¶ And thou, son¹ of man, take² thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then³ take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.

Thou shalt burn⁴ with fire a third part in the midst of the city⁵, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw⁶ out a sword after them.

Thou shalt also take thereof a few⁷ in number, and bind them in thy skirts⁸.

Then take⁹ of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire¹⁰ come forth into all the house of Israel.

¶ Thus saith the Lord GOD; This¹¹ is Jerusalem: I have¹² set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her.

And she hath¹³ changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they¹⁴ have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done¹⁵ according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you;

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I,¹⁶ am against thee, and will execute judgments in the¹⁷ midst of thee in the sight of the nations.

And I will do in thee that which¹⁸ I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations.

¶ Therefore the fathers¹⁹ shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole²⁰ remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds.

Wherefore, as I live²¹, saith the Lord GOD; Surely, because thou hast²² defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable²³ things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I²⁴ also diminish thee; neither shall²⁵ mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.

A third part of²⁶ thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter²⁷ a third part into all the winds, and I will draw²⁸ out a sword after them.

Thus shall mine²⁹ anger be accomplished, and I will cause³⁰ my fury to rest upon them, and I will be³¹ comforted: and they shall know that I the LORD have spoken³² it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them.

Moreover I will³³ make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations³⁴ that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by.

So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction³⁵ and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when³⁶ I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.

When I shall send upon them the evil³⁷ arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will³⁸ break your staff of bread:

So will I send upon you famine and evil³⁹ beasts, and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence⁴⁰ and blood shall pass through thee; and I⁴¹ will bring the sword upon thee. I the⁴² LORD have spoken it.