God’s Sword of Judgment

1The word of ye Lord came to me againe, saying, 2Sonne of man, set thy face toward Ierusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophecie against the land of Israel. 3And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord, Beholde, I come against thee, and will drawe my sword out of his sheath, and cut off from thee both the righteous and the wicked. 4Seeing then that I will cut off from thee both the righteous and wicked, therefore shall my sworde goe out of his sheath against all flesh from the South to the North, 5That all flesh may knowe that I the Lorde haue drawen my sworde out of his sheath, and it shall not returne any more. 6Mourne therefore, thou sonne of man, as in the paine of thy reines, and mourne bitterly before them. 7And if they say vnto thee, Wherefore mournest thou? then answere, Because of the bruite: for it commeth, and euery heart shall melt, and all handes shall be weake, and all mindes shall faint, and all knees shall fall away as water: beholde, it commeth, and shall be done, saith the Lord God.

8Againe, the word of the Lord came vnto me, saying,

9Sonne of man, prophecie, and say, Thus saith the Lorde God, say, A sworde, a sworde both sharpe, and fourbished.

10It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter, and it is fourbished that it may glitter: how shall we reioyce? for it contemneth the rod of my sonne, as all other trees.

11And he hath giuen it to be fourbished, that he may handle it: this sword is sharpe, & is fourbished, that he may giue it into ye hand of the slayer. 12Cry, and houle, sonne of man: for this shall come to my people, and it shal come vnto all the princes of Israel: the terrours of the sword shall be vpon my people: smite therefore vpo thy thigh. 13For it is a triall, and what shall this be, if the sworde contemne euen the rodde? It shall be no more, saith the Lord God.

14Thou therefore, sonne of man, prophecie, and smite hand to hand, and let the sworde be doubled: let the sworde that hath killed, returne the third time: it is the sword of the great slaughter entring into their priuie chambers. 15I haue brought the feare of the sword into all their gates to make their heart to faint, and to multiplie their ruines. Ah it is made bright, and it is dressed for the slaughter. 16Get thee alone: goe to the right hande, or get thy selfe to the left hande, whithersoeuer thy face turneth. 17I wil also smite mine hands together, & wil cause my wrath to cease. I the Lord haue said it.

18The worde of the Lorde came vnto mee againe, saying, 19Also thou sonne of man, appoint thee two wayes, that the sworde of the King of Babel may come: both twaine shall come out of one lande, and chuse a place, and chuse it in the corner of the way of the citie. 20Appoint a way, that the sworde may come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to Iudah in Ierusalem the strong citie . 21And the King of Babel stoode at the parting of the way, at the head of the two wayes, consulting by diuination, and made his arrowes bright: hee consulted with idoles, and looked in the liuer. 22At his right hand was the diuination for Ierusalem to appoint captaines, to open their mouth in the slaughter, and to lift vp their voyce with shouting, to laye engines of warre against the gates, to cast a mount, and to builde a fortresse. 23And it shalbe vnto them as a false diuination in their sight for the othes made vnto them: but hee will call to remembrance their iniquitie, to the intent they should be taken.

24Therefore thus sayeth the Lorde God, Because ye haue made your iniquitie to bee remembred, in discouering your rebellion, that in al your workes your sinnes might appeare: because, I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand. 25And thou prince of Israel polluted, and wicked, whose day is come, when iniquitie shall haue an ende, 26Thus saith the Lord God, I will take away the diademe, and take off the crowne: this shalbe no more the same: I wil exalt the humble, and will abase him that is hie. 27I wil ouerturne, ouerturne, ouerturne it, and it shall be no more vntill he come, whose right it is, and I will giue it him.

28And thou, sonne of man, prophecie, and say, Thus saith the Lorde God to the children of Ammon, and to their blasphemie: say thou, I say, The sword, the sword is drawen foorth, and fourbished to the slaughter, to consume, because of the glittering: 29Whiles they see vanitie vnto thee, & prophecied a lie vnto thee to bring thee vpon the neckes of the wicked that are slaine, whose day is come when their iniquitie shall haue an ende. 30Shall I cause it to returne into his sheath? I will iudge thee in the place where thou wast created, euen in the land of thine habitation. 31And I wil powre out mine indignation vpon thee, and will blowe against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliuer thee into the hand of beastly men, and skilfull to destroy. 32Thou shalt bee in the fire to be deuoured: thy blood shall be in the middes of the lande, and thou shalt be no more remembred: for I the Lord haue spoken it.