21
1 Moreover the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying, 2 Ben adam, set thy face toward the south, and preach against the south, and prophesy against the forest land of the Negev; 3 And I say to the forest of the Negev, Hear the Devar Hashem: Thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Hineni, I will kindle an eish in thee, and it shall devour every green etz (tree) in thee, and every dry etz (tree); the blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the Negev to the north shall be scorched by it. 4 And all basar shall see that I Hashem have kindled it; it shall not be quenched. 5 Then said I, Ah Adonoi Hashem! They say of me, Doth he not speak meshalim (parables)?
6 And the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying, 7 Ben adam, set thy face toward Yerushalayim, and preach against the mikdashim, and prophesy against Admat Yisroel, 8 And say to Admat Yisroel, Thus saith Hashem: Hineni, I am against thee, will draw forth My cherev out of its sheath, will cut off from thee the tzaddik and the rasha. 9 Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the tzaddik and the rasha, therefore shall My cherev go forth out of its sheath against kol basar from the Negev to the tzafon (north); 10 That kol basar may know that I Hashem have drawn forth My cherev out of its sheath; it shall not return any more.
11 Sigh therefore, thou ben adam, with a breaking heart; and with bitterness groan before their eynayim. 12 And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Why sighest thou? That thou shalt answer, For the news; because it cometh; and every lev shall melt, and all hands shall go limp with fear, and every ruach shall faint, and all birkayim (knees) shall be weak as mayim; hinei, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith Adonoi Hashem.
13 Again the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying, 14 Ben adam, prophesy, and say:
Thus saith Adonoi: Say, A cherev, a cherev is sharpened,
and also polished;
15 It is sharpened to make a dreadful tevo'ach;
it is polished and lightening-like it flashes.
Should we then make mirth? The Shevet of Beni* will despise kol etz (every tree). 16 And it is given to be polished, that it may be grasped with the palm; this cherev is sharpened, and it is polished, to deliver it into the yad of the slayer. 17 Cry and wail, ben adam; for it shall be upon My people, it shall be upon all the nasi'im of Yisroel; including terrors by reason of the cherev shall be upon My people; strike therefore upon thy thigh. 18 Because it is a testing, and what? Even if the despising Scepter shall be no more? saith Adonoi Hashem.
19 Thou therefore, ben adam, prophesy, and strike thine hands together, and let the cherev do double damage the third time, the cherev of the slain; it is the cherev for great slaughter — it surrounds them. 20 I have set the point of the cherev against all their she'arim, that their lev may faint, and many may stumble. Ah! It is made for flashing, it is wrapped for slaughter. 21 Go thee one way or the other, either on right hand, or on left, wherever thy face is appointed. 22 I will also strike Mine palm together, and I will appease My chemah (wrath). I Hashem have said it.
23 The Devar Hashem came unto me again, saying, 24 Also, thou, ben adam, appoint thee two drakhim, that the cherev of Melech Bavel may come; both two shall come forth out of one land; and make a sign, put it at the rosh derech (crossroads) to the Ir. 25 Appoint a derech, that the cherev may come to Rabbah Bnei Ammon, and to Yehudah in fortified Yerushalayim. 26 For Melech Bavel stood at the fork in the derech, at the rosh of the two drakhim, to use divination; he shook his khitzim (arrows), he consulted with teraphim, he looked in the liver. 27 At his right hand was the kesem (divination) for Yerushalayim, to set up battering rams, to call for a slaughter, to lift up the voice with teru'ah (shouting), to appoint battering rams against the she'arim, to heap up a siege mound, and to build a siege work. 28 And it shall be unto them as a kesem shav (false divination) in their sight, to them that have sworn shevu'ot (oaths); but he will call to remembrance the avon, that they may be seized.
29 Therefore thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Because ye have made your avon to be remembered, in that your peysha'im are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be captured with the palm. 30 And thou, profane wicked nasi of Yisroel, whose day is come, when avon shall have an end, 31 Thus saith Adonoi Hashem; Remove the mitznefet (turban), and take off the ateret; nothing shall be the same; exalt him that is low, and abase him that is exalted. 32 I will make it overthrown, overthrown, overthrown: and it shall be no longer, ad bo asher lo hamishpat (until He come to whom the right it is); and I will give it him.†
33 And thou, ben adam, prophesy and say, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem concerning Bnei Ammon, and concerning their cherpah; even say thou: The cherev, the cherev is drawn; for the slaughter it is polished, to consume like lightning; 34 While they see chazon shav (vain visions) for thee, while they divine a kazav (lie) unto thee, to bring thee upon the tzavarot (necks) of them that are slain, of the resha'im, whose day is come, when their avon shall have an end. 35 Shall I cause it to return into its sheath? I will judge thee in the makom where thou wast created, in thine eretz moledet. 36 And I will pour out Mine za'am (indignation) upon thee, I will blow against thee in the eish of My wrath, and deliver thee into the yad of brutal anashim, skillful in destruction. 37 Thou shalt be for fuel to the eish; thy dahm shall be in the midst of ha'aretz; thou shalt be no more remembered; for I Hashem have spoken it.
* 21:15 Moshiach, Gn 49:10; 2Sm 7 † 21:32 Gn 49:10