CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Ezekiel 21 CEV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/ezekiel/21.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/ezekiel/21-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">CEV</a> > Ezekiel 21</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../ezekiel/20.htm" title="Ezekiel 20">◄</a> Ezekiel 21 <a href="../ezekiel/22.htm" title="Ezekiel 22">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Contemporary English Version</div><div class="chap"><h3 class="s1">The <span class="nd">Lord</span> Will Punish Jerusalem</h3><p class="par"><span class="v26_21_1"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.1" class="v26_21_1">1</span>The <span class="nd">Lord</span> said:</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_21_2"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.2" class="v26_21_2">2</span>Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the places in Jerusalem where people worship. Warn everyone in Israel </span><span class="v26_21_3"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.3" class="v26_21_3">3</span>that I am about to punish them. I will pull out my sword and have it ready to kill everyone, whether good or evil. </span><span class="v26_21_4"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.4" class="v26_21_4">4</span>From south to north, people will die, </span><span class="v26_21_5"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.5" class="v26_21_5">5</span>knowing that my sword will never be put away.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_21_6"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.6" class="v26_21_6">6</span>Ezekiel, groan in sorrow and despair so that everyone can hear you. </span><span class="v26_21_7"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.7" class="v26_21_7">7</span>When they ask why you are groaning, tell them you have terrifying news that will make them faint and tremble in fear and lose all courage. These things will happen soon. I, the <span class="nd">Lord</span> God, make this promise!</span></p><h3 class="s1">A Sword Is Ready To Attack Israel</h3><p class="par"><span class="v26_21_8"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.8" class="v26_21_8">8</span>The <span class="nd">Lord</span> said:</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_21_9"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.9-Ezek.21.10" class="v26_21_9">9-10</span>Ezekiel, son of man, tell the people of Jerusalem:</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_9">I have sharpened my sword</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_21_9">to slaughter you;</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_9">it is shiny and will flash</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_21_9">like lightning!</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_9">Don't celebrate—</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_21_9">punishment is coming,</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_9">because everyone has ignored</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_21_9">my warnings.<a href="#fn" id="link_Ezek.21.9-Ezek.21.10!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_11"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.11" class="v26_21_11">11</span>My sword has been polished;</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_21_11">it's sharp and ready to kill.</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_12"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.12" class="v26_21_12">12</span>Groan in sorrow, Ezekiel;</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_12">the sword is drawn against</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_21_12">my people and their leaders.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_12">They will die!</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_21_12">So give up all hope.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_13"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.13" class="v26_21_13">13</span>I am testing my people,</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_13">and they can do nothing</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_21_13">to stop me.<a href="#fn" id="link_Ezek.21.13!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_13">I, the <span class="nd">Lord</span>, have spoken.</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_14"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.14" class="v26_21_14">14</span>Ezekiel, warn my people,</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_14">then celebrate my victory</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_21_14">by clapping your hands.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_14">My vicious sword will attack</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_21_14">again and again,</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_14">killing my people</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_21_14">with every stroke.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_15"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.15" class="v26_21_15">15</span>They will lose all courage</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_21_15">and stumble with fear.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_15">My slaughtering sword</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_15">is waiting at every gate,</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_21_15">flashing and ready to kill.<a href="#fn" id="link_Ezek.21.15!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_16"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.16" class="v26_21_16">16</span>It will slash right and left,</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_21_16">wherever the blade is pointed.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_17"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.17" class="v26_21_17">17</span>Then I will stop being angry,</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_17">and I will clap my hands</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_21_17">in victory.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_17">I, the <span class="nd">Lord</span>, have spoken.</span></p><h3 class="s1">The King of Babylonia and His Sword</h3><p class="par"><span class="v26_21_18"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.18" class="v26_21_18">18</span>The <span class="nd">Lord</span> said:</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_21_19"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.19" class="v26_21_19">19</span>Ezekiel, son of man, mark two roads for the king of Babylonia to follow when he comes with his sword. The roads will begin at the same place, but be sure to put up a signpost where the two roads separate and go in different directions. </span><span class="v26_21_20"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.20" class="v26_21_20">20</span>Clearly mark where the two roads lead. One goes to Rabbah, the capital of Ammon, and the other goes to Jerusalem, the fortified capital of Judah. </span><span class="v26_21_21"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.21" class="v26_21_21">21</span>When the Babylonian king stands at that signpost, he will decide which way to go by shaking his arrows, by asking his idols, and by carefully looking at the liver of a sacrificed animal.