¹And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ²“Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel ³and tell her that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am against you, and I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. ⁴Because I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, My sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north. ⁵Then all flesh will know that I, the LORD, have taken My sword from its sheath, not to return it again.’ ⁶But you, son of man, groan! Groan before their eyes with a broken heart and bitter grief. ⁷And when they ask, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you are to say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt, and every hand will go limp. Every spirit will faint, and every knee will turn to water.’ Yes, it is coming and it will surely happen, declares the Lord GOD.” ⁸Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ⁹“Son of man, prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord says: ¹⁰it is sharpened for the slaughter, ¹¹The sword is appointed to be polished, ¹²Cry out and wail, ¹³Surely testing will come! ¹⁴‘So then, son of man, ¹⁵So that their hearts may melt ¹⁶Slash to the right; ¹⁷I too will strike My hands together, ¹⁸Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ¹⁹“Now you, son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same land. And make a signpost where the road branches off to each city. ²⁰Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites, and another against Judah into fortified Jerusalem. ²¹For the king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He shakes the arrows, he consults the idols, he examines the liver. ²²In his right hand appears the portent for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to call for the slaughter, to lift a battle cry, to direct the battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp, and to erect a siege wall. ²³It will seem like a false omen to the eyes of those who have sworn allegiance to him, but it will draw attention to their guilt and take them captive. ²⁴Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you have drawn attention to your guilt, exposing your transgressions, so that your sins are revealed in all your deeds — because you have come to remembrance — you shall be taken in hand. ²⁵And you, O profane and wicked prince of Israel, ²⁶This is what the Lord GOD says: ²⁷A ruin, a ruin, ²⁸Now prophesy, son of man, and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says concerning the Ammonites and their contempt: ²⁹while they offer false visions for you ³⁰Return the sword to its sheath! ³¹I will pour out My anger upon you; ³²You will be fuel for the fire.