Ezekiel 5:11-12

The Lord affirmed that He would withdraw His presence from His people because they had defiled His temple with idols (cf. ch. 8; Ezekiel 10:4; Ezekiel 11:22-23). The clause "as I live" expresses a very solemn oath. It appears 14 times in Ezekiel, more often than in any other prophetic book. God would not have pity on them. One third of the residents would die by plague or famine, another third by the sword, and another third would scatter from the land driven by enemy soldiers.