Verses 5-9 have many parallels to verses 2-4 of this chapter, and many of the words and phrases are repeated.
Thus says the Lord GOD: See Ezek 7.2. Good News Translation treats this clause as an introduction to another prophecy, but Revised Standard Version and many other translations include them as part of the prophecy in verses 2-4. Since Hebrew does not use quotation marks, it is not possible to say that one of these alternatives is right and the other is wrong. Contemporary English Version simply omits this clause. This is acceptable provided the discourse requirements of the language allow it. If translators decide to follow Revised Standard Version, they may need to use the first person for God, since he is talking about himself; for example, Parole de Vie has “Here is what I say, I, the Lord GOD.”
Disaster after disaster! Behold it comes: The Hebrew text here is uncertain. Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, Jerusalem Bible, and New American Bible follow a text that implies a series of disasters about to come, one after the other, upon Israel. Contemporary English Version, New International Version, King James Version / New King James Version, New American Standard Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Bible en français courant, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch follow another text, which is literally “One disaster, a disaster, behold it comes.” The second reading retains the staccato style of the message, where words are put together without conjunctions (see verses 2, 6, 10). This is the better reading (so Hebrew Old Testament Text Project). New Jerusalem Bible expresses this reading by saying “Disaster, a unique disaster, is coming.” Contemporary English Version renders it more clearly with “There’s never been anything like the coming disaster.” The disaster refers to the destruction of the land of Israel. Behold renders the Hebrew particle hinneh, which is used here to attract attention and may be rendered “Look!” “Listen!” or “Pay attention!” Many English versions omit it. Translators in other languages may do the same if their languages demand it. A rendering of this part of the verse that keeps some of the force of Behold is “Disaster, an unheard-of disaster, that is what is coming” (similarly New International Version).
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 .