Ezekiel 21

All 32 verses in the Clear Bible Translation. Tap a verse to compare the KJV and read what it means.

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1. 1The word of the LORD came to me:
2. 2"Son of man, turn your face toward Jerusalem. Speak out against the holy places and prophesy against the land of Israel.
3. 3Tell the land of Israel, 'This is what the LORD says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off both the righteous and the wicked from among you.
4. 4Because I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, my sword will strike everyone from south to north.
5. 5Then everyone will know that I, the LORD, have drawn my sword. It will not go back into its sheath again.'"
6. 6Therefore sigh, son of man, with the breaking of your hips, and sigh with bitterness before their eyes.
7. 7When they ask you, 'Why are you groaning?' tell them, 'Because of the news that's coming. When it arrives, every heart will melt, every hand will go limp, every spirit will grow faint, and every knee will turn to water. It's coming — and it will happen,' declares the Lord GOD."
8. 8The word of the LORD came to me again:
9. 9"Son of man, prophesy and say, 'This is what the LORD says: A sword! A sword — sharpened and polished!
10. 10It is sharpened to make a severe slaughter; it is polished so that it may glitter. Should we then make merry? It despises the rod of my son, as every tree.
11. 11The sword has been polished so it can be handled. It is sharpened and polished, ready to be placed in the slayer's hand.
12. 12Cry out and wail, son of man, because it will come upon my people, upon all the leaders of Israel. Terrors from the sword will be upon my people. So strike your thigh in grief.
13. 13This is a test. And what if the sword rejects even the rod? It will be no more, says the Lord GOD.
14. 14Therefore, son of man, prophesy and strike your hands together. Let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it is the sword of the great men who are slain, which enters their private rooms.
15. 15I have aimed the flashing sword at every gate so that hearts will melt and their ruins will increase. It gleams brightly, prepared for slaughter.
16. 16Slash to the right! Slash to the left! Strike wherever you are aimed!
17. 17Then I too will clap my hands together, and my fury will be satisfied. I, the LORD, have spoken."
18. 18The word of the LORD came to me again:
19. 19"Son of man, mark out 2 roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to travel. Both roads start from the same country. Then set up a signpost where the road forks toward the city.
20. 20Mark one road for the sword to reach Rabbah of the Ammonites, and the other to reach Judah and fortified Jerusalem.
21. 21The king of Babylon will stand at the fork in the road where the 2 paths split, and he will seek omens. He will shake arrows, consult his household idols, and examine a liver for signs.
22. 22In his right hand is the omen for Jerusalem: to appoint captains, to give the order to attack, to raise the battle cry, to position battering rams against the gates, to build siege ramps, and to construct a fort.
23. 23The people of Jerusalem — who had sworn treaties with Babylon — will think this is a false omen. But the king of Babylon will remind them of their guilt, and they will be captured.
24. 24"So this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you have brought your guilt out into the open — your rebellion exposed, your sin on display in everything you do — because you have been called to account, you will be seized by force.
25. 25And as for you, you corrupt and wicked prince of Israel — your day has come, the time when your sin will finally be punished.
26. 26This is what the Lord GOD says: Take off the turban. Remove the crown. Nothing will stay as it was. The lowly will be raised up, and the powerful will be brought down.
27. 27Ruin! Ruin! I will make it a ruin! And it will remain that way until the one comes who has the right to it — and I will give it to him."
28. 28"Now, son of man, prophesy and say, 'This is what the Lord GOD says about the Ammonites and their mockery: A sword! A sword is drawn — polished for slaughter, ready to devour, flashing like lightning!
29. 29While your prophets feed you false visions and lying predictions, the sword will fall on the necks of the wicked who are marked for death — those whose day has come, the time when their sin will finally be punished.
30. 30Should I make it return to its sheath? I will judge you in the place where you were created, in the land of your birth.
31. 31I will pour out my fury on you. I will blast you with the fire of my anger and hand you over to savage men who are experts at destruction.
32. 32You will become fuel for the fire. Your blood will soak your own land. You will be remembered no more — for I, the LORD, have spoken."