Good News Translation adds the clause “says the LORD” near the beginning of this verse, because Good News Translation understands verses 10-20 as the words of Ezekiel. However, if God is understood as the speaker of verses 10-20 (so Revised Standard Version), this addition is unnecessary. The main thing for translators to remember is to make it clear that God is the speaker in verse 21.

And I will give it into the hands of foreigners for a prey: God threatens to give the Israelites’ silver and gold to the Babylonians as booty. Foreigners refers to the Babylonian army. The Hebrew word for prey refers to booty, that is, the things soldiers take for themselves from the people they defeat in war. This clause may be rendered “I also will let foreigners take their wealth as booty [or, spoils of war].”

And to the wicked of the earth for a spoil: This line is parallel to the previous one and has almost the same meaning. The verb phrase I will give it is implied here. The foreigners and the wicked of the earth refer to the same people, that is, the Babylonians. The wicked of the earth may be rendered “the most evil people in the world.” The Hebrew word for spoil refers to booty, like the word for prey. The first two lines of this verse may be combined by saying “I also will give your silver and gold to the most wicked foreigners to take home for themselves after defeating you.” However, it is also possible to keep both lines as follows: “I also will let foreigners take your wealth as a prize of war. Yes, it is the most wicked people who will take your wealth.”

And they shall profane it means the Babylonians will make the silver and gold ritually impure. The Hebrew word for profane has the sense of removing the sacred character of something. For the Jews, anything that non-Jews touched was polluted. This clause may be rendered “It will not be fit for respectable people to touch anymore.”

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 .