Ezekiel 21:12-13

21:12 Cry out and moan, son of man,

for it is wielded against my people;

against all the princes of Israel.

They are delivered up to the sword, along with my people.

Therefore, strike your thigh. ¹ 

21:13 “‘For testing will come, and what will happen when the scepter, which the sword despises, is no more? ²  declares the sovereign Lord.’

[21:12]  ¹ sn This physical action was part of an expression of grief. Cp. Jer. 31:19.

[21:13]  ² tn Heb “For testing (will come) and what if also a scepter, it despises, will not be?” The translation understands the subject of the verb “despises,” which is a feminine form in the Hebrew text, to be the sword (which is a feminine noun) mentioned in the previous verses. The text is very difficult and any rendering is uncertain.