'Sword' in the Bible

“Now you, son of man, take a sharp sword, use it as you would a barber’s razor, and shave your head and beard. Then take a set of scales and divide the hair.

You are to burn up a third of it in the city when the days of the siege have ended; you are 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 draw a sword to chase after them.

A third of your people will die by plague and be consumed by famine within you; a third will fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter a third to every direction of the wind, and I will draw a sword to chase after them.

I will send famine and dangerous animals against you. They will leave you childless, Jerusalem. Plague and bloodshed will sweep through you, and I will bring a sword against you. I, Yahweh, have spoken.”

You are to say: Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! This is what the Lord God says to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.

“Yet I will leave a remnant when you are scattered among the nations, for throughout the countries there will be some of you who will escape the sword.

“This is what the Lord God says: Clap your hands, stamp your feet, and cry out over all the evil and detestable practices of the house of Israel, who will fall by the sword, famine, and plague.

The one who is far off will die by plague; the one who is near will fall by the sword; and the one who remains and is spared will die of famine. In this way I will exhaust My wrath on them.

The sword is on the outside;plague and famine are on the inside.Whoever is in the field will die by the sword,and famine and plague will devourwhoever is in the city.

You fear the sword, so I will bring the sword against you.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

You will fall by the sword, and I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.

I will also scatter all the attendants who surround him and all his troops to every direction of the wind, and I will draw a sword to chase after them.

But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine, and plague so they can tell about all their detestable practices among the nations where they go. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.”

“Or if I bring a sword against that land and say: Let a sword pass through it, so that I wipe out both man and animal from it,

“For this is what the Lord God says: How much worse will it be when I send My four devastating judgments against Jerusalem—sword, famine, dangerous animals, and plague—in order to wipe out both man and animal from it!

All the fugitives among his troops will fall by the sword, and those who survive will be scattered to every direction of the wind. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken.”

and say to it: This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off both the righteous and the wicked from you.

Since I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, My sword will therefore come out of its sheath against everyone from the south to the north.

So all the people will know that I, Yahweh, have taken My sword from its sheath—it will not be sheathed again.

“Son of man, prophesy: This is what the Lord says! You are to proclaim:A sword! A sword is sharpenedand also polished.

It is sharpened for slaughter,polished to flash like lightning!Should we rejoice?The scepter of My son,the sword despises every tree.

The sword is given to be polished,to be grasped in the hand.It is sharpened, and it is polished,to be put in the hand of the slayer.

Cry out and wail, son of man,for it is against My people.It is against all the princes of Israel!They are given over to the sword with My people.Therefore strike your thigh in grief.

Therefore, son of man, prophesyand clap your hands together.Let the sword strike two times, even three.It is a sword for massacre,a sword for great massacre—it surrounds them!

I have appointed a sword for slaughterat all their gates,so that their hearts may meltand many may stumble.Yes! It is ready to flash like lightning;it is drawn for slaughter.

“Now you, son of man, mark out two roads that the sword of Babylon’s king can take. Both of them should originate from the same land. And make a signpost at the fork in the road to each city.

Mark out a road that the sword can take to Rabbah of the Ammonites and to Judah into fortified Jerusalem.

“Now prophesy, son of man, and say: This is what the Lord God says concerning the Ammonites and their contempt. You are to proclaim:A sword! A swordis drawn for slaughter,polished to consume, to flash like lightning.

They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. Since they executed judgment against her, she became notorious among women.

When I vent My jealous rage on you, they will deal with you in wrath. They will cut off your nose and ears, and your descendants will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your descendants will be consumed by fire.

‘Say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: I am about to desecrate My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the desire of your heart. Also, the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.

therefore this is what the Lord God says: I will stretch out My hand against Edom and cut off both man and animal from it. I will make it a wasteland; they will fall by the sword from Teman to Dedan.

and her villages on the mainland will be slaughtered by the sword. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.”

He will slaughter your villages on the mainland with the sword. He will set up siege works against you, and will build a ramp and raise a wall of shields against you.

