Ezekiel 21

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,	1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
2 'Son of man, turn to the right; utter your word towards the south, prophesy against the forest land ofthe Negeb.	2 Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and let thy speech flow towards the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel:
3 Say to the forest of Negeb, "Hear the word of Yahweh! The Lord Yahweh says this: Listen; I am aboutto kindle a fire in you which wil burn up every green tree in you as wel as every dry one; it wil be anunquenchable blaze and every face wil be scorched by it from the Negeb to the north.	3 And say to the land of Israel: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I come against thee, and I will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off in thee the just, and the wicked.
4 Al humanity wil see that it was I, Yahweh, who kindled it, and it wil not be extinguished." '	4 And forasmuch as I have cut off in thee the just, and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh, from the south even to the north.
5 I said, 'Lord Yahweh, they say of me, "He does nothing but speak in riddles!"'	5 That all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn my sword out of its sheath not to be turned back.
6 Then the word of Yahweh was addressed to me as fol ows,	6 And thou, son of man, mourn with the breaking of thy loins, and with bitterness sigh before them.
7 'Son of man, turn towards Jerusalem, utter your word towards the sanctuary and prophesy against theland of Israel.	7 And when they shall say to thee: Why mournest thou? thou shalt say: For that which I hear: because it cometh, and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be made feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and water shall run down every knee: behold it cometh, and it shall be done, saith the Lord God.
8 Say to the land of Israel, "Yahweh says this: Now I am against you; I am about to unsheathe my swordand rid you of the upright and the wicked alike.	8 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
9 Since I am going to rid you of upright and wicked alike, I shal unsheathe my sword against everyonealive, from the Negeb to the north,	9 Son of man, prophesy, and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Say: The sword, the sword is sharpened, and furbished.
10 so that everyone alive wil know that I, Yahweh, am the one who has unsheathed my sword; it wil notgo back again."	10 It is sharpened to kill victims: it is furbished that it may glitter: thou removest the sceptre of my son, thou hast cut down every tree.
11 'Son of man, groan as though your heart were breaking. Utter your bitter groans where they can seeyou.	11 And I have given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, that it may be in the hand of the slayer.
12 And if they say, "Why these groans?" reply, "Because of the news which is about to come, all hearts wil sink, al hands grow weak, all spirits grow faint and al knees turn to water. It is coming now, it is here!-declares Lord Yahweh." '	12 Cry, and howl, 0 son of man, for this sword is upon my people, it is upon all the princes of Israel, that are fled: they are delivered up to the sword with my people, strike therefore upon thy thigh,
13 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as fol ows,	13 Because it is tried: and that when it shall overthrow the sceptre, and it shall not be, saith the Lord God.
14 'Son of man, prophesy. Say, "The Lord says this. Say: The sword, the sword has been sharpenedand polished,	14 Thou therefore, O son of man, prophesy, and strike thy hands together, and let the sword be doubled, and let the sword of the slain be tripled: this is the sword of a great slaughter, that maketh them stand amazed,
15 sharpened for slaughter, polished to flash like lightning . . .	15 And languish in heart, and that multiplieth ruins. In all their gates I have set the dread of the sharp sword, the sword that is furbished to glitter, that is made ready for slaughter.
16 He has had it polished to be wielded, this sword sharpened and polished to put in the slaughterer'shand!	16 Be thou sharpened, go to the right hand, or to the left, which way soever thou hast a mind to set thy face.
17 Shout and wail, son of man, for it wil come on my people, on all the chief men of Israel doomed likemy people to the sword! So beat your breast,	17 And I will clap my hands together, and will satisfy my indignation: I the Lord have spoken.
18 for this wil be an ordeal . . . declares the Lord Yahweh.	18 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
19 So prophesy, son of man, and clap your hands! Let the sword pass three times, that sword forvictims, that sword for a great victim, threatening them from every side!	19 And thou son of man, set thee two ways, for the sword of the king of Babylon to come: both shall come forth out of one land: and with his hand he shall draw lots, he shall consult at the head of the way of the city.
