he destroyed their palaces, and made their cities waste. Insomuch that the whole land and every thing therein were utterly desolate through the very voice of his roaring.

They put him in a collar with hooks; they brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him to prison so that his voice would not be heard any longer on the mountains of Israel.

‘And it had strong branches fit for scepters of rulers,
And its height was raised above the clouds
So that it was seen in its height with the mass of its branches.

‘But it was plucked up in fury;
It was cast down to the ground;
And the east wind dried up its fruit.
Its strong branch was torn off
So that it withered;
The fire consumed it.

‘And the fire [of Zedekiah’s rebellion] has gone out from its branch;
It has consumed the vine’s shoots and fruit,
So that it has in it no [longer a] strong branch
As a scepter to rule.’”

This is a dirge (funeral poem to be sung), and has become a dirge.

And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month , the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of Jehovah, and sat before me.

Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Is it to inquire of me that ye are come? As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you.

"Will you judge them? Son of Man, will you indeed judge them? Teach them about the detestable things that their ancestors did.

And say to them, So says the Lord Jehovah: In the day that I chose Israel, and lifted up My hand to the seed of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt; when I lifted up My hand to them, saying, I am Jehovah your God;

On that day I swore to bring them out of the land of Egypt to a land which I had picked out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands.

Then said I unto them, 'Cast away every man the abominations that he hath before him, and defile not yourselves with the Idols of Egypt, for I am the LORD your God.'

“But they rebelled against Me and were unwilling to listen to Me. None of them threw away the detestable things that were before their eyes, and they did not forsake the idols of Egypt. So I considered pouring out My wrath on them, exhausting My anger against them within the land of Egypt.

I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations among whom they lived, before whom I revealed myself by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.

Then gave I unto them my statutes, And my regulations, caused I them to know,- By the which the man that doeth them shall live.

I also gave them my Sabbaths as a reminder of our relationship, so that they would know that I, the Lord, sanctify them.

But the children of Israel would not be controlled by me in the waste land: they were not guided by my rules, and they were turned away from my orders, which, if a man does them, will be life to him; and they had no respect for my Sabbaths: then I said that I would let loose my passion on them in the waste land, and put an end to them.

I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

I also swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them to the land I had given them -- a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands.

And that because they refused my laws, and walked not in my commandments, but had unhallowed my Sabbaths - for their heart was gone after their Idols.

Nevertheless, mine eye spared them, so that I would not utterly slay them, and consume them in the wilderness.

But I said unto their children in the desert, In the statutes of your fathers, let it not be that ye walk, And their regulations, let it not be that ye observe, - And with their manufactured gods, let it not be that ye defile yourselves.

Treat my Sabbaths as holy and they will be a reminder of our relationship, and then you will know that I am the Lord your God."

Notwithstanding, their sons rebelled against me also: they walked not in my statutes, they kept not my laws to fulfill them, which he that doth shall live in them; neither hallowed they my Sabbath days. Then I made me again to pour out my indignation over them, and to satisfy my wrath upon them in the wilderness.

But I refrained from doing so, and acted instead for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

I also swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands.

[Therefore] I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live;

I declared them to be defiled because of their sacrifices -- they caused all their first born to pass through the fire -- so that I would devastate them, so that they will know that I am the Lord.'

“Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Again in this your fathers have blasphemed Me, in that they acted faithlessly and treacherously against Me.

I brought them to the land which I swore to give them, but whenever they saw any high hill or leafy tree, they offered their sacrifices there and presented the offerings that provoke me to anger. They offered their soothing aroma there and poured out their drink offerings.

Then I ask them, 'What is that hill altar that you go to it?' And therefore is it called Bamah unto this day.

Therefore say thou unto the house of Israel. Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, Is it in the way of your fathers, you are defiling yourselves,- And after their abominations, that ye are committing lewdness

What comes into your mind will never happen, when you say, ‘We will be like the [pagan] nations, like the tribes of the [Gentile] countries, serving [idols made of] wood and stone.’

