Ezekiel 21:9

New King James Version

"Son of man, prophesy and say, "Thus says the LORD!' Say: "A sword, a sword is sharpened And also polished!

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Son of man, prophesy, ‘This is what the Lord says!’ You are to proclaim,

Hebrew Names Version
Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the LORD: Say, A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished;

King James Version
Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord ; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished:

English Standard Version
"Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord, say: "A sword, a sword is sharpened and also polished,

New American Standard Bible
"Son of man, prophesy and say, 'This is what the LORD says:' Say, 'A sword, a sword sharpened And also polished!

New Century Version
"Human, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: A sword, a sword, made sharp and polished.

Amplified Bible
"Son of man, prophesy and say, 'Thus says the LORD.' Say, 'A sword, a sword [from Babylon] is sharpened And also polished!

World English Bible
Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says Yahweh: Say, A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished;

Geneva Bible (1587)
Sonne of man, prophecie, and say, Thus saith the Lorde God, say, A sworde, a sworde both sharpe, and fourbished.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Son of man, prophesy and say, 'Thus says the LORD.' Say, 'A sword, a sword sharpened And also polished!

Legacy Standard Bible
"Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord.' Say,‘A sword, a sword sharpenedAnd also polished!

Berean Standard Bible
"Son of man, prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord says: 'A sword, a sword, sharpened and polished-

Contemporary English Version
Ezekiel, son of man, tell the people of Jerusalem: I have sharpened my sword to slaughter you; it is shiny and will flash like lightning! Don't celebrate— punishment is coming, because everyone has ignored my warnings. <

Complete Jewish Bible
Since I am going to rid you of both righteous and evildoers, my sword will also go out of its scabbard against everyone, from the Negev to the north.

Darby Translation
Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah: Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished.

Easy-to-Read Version
"Son of man, speak to the people for me. Say this, ‘This is what the Lord says: "‘Look, a sword, a sharp sword, and it has been polished.

George Lamsa Translation
Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the LORD God: A sword, a sword is sharpened;

Good News Translation
"Mortal man, prophesy. Tell the people what I, the Lord, am saying: A sword, a sword is sharpened and polished.

Lexham English Bible
"Son of man, prophesy, and you must say, ‘Thus says the Lord,' say, ‘A sword, a sword is sharpened and is also polished.

Literal Translation
Son of man, prophesy and say, So says the Lord: Say, A sword! A sword is sharpened and also is polished!

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou sonne of man, prophecie, and speake: Thus saieth the LORDE God: speake, the swearde is sharpened & wel scoured.

American Standard Version
Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah: Say, A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished;

Bible in Basic English
Son of man, say as a prophet, These are the words of the Lord: Say, A sword, a sword which has been made sharp and polished:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
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;

King James Version (1611)
Sonne of man, prophecie and say, Thus sayth the Lord, Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also fourbished.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thou sonne of man, prophecie and speake, thus saith the Lorde God, Speake, the sworde the sworde is sharpened and well furbished.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Son of man, prophesy, and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; Say, Sword, sword, be sharpened and rage,

English Revised Version
Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD: Say, A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished:

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and he seide, Sone of man, profesie thou; and thou schalt seie, The Lord God seith these thingis, Speke thou, The swerd, the swerd is maad scharp, and is maad briyt;

Update Bible Version
Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says Yahweh: Say, A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished;

Webster's Bible Translation
Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished:

New English Translation
"Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Lord says: "‘A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also polished.

New Living Translation
"Son of man, give the people this message from the Lord: "A sword, a sword is being sharpened and polished.

New Life Bible
"Son of man, speak in My name and tell them, ‘The Lord says, "A sword, a sharp and shining sword!

New Revised Standard
Mortal, prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord; Say: A sword, a sword is sharpened, it is also polished;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Son of man, Prophesy and thou shalt say, Thus saith My Lord, - Say, A sword! a sword! Sharpened moreover also furbished:

Douay-Rheims Bible
Son of man, prophesy, and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Say: The sword, the sword is sharpened, and furbished.

