Ezekiel 21 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

The LORD’s Sword of Judgment

Eze 21:1 [fn]Then this message came to me from the LORD:

Eze 21:2“Son of man, turn and face Jerusalem and prophesy against Israel and her sanctuaries.

Eze 21:3Tell her, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am your enemy, O Israel, and I am about to unsheath my sword to destroy your people—the righteous and the wicked alike.

Eze 21:4

Eze 21:4Yes, I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked! I will draw my sword against everyone in the land from south to north.

Eze 21:5

Eze 21:5Everyone in the world will know that I am the LORD. My sword is in my hand, and it will not return to its sheath until its work is finished.’

Eze 21:6

Eze 21:6“Son of man, groan before the people! Groan before them with bitter anguish and a broken heart.

Eze 21:7

Eze 21:7When they ask why you are groaning, tell them, ‘I groan because of the terrifying news I have heard. When it comes true, the boldest heart will melt with fear; all strength will disappear. Every spirit will faint; strong knees will become as weak as water. And the Sovereign LORD says: It is coming! It’s on its way!’”

Eze 21:8

Eze 21:8Then the LORD said to me,

Eze 21:9

Eze 21:9“Son of man, give the people this message from the Lord:
“A sword, a sword
is being sharpened and polished.

Eze 21:10

Eze 21:10It is sharpened for terrible slaughter
and polished to flash like lightning!
Now will you laugh?
Those far stronger than you have fallen beneath its power![fn]

Eze 21:11

Eze 21:11Yes, the sword is now being sharpened and polished;
it is being prepared for the executioner.

Eze 21:12

Eze 21:12“Son of man, cry out and wail;
pound your thighs in anguish,
for that sword will slaughter my people and their leaders—
everyone will die!

Eze 21:13

Eze 21:13It will put them all to the test.
What chance do they have?[fn]
says the Sovereign LORD.

Eze 21:14

Eze 21:14“Son of man, prophesy to them
and clap your hands.
Then take the sword and brandish it twice,
even three times,
to symbolize the great massacre,
the great massacre facing them on every side.

Eze 21:15

Eze 21:15Let their hearts melt with terror,
for the sword glitters at every gate.
It flashes like lightning
and is polished for slaughter!

Eze 21:16

Eze 21:16O sword, slash to the right,
then slash to the left,
wherever you will,
wherever you want.

Eze 21:17

Eze 21:17I, too, will clap my hands,
and I will satisfy my fury.
I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Omens for Babylon’s King

Eze 21:18

Eze 21:18Then this message came to me from the LORD:

Eze 21:19

Eze 21:19“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—

Eze 21:20

Eze 21:20one road going to Ammon and its capital, Rabbah, and the other to Judah and fortified Jerusalem.

Eze 21:21

Eze 21:21The 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.

Eze 21:22

Eze 21:22The 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.

Eze 21:23

Eze 21:23The 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.

Eze 21:24

Eze 21:24“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!

Eze 21:25

Eze 21:25“O you corrupt and wicked prince of Israel, your final day of reckoning is here!

Eze 21:26

Eze 21:26This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
“Take off your jeweled crown,
for the old order changes.
Now the lowly will be exalted,
and the mighty will be brought down.

Eze 21:27

Eze 21:27Destruction! 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

Eze 21:28

Eze 21:28“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!

Eze 21:29

Eze 21:29Your 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.

Eze 21:30

Eze 21:30“Now return the sword to its sheath,
for in your own country,
the land of your birth,
I will pass judgment upon you.

Eze 21:31

Eze 21:31I 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.

Eze 21:32

Eze 21:32You 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!”

See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NLT Footnotes

(21:1)

Verses 21:1-32 are numbered 21:6-37 in Hebrew text.

(21:10)

The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.

(21:13)

The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.

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For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.

Ezekiel Chapter 21 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Westminster Leningrad Codex Septuagint Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Brenton's English Septuagint Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras

Ezekiel 21 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

NLT Footnotes

Ezekiel Chapter 21 — Additional Translations:

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