Christian Standard Bible

English Standard Version

1The word of the LORD came to me again:

1The word of the LORD came to me:

2"Son of man, face Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel,

2“Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel

3and say to it, 'This is what the LORD says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.

3and say to the land of Israel, Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am against you and will draw my sword from its sheath and will cut off from you both righteous and wicked.

4Since I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, my sword will therefore come out of its sheath against all people from the south to the north.

4Because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore my sword shall be drawn from its sheath against all flesh from south to north.

5So all people will know that I, the LORD, have taken my sword from its sheath--it will not be sheathed again.'

5And all flesh shall know that I am the LORD. I have drawn my sword from its sheath; it shall not be sheathed again.

6"But you, son of man, groan! Groan bitterly with a broken heart right before their eyes.

6“As for you, son of man, groan; with breaking heart and bitter grief, groan before their eyes.

7And when they ask you, 'Why are you groaning?' then say, 'Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt, and every hand will become weak. Every spirit will be discouraged, and all knees will run with urine. Yes, it is coming and it will happen. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.'"

7And when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that it is coming. Every heart will melt, and all hands will be feeble; every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming, and it will be fulfilled,’” declares the Lord GOD.

8The word of the LORD came to me:

8And the word of the LORD came to me:

9"Son of man, prophesy, 'This is what the Lord says!' You are to proclaim, 'A sword! A sword is sharpened and also polished.

9“Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord, say: “A sword, a sword is sharpened and also polished,

10It is sharpened for slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! Should we rejoice? The scepter of my son, the sword despises every tree.

10sharpened for slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! (Or shall we rejoice? You have despised the rod, my son, with everything of wood.)

11The sword is given to be polished, to be grasped in the hand. It is sharpened, and it is polished, to be put in the hand of the slayer.'

11So the sword is given to be polished, that it may be grasped in the hand. It is sharpened and polished to be given into the hand of the slayer.

12"Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people. It is against all the princes of Israel! They are given over to the sword with my people. Therefore strike your thigh in grief.

12Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people. It is against all the princes of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with my people. Strike therefore upon your thigh.

13Surely it will be a trial! And what if the sword despises even the scepter? The scepter will not continue." This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.

13For it will not be a testing—what could it do if you despise the rod?” declares the Lord GOD.

14"So you, son of man, prophesy and clap your hands together: Let the sword strike two times, even three. It is a sword for massacre, a sword for great massacre--it surrounds them!

14“As for you, son of man, prophesy. Clap your hands and let the sword come down twice, yes, three times, the sword for those to be slain. It is the sword for the great slaughter, which surrounds them,

15I have appointed a sword for slaughter at all their gates, so that their hearts may melt and many may stumble. Yes! It is ready to flash like lightning; it is drawn for slaughter.

15that their hearts may melt, and many stumble. At all their gates I have given the glittering sword. Ah, it is made like lightning; it is taken up for slaughter.

16Slash to the right; turn to the left--wherever your blade is directed.

16Cut sharply to the right; set yourself to the left, wherever your face is directed.

17I also will clap my hands together, and I will satisfy my wrath. I, the LORD, have spoken."

17I also will clap my hands, and I will satisfy my fury; I the LORD have spoken.”

18The word of the LORD came to me:

18The word of the LORD came to me again:

19"Now you, son of man, mark out two roads that the sword of Babylon's king can take. Both of them should originate from the same land. And make a signpost at the fork in the road to each city.

19“As for you, son of man, mark two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to come. Both of them shall come from the same land. And make a signpost; make it at the head of the way to a city.

20Mark out a road that the sword can take to Rabbah of the Ammonites and to Judah into fortified Jerusalem.

20Mark a way for the sword to come to Rabbah of the Ammonites and to Judah, into Jerusalem the fortified.

21For the king of Babylon stands at the split in the road, at the fork of the two roads, to practice divination: he shakes the arrows, consults the idols, and observes the liver.

21For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination. He shakes the arrows; he consults the teraphim; he looks at the liver.

22The answer marked Jerusalem appears in his right hand, indicating that he should set up battering rams, give the order to slaughter, raise a battle cry, set battering rams against the gates, build a ramp, and construct a siege wall.

22Into his right hand comes the divination for Jerusalem, to set battering rams, to open the mouth with murder, to lift up the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up mounds, to build siege towers.

23It will seem like false divination to those who have sworn an oath to the Babylonians, but it will draw attention to their guilt so that they will be captured.

23But to them it will seem like a false divination. They have sworn solemn oaths, but he brings their guilt to remembrance, that they may be taken.

24"Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you have drawn attention to your guilt, exposing your transgressions, so that your sins are revealed in all your actions--since you have done this, you will be captured by them.

24“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have made your guilt to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your deeds your sins appear—because you have come to remembrance, you shall be taken in hand.

25And you, profane and wicked prince of Israel, the day has come for your punishment.

25And you, O profane wicked one, prince of Israel, whose day has come, the time of your final punishment,

26"This is what the Lord GOD says: Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are; exalt the lowly and bring down the exalted.

26thus says the Lord GOD: Remove the turban and take off the crown. Things shall not remain as they are. Exalt that which is low, and bring low that which is exalted.

27A ruin, a ruin, I will make it a ruin! Yet this will not happen until he comes; I have given the judgment to him.

27A ruin, ruin, ruin I will make it. This also shall not be, until he comes, the one to whom judgment belongs, and I will give it to him.

28"Now you, son of man, prophesy, and say, 'This is what the Lord GOD says concerning the Ammonites and their contempt.' You are to proclaim, 'A sword! A sword is drawn for slaughter, polished to consume, to flash like lightning.

28“And you, son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach; say, A sword, a sword is drawn for the slaughter. It is polished to consume and to flash like lightning—

29While they offer false visions and lying divinations about you, the time has come to put you to the necks of the profane wicked ones; the day has come for final punishment.

29while they see for you false visions, while they divine lies for you—to place you on the necks of the profane wicked, whose day has come, the time of their final punishment.

30"'Return it to its sheath! "'I will judge you in the place where you were created, in the land of your origin.

30Return it to its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I will judge you.

31I will pour out my indignation on you; I will blow the fire of my fury on you. I will hand you over to brutal men, skilled at destruction.

31And I will pour out my indignation upon you; I will blow upon you with the fire of my wrath, and I will deliver you into the hands of brutish men, skillful to destroy.

32You will be fuel for the fire. Your blood will be spilled within the land. You will not be remembered, for I, the LORD, have spoken.'"

32You shall be fuel for the fire. Your blood shall be in the midst of the land. You shall be no more remembered, for I the LORD have spoken.”

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.