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that their hearts may melt, and many will be stumbling blocks at all their gates. I have given the glittering sword. Ah! It is made for striking like lightning, it is wrapped up in readiness for slaughter.

"Now as for you, son of man, make two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to come; both of them will go out of one land. And make a signpost; make it at the head of the way to the city.

You shall mark a way for the sword to come to Rabbah of the sons of Ammon and to Judah into fortified Jerusalem.

For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination; he shakes the arrows; he asks the household idols; he looks at the liver.

Into his right hand came the divination, ‘Jerusalem,' to set battering rams, to open the mouth for killing, to lift up the voice with a shout of war, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up ramps, to build a siege wall.

"Now as for you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh concerning the sons of Ammon and concerning their reproach,' and say: ‘A sword, a sword is drawn, polished for the slaughter, to cause it to consume, that it may be like lightning—

while they behold for you worthless visions, while they divine lies for you—to place you on the necks of the wicked who are slain, whose day has come, in the time of the iniquity of the end.

You will be fuel for the fire; your blood will be in the midst of the land. You will not be remembered, for I, Yahweh, have spoken.'"

"Now as for you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the city of blood? Then you shall cause her to know all her abominations.

And you shall say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, "A city shedding blood in her midst, so that her time will come; and she makes idols against herself for defilement!

"Behold, the princes of Israel, each according to his power, have been in you for the purpose of shedding blood.

Slanderous men have been in you for the purpose of shedding blood, and in you they have eaten at the mountain shrines. In your midst they have done acts of lewdness.

In you they have taken bribes for the purpose of shedding blood; you have taken interest and profits, and you have injured your neighbors for gain by oppression, and you have forgotten Me," declares Lord Yahweh.

And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, beholding worthless visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh,' when Yahweh has not spoken.

And I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the breach before Me for the land, so that I would not bring it to ruin; but I found no one.

Their names were Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister. And they became Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. And as for their names, Samaria is Oholah and Jerusalem is Oholibah.

She did not forsake her harlotries from the time in Egypt; for in her youth men had lain with her, and they handled her virgin bosom and poured out their harlotry on her.

Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom because of the breasts of your youth.

For thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Behold, I will give you into the hand of those whom you hate, into the hand of those with whom your soul was disgusted.

You will drink it and drain it.Then you will gnaw its fragmentsAnd tear your breasts;for I have spoken,' declares Lord Yahweh.