Ἰεζεκιήλ 21

1 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων

A message from the Lord came to me, saying,

2 διὰ τοῦτο προφήτευσον υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου καὶ στήρισον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἐπὶ Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἐπίβλεψον ἐπὶ τὰ ἅγια αὐτῶν καὶ προφητεύσεις ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τοῦ Ισραηλ

“Son of man, face towards Jerusalem and condemn their places of worship. Prophesy against the people living in Israel

3 καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς τὴν γῆν τοῦ Ισραηλ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ πρὸς σὲ καὶ ἐκσπάσω τὸ ἐγχειρίδιόν μου ἐκ τοῦ κολεοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξολεθρεύσω ἐκ σοῦ ἄδικον καὶ ἄνομον

and tell them that this is what the Lord says: Watch out, because I'm going to attack you! I'm going to take out my sword and destroy you, both the good and the bad.

4 ἀνθ’ ὧν ἐξολεθρεύσω ἐκ σοῦ ἄδικον καὶ ἄνομον οὕτως ἐξελεύσεται τὸ ἐγχειρίδιόν μου ἐκ τοῦ κολεοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα ἀπὸ ἀπηλιώτου ἕως βορρᾶ

Because I'm going to destroy both the good and the bad, I will attack everyone from the north to the south.

5 καὶ ἐπιγνώσεται πᾶσα σὰρξ διότι ἐγὼ κύριος ἐξέσπασα τὸ ἐγχειρίδιόν μου ἐκ τοῦ κολεοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἀποστρέψει οὐκέτι

Then the whole world will know that I, the Lord, have taken out my sword, and won't put it back again.

6 καὶ σύ υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου καταστέναξον ἐν συντριβῇ ὀσφύος σου καὶ ἐν ὀδύναις στενάξεις κατ’ ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν

You, son of man, you are to groan. Groan as if you're broken up inside, showing terrible sadness while they watch you.

7 καὶ ἔσται ἐὰν εἴπωσιν πρὸς σέ ἕνεκα τίνος σὺ στενάζεις καὶ ἐρεῖς ἐπὶ τῇ ἀγγελίᾳ διότι ἔρχεται καὶ θραυσθήσεται πᾶσα καρδία καὶ πᾶσαι χεῖρες παραλυθήσονται καὶ ἐκψύξει πᾶσα σὰρξ καὶ πᾶν πνεῦμα καὶ πάντες μηροὶ μολυνθήσονται ὑγρασίᾳ ἰδοὺ ἔρχεται καὶ ἔσται λέγει κύριος κύριος

When they ask, ‘What are you groaning for?’ you are to tell them, ‘Because of the news that's coming. All of you will lose your courage and you'll be paralyzed with fear. All of you will be weak with worry—you won't be able to stand up!’ Watch out, because it's coming! It's going to happen! declares the Lord God.”

8 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων

Another message from the Lord came to me, saying,

9 υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου προφήτευσον καὶ ἐρεῖς τάδε λέγει κύριος εἰπόν ῥομφαία ῥομφαία ὀξύνου καὶ θυμώθητι

“Son of man, prophesy! Tell them this is what the Lord says: There's a sword, a sword that's being sharpened and polished.

10 ὅπως σφάξῃς σφάγια ὀξύνου ὅπως γένῃ εἰς στίλβωσιν ἑτοίμη εἰς παράλυσιν σφάζε ἐξουδένει ἀπωθοῦ πᾶν ξύλον

It's sharpened for killing and polished so it will flash like lightning! (Are we to be happy, saying, ‘The scepter of my son despises every other stick’?)

11 καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν ἑτοίμην τοῦ κρατεῖν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐξηκονήθη ῥομφαία ἔστιν ἑτοίμη τοῦ δοῦναι αὐτὴν εἰς χεῖρα ἀποκεντοῦντος

The sword is being polished right now, ready to be used. It's sharp and polished, ready to be handed over to the killer.

12 ἀνάκραγε καὶ ὀλόλυξον υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου ὅτι αὐτὴ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ λαῷ μου αὐτὴ ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἀφηγουμένοις τοῦ Ισραηλ παροικήσουσιν ἐπὶ ῥομφαίᾳ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ λαῷ μου διὰ τοῦτο κρότησον ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρά σου

Weep and wail, son of man, and slap your thigh in grief, for the sword is going to be used to attack my people, to attack all the leaders of Israel! They will be thrown away, killed by the sword along with my people.

