1Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
2“You human, turn toward Jerusalem. Preach about what will happen to the temple there. Preach about what will happen to the Israeli people.
3Say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh says: I am opposed to you.
4Sowhat I will do to you will be as though [MET] I will pull my sword from its sheath and strike you. I will kill everyone, including righteous people and wicked people [DOU]. I will get rid of everyone, from the south to the north.
5Then everyone will know thatit is as though I, Yahweh, have struck people with my sword, and I will not put it back in its sheath again.’
6Therefore, you human, groan! Groan in front of the Israeli people very sadly and sorrowfully [IDM, DOU].
7And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ tell them, ‘Because of the news that they soon will hear. Everyone will be very fearful [IDM], and their knees will become as weak as [SIM] water. A great disaster will soon occur. That is what Yahweh the Lord is promising.’”
8Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
9“You human, prophesy and say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh says:
10It is sharpened in order that I can slaughtermany people with it;
11A sword should be polished,
12So, you human, cry and wail,
13I am about to test my people,
14So, you human, prophesy;
15In order that people will be very much afraid [IDM]
16Their swords [APO] will slash to the right
17Then I will clap my handstriumphantly;
18Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
19“You human, makea map, and on it mark two roads for the King of Babylonia to march onalong with his army, carrying their swords. When they depart from their country, they will come to a sign post where the road divides.
20If they continue on the one road, they will attack Rabbahcity, the capital of the Ammon people-group. If they continue on the other road, they will come to Judah and to Jerusalem, a city with walls around it.
21When the army of Babylonia comes to where the road divides, they will stop, and the king will perform magic rituals to decide which road to go on. He will throw arrows; then consult his idolsabout which road to go on, and he will ◄examine/look at► the liverof a sheep.
22With his right hand he will pick up the arrow marked ‘Jerusalem’. He will thencommand his soldiers to go to Jerusalem. When they arrive there, they will set up ◄rams/devices to batterdown the walls,► and then the king will give the command for them to slaughter the people. They will shout a battle-cry, and they will set up the rams against the city gates. They will build a dirt ramp against the walls around the city, and set up things to bash those walls.
23The peoplein Jerusalem who had promised to be loyal to the King of Babylonia will think that those rituals must be wrong. They will think that his army should not be attacking them. But he will remind them of the sins [MTY] that they had committed, andhis army will capture them.
24Therefore, tell the Israeli people that this is what Yahweh the Lord says: ‘You people have allowed everyone to see that you are openly rebellingagainst the King of Babylonia, and by doing that you have shown that everything that you do is sinful. Therefore you will be captured and takento Babylonia.’
25Also, say, ‘You very wicked [DOU] king of Israel, it is your timeto die. It is the time for you to be punished.’
26And this is what Yahweh the Lord says to you soldiers from Babylonia: ‘Take off the king’s turban and his crown, because now things will be different than they were before. Thosein Jerusalem who had no authority will now be given authority, and those who had authority will have their authority taken from them.
27Jerusalem will be completely ruined. I will cause it to be ruined, and it will not be rebuilt/restored until the king to whom the city truly belongs comes; I will give it to himto rule it.’ ”
28“And, you human, prophesy and say this: 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says about the Ammon people-group, and about what they have said to insult Israel:
29Your prophets have given you false visions about what will happen to you,
30You must put your swords back in their sheaths
31I will pour out my punishment [MTY] on them.
32You will be like fuel [MET] that is burned in a fire.