy handes together, & let the sworde be doubled thrise, euen the sworde of the great slaughter, entryng into their priuie chaumbers, 15To make them faynt at the heartes, and to multiplie their falles, in all their gates, haue I geuen the terrour of the sworde: Ah it is made bright, and dressed for the slaughter. 16Get thee one way or other, either vpon the right hande or vpon the left, whyther soeuer thy face turneth. 17I will smite my handes together also, and make my wrathfull indignation to rest: euen I the Lorde haue sayde it.

18The worde of the Lorde came yet vnto me agayne, saying: 19Thou sonne of man, appoynt thee two wayes, that the sworde of the king of Babylon may come: Both these wayes shal go out of one lande, and choose thee a place, at the head of the citie wayes choose it. 20Appoynt a way that the sworde may come towarde Rabbath of the Ammonites, and towarde Iuda in the defenced Hierusalem. 21For the kyng of Babylon stoode at the partyng of the wayes, at the head of the two wayes, consultyng by diuination, he made his arrowes bright, consulted with images, & lookt in the liuer. 22At his right hande was the soothsaying for Hierusalem, to appoynt captaynes, to open their mouth to the slaughter, and to lift vp their voice with the alarum, to set battle rammes agaynst the gates, to cast a bulwarke, and to builde a fort. 23And it shalbe vnto them as a false diuination in their sight, for the othes made vnto them: but he wyll call to remembraunce their iniquitie, to the intent they may be taken.

24Therfore thus saith the Lorde God, Because ye haue made your iniquitie to be remebred in discoueryng your transgressions, so that in all your workes your sinnes might appeare, because ye are come to remembraunce, ye shalbe taken by hande. 25O thou shamefull wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, euen when wickednesse shall haue an ende, 26Thus saith the Lorde God, I wyll take away the Diademe, and put of the crowne: this shalbe no more the same, I wyll exalt the humble, and abase him that is hye. 27Ouerthrowen, ouerthrowen, ouerthrowen wyll I put it, and it shall not be, vntyll he come to whom the iudgement belongeth, and to whom I haue geuen it.

28And thou O sonne of man, prophecie and speake, Thus saith the Lorde God to the children of Ammon, and to their blasphemie, speake thou: The sworde, the sworde is drawen foorth alredy to slaughter, and furbished to consume because of the glitteryng: 29Whiles they see vnto thee vanitie, and deuine a lye vnto thee, to put thee with the neckes of the wicked that be slayne, whose day is come when their iniquitie shall haue an ende. 30Shoulde I cause it to returne into his sheath? In the place where thou wast created, in the lande of thine habitation wyll I iudge thee: 31And I wyll powre mine indignation vpon thee, and wyll blowe vpon thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliuer thee into the handes of desperate people, which are skilfull to destroy. 32Thou shalt feede the fire, and thy blood shalbe shed in the lande: thou shalt be put out of remembraunce, for I the Lorde haue spoken it.