Revised Standard Version
"Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord, Say: A sword, a sword is sharpened and also polished,

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

Contextual Overview

⁸ Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ⁹ "Son of man, prophesy and say, "Thus says the LORD!' Say: "A sword, a sword is sharpened And also polished! ¹⁰ Sharpened to make a dreadful slaughter, Polished to flash like lightning! Should we then make mirth? It despises the scepter of My son, As it does all wood. ¹¹ And He has given it to be polished, That it may be handled; This sword is sharpened, and it is polished To be given into the hand of the slayer.' ¹² "Cry and wail, son of man; For it will be against My people, Against all the princes of Israel. Terrors including the sword will be against My people; Therefore strike your thigh. ¹³ "Because it is a testing, And what if the sword despises even the scepter? The scepter shall be no more," says the Lord GOD. ¹⁴ "You therefore, son of man, prophesy, And strike your hands together. The third time let the sword do double damage. It is the sword that slays, The sword that slays the great men, That enters their private chambers. ¹⁵ I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, That the heart may melt and many may stumble. Ah! It is made bright; It is grasped for slaughter: ¹⁶ "Swords at the ready! Thrust right! Set your blade! Thrust left-- Wherever your edge is ordered! ¹⁷ "I also will beat My fists together, And I will cause My fury to rest; I, the LORD, have spoken."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

A sword: Ezekiel 21:3, Ezekiel 21:15, Ezekiel 21:28, Deuteronomy 32:41, Deuteronomy 32:42, Job 20:25, Isaiah 66:16, Jeremiah 12:12, Jeremiah 15:2, Amos 9:4

sharpened: Psalms 7:11-13, Isaiah 27:1, Isaiah 34:5, Isaiah 34:6

Reciprocal: Psalms 7:12 - he will Isaiah 5:28 - arrows Jeremiah 29:16 - General Jeremiah 46:4 - furbish Ezekiel 14:17 - I bring Ezekiel 33:2 - When I bring the sword upon a land Zechariah 13:7 - O sword Matthew 24:6 - ye shall hear

Cross-References

Genesis 16:1
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar.

Genesis 17:20
And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

Genesis 21:1
Hebrews 11:11">[xr] And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken.

Genesis 21:3
And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him--whom Sarah bore to him--Isaac.

Genesis 21:5
Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

Genesis 21:6
And Sarah said, "God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me."

Genesis 21:13
Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed."

Genesis 21:14
So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.

Genesis 21:23
Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt."

Genesis 21:24
And Abraham said, "I will swear."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Son of man, prophesy and say, thus saith the Lord,.... Deliver out the following prophecy in the name of the Lord:

say, a sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished; it is not only drawn out of its sheath, as before, but is made sharp and bright, and ready for use. It is repeated, either to show the certainty of it, or to express the terror and anguish of mind on account of it; persons in distress generally repeating that which is the occasion of it. The Targum interprets it of two swords, the sword of the Babylonians, and the sword of the Ammonites; first the one was to be used, and then the other: this latter, Jarchi and Kimchi observe, was fulfilled by Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slaying Gedaliah, sent for that purpose by Baalis king of the Ammonites, Jeremiah 40:14, but if two distinct swords are meant, I should rather think the sword of the Chaldeans, and the sword of the Romans, are intended. Cocceius, before observed, interprets it only of the latter; but Abendana both of the sword of the king of Babylon, and of the sword of the Romans.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The second word of judgment: the glittering and destroying sword. The passage may be called the “Lay of the Sword;” it is written in the form of Hebrew poetry, with its characteristic parallelism.

Ezekiel 21:10

It contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree - The rod is the scepter of dominion, assigned to Judah Genesis 49:10. The destroying sword of Babylon despises the scepter of Judah; it despises every tree. Others render the verse, “Shall we make mirth” (saying), “the rod of my son,” (the rod which corrects my people) “contemneth” (treats with scorn, utterly confounds) “every tree” (every other nation); or, the scepter of my people “contemneth” (proudly despises) every other nation. Proud as the people are, they shall be brought to sorrow.

Ezekiel 21:12

Terrors - Better as in the margin.

Smite upon thy thigh - A token of mourning (compare the marginal reference note).

Ezekiel 21:13

Or,

For it is put to the proof, and if it contemneth even the rod, What shall not be? saith the Lord

i. e., What horrors will not arise when the sword shall cut down without regard the ruling scepter of Judah!

Ezekiel 21:14

Doubled the third time - i. e., “thrice doubled” to express its violence and force.

The sword of the slain - The sword whereby men are to be slain.

Of the great men ... - Or, The sword of the mighty slain, which presseth hard upon them.

Ezekiel 21:15

The point of the sword - The threatening sword or terror; as in Genesis 3:24, “the flaming sword.”

And their ruins be multiplied - literally, “to the multiplication of stumblingblocks,” that is, so that the causes of their fall may be more numerous. Compare Jeremiah 46:16.

Made bright ... - Or,

Ah! It is prepared for a lightning-flash, Drawn for slaughter.

Ezekiel 21:16

The prophet addresses the sword,

Gather thyself up, O sword, to the right or to the left.

Another rendering is: “Turn thee backwards! get thee to the right! Set thee forwards (?)!get thee to the left! O whither is thy face appointed?

Ezekiel 21:17

The Lord smites together His hands in anger (marginal reference), man in consternation.