Ezekiel 5:2-4

5:2 Burn a third of it in the fire inside the city when the days of your siege are completed. Take a third and slash it with a sword all around the city. Scatter a third to the wind, and I will unleash a sword behind them. 5:3 But take a few strands of hair ¹  from those and tie them in the ends of your garment. ²  5:4 Again, take more of them and throw them into the fire, ³  and burn them up. From there a fire will spread to all the house of Israel.

Ezekiel 5:12

5:12 A third of your people will die of plague or be overcome by the famine within you. ⁴  A third of your people will fall by the sword surrounding you, ⁵  and a third I will scatter to the winds. I will unleash a sword behind them.

[5:3]  ¹ tn Heb “from there a few in number.” The word “strands” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:3]  ² sn Objects could be carried in the end of a garment (Hag 2:12).

[5:4]  ³ tn Heb “into the midst of” (so KJV, ASV). This phrase has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.

[5:12]  ⁴ sn The judgment of plague and famine comes from the covenant curse (Lev 26:25-26). As in v. 10, the city of Jerusalem is figuratively addressed here.

[5:12]  ⁵ sn Judgment by plague, famine, and sword occurs in Jer 21:9; 27:13; Ezek 6:11, 12; 7:15.