And say to the land of Israel, Thussaith the LORD; Behold, I am againstthee, and willdrawforth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off fromthee the righteous and the wicked.
Seeingthenthat I will cut off fromthee the righteous and the wicked, thereforeshall my sword go forth out of his sheathagainst all fleshfrom the south to the north:
And it shall be, whenthey say untothee, Whereforesighestthou? thatthoushaltanswer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and everyheartshallmelt, and all handsshall be feeble, and everyspiritshallfaint, and all kneesshall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD.
Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason of the swordshall be upon my people: smitethereforeupon thy thigh.
Thoutherefore, son of man, prophesy, and smitethinehandstogether, and let the sword be doubled the thirdtime, the sword of the slain: it is the sword of the great men that are slain, whichenterethintotheirprivychambers.
I have set the point of the swordagainst all theirgates, thattheirheart may faint, and theirruins be multiplied: ah! it is madebright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter.
Also, thou son of man, appointthee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come: bothtwainshallcomeforth out of one land: and choosethou a place, choose it at the head of the way to the city.
For the king of Babylonstood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrowsbright, he consultedwithimages, he looked in the liver.
At his righthand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appointcaptains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voicewithshouting, to appointbatteringramsagainst the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort.
And it shall be untothem as a falsedivination in theirsight, to themthathaveswornoaths: but he willcall to remembrance the iniquity, thatthey may be taken.
Thereforethussaith the Lord GOD; Because ye havemadeyouriniquity to be remembered, in thatyourtransgressions are discovered, so that in all yourdoingsyoursins do appear; because, I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be takenwith the hand.
And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thussaith the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites, and concerningtheirreproach; even say thou, The sword, the sword is drawn: for the slaughter it is furbished, to consumebecause of the glittering:
Whilesthey see vanityuntothee, whilestheydivine a lie untothee, to bringtheeupon the necks of themthat are slain, of the wicked, whose day is come, whentheiriniquityshallhave an end.
And I willpour out mineindignationuponthee, I willblowagainstthee in the fire of my wrath, and delivertheeinto the hand of brutish men, and skilful to destroy.