This verse describes the coming punishment on the people of Jerusalem.

I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the countries: Although the Hebrew pronoun for you is feminine singular and grammatically applies to the city, it is acceptable to translate it in terms of the people in Jerusalem; for example, Good News Translation says “your people.” God will send them to live in many different countries. As noted in 12.15 and 20.23 (see the comments there), the Hebrew verbs rendered scatter and disperse are synonyms, and some translations do not keep both (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, Bible en français courant). Depending on the requirements of the language, this is acceptable.

And I will consume your filthiness out of you means God will remove or destroy anything that is sinful or ritually unclean. Here the pronouns your and you are ambiguous. In Hebrew they are both singular. Some scholars say these pronouns refer to the people of Jerusalem, so this clause means God will purify them through their exile; for example, Contemporary English Version says “and put a stop to your sinful ways.” Others claim these pronouns refer to Jerusalem, so this clause means God will purify the city itself by removing its evil citizens; for example, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “and I put an end to your [singular] crimes.” Because the second singular pronouns are used ambiguously throughout the whole prophecy (see the comments on Ezek 22.3), either interpretation is acceptable, although the second interpretation fits the context slightly better. This clause may be rendered “I will put an end to the evil things you people do that make you unclean,” but a better model is “Jerusalem, I will get rid of the evil things that make you unclean.”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .