Ezekiel 16
1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:
2 “Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations.
Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
3 And you shall say: Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your root and your lineage is from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Cethite.
and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to Jerusalem: Thine origin and thy nativity were of the land of Canaan. Thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite.
4 And when you were born, on the day of your nativity, your umbilical cord was not cut, and you were not washed with water for health, nor salted with salt, nor wrapped with cloths.
And as to thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water so as to be cleansed. Thou wast not sprinkled with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling-clothes.
5 No eye took pity on you, so as to do even one of these things to you, out of compassion for you. Instead, you were cast upon the face of the earth, in the abjection of your soul, on the day when you were born.
No eye pitied thee, to do to thee any of these things, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out into the open field, so as to loathe thyself, on the day thou wast born.
6 But, passing by you, I saw that you were wallowing in your own blood. And I said to you, when you were in your blood: ‘Live.’ I tell you that I said to you, in your blood: ‘Live.’
And when I passed by thee, and saw thee in danger of being trodden under foot in thy blood, I said to thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live! yea, I said to thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live!
7 I multiplied you like the seedling of the field. And you were multiplied and became great, and you advanced and arrived at the ornament of a woman. Your breasts rose up, and your hair grew. And you were naked and full of shame.
I caused thee to increase like the plant of the field, and thou didst grow, and become tall, and didst attain to distinguished charms. Thy breasts swelled, and thy hair grew, whereas thou wast naked and bare.
8 And I passed by you and saw you. And behold, your time was the time of lovers. And I spread my garment over you, and I covered your disgrace. And I swore to you, and I entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord God, and you became mine.
And when I passed by thee, and saw thee, behold, it was thy time, the time of love. And I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakedness; and I swore to thee, and entered into covenant with thee, and thou becamest mine.
9 And I washed you with water, and I cleansed you of your blood. And I anointed you with oil.
Then I washed thee with water, yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.
10 And I covered you with embroidery, and I put violet shoes upon you, and I wrapped you in fine linen, and I clothed you with delicate garments.
I clothed thee also with broidered work, and gave thee shoes of seal's skin, and wrapped thee about with fine linen, and covered thee with silk.
11 I adorned you with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon your hands and a necklace around your neck.
And I decked thee with ornaments, and put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain upon thy neck.
12 And I put gold upon your face, and earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head.
And I put a jewel in thy nostril, and ear-rings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy head.
13 And you were adorned with gold and silver, and you were clothed in fine linen, woven with many colors. You ate fine flour, and honey, and oil. And you became very beautiful. And you advanced to royal power.
Thus wast thou adorned with gold and silver, and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work. Fine flour and honey and oil didst thou eat; and thou wast exceedingly beautiful, and didst prosper so as to become a queen.
14 And your renown went forth among the Gentiles, because of your beauty. For you were perfected by my beauty, which I had placed upon you, says the Lord God.
And thy renown went forth among the nations for thy beauty; for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord Jehovah.
15 But, having confidence in your own beauty, you fornicated in your fame. And you presented your fornication to every passer-by, so as to become his.
But thou didst trust in thy beauty, and didst play the harlot because of thy renown, and didst lavish thy fornications on every one that passed by; his was it.
16 And taking from your garments, you made for yourself exalted things, having sewed together disparate pieces. And you fornicated upon them, in a way that has not been done before, nor will be in the future.
And of thy garments thou didst take, and didst make thee high places, spread with divers colors, and didst play the harlot thereon, the like things to which shall not come to pass, neither shall they be.
17 And you took your beautiful items, made of my gold and my silver, which I gave to you, and you made for yourself images of men, and you fornicated with them.
Thou didst take also thy fair jewels of my gold and my silver, which I gave thee, and didst make to thyself images of men, and didst commit fornication with them;
18 And you used your multicolored vestments to cover these things. And you placed my oil and my incense before them.
and thou didst take thy broidered garments and cover them; and thou didst set mine oil and mine incense before them.
19 And my bread, which I gave to you, the fine flour, and the oil, and the honey, by which I nourished you, you placed in their sight as a sweet fragrance. And so it was done, says the Lord God.
My food also, which I gave thee, fine flour and oil and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou didst set it before them with a sweet savor; even thus it was, saith the Lord Jehovah.
20 And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore for me, and you immolated them to be devoured. Is your fornication a small matter?
Moreover thou didst take thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou didst bear to me, and these didst thou sacrifice to them to be devoured. Was it not enough for thee to commit fornication,
21 You have immolated my sons, and you have consecrated and delivered my sons to them.
that thou didst slay my children, and deliver them up to cause them to pass through the fire to them?
22 And after all your abominations and fornications, you have not remembered the days of your youth, when you were naked and full of shame, wallowing in your own blood.
