Ezekiel 5

1 “You, son of man, take a sharp sword. You shall take it as a barber’s razor to yourself, and shall cause it to pass over your head and over your beard. Then take balances to weigh and divide the hair.

And thou, son of man, take unto thyself a sharp sword, a barber's razor shalt thou take for it unto thyself, and cause it to pass over thy head and over thy beard: then take unto thee balances for weighing, and divide the hair.

2 A third part you shall burn in the fire in the middle of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled. You shall take a third part, and strike with the sword around it. A third part you shall scatter to the wind, and I will draw out a sword after them.

One third part shalt thou burn with fire in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are completed; and thou shalt take another third part, and smite [it] round about it with the sword; and the other third part shalt thou scatter to the wind: and I will draw out a sword after the same.

3 You shall take a small number of these and bind them in the folds of your robe.

And take thence a few in number, and tie them up in the corners of thy garment.

4 Of these again you shall take, and cast them into the middle of the fire, and burn them in the fire. From it a fire will come out into all the house of Israel.

And from these again shalt thou take some, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire: therefrom shall a fire go forth unto all the house of Israel.

5 “The Lord GOD says: ‘This is Jerusalem. I have set her in the middle of the nations, and countries are around her.

Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, This is Jerusalem, which I had set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her.

6 She has rebelled against my ordinances in doing wickedness more than the nations, and against my statutes more than the countries that are around her; for they have rejected my ordinances, and as for my statutes, they have not walked in them.’

But she rebelled against my ordinances more wickedly than the nations, and against my statutes, more than the countries that are round about her; for my ordinances they have despised, and as for my statutes, they have not walked in them.

7 “Therefore the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you are more turbulent than the nations that are around you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my ordinances, neither have followed the ordinances of the nations that are around you;

Therefore thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Because ye have given yourselves up to evil more than the nations that are round about you, have not walked in my statutes, and have not executed my ordinances, and not even acted according to the ordinances of the nations that are round about you:

8 therefore the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I, even I, am against you; and I will execute judgments among you in the sight of the nations.

Therefore thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Behold, I, also I am against thee, and I will execute judgments in the midst of thee before the eyes of the nations.

9 I will do in you that which I have not done, and which I will not do anything like it any more, because of all your abominations.

And I will do in thee that which I have never done, and the like of which I will never do any more, because of all thy abominations.

10 Therefore the fathers will eat the sons within you, and the sons will eat their fathers. I will execute judgments on you; and I will scatter the whole remnant of you to all the winds.

Therefore fathers shall devour their children in the midst of thee, and children shall devour their fathers: and I will execute judgments on thee, and I will scatter all thy remnant unto all the winds.

11 Therefore as I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things, and with all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you. My eye will not spare, and I will have no pity.

Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord Eternal, Surely, because thou hast made unclean my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thy abominations: therefore will I also diminish [thee]; and my eye shall not show pity, and I also will not spare.

12 A third part of you will die with the pestilence, and they will be consumed with famine within you. A third part will fall by the sword around you. A third part I will scatter to all the winds, and will draw out a sword after them.

A third part of thee shall die through the pestilence, and come through famine to their end in the midst of thee; and another third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and the other third part will I scatter unto all the winds, and a sword will I draw out after them.

13 “‘Thus my anger will be accomplished, and I will cause my wrath toward them to rest, and I will be comforted. They will know that I, the LORD, have spoken in my zeal, when I have accomplished my wrath on them.

Thus shall my anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will satisfy myself: and they shall know that I the Lord have spoken it in my zeal, when I have let out all my fury on them.

14 “‘Moreover I will make you a desolation and a reproach among the nations that are around you, in the sight of all that pass by.

Yea, I will render thee a ruin, and a disgrace among the nations that are round about thee, before the eyes of every one that passeth by.

15 So it will be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment, to the nations that are around you, when I execute judgments on you in anger and in wrath, and in wrathful rebukes—I, the LORD, have spoken it—

And she shall be a disgrace and a taunt, a warning and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I execute judgments on thee in anger and in fury and in furious chastisements, —I the Lord have spoken it, —

16 when I send on them the evil arrows of famine that are for destruction, which I will send to destroy you. I will increase the famine on you and will break your staff of bread.

When I send out among them the dreadful arrows of famine, which [ever] were the cause of destruction, which I will send out to destroy you; and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break unto you the staff of bread:

17 I will send on you famine and evil animals, and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood will pass through you. I will bring the sword on you. I, the LORD, have spoken it.’”

So will I let loose over you famine and wild beasts, and they shall make thee childless; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and the sword will I bring over thee. I the Lord have spoken it.