God’s Sword of Judgment 1 Brenton And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, BSB BSB: And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2 Brenton Therefore prophesy, son of man, set thy face steadfastly toward Jerusalem, and look toward their holy places, and thou shalt prophesy against the land of Israel, BSB BSB: “Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel
3 Brenton and thou shalt say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I am against thee, and I will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and I will destroy out of thee the transgressor and unrighteous. BSB BSB: and tell her that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am against you, and I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.
4 Brenton Because I will destroy out of thee the unrighteous and the transgressor, therefore so shall my sword come forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: BSB BSB: Because I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, My sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.
5 Brenton and all flesh shall know that I the Lord have drawn forth my sword out of its sheath: it shall not return any more. BSB BSB: Then all flesh will know that I, the LORD, have taken My sword from its sheath, not to return it again.’
6 Brenton And thou, son of man, groan with the breaking of thy loins; thou shalt even groan heavily in their sight. BSB BSB: But you, son of man, groan! Groan before their eyes with a broken heart and bitter grief.
7 Brenton And it shall come to pass, if they shall say to thee, Wherefore dost thou groan? that thou shalt say, For the report; because it comes: and every heart shall break, and all hands shall become feeble, and all flesh and every spirit shall faint, and all thighs shall be defiled with moisture: behold, it comes, saith the Lord. BSB BSB: And when they ask, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you are to say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt, and every hand will go limp. Every spirit will faint, and every knee will turn to water.’ Yes, it is coming and it will surely happen, declares the Lord GOD.”
8 Brenton And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, BSB BSB: Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
9 Brenton Son of man, prophesy, and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; Say, Sword, sword, be sharpened and rage, BSB BSB: “Son of man, prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord says: ‘A sword, a sword, sharpened and polished—
10 Brenton that thou mayest slay victims; be sharpened that thou mayest be bright, ready for slaughter, slay, set at nought, despise every tree. BSB BSB: it is sharpened for the slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! Should we rejoice in the scepter of My son? The sword despises every such stick.
11 Brenton And he made it ready for his hand to hold: the sword is sharpened, it is ready to put into the hand of the slayer. BSB BSB: The sword is appointed to be polished, to be grasped in the hand. It is sharpened and polished, to be placed in the hand of the slayer.
12 Brenton Cry out and howl, son of man: for this sword is come upon my people, this sword is come upon all the princes of Israel: they shall be as strangers: judgment with the sword is come upon my people: therefore clap thine hands, for sentence has been passed: BSB BSB: Cry out and wail, O son of man, for the sword is wielded against My people; it is against all the princes of Israel! They are tossed to the sword with My people; therefore strike your thigh.
13 Brenton and what if even the tribe be rejected? it shall not be, saith the Lord God. BSB BSB: Surely testing will come! And what if even the scepter, which the sword despises, does not continue?’ declares the Lord GOD.
14 Brenton And thou, son of man, prophesy, and clap thine hands, and take a second sword: the third sword is the sword of the slain, the great sword of the slain: and thou shalt strike them with amazement, lest the heart should faint BSB BSB: ‘So then, son of man, prophesy and strike your hands together. Let the sword strike two times, even three. It is a sword that slays, a sword of great slaughter closing in on every side!
15 Brenton and the weak ones be multiplied at every gate—they are given up to the slaughter of the sword: it is well fitted for slaughter, it is well fitted for glittering. BSB BSB: So that their hearts may melt and many may stumble, I have appointed at all their gates a sword for slaughter. Yes, it is ready to flash like lightning; it is drawn for slaughter.
16 Brenton And do thou go on, sharpen thyself on the right and on the left whithersoever thy face may set itself. BSB BSB: Slash to the right; set your blade to the left—wherever your blade is directed.
17 Brenton And I also will clap my hands, and let loose my fury: I the Lord have spoken it . BSB BSB: I too will strike My hands together, and I will satisfy My wrath.’ I, the LORD, have spoken.”