And in all thine abominations and thy fornications, thou didst not remember the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and in danger of being trampled under foot in thy blood.
23 And it happened that, after all your wickedness, (woe, woe to you, says the Lord God)
And it came to pass, after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe to thee! saith the Lord Jehovah, )
24 you built for yourself a brothel, and you made for yourself a place of prostitution in every street.
that thou didst build for thee an arched place, and make thee a high place in every street;
25 At the head of every way, you set up a banner of your prostitution. And you caused your beauty to become abominable. And you distributed your feet to every passer-by. And you multiplied your fornications.
at every head of the way didst thou build thy high place, and didst make thy beauty to be abhorred, and didst open thy feet to every one that passed by, and didst multiply thy fornications.
26 And you fornicated with the sons of Egypt, your neighbors, who have large bodies. And you multiplied your fornications, so as to provoke me.
Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians, thy neighbors, having great members, and hast multiplied thy fornications to provoke me to anger.
27 Behold, I will extend my hand over you, and I will take away your justification. And I will give you to the souls of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your wicked way.
Therefore, behold, I have stretched out my hand against thee, and have diminished thine allowance, and delivered thee to the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of thy lewd way.
28 You also fornicated with the sons of the Assyrians, for you were not yet done. And after you fornicated, even then, you were not satisfied.
Thou hast also committed fornication with the Assyrians, because thou wast insatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldst not be satisfied.
29 And you multiplied your fornications in the land of Canaan with the Chaldeans. And even then, you were not satisfied.
Thou hast also multiplied thy fornication with the land of Canaan, even to Chaldaea; and yet wast thou not satisfied therewith.
30 With what can I cleanse your heart, says the Lord God, since you do all these things, the works of a woman who is a shameless prostitute?
How faint was thy heart, saith the Lord Jehovah, that thou didst all those things which an imperious whorish wife doeth,
31 For you have built your brothel at the head of every way, and you have made your exalted place on every street. And you have not even been like a choosy prostitute, increasing her price,
in that thou didst build thine arched place at the head of every way, and make thy high place in every street! Thou wast not like a harlot, who scoffeth at her hire,
32 but instead like a woman who is an adulteress, who prefers strangers to her own husband.
but as an adulterous wife, that taketh strangers instead of her husband.
33 Wages are given to all prostitutes. But you have given wages to all your lovers, and you have given gifts to them, so that they would enter to you from every side, in order to fornicate with you.
To all women that commit fornication men give a reward; but thou gavest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hiredst them to come to thee from every side to commit fornication with thee.
34 And it is done with you, in your fornications, contrary to the custom of women, and even after you, there will be no such fornication. For in as much as you have given payment, and not taken payment, what has been done in you is the contrary.”
Thou wast the reverse of other women in thy fornications. None followed after thee to commit fornication, but thou gavest the reward, and no reward was given thee, —therefore thou wast the reverse.
35 Because of this, O harlot, listen to the word of the Lord.
Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of Jehovah!
36 Thus says the Lord God: “Because your money has been poured out, and your disgrace has been uncovered, in your fornications with your lovers and with the idols of your abominations, in the blood of your sons, whom you gave to them:
Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thy treasure was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered for fornication before thy lovers, and all thine abominable idols, and because of the blood of thy children, which thou didst give to them,
37 Behold, I will gather all your lovers, with whom you have united, and all those whom you have loved, together with all those whom you have hated. And I will gather them together against you on every side. And I will uncover your disgrace before them, and they will see all your indecency.
therefore, behold, I will gather all thy lovers, to whom thou wast pleasing, all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated, I will gather them against thee round about, and will uncover thy nakedness to them, that they may see all thy nakedness.
38 And I will judge you with the judgment of adulteresses and of those who shed blood. And I will give you over to blood, in fury and in zeal.
And I will judge thee as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged, and I will cause thy blood to flow in fury and jealousy.
39 And I will deliver you into their hands. And they will destroy your brothel and demolish your place of prostitution. And they will strip you of your vestments. And they will take away the ornaments of your beauty. And they will leave you behind, naked and full of disgrace.
And I will give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine arched place, and break down thy high places. They shall also strip thee of thy clothes, and leave thee naked and bare.
40 And they will lead over you a multitude. And they will stone you with stones, and massacre you with their swords.
They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords;
41 And they will burn up your houses with fire, and they will carry out judgments against you in the sight of many women. And you will cease from fornication, and no longer give payment.
and they shall burn thine 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 shalt give hire no more.
42 And my indignation will be quieted in you. And my zeal will be taken from you. And I will rest, and no longer be angry.
So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee; and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.
