Ezekiel 5:10-12

5:10 Therefore fathers will eat their sons within you, Jerusalem, ¹  and sons will eat their fathers. I will execute judgments on you, and I will scatter any survivors ²  to the winds. ³ 

5:11 “Therefore, as surely as I live, says the sovereign Lord, because you defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable idols and with all your abominable practices, I will withdraw; my eye will not pity you, nor will I spare ⁴  you. 5:12 A third of your people will die of plague or be overcome by the famine within you. ⁵  A third of your people will fall by the sword surrounding you, ⁶  and a third I will scatter to the winds. I will unleash a sword behind them.

Ezekiel 17:21

17:21 All the choice men ⁷  among his troops will die ⁸  by the sword and the survivors will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken!

Ezekiel 17:2

17:2 “Son of man, offer a riddle, ⁹  and tell a parable to the house of Israel.

Ezekiel 25:4-5

25:4 So take note, ¹⁰  I am about to make you slaves of ¹¹  the tribes ¹²  of the east. They will make camps among you and pitch their tents among you. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk. 25:5 I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and Ammon ¹³  a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

¹ tn In context “you” refers to the city of Jerusalem. To make this clear for the modern reader, “Jerusalem” has been supplied in the translation in apposition to “you.”

² tn Heb “all of your survivors.”

³ tn Heb “to every wind.”

⁴ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term is primarily emotional: “to pity,” which in context implies an action, as in being moved by pity in order to spare them from the horror of their punishment.

⁵ 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.

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

⁷ tc Some manuscripts and versions read “choice men,” while most manuscripts read “fugitives”; the difference arises from the reversal, or metathesis, of two letters, מִבְרָחָיו (mivrakhyv) for מִבְחָריו (mivkharyv).

⁸ tn Heb “fall.”

⁹ sn The verb occurs elsewhere in the OT only in Judg 14:12-19, where Samson supplies a riddle.

¹⁰ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates being aware of or taking notice of something and has been translated here with a verb (so also throughout the chapter).

¹¹ tn Heb “Look I am about to give you for a possession to.”

¹² tn Heb “sons.”

¹³ tn Heb “the sons of Ammon.”