I will eliminate from among you the rebels and those who revolt against me. I will bring them out from the land where they have been residing, but they will not come to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

But upon my holy hill, even upon the high hill of Israel shall all the house of Israel and all that is in the land worship me: and in the same place will I favour them, and there will I require your heave offerings, and the firstlings of your oblations, with all your holy things.

I will accept your sweet savour, when I bring you from the nations, and gather you together out of the lands, wherein ye be scattered: that I may be hallowed in you before the Heathen.

Then you will know that I am the Lord when I bring you to the land of Israel, to the land I swore to give to your fathers.

And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have polluted yourselves; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.

Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for the sake of my reputation and not according to your wicked conduct and corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord.'"

and say to the wood toward the south, 'Hear the word of the LORD, thus sayeth the LORD God: Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, that shall consume thee green trees with the dry. No man shall be able to quench his flame, but all that looketh from the south to the north shall be burnt therein.

And everyone will see that I, the Lord, have burned it; it will not be extinguished.'"

Then said I, "O LORD, they will say of me, 'Tush, they are but fables that he telleth.'"

Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north:

Then everyone will know that I am the Lord, who drew my sword from its sheath -- it will not be sheathed again!'

Mourn therefore, O thou son of man, that thy loins crack withal; yea mourn bitterly for them.

When they ask you, 'Why are you groaning?' you will reply, 'Because of the report that has come. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand will be limp; everyone will faint and every knee will be wet with urine.' Pay attention -- it is coming and it will happen, declares the sovereign Lord."

‘It is sharpened to make a slaughter,
Polished to flash and glimmer like lightning!’

Shall we then rejoice [when such a disaster approaches]? But it rejects and views with contempt the scepter of My son [Judah].

The sword [of Babylon] is ready to be polished so that it may be handled and put to use; the sword is sharpened and polished to be put in the hand of the slayer (Nebuchadnezzar).

For there is a trial; and what if even the rod that contemneth shall be no more? saith the Lord Jehovah.

“Therefore, son of man, prophesy and strike your hands together; and let the sword be doubled the third time [in intensity], the sword for the slain. It is the sword for the great slaughter which surrounds them [so that no one can escape, even by hiding in their inner rooms],

so that hearts may melt, and many will fall at their gates. I have given the glittering sword. Ah! It is made [to flash] like lightning; it is pointed and sharpened for slaughter.

Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come; they twain shall come forth out of one land: and mark out a place, mark it out at the head of the way to the city.

Make thee a street, that the sword may come toward Rabbah of the Ammonites, and to the strong city of Jerusalem.

For the king of Babylon took his place at the parting of the ways, at the top of the two roads, to make use of secret arts: shaking the arrows this way and that, he put questions to the images of his gods, he took note of the inner parts of dead beasts.

But the soothsaying shall point to the right side upon Jerusalem, that he may set men of war, to smite it with a great noise, to cry out Alarum, to set battle rams against the gates, to grave up ditches, and to make bulwarks.

It will seem like a false divination in their eyes, those who have sworn solemn oaths [of allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar]. But he will remind them of their guilt [by rebelling and violating their oath], that they may be caught.

“Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘Because you have caused your guilt to be remembered, in that your rebellion is uncovered, so that your sins appear in everything that you do—because you have come to mind, you will be seized with the hand [of the enemy].

O thou shameful wicked guide of Israel whose day is come, even the time that wickedness shall have an end:

thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Remove the mitre, and take off the crown; this'shall be no more the same; exalt that which is low, and abase that which is high.

Punish, punish, yea, punish them will I, and destroy them. And that shall not be fulfilled till he come, to whom the judgment belongeth, and to whom I have given it.

And thou, son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and say thou, A sword, a sword is drawn, for the slaughter it is furbished, to cause it to devour, that it may be as lightning;

while seeing false visions for you and reading lying omens for you -- to place that sword on the necks of the profane wicked, whose day has come, the time of final punishment.