20 To make hearts sink and make sure many fall, I have posted the slaughtering sword at every gate toflash like lightning, polished for slaughter.	20 Thou shalt make a way that the sword may come to Rabbath of the children of Ammon, and to Juda unto Jerusalem the strong city.
21 Be sharp, on the right, be ready on the left, whichever way your blade is needed!	21 For the king of Babylon stood in the highway, at the head of two ways, seeking divination, shuffling arrows: he inquired of the idols, and consulted entrails.
22 I too shal clap my hands and sate my fury! I, Yahweh, have spoken." '	22 On his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to set battering rams, to open the mouth in slaughter, to lift up the voice in howling, to set engines against the gates, to cast up a mount, to build forts.
23 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as fol ows,	23 And he shall be in their eyes as one consulting the oracle in vain, and imitating the leisure of sabbaths: but he will call to remembrance the iniquity that they may be taken.
24 'Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to come along, making both ofthem begin from the same country. Then put up a signpost, put it where the road leaves for the city,	24 Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because you have remembered your iniquity, and have discovered your prevarications, and your sins have appeared in all your devices: because, I say, you have remembered, you shall be taken with the hand.
25 trace the route which the sword should take for Rabbah-of-the-Ammonites, and for Judah, to thefortress of Jerusalem.	25 But thou profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come that hath been appointed in the time of iniquity:
26 For the king of Babylon has halted at the fork where these two roads diverge, to take the omens. Hehas shaken the arrows, questioned the household gods, inspected the liver.	26 Thus saith the Lord God: Remove the diadem, take off the crown: is it not this that hath exalted the low one, and brought down him that was high?
27 The lot marked 'Jerusalem' is in his right hand: there to set up battering-rams, give the word forslaughter, raise the war cry, level battering-rams against the gates, cast up earthworks, build entrenchments.	27 I will shew it to be iniquity, iniquity, iniquity: but this was not done till he came to whom judgment belongeth, and I will give it him.
28 The inhabitants wil believe that these omens are idle, for they have received sworn guarantees, buthe wil bring their guilt to mind and capture them.	28 And thou son of man, prophesy, and say: Thus saith the Lord God concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach, and thou shalt say: sword, O sword, come out of the scabbard to kill, be furbished to destroy, and to glitter,
29 And so the Lord Yahweh says this, "Since you have brought your guilt to mind by parading yourmisdeeds and flaunting your sins in everything you do: because you have drawn attention to yourselves, you willbe captured.	29 Whilst they see vain things in thy regard, and they divine lies: to bring thee upon the necks of the wicked that are wounded, whose appointed day is come in the time of iniquity.
30 As for you, impious and wicked prince of Israel, whose doom is approaching to put an end to yourcrimes,	30 Return into thy sheath. I will judge thee in the place wherein thou wast created, in the land of thy nativity.
31 the Lord Yahweh says this: They will take away your diadem and remove your crown. Everything wilbe changed; the low wil be raised and the high brought low!	31 And I will pour out upon thee my indignation: in the fire of my rage will I blow upon thee, and will give thee into the hands of men that are brutish and contrive thy destruction.
32 Ruin, ruin, I shal bring such ruin as never was before, until the rightful ruler comes, on whom I shalbestow it."	32 Thou shalt be fuel for the fire, thy blood shall be in the midst of the land, thou shalt be forgotten: for I the Lord have spoken it.
33 'Son of man, prophesy and say, "The Lord Yahweh says this: In reply to the Ammonites and theirjeers, say: The sword, the sword is drawn for slaughter, polished to devour, to flash like lightning-
34 while you have empty visions and consult lying omens-to cut the throats of the wicked, whose doomis approaching to put an end to their crimes.
35 Put it back in the scabbard. The place where you were created, the land of your origin, wil be where Ijudge you.
36 I shal vent my fury on you, breathe the fire of my rage against you and hand you over to barbarousmen whose trade is destruction.
37 You wil be fuel for the fire, your blood wil flow through the country, you wil leave no memory behindyou; for I, Yahweh, have spoken!" '