Ezekiel

“And you, O mortal, take a sharp knife; use it as a barber’s razor and pass it over your head and beard. Then take scales and divide the hair.athe hair Lit. “them.”

When the days of siege are completed, destroy a third part in fire in the city, take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city,bthe city Heb. “it.” and scatter a third to the wind and unsheathecunsheathe Cf. v. 12; lit. “I will unsheathe.” a sword after them.

“Take also a few [hairs] from there and tie them up in your skirts.

And take some more of them and cast them into the fire, and burn them in the fire. From this a fire shall go out upon the whole House of Israel.”

Thus said the Sovereign GOD: I set this Jerusalem in the midst of nations, with countries round about her.

But she rebelled against My rules and My laws, acting more wickedly than the nations and the countries round about her; shedshe Heb. “they.” rejected My rules and disobeyed My laws.

Assuredly, thus said the Sovereign GOD: Because you have outdone the nations that are round about you—you have not obeyed My laws or followed My rules, nor have you even observed the rules of the nations round about you—

assuredly, thus said the Sovereign GOD: I, in turn, am going to deal with you, and I will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations.

On account of all your abominations, I will do among you what I have never done, and the like of which I will never do again.

Assuredly, parents shall eat their children in your midst, and children shall eat their parents. I will execute judgments against you, and I will scatter all your survivors in every direction.

Assuredly, as I live—said the Sovereign GOD—because you defiled My Sanctuary with all your detestable things and all your abominations, I in turn will shear [you] awayeshear…away Cf. Isa. 15.2 and Jer. 48.37; here an allusion to the symbolism in v. 1. and show no pity. I in turn will show no compassion:

One-third of you shall die of pestilence or perish in your midst by famine, one-third shall fall by the sword around you, and I will scatter one-third in every direction and will unsheathe the sword after them.

I will vent all My anger and satisfy My fury upon them; and when I vent all My fury upon them, they shall know that I, GOD, have spoken in My passion.

I will make you a ruin and a mockery among the nations round about you, in the sight of every passerby.

And when I execute judgment upon you in anger and rage and furious chastisement, youfyou Heb. “she.” shall be a mockery and a derision, a warning and a horror, to the nations round about you: I, GOD, have spoken.

When I loose the deadly arrows of famine against those doomed to destruction, when I loose them against you to destroy you, I will heap more famine upon you and break your staff of bread.

I will let loose against you famine and wild beasts and they shall bereave you; pestilence and bloodshed shall sweep through you, and I will bring the sword upon you. I, GOD, have spoken.