43 For you have not remembered the days of your youth, and you have provoked me in all these things. Because of this, I also have delivered all your ways upon your head, says the Lord God, but I have not acted in accord with your wickedness in all your abominations.
Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast raged against me in all these things, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thy head, saith the Lord Jehovah, so that thou shalt not commit this wickedness in addition to all thy abominations.
44 Behold, all who speak a common proverb will take this up against you, saying: ‘Like the mother, so also is her daughter.’
Behold, all they that use proverbs shall utter this proverb concerning thee: “As the mother, so the daughter.”
45 You are your mother’s daughter, for she cast away her husband and her children. And you are the sister of your sisters, for they cast away their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Cethite, and your father was an Amorite.
Thou art the daughter of thy mother, that loathed her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, that loathed their husbands and their children; your mother was a Hittite, and your father an Amorite.
46 And your older sister is Samaria, she and her daughters are those who live to your left. But your younger sister, who lives to your right, is Sodom and her daughters.
And thine elder sister is Samaria, with her daughters, that dwelleth at thy left hand; and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom, with her daughters.
47 But neither have you walked in their ways. For you have done only a little less compared to their wickedness. You have acted almost more wickedly, in all your ways, than they have acted.
Yet thou hast not walked in their ways, nor done according to their abominations: that was disdained by you, as a very little thing; thou hast been more corrupt than they in all thy ways.
48 As I live, says the Lord God, your sister Sodom herself, and her daughters, have not done as you and your daughters have done.
As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, Sodom, thy sister, hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters.
49 Behold, this was the iniquity of Sodom, your sister: arrogance, indulgence in bread and abundance, and the idleness of her and her daughters; and they did not reach out their hand to the needy and the poor.
Behold, this was the iniquity of Sodom, thy sister: in pride, superabundance, and careless ease did she live, she and her daughters, and the hand of the poor and needy she did not strengthen;
50 And they were exalted, and they committed abominations before me. And so I took them away, just as you have seen.
and they were haughty, and committed abomination before me; therefore I took them away when I saw it.
51 But Samaria has not committed even half of your sins. For you have exceeded them in your wickedness, and you have justified your sisters by all your abominations, which you have wrought.
Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done.
52 Therefore, you also bear your shame, for you have exceeded your sisters with your sins, acting more wickedly than they did. So they have been justified above you. By this also, you are confounded, and you bear your disgrace, for you have justified your sisters.
Now, therefore, bear thou thy shame, to which thou hast condemned thy sisters, since by thy sins which thou hast committed, more abominable than they, they are more righteous than thou. Yea, be thou confounded and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.
53 But I will convert and restore them, by converting Sodom with her daughters, and by converting Samaria and her daughters. And I will convert your return in their midst.
Yet I will bring them back from their captivity, even Sodom and her daughters from their captivity, and Samaria and her daughters from their captivity; thee also will I bring back from thy captivity in the midst of them;
54 So may you bear your disgrace and be confounded over all that you have done, consoling them.
that thou mayst bear thy shame, and mayst be confounded on account of all which thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort to them.
55 And your sister Sodom and her daughters will return to their ancient state. And Samaria and her daughters will return to their ancient state. And you and your daughters will be returned to your ancient state.
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.
56 Your sister Sodom was not heard from your mouth, then, in the day of your pride,
And yet Sodom, thy sister, was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride
57 before your malice was revealed, as it is at this time, with the reproach of the daughters of Syria and of all the daughters of Palestine, who surround you, who encircle you on every side.
before thy wickedness was discovered, as in the time of thy reproach from the daughters of Syria, and from all that were round about her, and from the daughters of the Philistines, who despised thee round about.
58 You have borne your wickedness and your disgrace, says the Lord God.”
Thy wickedness and thine abominations must thou now bear, saith the Lord Jehovah.
59 For thus says the Lord God: “I will act toward you, just as you have despised the oath, so that you would make void the covenant.
For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will do to thee as thou hast done, who hast despised the oath and hast broken the covenant.
60 And I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth. And I will raise up for you an everlasting covenant.
But I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish with thee an everlasting covenant.
61 And you shall remember your ways and be confounded, when you will have received your sisters, your elder with your younger. And I will give them to you as daughters, but not by your covenant.
Then shalt thou remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger, and I shall give them to thee for daughters, but not by thy observance of thy covenant.
62 And I will raise up my covenant with you. And you shall know that I am the Lord.
But I will establish my covenant with thee, and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah;
63 So may you remember and be confounded. And it will no longer be for you to open your mouth, because of your shame, when I will have been pacified toward you over all that you have done, says the Lord God.”
that thou mayst remember and be confounded, and not open thy mouth any more for shame, when I forgive thee all which thou hast done, saith the Lord Jehovah.
