5:1 「人子啊,你要拿一把快刀,當作剃頭刀,用這刀剃你的頭髮和你的鬍鬚,用天平將鬚髮平分。
5:2 圍困城的日子滿了,你要將三分之一在城中用火焚燒,將三分之一在城的四圍用刀砍碎,將三分之一任風吹散;我也要拔刀追趕。
5:3 你要從其中取幾根包在衣襟裡,
5:4 再從這幾根中取些扔在火中焚燒,從裡面必有火出來燒入以色列全家。
5:5 主耶和華如此說:這就是耶路撒冷。我曾將她安置在列邦之中;列國都在她的四圍。
5:6 她行惡,違背我的典章,過於列國;干犯我的律例,過於四圍的列邦,因為她棄掉我的典章。至於我的律例,她並沒有遵行。
5:7 所以主耶和華如此說:因為你們紛爭過於四圍的列國,也不遵行我的律例,不謹守我的典章,並以遵從四圍列國的惡規尚不滿意,
5:8 所以主耶和華如此說:看哪,我與你反對,必在列國的眼前,在你中間,施行審判;
5:9 並且因你一切可憎的事,我要在你中間行我所未曾行的,以後我也不再照著行。
5:10 在你中間父親要吃兒子,兒子要吃父親。我必向你施行審判,我必將你所剩下的分散四方(方:原文是風)。」
5:11 主耶和華說:「我指著我的永生起誓,因你用一切可憎的物、可厭的事玷污了我的聖所,故此,我定要使你人數減少,我眼必不顧惜你,也不可憐你。
5:12 你的民三分之一必遭瘟疫而死,在你中間必因饑荒消滅;三分之一必在你四圍倒在刀下;我必將三分之一分散四方(方:原文是風),並要拔刀追趕他們。
1 "And you, O son of man, take a sharp
sword. Use it as a barber's razor and pass it over your head and your beard.
Then take balances for weighing and divide the hair. 2 A third part you shall
burn in the fire in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are
completed. And a third part you shall take and strike with the sword all around
the city. And a third part you shall scatter to the wind, and I will unsheathe
the sword after them. 3 And you shall take from these a small number and bind
them in the skirts of your robe. 4 And of these again you shall take some and
cast them into the midst of the fire and burn them in the fire. From there a
fire will come out into all the house of Israel.
5 "Thus says the Lord God: This is
Jerusalem. I have set her in the center of the nations, with countries all
around her. 6 And she has rebelled against my rules by doing wickedness more
than the nations, and against my statutes more than the countries all around
her; for they have rejected my rules and have not walked in my statutes. 7
Therefore thus says the Lord God:Because you are more turbulent than the
nations that are all around you, and have not walked in my statutes or obeyed
my rules, and have not even acted according to the rules of the nations that are
all around you, 8 therefore thus says the Lord God:Behold, I, even I, am
against you. And I will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the
nations. 9 And because of all your abominations I will do with you what I have
never yet done, and the like of which I will never do again. 10 Therefore
fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers.
And I will execute judgments on you, and any of you who survive I will scatter
to all the winds. 11 Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord God, surely,
because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things and with
all your abominations, therefore I will withdraw. My eye will not spare, and I
will have no pity. 12 A third part of you shall die of pestilence and be consumed
with famine in your midst; a third part shall fall by the sword all around you;
and a third part I will scatter to all the winds and will unsheathe the sword
after them.
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以西結剃頭與砍頭髮的刀是同一把,這樣那把刀就不會是短短的剃頭刀,而是大型的刀子(可能是一種軍用武器)。以色列人通常不剃頭髮與鬍鬚,祭司剃髮是律法不許可的,除非是哀悼的時候,才可以這樣做,表示要為以色列百姓哀悼。
這裡說到以色列人有三種命運,其意義應該是少數被擄到外國的餘民會蒙拯救,保留生命。但這些人中間有人還會被殺。耶路撒冷將導致所有以色列人遭難。之所以如此是耶路撒冷背叛上帝,甚至也不遵守列國的法規,背叛成性,所以上帝要對他施以空前絕後的懲罰。
先知對耶路撒冷之以色列人的警告,是從上帝來的。但是,這樣的話中仍然要以色列人悔改,並且也讓他們知道上帝仍有恩典留下「餘種」。這是舊約聖經中很重要的信息,上帝的拯救就是為以色列人留「餘種」,這是以色列復興的盼望!