Ezekiel 16
1 Again the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
“Son of man, inform Jerusalem about her abominations,
3 and say, Thus says the lord Jehovah to Jerusalem: Thy birth and thy nativity is from the land of the Canaanite. The Amorite was thy father, and thy mother was a Hittite.
and declare, 'The Lord Yahweh says this to Jerusalem: Your beginning and your birth took place in the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite.
4 And as for thy nativity, in the day thou were born thy navel was not cut, nor were thou washed in water to cleanse thee. Thou were not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
On the day of your birth, your mother did not cut your navel, nor did she purify you in water or rub you down with salt, or wrap cloth around you.
5 No eye pitied thee, to do any of these things to thee, to have compassion upon thee, but thou were cast out in the open field. For thy person was abhorred, in the day that thou were born.
No eye had compassion for you to do any of these things for you, to be compassionate toward you. On the day that you were born, with loathing for your life, you were thrown out into the open field.
6 And when I passed by thee, and saw thee weltering in thy blood, I said to thee, in thy blood, Live! Yea, I said to thee, in thy blood, Live!
But I passed by you, and I saw you writhing in your own blood; so I said to you in your blood, “Live!” I said to you in your blood, “Live!”
7 I caused thee to multiply as that which grows in the field, and thou increased and grew great. And thou attained to excellent ornament, thy breasts were fashioned, and thy hair was grown. Yet thou were naked and bare.
I made you grow like a plant in a field. You multiplied and became great, and you became the jewel of jewels. Your breasts became firm, and your hair grew thick, though you had been naked and bare.
8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love. And I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness. Yea, I swore to thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, says the lord Jehovah, and thou became mine.
I passed by you again, and I saw you. See! the time of love came for you, so I spread my robe over you and covered your nakedness. Then I swore to you and brought you into a covenant—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—and you became mine.
9 Then I washed thee with water. Yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.
So I washed you with water and rinsed your blood off you, and I anointed you with oil.
10 I also clothed thee with embroidered work, and shod thee with a certain skin. And I girded thee around with fine linen, and covered thee with silk.
I dressed you in embroidered clothes and placed leather sandals on your feet. I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk.
11 And I decked thee with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.
Next I adorned you with jewelry, and I put bracelets on your hands, and a chain around your neck.
12 And I put a ring upon thy nose, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy head.
I put a nose ring in your nostrils and earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.
13 Thus thou were decked with gold and silver, and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and embroidered work. Thou ate fine flour, and honey, and oil. And thou were very beautiful, and thou prospered to royalty.
So you were adorned with gold and silver, and you were dressed in fine linen, silk, and embroidered clothes; you ate fine flour, honey, and oil, and you were very beautiful, and you became a queen.
14 And thy renown went forth among the nations for thy beauty. For it was perfect, through my majesty which I had put upon thee, says the lord Jehovah.
Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect in the majesty that I had given to you—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
15 But thou trusted in thy beauty, and played the harlot because of thy renown, and poured out thy whoredoms on everyone who passed by; his it was.
But you trusted in your own beauty, and you acted like a prostitute because of your fame; you poured out your acts of prostitution on everyone who passed by, so that your beauty became his.
16 And thou took of thy garments, and made high places for thee, decked with various colors, and played the harlot upon them, things which should not come, nor should it be.
Then you took your clothes and with them you made high places for yourself decorated in various colors, and there you acted like a prostitute. This should not have happened. Nor should such a thing exist.
17 Thou also took thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and made for thee images of men, and played the harlot with them.
You took the fine jewels of the gold and silver that I gave you, and you made for yourself male figures, and you did with them as a prostitute would do.
18 And thou took thy embroidered garments, and covered them, and set my oil and my incense before them.
You took your embroidered garments and covered them, and you set my oils and perfumes before them.
19 My bread also which I gave thee, fine flour and oil and honey, with which I fed thee, thou even set it before them for a sweet savor, and thus it was, says the lord Jehovah.
My bread I gave you—made with fine flour, oil, and honey—you set before them for a fragrant aroma, for this is what happened—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
20 Moreover thou have taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou have borne to me, and thou have sacrificed these to them to be devoured. Were thy whoredoms a small matter,
Then you took your sons and daughters whom you bore for me, and you sacrificed them to the images to be devoured as food. Are your acts of prostitution a small matter?
21 that thou have slain my children, and delivered them up, in causing them to pass through the fire to them?
You slaughtered my children to the idols and made them pass through the fire.
