Ezequiel 5

¹ And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause [it]To shave your head and your beard.to pass upon thy head and upon thy beard: then take to thee balances to weigh, and divide the [hair].

² Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of theThat is, of that city which he had portrayed on the brick, (Eze_4:1). By the fire and pestilence he means the famine, with which one part perished during the siege of Nebuchadnezzar. By the sword, those that were slain when Zedekiah fled and those that were carried away captive and by the scattering into the wind, those that fled into Egypt, and into other parts after the city was taken.city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, [and] smite about it with a sword: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.

³ Thou shalt also take of them a few in number, and bind them in thyMeaning, that a very few would be left, which the Lord would preserve among all these storms, but not without troubles and trial.skirts.

⁴ Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire;Out of the fire which you kindled will come a fire which will signify the destruction of Israel.from which a fire shall come forth into all the house of Israel.

⁵ Thus saith the Lorde God, This is Ierusalem: I haue set it in the middes of the nations and countreyes, that are rounde about her.

⁶ And she hath changed myMy word and law into idolatry and superstitions.judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that [are] around her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them.

⁷ Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because yeBecause your idols are in greater number, and your superstitions more than among the professed idolaters, read (Isa_65:11) or he condemns their ingratitude in respect to his benefits.multiplied more than the nations that [are] around you, [and] have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that [are] around you;

⁸ Therefore thus saith the Lorde God, Beholde, I, euen I come against thee, and will execute iudgement in the middes of thee, euen in the sight of the nations.

⁹ And I will doe in thee, that I neuer did before, neither will do any more the like, because of all thine abominations.

¹⁰ For in the middes of thee, the fathers shall eate their sonnes, and the sonnes shall eate their fathers, and I will execute iudgement in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the windes.

¹¹ Wherefore, as I liue, saith the Lorde God, Surely because thou hast defiled my Sanctuarie with all thy filthinesse, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also destroy thee, neither shall mine eye spare thee, neither will I haue any pitie.

¹² The third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they bee consumed in the middes of thee: and another third part shall fall by the sword round about thee: and I will scatter the last third part into all windes, and I will drawe out a sword after them.

¹³ Thus shall my anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will beThat is, I will not be pacified till I am avenged, (Isa_1:24).comforted: and they shall know that I the LORD have spoken [it] in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them.

¹⁴ Moreouer, I will make thee waste, and abhorred among the nations, that are round about thee, and in the sight of all that passe by.

¹⁵ So thou shalt bee a reproche and shame, a chastisement and an astonishment vnto the nations, that are rounde about thee, when I shall execute iudgements in thee, in anger and in wrath, and in sharpe rebukes: I the Lorde haue spoken it.

¹⁶ When I shall send upon them the evilWhich were the grasshoppers, mildew and whatever were opportunities for famine.arrows of famine, which shall be for [their] destruction, [and] which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:

¹⁷ So will I send vpon you famine, and euill beastes, and they shall spoyle thee, and pestilence and blood shall passe through thee, and I will bring the sworde vpon thee: I the Lorde haue spoken it.