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Ezekiel 19
And you, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, 2 and say, What was your mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, in the middle of the young lions she nourished her whelps. 3 And she brought up one of her whelps: he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men. 4 The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt. 5 Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion. 6 And he went up and down among the lions; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men. 7 And he knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness of it, because of the noise of his roaring. 8 Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces; and they spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit. 9 And they put him in a cage with hooks, and brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him into strongholds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.
10 Your mother was like a vine, in your blood, planted by the waters: it was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters. 11 And it had strong rods for the scepters of them that bore rule, and their stature was exalted among the thick boughs, and they were seen in their height with the multitude of their branches. 12 But it was plucked up in fury, it was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit: its strong rods were broken off and withered; the fire consumed them. 13 And now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land. 14 And fire has gone out of the rods of its branches, it has devoured its fruit, so that there is in it no strong rod to be a scepter to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.
Ezekiel 20
And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of Yahweh, and sat before me. 2 And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 3 Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, In this manner says the Sovereign Yahweh: Is it to inquire of me that you have come? As I live, says the Sovereign Yahweh, I will not be inquired of by you. 4 Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Cause them to know the abominations of their fathers; 5 and say to them, In this manner says the Sovereign Yahweh: In the day when I chose Israel, and swore to the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, I am Yahweh your Elohim; 6 in that day I swore to them, to bring them forth out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands: 7 and I said to them, Cast away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am Yahweh your Elohim. 8 But they rebelled against me, and would not listen to me; they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the middle of the land of Egypt. 9 But I worked for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, among which they were, in whose sight I made myself known to them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.
10 So I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness. 11 And I gave them my statutes, and showed them my ordinances, which if a man does, he shall live in them. 12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am Yahweh that sanctifies them. 13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they rejected my ordinances, which if a man keeps, he shall live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to consume them. 14 But I worked for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out. 15 Moreover also I swore to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands; 16 because they rejected my ordinances, and walked not in my statutes, and profaned my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols. 17 Nevertheless my eye spared them, and I destroyed them not, neither did I make a full end of them in the wilderness.
18 And I said to their children in the wilderness, Walk not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am Yahweh your Elohim: walk in my statutes, and keep my ordinances, and do them; 20 and hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am Yahweh your Elohim. 21 But the children rebelled against me; they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my ordinances to do them, which if a man does, he shall live in them; they profaned my sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness. 22 Nevertheless I withdrew my hand, and worked for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them forth. 23 Moreover I swore to them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations, and disperse them through the countries; 24 because they had not executed my ordinances, but had rejected my statutes, and had profaned my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols. 25 Moreover also I gave them statutes that were not good, and ordinances in which they should not live; 26 and I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that opens the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am Yahweh.
27 Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, In this manner says the Sovereign Yahweh: In this moreover have your fathers blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me. 28 For when I had brought them into the land, which I swore to give to them, then they saw every high hill, and every thick tree, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering; there also they made their sweet savor, and they poured out there their drink-offerings. 29 Then I said to them, What means the high place to which you go? So the name of it is called Bamah to this day. 30 Therefore say to the house of Israel, In this manner says the Sovereign Yahweh: Do you pollute yourselves after the manner of your fathers? And do you play the harlot after their abominations? 31 And when you offer your gifts, when you make your sons to pass through the fire, do you pollute yourselves with all your idols to this day? And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, says the Sovereign Yahweh, I will not be inquired of by you; 32 and that which comes into your mind shall not be at all, in that you say, We will be as the nations, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.
33 As I live, says the Sovereign Yahweh, surely with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, will I be king over you: 34 and I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries in which you are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out; 35 and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there will I enter into judgment with you face to face. 36 Like as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I enter into judgment with you, says the Sovereign Yahweh. 37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; 38 and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me; I will bring them forth out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and you shall know that I am Yahweh. 39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Sovereign Yahweh: Go serve every one his idols, and after this also, if you will not listen to me; but my holy name shall you no more profane with your gifts, and with your idols.
