*THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
EZEKIEL
Ezekiel 5 ©
The prophet is commanded by God to shave his head and beard, and to divide the hair into four parts, and to deal severally with those four parts, v. 1, etc. Representing thereby the diversity and dreadfulness of the plagues that would come upon the people of the Jews for the sins here mentioned, 5, etc.
AND thou, son of man, take thee a sharp 1knife, take thee a 2barber’s 3razor, and 4cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee 5balances to weigh, and 6divide the hair.
Thou shalt burn with 7fire 8a third part in the midst 9of the city, 10when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and 11smite about 12it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter 13in the wind; and I will draw out a 14sword after them.
Thou shalt also take 15thereof a few in number, and bind them in 16thy skirts.
Then take 17of them again, and 18cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a 19fire come forth into 20all the house of Israel.
¶Thus saith the Lord GOD; 21This is Jerusalem: I have set 22it in the midst of the nations and 23countries that are round about her.
And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness 24more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have 25not walked in them.
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Becausea ye multiplied 26more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the 27judgments of the nations that are round about you;
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, 28I, 29even I, am against 30thee, and will execute 31judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of 32the nations.
And I will 33do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine 34abominations.
Therefore the fathers shall eat the 35sonsb in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole 36remnant of thee will I scatter into 37allc the winds.
Wherefore, as I 38live, saith the Lord GOD; Surely, because thou hast defiled my 39sanctuary with all thy 40detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish 41thee; neither shall mined42eye 43spare, neither will I have any pity.
¶ 44Ae third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed 45in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall 46by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part 47into all the winds, and I will 48draw out 49a sword after them.
Thus 50shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest 51upon them, and I will be 52comforted: and they shall 53know that I the LORD have spoken it in my 54zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them.
Moreover 55I will make thee waste, and a 56reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by.
So it shall be a reproachf and a taunt, an 57instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute 58judgments in thee in anger and in fury and 59in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.
When I shall send upon them the 60evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famineg upon you, and 61willh break your staff of bread:
So will I send upon you famine and 62evili beasts, and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and 63blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.