The Babylonian Exile

With sweet fragrance I do accept you, In My bringing you out from the peoples, And I have assembled you from the lands In which ye have been scattered, And I have been sanctified in you Before the eyes of the nations.

And ye have known that I am Jehovah, In My bringing you to the ground of Israel, Unto the land that I did lift up My hand To give it to your fathers,

And ye have remembered there your ways, And all your doings, In which ye have been defiled, And ye have been loathsome in your own faces, For all your evils that ye have done.

And ye have known that I am Jehovah, In My dealing with you for My name's sake, Not according to your evil ways, And according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.'

And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

Son of man, set thy face the way of Teman, and prophesy unto the south, and prophesy unto the forest of the field--the south;

and thou hast said to the forest of the south: Hear a word of Jehovah: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am kindling in thee a fire, And it hath devoured in thee every moist tree, and every dry tree, Not quenched is the glowing flames, And burnt by it have been all faces from south to north.

And seen have all flesh, that I, Jehovah, have kindled it--it is not quenched.'

And I say, `Ah, Lord Jehovah, They are saying of me, Is he not using similes?

And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

`Son of man, set thy face unto Jerusalem, and prophesy unto the holy places, and prophesy unto the ground of Israel;

and thou hast said unto the ground of Israel: Thus said Jehovah: Lo, I am against thee, And have brought out My sword from its scabbard, And have cut off from thee righteous and wicked.

Because that I have cut off from thee righteous and wicked, Therefore go out doth My sword from its scabbard, Unto all flesh, from south to north.

And known have all flesh that I, Jehovah, Have brought out My sword from its scabbard, It doth not turn back any more.

And thou, son of man, sigh with breaking of loins, yea, with bitterness thou dost sigh before their eyes,

and it hath come to pass, when they say unto thee, For what art thou sighing? that thou hast said: Because of the report, for it is coming, And melted hath every heart, And feeble hath been all hands, And weak is every spirit, And all knees go--waters, Lo, it is coming, yea, it hath been, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.'

And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

`Son of man, prophesy, and thou hast said, Thus said Jehovah, say: A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also polished.

So as to slaughter a slaughter it is sharpened. So as to have brightness it is polished, Desire hath rejoiced the sceptre of my son, It is despising every tree.

And he giveth it for polishing, For laying hold of by the hand. It is sharpened--the sword--and polished, To give it into the hand of a slayer.

Cry and howl, son of man, For it hath been among My people, It is among all the princes of Israel, Cast unto the sword have been My people. Therefore strike on thy thigh,

Because it is a trier, And what if even the sceptre it is despising? It shall not be, an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

And thou, son of man, prophesy, And smite hand on hand, And bent is the sword a third time, The sword of the wounded! It is the sword of the wounded--the great one, That is entering the inner chamber to them.

To melt the heart, and to multiply the ruins, By all their gates I have set the point of a sword. Ah, it is made for brightness, Wrapped up for slaughter.

Take possession of the right, place thyself at the left, Whither thy face is appointed.