Thou shalt feed the fire and thy blood shall be shed in the land, that thou mayest be put out of remembrance. Even I the LORD have spoken it.'"

"Now, Son of Man, will you truly judge that blood-stained city? Then make her aware of all of her detestable practices.

You shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “A city that sheds blood in her midst, so that her time [of doom] will come, and makes idols to defile her, contrary to her interest!

Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed, and art defiled in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years: therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the nations, and a mocking to all the countries.

Those that are near, and those that are far from thee, shall mock thee, thou infamous one and full of tumult.

Murderers are there in thee, that shed blood, and eat upon the hills, and in thee they use unhappiness.

In thee have they uncovered their fathers nakedness; in thee have they humbled her that was unclean in her impurity.

Behold, I have smitten my hands upon thy covetousness, that thou hast used, and upon the blood which hath been shed in thee.

Can your heart (courage) endure, or can your hands be strong in the days that I will deal with you? I the Lord have spoken, and will act.

You will be profaned within yourself in the sight of the nations; then you will know that I am the Lord.'"

"Thou son of man, the house of Israel is turned to dross. All they that should be brass, tin, iron and lead, are in the fire become dross.

As silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin are gathered in a furnace so that the fire can melt them, so I will gather you in my anger and in my rage. I will deposit you there and melt you.

I will bring you together, and kindle the fire of my cruel displeasure under you, that ye may be melted therein.

As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted in it, and you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my anger on you.'"

Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.

thy Prophets that are in thee are sworn together to devour souls, like as a roaring Lion that liveth by his prey. They receive riches and good, and make many widows in thee.

Her priests have been acting violently against my law; they have made my holy things unclean: they have made no division between what is holy and what is common, and they have not made it clear that the unclean is different from the clean, and their eyes have been shut to my Sabbaths, and I am not honoured among them.

Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, that they may get dishonest gain.

And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

"Thou son of man, there were two women, that had one mother.

The eldest of them was called Oholah and her youngest sister Oholibah. These two were mine, and bare sons and daughters. Their names were, Samaria, and that was Oholah: and Jerusalem, that was Oholibah.

which had to do with her: even the princes and lords, that were decked in costly array: fair young men, lusty riders of horses.

Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.

Neither ceased she from the fornication, that she used with the Egyptians: for in her youth they lay with her, they bruised the breasts of her maidenhead, and poured their whoredom upon her.

Therefore, I turned her over to the control of her lovers, that is, into the control of the Assyrians for whom she lusted.

And her sister Oholibah saw this, but her desire was even more unmeasured, and her loose behaviour was worse than that of her sister.

she loved the Assyrians, which also lay with her: namely, the princes and great lords, that were clothed with all manner of gorgeous apparel, all lusty horsemen and fair young persons.

Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way,

And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,

She lusted after their genitals -- as large as those of donkeys, and their seminal emission was as strong as that of stallions.

Think about the wickedness that you practiced when you were young, when the Egyptians fondled your breasts, the breasts of your youth."

I will set My jealousy against you, that they may deal with you in wrath. They will remove your nose and your ears; and your survivors will fall by the sword. They will take your sons and your daughters; and your survivors will be consumed by the fire.

Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy whoredom brought from the land of Egypt: so that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more.

For thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am giving thee into a hand that thou hast hated, Into a hand from which thou wast alienated.

And they shall deal with thee in hatred, and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare; so that the nakedness of thy whoredoms shall be discovered, both thy lewdness and thy fornications.

These things shall be done unto thee, for that thou hast played the harlot after the nations, and because thou art polluted with their idols.

You'll be filled with drunkenness and grief. The cup that belongs to your sister Samaria is filled with horror and devastation,

That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them.

Yea, and this have they done unto me also: they have defiled my Sanctuary in that same day, and have unhallowed my Sabbath.