The connector therefore introduces the result of the Edomites’ sins listed in the previous verse. Because of these sins God will punish them.

As I live, says the Lord GOD: As I live is an oath formula that highlights the truth of what God says (for further details on the significance of this oath and how to translate it, see the comments on 5.11). Says the Lord GOD is a solemn pronouncement that emphasizes God speaks these words (see the comments on 5.11). For the Lord GOD, see Ezek 35.3. This whole clause may be rendered “Just as I am alive, I, the Lord Yahweh, declare to you.”

I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you: Here blood is an image for the death of the Edomites. God swears he will cause them to die. For these two clauses Good News Translation has “death is your fate, and you cannot escape it,” New Century Version says “I will let you be murdered. Murder will chase you,” and New International Reader’s Version translates “Now I will hand you over to murderers. They will hunt you down.”

Because you are guilty of blood means the Edomites are guilty of murder. Revised Standard Version changes the Hebrew text here, yet many translations follow this reading also (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Moffatt). The reason for this change is that the Hebrew reads literally “surely you hated blood,” which seems to say the opposite of what one would expect God to say here. Some translations insert a negative word into this Hebrew clause; for example, New Revised Standard Version and New International Version say “since you did not hate bloodshed” (similarly King James Version / New King James Version, New American Standard Bible, English Standard Version), and New Century Version has “Since you did not hate murdering people.” However, it is difficult to justify this insertion. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh makes a very small change to the Hebrew text, saying “I swear that, for your bloodthirsty hatred,” which makes very good sense, namely, that the Edomites always hated and killed the Israelites. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, on the other hand, interprets “you hated blood” as a reference to hating blood relatives, so it recommends “you have hated your kinsmen,” which means the Edomites hated their close relatives, the Israelites. This reading is also acceptable, and translators may choose whichever of the last two readings makes most sense to them.

Therefore blood shall pursue you: This clause repeats the statement that the Edomites will die, that their death is inevitable.

A model for this verse is:

• Therefore, just as I am alive, I, the Lord Yahweh, declare to you: I will let others murder you. You always hated and killed the Israelites [or, You hated your kinsmen], so others will murder you.

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 .