1. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
2. "Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and pour in drops toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the soil of Israel.
3. And you shall say to the land of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, and I will cast my sword from its sheath, and I will slay the just and the impious among you.
4. But in as much as I have slain among you the just and the impious, for this reason my sword will go forth from its sheath against all flesh, from the south even to the north.
5. So may all flesh know that I, the Lord, have led my sword out of its sheath irrevocably.
6. And as for you, son of man, groan in the breaking of your back, and groan in bitterness before them.
7. And when they will say to you, 'Why are you groaning?' you shall say: 'On behalf of the report, For it is approaching. And every heart will waste away, and every hand will be broken, and every spirit will be weakened, and water will flow across every knee.' Behold, it is approaching and it will happen, says the Lord God."
8. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: