Daily Bread

Prophecy Against the South

⁴⁵ The word of the Lord came to me: ⁴⁶ “Son of man, set your face toward^(A) the south; preach against the south and prophesy against^(B) the forest of the southland.^{(C) 47} Say to the southern forest:^(D) ‘Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to set fire to you, and it will consume^(E) all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from south to north^(F) will be scorched by it.^{(G) 48} Everyone will see that I the Lord have kindled it; it will not be quenched.^(H)’”

⁴⁹ Then I said, “Sovereign Lord,^(I) they are saying of me, ‘Isn’t he just telling parables?^(J)’”^[a]

Babylon as God’s Sword of Judgment

21 ^[b]The word of the Lord came to me:^{(K) 2} “Son of man, set your face against^(L) Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary.^(M) Prophesy against^(N) the land of Israel ³ and say to her: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you.^(O) I will draw my sword^(P) from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.^{(Q) 4} Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword^(R) will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.^{(S) 5} Then all people will know that I the Lord have drawn my sword^(T) from its sheath; it will not return^(U) again.’^(V)

⁶ “Therefore groan, son of man! Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief.^{(W) 7} And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?^(X)’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear^(Y) and every hand go limp;^(Z) every spirit will become faint^(AA) and every leg will be wet with urine.’^(AB) It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

⁸ The word of the Lord came to me: ⁹ “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘Shall we rejoice in the scepter of my royal son? The sword despises every such stick.^(AD)

¹³ “‘Testing will surely come. And what if even the scepter, which the sword despises, does not continue? declares the Sovereign Lord.’

¹⁸ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁹ “Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword^(AN) of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same country. Make a signpost^(AO) where the road branches off to the city. ²⁰ Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites^(AP) and another against Judah and fortified Jerusalem. ²¹ For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He will cast lots^(AQ) with arrows, he will consult his idols,^(AR) he will examine the liver.^{(AS) 22} Into his right hand will come the lot for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to give the command to slaughter, to sound the battle cry,^(AT) to set battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp^(AU) and to erect siege works.^{(AV) 23} It will seem like a false omen to those who have sworn allegiance to him, but he will remind^(AW) them of their guilt^(AX) and take them captive.

²⁴ “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do—because you have done this, you will be taken captive.

²⁵ “‘You profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come,^(AY) whose time of punishment has reached its climax,^{(AZ) 26} this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Take off the turban, remove the crown.^(BA) It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low.^{(BB) 27} A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come;^(BC) to him I will give it.’^(BD)

²⁸ “And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says about the Ammonites^(BE) and their insults: