Ezekiel 5:2

¹ And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber’s razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.

Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.

³ Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts.

⁴ Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: When the days of the siege have ended, you are to burn up a third of the hair inside the city; you are also to take a third and slash it with the sword all around the city; and you are to scatter a third to the wind. For I will unleash a sword behind them.
KJV: Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.
WEB: A third part you shall burn in the fire in the middle of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled. You shall take a third part, and strike with the sword around it. A third part you shall scatter to the wind, and I will draw out a sword after them.
ASV: A third part shalt thou burn in the fire in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled; and thou shalt take a third part, and smite with the sword round about it; and a third part thou shalt scatter to the wind, and I will draw out a sword after them.
DARBY: A third part shalt thou burn in the fire in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled; and thou shalt take a third part, [and] smite about it with a knife; and a third part thou shalt scatter to the wind, and I will draw out a sword after them.
BLB: A third with fire you shall burn in the midst of the city at the completion of the days of the siege; and you shall take a third and strike [it] with the sword around [it]; and a third you shall scatter to the wind; and I will unsheathe a sword after them.

ÅB: En tredjedel skal du brenne opp midt i byen, når kringsetningsdagene er til ende, og en tredjedel skal du ta og hugge i med sverdet rundt omkring byen, og en tredjedel skal du sprede for vinden, og med draget sverd vil jeg forfølge dem.
OTB: En tredjedel av håret skal du brenne i ilden midt i byen når beleiringens dager er fullført. Ta en annen tredjedel og slå det med sverdet rundt byen, og spre den siste tredjedelen for vinden; for jeg vil forfølge dem med et uskjede sverd.
B1930: En tredjedel skal du brenne op midt i byen, når kringsetningsdagene er til ende, og en tredjedel skal du ta og hugge i med sverdet rundt omkring byen, og en tredjedel skal du sprede for vinden, og med draget sverd vil jeg forfølge dem.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Ezekiel 5:12
A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.
Read in context
Leviticus 26:33
And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
Read in context
Ezekiel 12:14
And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.
Read in context
Ezekiel 4:1–8
Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem:
Read in context
Jeremiah 9:16
I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.
Read in context
Jeremiah 15:2
And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the LORD; Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity.
Read in context
Jeremiah 24:10
And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.
Read in context
Jeremiah 38:2
Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.
Read in context