Ezekiel 21:3
And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked. And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.
The Lord declares Himself against the land of Israel, drawing His sword from its sheath to cut off from it both the righteous and the wicked. This announced judgment belonged to the reign of Zedekiah and pointed to the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. The unsheathing of the sword is God's intervention in judgment when human rebellion has passed the limits of His forbearance, to put an end to insolence and disobedience.