40 For in my holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, says the Sovereign Yahweh, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them, serve me in the land: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the first-fruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. 41 As a sweet savor will I accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples, and gather you out of the countries in which you have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you in the sight of the nations. 42 And you shall know that I am Yahweh, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country which I swore to give to your fathers. 43 And there shall you remember your ways, and all your doings, in which you have polluted yourselves; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that you have committed. 44 And you shall know that I am Yahweh, when I have dealt with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O you house of Israel, says the Sovereign Yahweh.
45 And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 46 Son of man, set your face toward the south, and drop your word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the field in the South; 47 and say to the forest of the South, Hear the word of Yahweh: In this manner says the Sovereign Yahweh, Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree in you, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burnt by it. 48 And all flesh shall see that I, Yahweh, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched. 49 Then said I, Ah Sovereign Yahweh! They say of me, Is he not a speaker of parables?
Ezekiel 21
And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and drop your word toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel; 3 and say to the land of Israel, In this manner says Yahweh: Behold, I am against you, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. 4 Seeing then that I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: 5 and all flesh shall know that I, Yahweh, have drawn forth my sword out of its sheath; it shall not return any more. 6 Sigh therefore, you son of man; with the breaking of your loins and with bitterness shall you sigh before their eyes. 7 And it shall be, when they say to you, Why do you sigh? that you shall say, Because of the tidings, for it comes; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it comes, and it shall be done, says the Sovereign Yahweh.
8 And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 Son of man, prophesy, and say, In this manner says Yahweh: Say, A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished; 10 It is sharpened that it may make a slaughter; it is furbished that it may be as lightning: shall we then make mirth? The rod of my son, it despises every tree. 11 And it is given to be furbished, that it may be handled: the sword, it is sharpened, yes, it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer. 12 Cry and wail, son of man; for it is upon my people, it is upon all the princes of Israel: they are delivered over to the sword with my people; strike therefore upon your thigh. 13 For there is a trial; and what if even the rod that despises shall be no more? says the Sovereign Yahweh. 14 You therefore, son of man, prophesy, and strike your hands together; and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the deadly wounded: it is the sword of the great one that is deadly wounded, which enters into their chambers. 15 I have set the threatening sword against all their gates, that their heart may melt, and their stumblings be multiplied: Ah! It is made as lightning, it is pointed for slaughter. 16 Gather you together, go to the right, set yourself in array, go to the left, wherever your face is set. 17 I will also strike my hands together, and I will cause my wrath to rest: I, Yahweh, have spoken it.
18 The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying, 19 Also, you son of man, appoint for yourself two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come; they both shall come forth out of one land: and mark out a place, mark it out at the head of the way to the city. 20 You shall appoint a way for the sword to come to Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and to Judah in Jerusalem the fortified. 21 For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he shook the arrows to and fro, he consulted the teraphim, he looked in the liver. 22 In his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to set battering rams, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up mound, to build forts. 23 And it shall be to them as a false divination in their sight, who have sworn oaths to them; but he brings iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken.
24 Therefore thus says the Sovereign Yahweh: Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear; because that you have come to remembrance, you shall be taken with the hand. 25 And you, O deadly wounded wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose day has come, in the time of the iniquity of the end, 26 thus says the Sovereign Yahweh: Remove the mitre, and take off the crown; this shall be no more the same; exalt that which is low, and humble that which is high. 27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: this also shall be no more, until he comes whose right it is; and I will give it to him.
28 And you, son of man, prophesy, and say, In this manner says the Sovereign Yahweh concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and say, A sword, a sword is drawn, for the slaughter it is furbished, to cause it to devour, that it may be as lightning; 29 while they see for you false visions, while they divine ties to you, to lay you upon the necks of the wicked that are deadly wounded, whose day has come in the time of the iniquity of the end. 30 Cause it to return into its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your birth, will I judge you. 31 And I will pour out my indignation upon you; I will blow upon you with the fire of my wrath; and I will deliver you into the hand of brutish men, skilful to destroy. 32 You shall be for fuel to the fire; your blood shall be in the middle of the land; you shall be no more remembered: for I, Yahweh, have spoken it.
