Ezekiel 7

Expanded Bible

Ezekiel Tells of the End

7 Again the ·Lord spoke his word to me [^Lword of the Lord came], saying: ² “·Human [^TSon of man; 2:1], the Lord God says this to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come on the four corners of the land. ³ Now the end has come for you, and I will send my anger against you. I will judge you for the way you have lived, and I will ·make you pay [punish you; or hold you accountable; ^Lplace upon you] for all your ·actions that I hate [detestable/abominable practices]. ⁴ ·I will have no pity on [^LMy eye will not pity] you; I will not ·hold back punishment from [spare] you. Instead, I will make you pay for the way you have lived and for your ·actions that I hate [detestable/abominable practices]. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

⁵ “This is what the Lord God says: Disaster ·on top of [or unheard of] disaster ·is [^Llook/^Tbehold, it is] coming. ⁶ The end has come! The end has come! It has ·stirred itself up [aroused; awakened] against you! Look! It ·has come [or is coming]! ⁷ ·Disaster [Doom] has come for you who live in the land! The time has come; the day of is near. It will be a day of ·confusion [panic], not ·celebration [shouts of joy], on the mountains. ⁸ Soon I will pour out my ·anger [wrath] against you; I will ·carry out [spend; exhaust] my anger against you. I will judge you for the way you have lived and will ·make you pay [punish you; or hold you accountable] for ·everything you have done that I hate [your detestable/abominable practices]. ⁹ ·I will show no pity [^LMy eye will not pity you], and I will not ·hold back punishment [spare you]. I will ·pay you back [punish you; or hold you accountable] for ·the way you have lived and the things you have done that I hate [your detestable/abominable practices]. Then you will know that I am the Lord who ·punishes [strikes you].

¹⁰ “·Look [^TBehold], the day is here. ·Look [^TBehold] It has come. ·Disaster [Doom] has ·come [gone out], ·violence has grown [^Lthe rod has budded; Num. 17; ^Cmay refer to Nebuchadnezzar, the instrument of God’s judgment], ·and there is more pride than ever [^Lpride/arrogance has blossomed]. ¹¹ Violence has grown into a ·weapon [rod; staff] for punishing wickedness. None of the people will be left—none of that crowd, none of their wealth, and ·nothing of value [or none of their prominent ones]. ¹² The time has come; the day has arrived. Don’t let the buyer ·be happy [rejoice] or the seller ·be sad [grieve; mourn], because my ·burning anger [wrath] is against the whole crowd. ¹³ Sellers will not ·return to the land [or recover the property] they have sold as long as they live, because the vision against all that crowd will not be ·changed [revoked; reversed]. Because of their ·sins [iniquity], they will not ·save [preserve] their lives. ¹⁴ They have blown the trumpet, and everything is ready. But no one is going to the battle, because my ·anger [wrath] is against all that crowd.

¹⁵ “The sword is outside, and ·disease [pestilence; plague] and ·hunger [famine] are inside [6:12]. Whoever is in the field will die by the sword. ·Hunger [Famine] and ·disease [pestilence; plague] will destroy those in the city. ¹⁶ ·Those who are left alive and [The survivors] who escape will be on the mountains, moaning like doves of the valleys about their own ·sin [iniquity]. ¹⁷ All hands ·will hang weakly with fear [are weak/limp], and all knees will ·become weak as water [or be wet with urine; ^Lrun with water]. ¹⁸ They will put on ·rough cloth to show how sad they are [burlap; sackcloth]. ·They will tremble all over with fear [^LTerror/Horror covers them]. Their faces will show their shame, and all their heads will be shaved. ¹⁹ The people will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be like ·trash [filth; an unclean thing]. Their silver and gold will not save them from the Lord’s ·anger [wrath]. It will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs, because it ·caused them to fall [was their stumbling block] into sin. ²⁰ ·They were proud of their beautiful jewelry [or They used God’s ornaments for their own prideful means; ^Cthe ornaments could refer to the temple treasures] and used it to make their ·idols [abominable images] and their ·evil statues, which I hate [detestable/abominable idols]. So I will turn their wealth into ·trash [filth; an unclean thing]. ²¹ I will give it to foreigners as loot from war and to the ·evil [or most wicked] people in the world as ·treasure [plunder], and they will ·dishonor [desecrate; defile; ^Critually] it. ²² I will also turn [^Lmy face] away from the ·people [^Lhouse] of Israel, and they will ·dishonor [desecrate; defile; ^Critually] my treasured place. Then robbers will enter and ·dishonor [desecrate; defile; ^Critually] it.

²³ “·Make chains for captives [^LPrepare/Forge the chains], because the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of violence. ²⁴ So I will bring the ·worst [most evil/wicked/ruthless] of the nations to take over the people’s houses. I will also end the pride of the strong, and their ·holy places [sanctuaries] will be ·dishonored [desecrated; defiled; ^Critually]. ²⁵ ·When the people are suffering greatly [or Terror/Anguish is coming!], they will look for peace, but there will be none. ²⁶ Disaster will come on top of disaster, and rumor will be added to rumor. Then they will ·try to get [seek] a vision from a prophet; the ·teachings of God [^Llaws; instructions] from the priest and the ·advice [counsel] from the elders ·will be lost [perishes]. ²⁷ The king will ·cry greatly [mourn], the prince will ·give up hope [^Lbe clothed/wrapped in despair], and the hands of the people of land will shake with fear. I will ·punish [deal with] them for the way they have lived. The way they have judged others is the way I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”