The Babylonian Exile

When I execute judgments and furious punishments among you in anger and fury, [Yerushalayim] will be an object of reproach, derision and horror, and a lesson to warn the nations around you. I, ADONAI, have announced it.

I will send upon them the deadly, destructive arrows of famine, which I will send to destroy you. I will make the famine worse for you by cutting off your food supply.

Yes, I will send famine and savage beasts upon you to leave you without children; plague and bloodshed will sweep through you; and I will bring the sword upon you. I, ADONAI, have spoken it.'"

The word of ADONAI came to me:

"Human being, face toward the mountains of Isra'el, and prophesy against them:

'Mountains of Isra'el, hear the word of Adonai ELOHIM: here is what Adonai ELOHIM says about the mountains, hills, ravines and valleys: "I myself will bring a sword against you and destroy your high places.

Your altars will be wrecked and your pillars for sun-worship broken, and I will throw down your slain ones in front of your idols.

I will lay the corpses of the people of Isra'el in front of their idols and scatter your bones all around your altars.

Everywhere you live, the cities will be destroyed and the high places wrecked; so that your altars can be destroyed and wrecked, your idols broken and abolished, your pillars for sun-worship cut down and the things you have made wiped out.

The slain will fall among you; then you will know that I am ADONAI.

"'"Nevertheless, I will leave a remnant, some who will escape the sword among the nations, when you have been scattered throughout the countries.

Those of you who escape will remember me among the nations where they have been exiled. How broken I have been over their whoring hearts that left me, and over their eyes that went whoring after their idols! They are going to loathe themselves for all the evils they committed in their disgusting practices.

Then they will know that I am ADONAI; it isn't for nothing that I said I would bring this calamity upon them."'

"Here is what Adonai ELOHIM says: 'Strike with your hand, and stamp with your foot, and bemoan all the terrible disgusting practices of the house of Isra'el. For they will fall by sword, famine and plague.

Those far away will die from the plague, those nearby will fall by the sword, and whoever stays and is besieged will die from famine. This is how I will spend my fury on them.

You will know that I am ADONAI when their slain men are lying among their idols around their altars on every high hill, on every mountaintop, under every green tree, under every thick pistachio tree, wherever they offered sweet-smelling sacrifices to appease their idols.

I will stretch out my hand over them and make the land wherever they live into a desolate waste worse than the Divlah Desert. Then they will know that I am ADONAI.'"

The word of ADONAI came to me:

"As for you, human being, here is what Adonai ELOHIM says about the land of Isra'el: 'The end! The end is coming to the four corners of the land!

Now the end is upon you! I will send my anger upon you, I will judge you according to your ways. I will bring on you all your disgusting practices.

My eye will not spare you, I will have no pity, but I will bring your ways upon you, and your disgusting practices will be done among you. Then you will know that I am ADONAI.'

"Here is what Adonai ELOHIM says: 'Disaster, unique disaster - here it comes!

The end is coming! The end is coming! It rouses itself against you - here it comes!

Doom has come to you, you who live in the land! The time has come, the day is near, for tumult, not joyful shouts on the mountains.

Now, soon, I will pour out my fury on you, I will spend my anger on you; I will judge you according to your ways I will bring on you all your disgusting practices.