The Bible in Basic English BBE
Good News Translation GNT
1 And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, using it like a haircutter's blade, and making it go over your head and the hair of your chin: and take scales for separating the hair by weight.
1
The Lord said, "Mortal man, take a sharp sword and use it to shave off your beard and all your hair. Then weigh the hair on scales and divide it into three parts.
2 You are to have a third part burned with fire inside the town, when the days of the attack are ended; and a third part you are to take and give blows with the sword round about it; and give a third part for the wind to take away, and let loose a sword after them.
2
Burn up a third of it in the city when the siege is over. Take another third and chop it up with your sword as you move around outside the city. Scatter the remaining third to the winds, and I will pursue it with my sword.
3 And take from them a small number of hairs, folding them in your skirts.
3
Keep back a few hairs and wrap them in the hem of your clothes.
4 And again take some of these and put them in the fire, burning them up in the fire; and say to all the children of Israel,
4
Then take a few of them out again, throw them in the fire, and let them burn up. From them fire will spread to the whole nation of Israel."
5 This is what the Lord has said: This is Jerusalem: I have put her among the nations, and countries are round her on every side;
5
The Sovereign Lord said, "Look at Jerusalem. I put her at the center of the world, with other countries all around her.
6 And she has gone against my orders by doing evil more than the nations, and against my rules more than the countries round her: for they have given up my orders, and as for my rules, they have not gone in the way of them.
6
But Jerusalem rebelled against my commands and showed that she was more wicked than the other nations, more disobedient than the countries around her. Jerusalem rejected my commands and refused to keep my laws.
7 For this cause the Lord has said: Because you have been more uncontrolled than the nations round about you, and have not been guided by my rules or kept my orders, but have kept the orders of the nations round about you;
7
Now listen, Jerusalem, to what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying. By not obeying my laws or keeping my commands, you have caused more trouble than the nations around you. You have followed the customs of other nations.
8 For this cause the Lord has said: See, I, even I, am against you; and I will be judging among you before the eyes of the nations.
8
And so I, the Sovereign Lord, am telling you that I am your enemy. I will pass judgment on you where all the nations can see it.
9 And I will do in you what I have not done and will not do again, because of all your disgusting ways.
9
Because of all the things you do that I hate, I will punish Jerusalem as I have never done before and will never do again.
10 For this cause fathers will take their sons for food among you, and sons will make a meal of their fathers; and I will be judge among you, and all the rest of you I will send away to every wind.
10
As a result, parents in Jerusalem will eat their children, and children will eat their parents. I will punish you and scatter in every direction any who are left alive.
11 For this cause, by my life, says the Lord, because you have made my holy place unclean with all your hated things and all your disgusting ways, you will become disgusting to me; my eye will have no mercy and I will have no pity.
11
"Therefore, as I am the living God - this is the word of the Sovereign Lord - because you defiled my Temple with all the evil, disgusting things you did, I will cut you down without mercy.
12 A third of you will come to death from disease, wasting away among you through need of food; a third will be put to the sword round about you; and a third I will send away to every wind, letting loose a sword after them.
12
A third of your people will die from sickness and hunger in the city; a third will be cut down by swords outside the city; and I will scatter the last third to the winds and pursue them with a sword.
13 So my wrath will be complete and my passion will come to rest on them; and they will be certain that I the Lord have given the word of decision, when my wrath against them is complete.
13
"You will feel all the force of my anger and rage until I am satisfied. When all this happens, you will be convinced that I, the Lord, have spoken to you because I am outraged at your unfaithfulness.
14 And I will make you a waste and a name of shame among the nations round about you, in the eyes of everyone who goes by.
14
Everyone from the nations around you who passes by will sneer at you and keep their distance.
15 And you will be a name of shame and a cause of bitter words, an example and a wonder to the nations round about you, when I give effect to my judging among you in wrath and in passion and in burning protests: I the Lord have said it:
15
"When I am angry and furious with you and punish you, all the nations around you will be terrified. They will look at you with disgust and make fun of you.
16 When I send on you the evil arrows of disease, causing destruction, which I will send to put an end to you; and, further, I will take away your necessary food.
16
I will cut off your supply of food and let you starve. You will feel the pains of hunger like sharp arrows sent to destroy you.
17 And I will send on you need of food and evil beasts, and they will be a cause of loss to you; and disease and violent death will go through you; and I will send the sword on you: I the Lord have said it.
17
I will send hunger and wild animals to kill your children, and will send sickness, violence, and war to kill you. I, the Lord, have spoken."
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.