22 And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou have not remembered the days of thy youth when thou were naked and bare, and were weltering in thy blood.
In all your abominations and your acts of prostitution you have not thought about the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare as you thrashed about in your blood.
23 And it has come to pass according to all thy wickedness, (woe, woe to thee! says the lord Jehovah),
Woe! Woe to you!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—therefore, in addition to all this wickedness,
24 that thou have built thyself a vaulted place, and have made thee a lofty place in every street.
you built yourself a vaulted chamber in every public place.
25 Thou have built thy lofty place at the head of every way, and have made thy beauty an abomination. And have opened thy feet to everyone who passed by, and multiplied thy whoredom.
You built your high place at the head of every road and made your beauty a disgrace, and you spread your legs to anyone who passed by, and you multiplied your acts of prostitution.
26 Thou have also committed fornication with the Egyptians, thy neighbors, great of flesh, and have multiplied thy whoredom, to provoke me to anger.
You have acted like a prostitute with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, and you committed many more acts of prostitution, provoking me to anger.
27 Behold therefore, I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thy portion, and delivered thee to the will of those who hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of thy lewd way.
See! I will strike you with my hand and cut off your food. I will hand your life over to your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your obscene behavior.
28 Thou have played the harlot also with the Assyrians, because thou were insatiable. Yea, thou have played the harlot with them, and yet thou were not satisfied.
You have acted like a prostitute with the Assyrians because you could not be satisfied. You acted like a prostitute and still were not satisfied.
29 Thou have moreover multiplied thy whoredom to the land of traffic, to Chaldea, and yet thou were not satisfied with this.
You performed many more acts of prostitution in the land of the merchants of Chaldea, and even this did not satisfy you.
30 How weak is thy heart, says the lord Jehovah, seeing thou do all these things, the work of an impudent harlot,
How sick is your heart—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—that you would do all these things, deeds of a shameless prostitute?
31 in that thou build thy vaulted place at the head of every way, and make thy lofty place in every street. And have not even been as a harlot, in that thou scorn hire.
You have built your high places at the head of every street and made your vaulted chamber in every public place. Yet you were not like a prostitute because you refused to take payment.
32 A wife who commits adultery, who takes strangers instead of her husband!
You adulterous woman, you accept strangers instead of your husband.
33 They give gifts to all harlots, but thou give thy gifts to all thy lovers, and bribe them, that they may come to thee on every side for thy whoredoms.
People give payment to every prostitute, but you give your wages to all your lovers and bribe them to come to you from all around for your acts of prostitution.
34 And thou are different from other women in thy whoredoms, in that none follows thee to play the harlot. And whereas thou give a wage, and no wage is given to thee, therefore thou are different.
So there is a difference between you and those other women, since no one goes to you to ask you to sleep with them. Instead, you pay them. No one pays you.
35 Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of Jehovah.
Therefore, you prostitute, listen to the word of Yahweh.
36 Thus says the lord Jehovah: Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness uncovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and because of all the idols of thy abominations, and for the blood of thy sons, that thou gave to them,
The Lord Yahweh says this: Because you have poured out your lust and uncovered your nakedness through your acts of prostitution with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children's blood,
37 therefore, behold, I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou have taken pleasure, and all those whom thou have loved, with all those whom thou have hated, I will even gather them against thee on every side. And I will uncover thy nakedness to them, that they may see all thy nakedness.
therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers that you have met, all those whom you loved and all those whom you hated, and I will gather them against you on every side. I will uncover your nakedness to them so they see all your nakedness.
38 And I will judge thee, as women who break wedlock and shed blood are judged. And I will bring upon thee the blood of wrath and jealousy.
For I will punish you for adultery and the shedding of blood, and I will bring on you the bloodshed of my anger and passion.
39 I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thy vaulted place, and break down thy lofty places. And they shall strip thee of thy clothes, and take thy fair jewels, and they shall leave thee naked and bare.
I will give you into their hands so they will throw down your vaulted chamber and break down your high places and they will strip you of your clothes and take all of your jewelry. They will leave you naked and bare.
40 They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.
Then they will bring up a crowd against you and stone you with stones, and they will cut you apart with their swords.
41 And they shall burn thy houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women. And I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou shall also give no wage any more.
They will burn your houses and will perform many acts of punishment on you in the sight of many women, for I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers.
42 So I will cause my wrath toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will no more be angry.
Then I will calm my fury against you; my anger will leave you, for I will be satisfied, and will no longer be angry.