18 Brenton And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, BSB BSB: Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
19 Brenton And thou, son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may enter in: the two shall go forth of one country; and there shall be a force at the top of the way of the city, thou shalt set it at the top of the way, BSB BSB: “Now you, son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same land. And make a signpost where the road branches off to each city.
20 Brenton that the sword may enter in upon Rabbath of the children of Ammon, and upon Judea, and upon Jerusalem in the midst thereof. BSB BSB: Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites, and another against Judah into fortified Jerusalem.
21 Brenton For the king of Babylon shall stand on the old way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination, to make bright the arrow, and to enquire of the graven images, and to examine the victims . BSB BSB: For the king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He shakes the arrows, he consults the idols, he examines the liver.
22 Brenton On his right was the divination against Jerusalem, to cast a mound, to open the mouth in shouting, to lift up the voice with crying, to cast a mound against her gates, to cast up a heap, and to build forts. BSB BSB: In his right hand appears the portent for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to call for the slaughter, to lift a battle cry, to direct the battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp, and to erect a siege wall.
23 Brenton And he was to them as one using divination before them, and he himself recounting his iniquities, that they might be borne in mind. BSB BSB: It will seem like a false omen to the eyes of those who have sworn allegiance to him, but it will draw attention to their guilt and take them captive.
24 Brenton Therefore thus saith the Lord, Because ye have caused your iniquities to be remembered, in the discovery of your wickedness, so that your sins should be seen, in all your wickedness and in your evil practices; because ye have caused remembrance of them , in these shall ye be taken. BSB BSB: Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you have drawn attention to your guilt, exposing your transgressions, so that your sins are revealed in all your deeds—because you have come to remembrance—you shall be taken in hand.
25 Brenton And thou profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day, even an end, is come in a season of iniquity, thus saith the Lord; BSB BSB: And you, O profane and wicked prince of Israel, the day has come for your final punishment.’
26 Brenton Thou hast taken off the mitre and put on the crown, it shall not have such another after it: thou hast abased that which was high, and exalted that which was low. BSB BSB: This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are: Exalt the lowly and bring low the exalted.
27 Brenton Injustice, injustice, injustice, will I make it: woe to it: such shall it be until he comes to whom it belongs; and I will deliver it to him. BSB BSB: A ruin, a ruin, I will make it a ruin! And it will not be restored until the arrival of Him to whom it belongs, to whom I have assigned the right of judgment.’
28 Brenton And thou, son of man, prophesy, and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord, concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and thou shalt say, O sword, sword, drawn for slaughter, and drawn for destruction, awake, that thou mayest gleam. BSB BSB: Now prophesy, son of man, and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says concerning the Ammonites and their contempt: ‘A sword! A sword is drawn for slaughter, polished to consume, to flash like lightning—
29 Brenton While thou art seeing vain visions , and while thou art prophesying falsehoods, to bring thyself upon the necks of ungodly transgressors, the day is come, even an end, in a season of iniquity. BSB BSB: while they offer false visions for you and lying divinations about you—to be placed on the necks of the wicked who are slain, whose day has come, the time of their final punishment.
30 Brenton Turn, rest not in this place wherein thou wert born: in thine own land will I judge thee. BSB BSB: Return the sword to its sheath! In the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I will judge you.
31 Brenton And I will pour out my wrath upon thee, I will blow upon thee with the fire of my wrath, and I will deliver thee into the hands of barbarians skilled in working destruction. BSB BSB: I will pour out My anger upon you; I will breathe the fire of My fury against you; I will hand you over to brutal men, skilled in destruction.
32 Brenton Thou shalt be fuel for fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of thy land; there shall be no remembrance at all of thee: for I the Lord have spoken it . BSB BSB: You will be fuel for the fire. Your blood will stain your own land. You will not be remembered, for I, the LORD, have spoken.’”