1 ¶ Now, son of man, take a sharp knife, use it as a barber’s razor, and shave your head and your beard: then take balances for weighing, and divide the hair.

2 You shall burn one third with fire in the midst of the city, when the siege is over: and you shall take another third, and cut it up around the city with a knife: then scatter the other third to the wind; and I will draw a sword to chase after them.

3 You will also take a few of the hairs, and wrap them in your skirts.

4 And of these again take some, and throw them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for from there a fire will go out to all the house of Israel.

5 ¶ The Lord GOD says; This is Jerusalem: I have put her in the middle of the nations and countries that are around her.

6 And she has rebelled against my judgments and my statutes doing more wickedness than the other nations and countries that are around her: for her people have rejected my judgments and my statutes, and have not followed them.

7 Therefore the Lord GOD says this; Because you are worse than the nations that are around you, and have not walked in my statutes, or kept my judgments, and have not even kept the ordinances of the nations that are around you;

8 The Lord GOD says; Behold, I, even I, am against you, and will punish you while the nations watch.

9 And because of all your abominations I will do to you what I have never done, and the like of which I will never do again.

10 As a result fathers will eat their sons in the midst of you, and sons will eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments on you, and those who are left of you I will scatter to all the winds.

11 Therefore, as I live, says the Lord GOD; Because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things, and with all your abominations, I too will cut you down; I will not show mercy, or have any pity.

12 A third part of you will die from pestilence, and be consumed by famine in the midst of you: and a third part will fall around you by the sword; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.

13 That is how my anger will spend itself, and I will satisfy my fury on them, and I will be appeased: then after my fury has been spent on them, they will know that I the LORD have been earnest in what I said.

14 I will make you a wasteland, and a reproach among the nations that are around you, in the sight of all who pass by.

15 So you will be a disgrace and a taunt, a warning and a horror to the nations that are around you, when I carry out my judgment on you in anger and in fury and bitter punishment. I the LORD have spoken it.

16 When I loose against them the evil arrows of famine, that are for destruction, which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will cut off your supply of bread:

17 So will I send famine and hungry beasts against you, and they will bereave you; and pestilence and blood will pass through you; and I will bring the sword upon you. I the LORD have spoken it.