God’s Sword of Judgment

1And the word of YHWH came to me, saying: 2“Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and preach against the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel, 3and say to the land of Israel, thus says YHWH: ‘Behold, I am against you, and I will draw My sword from its sheath and I will cut off from you the righteous one and the wicked one! 4Because that I will cut off from you the righteous one and the wicked one, therefore My sword will go forth from its sheath against all flesh, from south to north. 5And all flesh will know that I, YHWH, have drawn My sword from its sheath; it will not return anymore!’

6And you, son of man, groan with the breaking of loins, and with bitterness groan before their eyes. 7And it will come to pass when they say to you, ‘For what are you sighing?’ That you will answer, ‘Because of the news that is coming; and every heart will melt, and all hands will become feeble, and every spirit will faint, and all knees will turn to water.’ Behold, it is coming, and it will come to pass! An utterance of the Lord YHWH.”

8And the word of YHWH came to me, saying: 9“Son of man, prophesy and say, thus says the Lord: Say,

‘A sword, a sword is sharpened,

also polished,

10it is sharpened in order to slaughter a slaughter;

it is polished in order that it may become lightning.

Or should we rejoice in the scepter of My son?

It is despising every such stick?

11And He has given it to be polished,

to grasp it in the palm;

the sword is sharpened and it is polished,

to be given it into the hand of the one slaying.

12Cry and wail,

O son of man!

For it shall be upon my people;

it is against all the princes of Israel!

They are cast to the sword they will be upon My people!

Therefore strike upon your thigh.†

13For there is a testing;

and what if even the scepter

it is despising

does not continue!’

An utterance of the Lord YHWH.

14‘And you, son of man,

prophesy and strike together the palm,

and let the sword come twice—

a third time—

the sword of the slain!

It is the sword of great slaughter

that is surrounding them,

15in order to melt the heart

and to increase those stumbling.

Against all their gates

I have appointed a sword for slaughter.

Ah, it is made as lightning;

it is grasped for slaughter!

16Slash, thrust right,

set it, thrust left,

wherever your face is appointed!

17And I also will strike My palm to My palm,

and My fury I will cause to rest.’

I, YHWH, have spoken.”

18And the word of YHWH came to me, saying: 19“And you, son of man, set for yourself two ways to go for the sword of the king of Babylon! From one land they will come forth, the two of them, and create a signpost—at the head of the way to the city create it. 20Appoint a way for the coming of the sword to Rabbah of the sons of Ammon and to Judah, into fortified Jerusalem.

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

22In his right hand is the divination for Jerusalem, to set up battering rams, to open the mouth with shattering, to lift high the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to heap up a mound, and to build a wall. 23And it will be to them like an empty divination in their eyes, those having sworn oaths with them; and he will call to remembrance their guilt, to take them captive.

24Therefore, thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘Because you⁺ have made your⁺ iniquity to be remembered, in your⁺ transgressions being uncovered, to cause your⁺ sins to be seen in all your⁺ deeds—because of your⁺ being remembered, you⁺ shall be taken in hand.

25And you, O profane and wicked prince of Israel, for whom

his day has come, in the time of your punishment at the end—

26thus says the Lord YHWH:

‘Turn aside the turban

and lift off the crown;

this will no longer be the same!

The low make high,

and the high make low.

27A ruin, a ruin,

I will make it a ruin!

And it will not be

until He comes whose it is;

to Him I have assigned the judgment.†

28And you, son of man, prophesy and say, thus says the Lord YHWH concerning the sons of Ammon and concerning their scorn; and you shall say:

‘A sword, a sword

is opened for slaughter!

Polished for consuming,

in order to be like lightning.

29In seeing falsehood for you,

in divining to you a lie,

to put you on the necks

of the wounded of the wicked,

whose day has come,

in the time of the iniquity of the end.

30Return it to its sheath!

In the place where you were created,

in the land of your origin,

I will judge you.

31And I will pour out on you My anger;

with the fire of My wrath I will blow against you,

and I will give you into the hands of brutish men,

craftsmen of destruction.

32For the fire you will be as food;

your blood will be in the midst of the land;

you will not be remembered!

Indeed I, YHWH, have spoken.’”