Yahweh will punish Israel

1Yahweh gave me another message. He said,

2“You human, turn toward Jerusalem. Preach about what will happen to the temple there. Preach about what will happen to the Israeli people.

3Say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh says: I am opposed to you.

4Sowhat I will do to you will be as though [MET] I will pull my sword from its sheath and strike you. I will kill everyone, including righteous people and wicked people [DOU]. I will get rid of everyone, from the south to the north.

5Then everyone will know thatit is as though I, Yahweh, have struck people with my sword, and I will not put it back in its sheath again.’

6Therefore, you human, groan! Groan in front of the Israeli people very sadly and sorrowfully [IDM, DOU].

7And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ tell them, ‘Because of the news that they soon will hear. Everyone will be very fearful [IDM], and their knees will become as weak as [SIM] water. A great disaster will soon occur. That is what Yahweh the Lord is promising.’”

8Yahweh gave me another message. He said,

9“You human, prophesy and say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh says: I have sharpened my sword and polished it.

10It is sharpened in order that I can slaughtermany people with it; it is polished so that it will flash like lightning. The people of Judah will not celebratetheir being punished like this, but they did not repent whenI only struck them with a stick.

11A sword should be polished, and be grasped in someone’s hand. It should be sharpened and polished, ready for someone to use it to kill people.

12So, you human, cry and wail, because I will use my sword to kill my people,
including the leaders of Israel. They and all the other people, my people, will be killed by swords, so beat your chestto show that you are sad.

13I am about to test my people, and the kings [MTY] of Judah will not escape being punished.
That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say.

14So, you human, prophesy; clap your handsto show that you are very happy about what is going to happen. My sword will strike them again and again;
it is a sword for slaughtering many people, while I attack them from every side.

15In order that people will be very much afraid [IDM] and many people will be killed, I have placedsoldiers holding my swords at every city gate, ready to slaughter people. Those swords will flash like lightning, as the soldiers grasp them to slaughter people.

16Their swords [APO] will slash to the right and then to the left,
whichever way they turn the blades.

17Then I will clap my handstriumphantly; and then I will no longer be angry. That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it.’”

The sword of the King of Babylonia

18Yahweh gave me another message. He said,

19“You human, makea map, and on it mark two roads for the King of Babylonia to march onalong with his army, carrying their swords. When they depart from their country, they will come to a sign post where the road divides.

20If they continue on the one road, they will attack Rabbahcity, the capital of the Ammon people-group. If they continue on the other road, they will come to Judah and to Jerusalem, a city with walls around it.

21When the army of Babylonia comes to where the road divides, they will stop, and the king will perform magic rituals to decide which road to go on. He will throw arrows; then consult his idolsabout which road to go on, and he will ◄examine/look at► the liverof a sheep.

22With his right hand he will pick up the arrow marked ‘Jerusalem’. He will thencommand his soldiers to go to Jerusalem. When they arrive there, they will set up ◄rams/devices to batterdown the walls,► and then the king will give the command for them to slaughter the people. They will shout a battle-cry, and they will set up the rams against the city gates. They will build a dirt ramp against the walls around the city, and set up things to bash those walls.

23The peoplein Jerusalem who had promised to be loyal to the King of Babylonia will think that those rituals must be wrong. They will think that his army should not be attacking them. But he will remind them of the sins [MTY] that they had committed, andhis army will capture them.

24Therefore, tell the Israeli people that this is what Yahweh the Lord says: ‘You people have allowed everyone to see that you are openly rebellingagainst the King of Babylonia, and by doing that you have shown that everything that you do is sinful. Therefore you will be captured and takento Babylonia.’

25Also, say, ‘You very wicked [DOU] king of Israel, it is your timeto die. It is the time for you to be punished.’

26And this is what Yahweh the Lord says to you soldiers from Babylonia: ‘Take off the king’s turban and his crown, because now things will be different than they were before. Thosein Jerusalem who had no authority will now be given authority, and those who had authority will have their authority taken from them.

27Jerusalem will be completely ruined. I will cause it to be ruined, and it will not be rebuilt/restored until the king to whom the city truly belongs comes; I will give it to himto rule it.’ ”

A prophecy about Ammon

28“And, you human, prophesy and say this: 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says about the Ammon people-group, and about what they have said to insult Israel: “The King of Babylon says, ‘My soldiers have swords’ [APO]; they have pulled out those swords to slaughter many people. They have polished them in order to kill people, and to make those swords flash like lightning.

29Your prophets have given you false visions about what will happen to you, and they have given you messages that are not true. So swords will strike the necks of those wicked people; it is time for them to be killed; it is the day when they will be punishedfor their sins.

30You must put your swords back in their sheaths because the days for you to slaughter your enemies are ended.
I will judge those people in the country where they were born.

31I will pour out my punishment [MTY] on them.
Because I am very angry with them, my breath on them will scorch them likea fire [MET]. I will allow brutal men to capture them, men who are experts in killing people.

32You will be like fuel [MET] that is burned in a fire. Your blood will be shed in your own land. No one will remember you any more. That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it.” ' ”