¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Son of man, set¹ thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop² thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against³ the land of Israel,

And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold,⁴ I am against thee, and will draw⁵ forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous⁶ and the wicked.

Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against⁷ all flesh from the south to the north:

That all⁸ flesh may know that I the LORD have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath: it shall⁹ not return any more.

Sigh¹⁰ therefore, thou son of man, with the¹¹ breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness sigh before¹² their eyes.

And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore¹³ sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the¹⁴ tidings; because it cometh: and every¹⁵ heart shall melt, and all hands¹⁶ shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint¹⁷, and all knees shall be weak as water¹⁸: behold, it cometh¹⁹, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD.

¶ Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD; Say, A sword²⁰, a sword is sharpened²¹, and also furbished:

¶ It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished²² that it may glitter: should²³ we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree²⁴.

And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give²⁵ it into the hand of the slayer.

Cry and howl²⁶, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon my people: smite therefore upon thy thigh.

Because²⁸ it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn²⁹ even the rod? it shall³⁰ be no more, saith the Lord GOD.

Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite³¹ thine hands together³², and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it is the sword of the great men that are slain, which entereth³³ into their privy chambers.

I have set the point³⁴ of the sword against all their gates, that their³⁵ heart may faint, and their ruins be multiplied: ah! it is made³⁶ bright, it is wrapped up³⁷ for the slaughter.

Go³⁸ thee one way or other, either³⁹ on the right hand, or on the left⁴⁰, whithersoever thy face is set.

I will also smite⁴¹ mine hands together, and I⁴² will cause my fury to rest: I the LORD have said it.

¶ The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,

⁴³Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come: both twain shall come forth out of one land: and choose thou a place, choose it at the head of the way to the city.

¶ Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath⁴⁴ of the Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced⁴⁶.

For the king⁴⁷ of Babylon stood at the parting⁴⁸ of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made⁴⁹ his arrows⁵⁰ bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver.

At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains⁵¹, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift⁵² up the voice with shouting, to appoint⁵³ battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort.

And it shall be unto them as a⁵⁴ false divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths⁵⁵: but⁵⁶ he will call⁵⁷ to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions⁵⁸ are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because, I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall⁵⁹ be taken with the hand.

And thou, profane⁶⁰ wicked prince of Israel, whose⁶¹ day is come, when iniquity shall have an end,

Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove⁶² the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt⁶³ him that is low, and abase him that is high.

I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it:⁶⁴ and it shall be no more, until⁶⁵ he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.

¶ And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning the⁶⁶ Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; even say thou, The sword⁶⁷, the sword is drawn: for the slaughter it is furbished, to consume because of the glittering:

Whiles they see⁶⁸ vanity unto thee, whiles they divine a lie unto thee, to bring⁶⁹ thee upon the necks of them that are slain, of the wicked, whose⁷⁰ day is come, when their iniquity shall have an end.

¶ Shall I cause it to return⁷¹ into his sheath? I will⁷² judge thee in the⁷³ place where thou wast created, in the land of thy nativity.

And I will pour⁷⁴ out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow⁷⁵ against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish⁷⁶ men, and skilful to destroy.

Thou shalt be for fuel⁷⁷ to the fire; thy blood⁷⁸ shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt be no⁷⁹ more remembered: for I⁸⁰ the LORD have spoken it.