13 ὅτι δεδικαίωται καὶ τί εἰ καὶ φυλὴ ἀπώσθη οὐκ ἔσται λέγει κύριος κύριος

They will be tested. What if the scepter that despises others doesn't continue? declares the Lord God.

14 καὶ σύ υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου προφήτευσον καὶ κρότησον χεῖρα ἐπὶ χεῖρα καὶ διπλασίασον ῥομφαίαν ἡ τρίτη ῥομφαία τραυματιῶν ἐστιν ῥομφαία τραυματιῶν ἡ μεγάλη καὶ ἐκστήσει αὐτούς

So son of man, prophesy and clap your hands. The sword will attack twice, and then a third time. It is a sword of death, killing many people by coming at them from every direction.

15 ὅπως θραυσθῇ ἡ καρδία καὶ πληθυνθῶσιν οἱ ἀσθενοῦντες ἐπὶ πᾶσαν πύλην αὐτῶν παραδέδονται εἰς σφάγια ῥομφαίας εὖ γέγονεν εἰς σφαγήν εὖ γέγονεν εἰς στίλβωσιν

I have placed a sword at all the gates of their city so that they may lose their courage, and many may fall. Oh no! It's made to flash like lightning and used to kill.

16 διαπορεύου ὀξύνου ἐκ δεξιῶν καὶ ἐξ εὐωνύμων οὗ ἂν τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἐξεγείρηται

Slash right and left, whichever way you're facing.

17 καὶ ἐγὼ δὲ κροτήσω χεῖρά μου πρὸς χεῖρά μου καὶ ἐναφήσω τὸν θυμόν μου ἐγὼ κύριος λελάληκα

I will also clap my hands, and then my anger will be over. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

18 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων

Another message from the Lord came to me, saying,

19 καὶ σύ υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου διάταξον σεαυτῷ δύο ὁδοὺς τοῦ εἰσελθεῖν ῥομφαίαν βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος ἐκ χώρας μιᾶς ἐξελεύσονται αἱ δύο καὶ χεὶρ ἐν ἀρχῇ ὁδοῦ πόλεως ἐπ’ ἀρχῆς

“Son of man, mark the two roads that the king of Babylon's army could take, beginning from the same country. Make a signpost where the road forks, leading to two different cities.

20 ὁδοῦ διατάξεις τοῦ εἰσελθεῖν ῥομφαίαν ἐπὶ Ραββαθ υἱῶν Αμμων καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν Ιουδαίαν καὶ ἐπὶ Ιερουσαλημ ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς

Have one sign point down the road for an attack on the Ammonite city of Rabbah, and another to attack Judah and the fortified city of Jerusalem.

21 διότι στήσεται βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχαίαν ὁδὸν ἐπ’ ἀρχῆς τῶν δύο ὁδῶν τοῦ μαντεύσασθαι μαντείαν τοῦ ἀναβράσαι ῥάβδον καὶ ἐπερωτῆσαι ἐν τοῖς γλυπτοῖς καὶ ἡπατοσκοπήσασθαι ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ

The king of Babylon is standing at the fork in the road where the two roads meet looking for a prophetic sign: he casts lots using arrows, he asks advice from idols, and he examines the liver of sacrificial animals.

22 ἐγένετο τὸ μαντεῖον ἐπὶ Ιερουσαλημ τοῦ βαλεῖν χάρακα τοῦ διανοῖξαι στόμα ἐν βοῇ ὑψῶσαι φωνὴν μετὰ κραυγῆς τοῦ βαλεῖν χάρακα ἐπὶ τὰς πύλας αὐτῆς καὶ βαλεῖν χῶμα καὶ οἰκοδομῆσαι βελοστάσεις

He holds the sign for Jerusalem in his right hand. This is where he is going to set up battering rams, to give the command to attack, to shout the war-cry. There he will order the battering rams to smash the gates, set up an attack ramp, and build a siege wall.