<a href="#fn" id="link_Ezek.21.21!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span><span class="v26_21_22"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.22" class="v26_21_22">22</span>His right hand will pull out the arrow marked “Jerusalem.” Then he will immediately give the signal to shout the battle cry, to build dirt ramps up to the top of the city walls, to break down its walls and gates with large wooden poles, and to kill the people. </span><span class="v26_21_23"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.23" class="v26_21_23">23</span>Everyone in Jerusalem had promised to be loyal to Babylonia, and so none of them will believe that this could happen to them. But Babylonia's king will remind them of their sinful ways and warn them of their coming captivity.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_21_24"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.24" class="v26_21_24">24</span>Ezekiel, tell the people of Jerusalem and their ruler that I, the <span class="nd">Lord</span> God, am saying:</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v26_21_24">Everything you do is wicked and shows how sinful you are. You are guilty and will be taken away as prisoners.</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v26_21_25"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.25" class="v26_21_25">25</span>And now, you evil and wicked ruler of Israel, your day of final punishment is almost here. </span><span class="v26_21_26"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.26" class="v26_21_26">26</span>I, the <span class="nd">Lord</span> God, command you to take off your royal turban and your crown, because everything will be different. Those who had no power will be put in charge, and those who now rule will become nobodies. </span><span class="v26_21_27"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.27" class="v26_21_27">27</span>I will leave Jerusalem in complete ruins like no one has ever seen until my chosen one comes to punish this city.</span></p><h3 class="s1">Judgment against Ammon</h3><p class="par"><span class="v26_21_28"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.28" class="v26_21_28">28</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Ezek.21.28!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> The <span class="nd">Lord</span> God said:</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_21_28">Ezekiel, son of man, the Ammonites have insulted Israel, so condemn them and tell them I am saying:</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_28">A sword is drawn,</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_21_28">ready to slaughter;</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v26_21_28">it is polished and prepared</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v26_21_28">to kill as fast as lightning.</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_21_29"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.29" class="v26_21_29">29</span>You wicked Ammonites see false visions and believe untrue messages. But your day of punishment is coming soon, and my sword will slaughter you!</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v26_21_30"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.30" class="v26_21_30">30</span>Your days to punish others are over, so put your swords away.<a href="#fn" id="link_Ezek.21.30!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> You will be punished in the land of your birth. </span><span class="v26_21_31"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.31" class="v26_21_31">31</span>My furious anger will scorch you like fire, and I will hand you over to cruel men who are experts in killing. </span><span class="v26_21_32"><span class="reftext" id="Ezek.21.32" class="v26_21_32">32</span>You will be burned and will die in your own land. Then you will be forgotten forever. I, the <span class="nd">Lord</span>, have spoken.</span></p></div> </div> <a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">21.9,10 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Don't celebrate … my warnings: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">21.13 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">I am testing … me: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">21.15 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">My slaughtering sword … ready to kill: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">21.21 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">shaking … animal: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">These were ways the Babylonians found out what their gods wanted them to do.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">21.30 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Your days … put your swords away: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Bible text from the Contemporary English Version 2nd Edition (CEV®) is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by American Bible Society, 101 North Independence Mall East, Floor 8, Philadelphia, PA 19106-2155 (<a href="http://www.americanbible.org">www.americanbible.org</a>). Learn more at <a href="http://www.cev.bible">www.cev.bible</a>. Discover .BIBLE resources for your ministry at <a href="http://www.get.bible/cev">www.get.bible/cev</a></span></p><br /><br /><a href="/">Bible Hub</a><br /><br /><br /></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../ezekiel/20.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Ezekiel 20"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Ezekiel 20" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../ezekiel/22.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Ezekiel 22"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Ezekiel 22" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="rightbox"><div class="padright"><div id="pic"><iframe width="100%" height="860" scrolling="no" src="//biblescan.com/mpc/ezekiel/21-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div></div><div id="rightbox4"><div class="padright2"><div id="spons1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="sp1"><iframe width="122" height="860" scrolling="no" src="../sidemenu.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhchapnoad.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>