וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֵלַי לֵאמֹר

The word of the Lord was with me, saying:

בֶּן־אָדָם שִׂים פָּנֶיךָ אֶל בְנֵי עַמּוֹן וְהִנָּבֵא עֲלֵיהֶם

Son of man, direct your attention to the children of Amon, address their situation, and prophesy in their regard.

וְאָמַרְתָּ לִבְנֵי עַמּוֹן שִׁמְעוּ דְּבַר־ה' אֱלוֹהִים כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים יַעַן אָמְרֵךְ הֶאָח אֶל־מִקְדָּשִׁי כִי־נִחָל וְאֶל־אַדְמַת יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי נָשַׁמָּה וְאֶל־בֵּית יְהוּדָה כִּי הָלְכוּ בַּגּוֹלָה

Say to the children of Amon: Hear the word of the Lord God: So said the Lord God to the Amonite nation: Because you said: Hurrah, shouting with joy, about My Sanctuary that was profaned, about the soil of Israel that became desolate, and about the house of Judah that went into exile. Although the Amonites partnered with Judah in Tzidkiyahu’s revolt against Babylon to a certain extent, they rejoiced over the destruction of Judah in keeping with their traditional enmity toward Israel.

לָכֵן הִנְנִי נֹתְנָךְ לִבְנֵי־קֶדֶם לְמוֹרָשָׁה וְיִשְּׁבוּ טִירוֹתֵיהֶם בָּךְ וְנָתְנוּ בָךְ מִשְׁכְּנֵיהֶם הֵמָּה יֹאכְלוּ פִרְיֵךְ וְהֵמָּה יִשְׁתּוּ חֲלָבֵךְ

Therefore, behold, I am delivering you to the people of the East, the nations who lived outside of the settled area of Amon and would later be classified as Arab tribes, as an inheritance, and they will establish their encampments among you and place their dwellings among you, in your land; they will eat your fruit, and they will drink your milk.

וְנָתַתִּי אֶת־רַבָּה לִנְוֵה גְמַלִּים וְאֶת־בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן לְמִרְבַּץ־צֹאן וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי־אֲנִי ה'

I will render Raba, the capital city of Amon (see commentary on 21:25), a pasture of camels, and the land of the children of Amon a resting place for flocks, and you will know that I am the Lord. Indeed, at some stage the nomadic tribes settled in the land of Amon, where their descendants remain to this day.

כִּי כֹה אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים יַעַן מַחְאֲךָ יָד וְרַקְעֲךָ בְּרָגֶל וַתִּשְׂמַח בְּכָל־שָׁאטְךָ בְּנֶפֶשׁ אֶל אַדְמַת יִשְׂרָאֵל

For so said the Lord God to Amon: Because of your clapping of hands and stamping of feet, in a dance of sorts, and you rejoiced with all the contempt of your soul against the territory of Israel, in celebration of its destruction,

לָכֵן הִנְנִי נָטִיתִי אֶת־יָדִי עָלֶיךָ וּנְתַתִּיךָ לְבַז לַגּוֹיִם וְהִכְרַתִּיךָ מִן־הָעַמִּים וְהַאֲבַדְתִּיךָ מִן־הָאֲרָצוֹת אַשְׁמִידְךָ וְיָדַעְתָּ כִּי־אֲנִי ה'

therefore, behold, I am extending My hand against you, and I will deliver you for loot to the nations, and I will excise you from the peoples, and I will eradicate you from the countries; I will destroy you as a nation, and you will know that I am the Lord. Although the Amonites did not actually wage war against Israel at that time, it was only because they were lacking in numbers and in military might. Their hostility toward the nation of Israel is evident in their joy at its downfall. Therefore, they will ultimately perish from the world.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים יַעַן אֲמֹר מוֹאָב וְשֵׂעִיר הִנֵּה כְּכָל־הַגּוֹיִם בֵּית יְהוּדָה

Ezekiel prophesies about Amon’s neighbors to the south. So said the Lord God: Because Moav and Se’ir, a reference to Edom, say: Behold, the house of Judah is like all the other nations that once existed and have since disappeared, a statement that desecrates the name of Heaven,

לָכֵן הִנְנִי פֹתֵחַ אֶת־כֶּתֶף מוֹאָב מֵהֶעָרִים מֵעָרָיו מִקָּצֵהוּ צְבִי אֶרֶץ בֵּית הַיְשִׁימוֹת בַּעַל מְעוֹן וְקִרְיָתָיְמָה

therefore, behold, I am opening to its enemy the flank of Moav, a protruding edge of territory, like a mountainside, from the region of the cities, from its cities, from its boundaries, the magnificence of the land of Beit Yeshimot, Baal Meon, and Kiryatayim.