He will trample all your streets with the hooves of his horses. He will slaughter your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground.

I will send a plague against herand bloodshed in her streets;the slain will fall within her,while the sword is against her on every side.Then they will know that I am Yahweh.

“Therefore this is what the Lord God says: I am going to bring a sword against you and wipe out man and animal from you.

A sword will come against Egypt,and there will be anguish in Cushwhen the slain fall in Egypt,and its wealth is taken away,and its foundations are torn down.

Cush, Put, and Lud,and all the various foreign troops,plus Libya and the men of the covenant landwill fall by the sword along with them.

The young men of On and Pi-besethwill fall by the sword,and those cities will go into captivity.

“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Look, it has not been bandaged—no medicine has been applied and no splint put on to bandage it so that it can grow strong enough to handle a sword.

Therefore this is what the Lord God says: Look! I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong one and the one already broken, and will make the sword fall from his hand.

I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and place My sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him as a mortally wounded man.

I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king, but Pharaoh’s arms will fall. They will know that I am Yahweh when I place My sword in the hand of Babylon’s king and he wields it against the land of Egypt.

They too descended with it to Sheol, to those slain by the sword. As its allies they had lived in its shade among the nations.

“Who then are you like in glory and greatness among Eden’s trees? You also will be brought down to the underworld to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his hordes”—the declaration of the Lord God.

I will cause many nations to be appalled at you,and their kings will shudder with fear because of youwhen I brandish My sword in front of them.On the day of your downfalleach of them will trembleevery moment for his life.

For this is what the Lord God says:The sword of Babylon’s kingwill come against you!

They will fall among those slain by the sword.A sword is appointed!They drag her and all her hordes away.

Warrior leaders will speakfrom the middle of Sheolabout him and his allies:They have come down;the uncircumcised lieslain by the sword.

Assyria is there with all her company;her graves are all around her.All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.

Her graves are set in the deepest regions of the Pit,and her company is all around her burial place.All of them are slain, fallen by the sword—those who once spread terrorin the land of the living.

Elam is therewith all her hordes around her grave.All of them are slain, fallen by the sword—those who went down to the underworld uncircumcised,who once spread their terrorin the land of the living.They bear their disgracewith those who descend to the Pit.

Among the slainthey prepare a resting place for Elamwith all her hordes.Her graves are all around her.All of them are uncircumcised,slain by the sword,although their terror was once spreadin the land of the living.They bear their disgracewith those who descend to the Pit.They are placed among the slain.

Meshech and Tubal are there,with all their hordes.Their graves are all around them.All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword,although their terror was once spreadin the land of the living.

But you will be shatteredand will lie down among the uncircumcised,with those slain by the sword.

Edom is there, her kings and all her princes,who, despite their strength, have been placedamong those slain by the sword.They lie down with the uncircumcised,with those who descend to the Pit.

All the leaders of the northand all the Sidonians are there.They went down in shame with the slain,despite the terror their strength inspired.They lie down uncircumcisedwith those slain by the sword.They bear their disgracewith those who descend to the Pit.

“Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land select a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman,

and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows his trumpet to warn the people.

Then, if anyone hears the sound of the trumpet but ignores the warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head.

However, if the watchman sees the sword coming but doesn’t blow the trumpet, so that the people aren’t warned, and the sword comes and takes away their lives, then they have been taken away because of their iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.

“Tell them this: This is what the Lord God says: As surely as I live, those who are in the ruins will fall by the sword, those in the open field I have given to wild animals to be devoured, and those in the strongholds and caves will die by plague.

“Because you maintained an ancient hatred and handed over the Israelites to the power of the sword in the time of their disaster, the time of final punishment,

I will fill its mountains with the slain; those slain by the sword will fall on your hills, in your valleys, and in all your ravines.

I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains”—the declaration of the Lord God—“and every man’s sword will be against his brother.

And the nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile on account of their iniquity, because they dealt unfaithfully with Me. Therefore, I hid My face from them and handed them over to their enemies, so that they all fell by the sword.