23 καὶ αὐτὸς αὐτοῖς ὡς μαντευόμενος μαντείαν ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν καὶ αὐτὸς ἀναμιμνῄσκων ἀδικίας αὐτοῦ μνησθῆναι

To those who have sworn to be loyal to Nebuchadnezzar this will look like a false sign, but it will reveal their guilt and they will be taken prisoner.

24 διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος ἀνθ’ ὧν ἀνεμνήσατε τὰς ἀδικίας ὑμῶν ἐν τῷ ἀποκαλυφθῆναι τὰς ἀσεβείας ὑμῶν τοῦ ὁραθῆναι ἁμαρτίας ὑμῶν ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἀσεβείαις ὑμῶν καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν ὑμῶν ἀνθ’ ὧν ἀνεμνήσατε ἐν τούτοις ἁλώσεσθε

So this is what the Lord God says: Because you have revealed your guilt and demonstrated your rebellion, showing your sins in everything you've done, now that you've made all this clear, you will be taken prisoner.

25 καὶ σύ βέβηλε ἄνομε ἀφηγούμενε τοῦ Ισραηλ οὗ ἥκει ἡ ἡμέρα ἐν καιρῷ ἀδικίας πέρας

As for you, you unclean, wicked prince of Israel, the time has come to complete your punishment.

26 τάδε λέγει κύριος ἀφείλου τὴν κίδαριν καὶ ἐπέθου τὸν στέφανον αὕτη οὐ τοιαύτη ἔσται ἐταπείνωσας τὸ ὑψηλὸν καὶ τὸ ταπεινὸν ὕψωσας

This is what the Lord God says: Take off your turban, and your crown. Things won't continue as they were. Give power to the common people and bring down the powerful!

27 ἀδικίαν ἀδικίαν θήσομαι αὐτήν οὐδ’ αὕτη τοιαύτη ἔσται ἕως οὗ ἔλθῃ ᾧ καθήκει καὶ παραδώσω αὐτῷ

I'm going to destroy everything, make it all a ruin! It won't be restored until its owner arrives, the one I've given the authority to judge.

28 καὶ σύ υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου προφήτευσον καὶ ἐρεῖς τάδε λέγει κύριος πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς Αμμων καὶ πρὸς τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν αὐτῶν καὶ ἐρεῖς ῥομφαία ῥομφαία ἐσπασμένη εἰς σφάγια καὶ ἐσπασμένη εἰς συντέλειαν ἐγείρου ὅπως στίλβῃς

Prophesy, son of man, and announce that this is what the Lord God says about the Ammonites and their insults: A sword! A sword is ready for killing, polished to destroy, to flash like lightning,

29 ἐν τῇ ὁράσει σου τῇ ματαίᾳ καὶ ἐν τῷ μαντεύεσθαί σε ψευδῆ τοῦ παραδοῦναί σε ἐπὶ τραχήλους τραυματιῶν ἀνόμων ὧν ἥκει ἡ ἡμέρα ἐν καιρῷ ἀδικίας πέρας

even as your prophets give you false visions and prophecies that are lies. This sword will cut the necks of the wicked, killing them—those whose day has come for their punishment to be completed.

30 ἀπόστρεφε μὴ καταλύσῃς ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τούτῳ ᾧ γεγέννησαι ἐν τῇ γῇ τῇ ἰδίᾳ σου κρινῶ σε

Sword, go back to where you came from! I'm going to judge you right where you were created, in your homeland.

31 καὶ ἐκχεῶ ἐπὶ σὲ ὀργήν μου ἐν πυρὶ ὀργῆς μου ἐμφυσήσω ἐπὶ σὲ καὶ παραδώσω σε εἰς χεῖρας ἀνδρῶν βαρβάρων τεκταινόντων διαφθοράν

I will deal with you in my anger; I will breathe my fire of anger on you; I will hand you over to cruel men who are experts in destruction.

32 ἐν πυρὶ ἔσῃ κατάβρωμα τὸ αἷμά σου ἔσται ἐν μέσῳ τῆς γῆς σου οὐ μὴ γένηταί σου μνεία διότι ἐγὼ κύριος λελάληκα

You will be burned up like firewood. Your blood will be shed where you live. You will be forgotten, for I, the Lord, have spoken.”