Study Desk

"And it is given to be polished, so that it may be handled; the sword is sharpened and polished, to hand it over to the slaughterer.

so that their hearts will waver, and many fall at all their gates. I have granted the slaughter of the sword. Oh! It is made for striking like lightning, it is sharpened in readiness for slaughter.

"And it will be to them like a false divination in their eyes; they have sworn solemn oaths. But he makes guilt known, so that they may be seized.

"Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Because you have made your guilt known, in that your offenses are uncovered, so that in all your deeds your sins are seen—because you have come to mind, you will be seized by the hand.

"And you, son of man, prophesy and say, 'This is what the Lord GOD says concerning the sons of Ammon and their taunting,' and say: 'A sword, a sword is drawn, sharpened for the slaughter, to make it consume, so that it may be like lightning—

"And you shall say, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: "A city shedding blood in her midst, so that her time is coming; and a city that makes idols, contrary to her own good, for defilement!

"You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and you have become defiled by your idols which you have made. So you have brought your days closer and have come to your years; therefore I have made you a disgrace to the nations, and an object of mocking to all the lands.

'As they gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the smelting furnace to blow fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger and in My wrath, and I will place you there and melt you.

'As silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted in the midst of it; and you will know that I, the LORD, have poured out My wrath on you.'"

"I searched for a man among them who would build up a wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.

"So I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; I have brought their way upon their heads," declares the Lord GOD.

"They uncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and her daughters, but they killed her with the sword. So she became a subject of gossip among women, and they executed judgments on her.

"So she increased her obscene practices. And she saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans drawn in bright red,

"So you longed for the outrageous sin of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your breasts because of the breasts of your youth.

'I will set My jealousy against you, so 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.

'So I will remove from you your outrageous sin and your prostitution that you brought from the land of Egypt, so that you will not raise your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.'

"For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. So they have committed adultery with their idols, and even made their sons, whom they bore to Me, pass through the fire to them as food.

'So I will eliminate outrageous conduct from the land, so that all women will take warning and not commit outrageous sin as you have done.

'Your outrageous conduct will be repaid to you, and you will bear the guilt for your idols; so you will know that I am the Lord GOD.'"

"So that it may cause wrath to come up to take vengeance, I have put her blood on the bare rock, So that it will not be covered."