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EZEKIEL 22
page 745
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and is polished for slaughter!
O sword, slash to the right,
then slash to the left,
wherever you will,
wherever you want.
I, too, will clap my hands,
and I will satisfy my fury.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Omens for Babylon’s King
18 Then this message came to me from the Lord:
19 “Son of man, make a map and trace two routes
on it for the sword of Babylon’s king to follow.
Put a signpost on the road that comes out of
Babylon where the road forks into two—20 one
road going to Ammon and its capital, Rabbah,
and the other to Judah and fortified Jerusalem.
21 The king of Babylon now stands at the fork,
uncertain whether to attack Jerusalem or Rabbah. He calls his magicians to look for omens.
They cast lots by shaking arrows from the
quiver. They inspect the livers of animal sacrifices. 22 The omen in his right hand says, ‘Jerusalem!’ With battering rams his soldiers will go
against the gates, shouting for the kill. They will
put up siege towers and build ramps against the
walls. 23 The people of Jerusalem will think it is a
false omen, because of their treaty with the Babylonians. But the king of Babylon will remind
the people of their rebellion. Then he will attack
and capture them.
24 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord
says: Again and again you remind me of your
sin and your guilt. You don’t even try to hide it!
In everything you do, your sins are obvious for
all to see. So now the time of your punishment
has come!
25 “O you corrupt and wicked prince of Israel,
your final day of reckoning is here! 26 This is
what the Sovereign Lord says:
27
“Take off your jeweled crown,
for the old order changes.
Now the lowly will be exalted,
and the mighty will be brought down.
Destruction! Destruction!
I will surely destroy the kingdom.
And it will not be restored until the
one appears
who has the right to judge it.
Then I will hand it over to him.
A Message for the Ammonites
28 “And now, son of man, prophesy concerning
the Ammonites and their mockery. Give them
this message from the Sovereign Lord:
“A sword, a sword
is drawn for your slaughter.
It is polished to destroy,
flashing like lightning!
22:3 The Hebrew term (literally round things) probably alludes
to dung; also in 22:4.
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Your prophets have given false visions,
and your fortune-tellers have told lies.
The sword will fall on the necks of the
wicked
for whom the day of final reckoning
has come.
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“Now return the sword to its sheath,
for in your own country,
the land of your birth,
I will pass judgment upon you.
I will pour out my fury on you
and blow on you with the fire of
my anger.
I will hand you over to cruel men
who are skilled in destruction.
You will be fuel for the fire,
and your blood will be spilled in
your own land.
You will be utterly wiped out,
your memory lost to history,
for I, the Lord, have spoken!”
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The Sins of Jerusalem
Now this message came to me from the
Lord: 2 “Son of man, are you ready to
judge Jerusalem? Are you ready to judge this city
of murderers? Publicly denounce her detestable
sins, 3 and give her this message from the Sovereign Lord: O city of murderers, doomed and
damned—city of idols,* filthy and foul—4 you
are guilty because of the blood you have shed.
You are defiled because of the idols you have
made. Your day of destruction has come! You
have reached the end of your years. I will make
you an object of mockery throughout the world.
5 O infamous city, filled with confusion, you will
be mocked by people far and near.
6 “Every leader in Israel who lives within your
walls is bent on murder. 7 Fathers and mothers
are treated with contempt. Foreigners are forced
to pay for protection. Orphans and widows are
wronged and oppressed among you. 8 You despise my holy things and violate my Sabbath
days of rest. 9 People accuse others falsely and
send them to their death. You are filled with idol
worshipers and people who do obscene things.
10 Men sleep with their fathers’ wives and force
themselves on women who are menstruating.
11 Within your walls live men who commit adultery with their neighbors’ wives, who defile
their daughters-in-law, or who rape their own
sisters. 12 There are hired murderers, loan racketeers, and extortioners everywhere. They never
even think of me and my commands, says the
Sovereign Lord.
13 “But now I clap my hands in indignation
over your dishonest gain and bloodshed. 14 How
strong and courageous will you be in my day
of reckoning? I, the Lord, have spoken, and I
will do what I said. 15 I will scatter you among
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