43 Because thou have not remembered the days of thy youth, but have raged against me in all these things, therefore, behold, I also will bring thy way upon thy head, says the lord Jehovah. And thou shall not commit this lewdness with all thine abominations.
Because you did not call to mind the days of your youth and have made me shake with anger because of all these things, therefore, behold! I myself will bring down on your own head the punishment for what you have done—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. Have you not added prostitution to all your other detestable practices?
44 Behold, everyone who uses proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.
Behold! Everyone who speaks proverbs concerning you will say, “As the mother is, so also is her daughter.”
45 Thou are the daughter of thy mother, who loathes her husband and her sons. And thou are the sister of thy sisters, who loathed their husbands and their sons. Your mother was a Hittite, and your father an Amorite.
You are the daughter of your mother, who detested her husband and her children, and you are the sister of your sisters who detested their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite, and your father was an Amorite.
46 And thine elder sister is Samaria, who dwells at thy left hand, she and her daughters. And thy younger sister, who dwells at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.
Your older sister was Samaria and her daughters were the ones living in the north, while your younger sister was the one living south of you, that is, Sodom and her daughters.
47 Yet thou have not walked in their ways, nor done according to their abominations, but, like it was a very little thing, thou were more corrupt than they in all thy ways.
You not only walked in their ways and copied their behavior and practices, but in all your ways you have been worse than they were.
48 As I live, says the lord Jehovah, Sodom thy sister has not done, she nor her daughters, as thou have done, thou and thy daughters.
As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—your sister Sodom and her daughters, have not done as much evil as you and your daughters have done.
49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters, and she did not strengthen the hand of a poor and needy man.
Behold! This was the sin of your sister Sodom that she was arrogant in her leisure, careless and unconcerned about anything. She did not strengthen the hands of the poor and needy people.
50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me. Therefore I took them away as I saw fit.
She was arrogant and committed disgusting actions before me, so I took them away just as you have seen.
51 Neither has Samaria committed half of thy sins, but thou have multiplied thine abominations more than they, and have justified thy sisters by all thine abominations which thou have done.
Neither did Samaria commit even half of your sins; instead, you have done many more disgusting things than they did, and you have shown that your sisters were better than you because of all the disgusting things that you do!
52 Thou also, bear thou thine own shame, in that thou have given judgment for thy sisters, through thy sins that thou have committed more abominable than they. They are more righteous than thou. Yea, be thou also confounded, and bear thy shame, in that thou have justified thy sisters.
Especially you, show your own shame; in this way you have shown that your sisters were better than you, because of the sins you committed in all those disgusting ways. Your sisters now seem better than you. Especially you, show your own shame, for in this way you have shown that your sisters were better than you.
53 And I will turn back again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, and the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them,
For I will restore their fortunes—the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters; but your fortunes will be among them.
54 that thou may bear thine own shame, and may be ashamed because of all that thou have done, in that thou are a comfort to them.
On account of these things you will show your shame; you will be humiliated because of everything that you have done, and in this way you will be a comfort to them.
55 And thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, and thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.
So your sister Sodom and her daughters will be restored to their former condition, and Samaria and her daughters will be restored to their former estate. Then you and your daughters will be restored to your former condition.
56 For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride,
Sodom your sister was not even mentioned by your mouth in the days when you were proud,
57 before thy wickedness was uncovered, as at the time of the reproach of the daughters of Syria, and of all who are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, who do despite to thee round about.
before your wickedness was revealed. But now you are an object of scorn to the daughters of Edom and to all the daughters of the Philistines around her. People all about despise you.
58 Thou have borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, says Jehovah.
You will show your shame and your disgusting actions!—this is Yahweh's declaration!
59 For thus says the lord Jehovah: I will also deal with thee as thou have done, who have despised the oath in breaking the covenant.
The Lord Yahweh says this: I will deal with you as you deserve, you who have despised your oath by breaking the covenant.
60 Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish to thee an everlasting covenant.
But I myself will call to mind my covenant with you made in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.
61 Then thou shall remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shall receive thy sisters, thine elder sisters and thy younger, and I will give them to thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.
Then you will call to mind your ways and be ashamed when you receive your older sisters and your younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant.
62 And I will establish my covenant with thee, and thou shall know that I am Jehovah,
I myself will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am Yahweh.
63 that thou may remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy shame, when I have forgiven thee all that thou have done, says the lord Jehovah.
Because of these things, you will call everything to mind and be ashamed, so you will no longer open your mouth to speak because of your shame, when I have forgiven you for all that you have done—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”