לִבְנֵי־קֶדֶם עַל־בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן וּנְתַתִּיהָ לְמוֹרָשָׁה לְמַעַן לֹא־תִזָּכֵר בְּנֵי־עַמּוֹן בַּגּוֹיִם

I will breach the border of Moav and give it to the people of the East when they come against the children of Amon and capture their land, and I will give it, the land of Amon, to them as an inheritance, so that the children of Amon will not be remembered among the nations.

ובְמוֹאָב אֶעֱשֶׂה שְׁפָטִים וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי ה'

I will also administer punishments to Moav itself, and they, the Moavites, will know that I am the Lord.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים יַעַן עֲשׂוֹת אֱדוֹם בִּנְקֹם נָקָם לְבֵית יְהוּדָה וַיֶּאְשְׁמוּ אָשׁוֹם וְנִקְּמוּ בָהֶם

The prophet directs his attention to a nation farther south. So said the Lord God: Because Edom has acted in exacting vengeance against the house of Judah, which ruled them for extended periods of time, and they supported the enemies of Judah at the time of the destruction, and they incurred guilt, and exacted vengeance against them,

לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים וְנָטִתִי יָדִי עַל־אֱדוֹם וְהִכְרַתִּי מִמֶּנָּה אָדָם וּבְהֵמָה וּנְתַתִּיהָ חָרְבָּה מִתֵּימָן וּדְדָנֶה בַּחֶרֶב יִפֹּלוּ

therefore, so said the Lord God: I will extend My hand, direct My might against Edom, and I will eliminate man and animal from it, and I will render it a ruin from Teman, a region or city in Edom, and Dedan will fall by the sword.

ונָתַתִּי אֶת־נִקְמָתִי בֶּאֱדֹם בְּיַד עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעָשׂוּ בֶאֱדוֹם כְּאַפִּי וְכַחֲמָתִי וְיָדְעוּ אֶת־נִקְמָתִי נְאֻם ה' אֱלוֹהִים

In the future, I will set My vengeance upon Edom by the hand of My people Israel, and they will do with Edom in accordance with My wrath and in accordance with My fury, and they, the Edomites, will know My vengeance – the utterance of the Lord God.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים יַעַן עֲשׂוֹת פְּלִשְׁתִּים בִּנְקָמָה וַיִּנָּקְמוּ נָקָם בִּשְׁאָט בְּנֶפֶשׁ לְמַשְׁחִית אֵיבַת עוֹלָם

So said the Lord God: Because the Philistines acted against Israel with vengeance, and they exacted vengeance with contempt of the soul to destroy them with eternal, unwavering hatred,

לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים הִנְנִי נוֹטֶה יָדִי עַל־פְּלִשְׁתִּים וְהִכְרַתִּי אֶת־כְּרֵתִים וְהַאֲבַדְתִּי אֶת־שְׁאֵרִית חוֹף הַיָּם

therefore, so said the Lord God: Behold, I am extending My hand against the Philistines, and I will excise the Keretites, an appelation employed for the Philistines, perhaps based on their place of origin, the island of Crete, which is called Kaftor in the Bible and which is located in the Mediterranean Sea near Greece. And I will eradicate the remnant of the coast of the sea. The Philistines are not indigenous to Israel; rather, they invaded and settled the coastal region of Israel.

וְעָשִׂיתִי בָם נְקָמוֹת גְּדֹלוֹת בְּתוֹכְחוֹת חֵמָה וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי ה' בְּתִתִּי אֶת־נִקְמָתִי בָּם

I will exact great vengeance upon them with rebukes of fury, and they will know that I am the Lord when I set My vengeance against them.