Ezekiel 16

1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2 “Son of man, inform Jerusalem about her abominations,

Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,

3 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.

And say, Thus says the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Your birth and your nativity is of the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite, and your mother an Hittite.

4 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.

And as for your nativity, in the day you were born your navel was not cut, neither were you washed in water to clean you; you were not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.

5 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.

None eye pitied you, to do any of these unto you, to have compassion upon you; but you were cast out in the open field, to the loathing of your person, in the day that you were born.

6 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!”

And when I passed by you, and saw you polluted in your own blood, I said unto you when you were in your blood, Live; yea, I said unto you when you were in your blood, Live.

7 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.

I have caused you to multiply as the bud of the field, and you have increased and becoming great, and you are come to excellent ornaments: your breasts are fashioned, and your hair is grown, whereas you were naked and bare.

8 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.

Now when I passed by you, and looked upon you, behold, your time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over you, and covered your nakedness: yea, I swore unto you, and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord GOD, and you became mine.

9 So I washed you with water and rinsed your blood off you, and I anointed you with oil.

Then washed I you with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away your blood from you, and I anointed you with oil.

10 I dressed you in embroidered clothes and placed leather sandals on your feet. I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk.

I clothed you also with broidered work, and shod you with badgers' skin, and I girded you about with fine linen, and I covered you with silk.

11 Next I adorned you with jewelry, and I put bracelets on your hands, and a chain around your neck.

I decked you also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon your hands, and a chain on your neck.

12 I put a nose ring in your nostrils and earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.

And I put a jewel on your forehead, and earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head.

13 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.

Thus were you decked with gold and silver; and your raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; you did eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and you were exceeding beautiful, and you did prosper into a kingdom.

14 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.

And your renown went forth among the heathen for your beauty: for it was perfect through my loveliness, which I had put upon you, says the Lord GOD.

15 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.

But you did trust in your own beauty, and played the harlot because of your renown, and poured out your fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.

16 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.

And of your garments you did take, and decked your high places with divers colours, and played the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.

17 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.

You have also taken your fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made to yourself images of men, and did commit whoredom with them,

18 You took your embroidered garments and covered them, and you set my oils and perfumes before them.

And took your broidered garments, and covered them: and you have set mine oil and mine incense before them.

19 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.

My food also which I gave you, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed you, you have even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, says the Lord GOD.

20 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?

Moreover you have taken your sons and your daughters, whom you have borne unto me, and these have you sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of your whoredoms a small matter,

21 You slaughtered my children to the idols and made them pass through the fire.

That you have slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?

22 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.

And in all of your abominations and your whoredoms you have not remembered the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, and were polluted in your blood.

23 Woe! Woe to you!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—therefore, in addition to all this wickedness,

And it came to pass after all your wickedness, (woe, woe unto you! says the LORD GOD; )

24 you built yourself a vaulted chamber in every public place.

That you have also built unto you an eminent place, and have made you an high place in every street.

25 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.

You have built your high place at every head of the way, and have made your beauty to be abhorred, and have opened your feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied your whoredoms.

26 You have acted like a prostitute with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, and you committed many more acts of prostitution, provoking me to anger.

You have also committed fornication with the Egyptians your neighbours, great of flesh; and have increased your whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.

27 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.

Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over you, and have diminished your ordinary food, and delivered you unto the will of them that hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of your lewd way.

28 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.

You have played the whore also with the Assyrians, because you were insatiable; yea, you have played the harlot with them, and yet could not be satisfied.

29 You performed many more acts of prostitution in the land of the merchants of Chaldea, and even this did not satisfy you.

You have moreover multiplied your fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet you were not satisfied therewith.

30 How sick is your heart—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—that you would do all these things, deeds of a shameless prostitute?

How weak is your heart, says the LORD GOD, seeing you do all these things, the work of an domineering whorish woman;

31 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.

In that you build your eminent place in the head of every way, and make your high place in every street; and have not been as an harlot, in that you scorn hire;

32 You adulterous woman, you accept strangers instead of your husband.

But as a wife that commits adultery, which takes strangers instead of her husband!

33 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.

They give gifts to all whores: but you give your gifts to all your lovers, and hire them, that they may come unto you on every side for your whoredom.

34 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.

And the contrary is in you from other women in your whoredoms, whereas none follows you to commit whoredoms: and in that you give a reward, and no reward is given unto you, therefore you are contrary.

35 Therefore, you prostitute, listen to the word of Yahweh.

Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD:

36 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,

Thus says the Lord GOD; Because your filthiness was poured out, and your nakedness discovered through your whoredoms with your lovers, and with all the idols of your abominations, and by the blood of your children, which you did give unto them;

37 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.

Behold, therefore I will gather all your lovers, with whom you have taken pleasure, and all them that you have loved, with all them that you have hated; I will even gather them round about against you, and will discover your nakedness unto them, that they may see all your nakedness.

38 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.

And I will judge you, as women that violate marriage bond and shed blood are judged; and I will give you blood in fury and jealousy.

39 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.

And I will also give you into their hand, and they shall throw down your eminent place, and shall break down your high places: they shall strip you also of your clothes, and shall take your fair jewels, and leave you naked and bare.

40 Then they will bring up a crowd against you and stone you with stones, and they will cut you apart with their swords.

They shall also bring up a company against you, and they shall stone you with stones, and thrust you through with their swords.

41 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.

And they shall burn your houses with fire, and execute judgments upon you in the sight of many women: and I will cause you to cease from playing the harlot, and you also shall give no hire any more.

42 Then I will calm my fury against you; my anger will leave you, for I will be satisfied, and will no longer be angry.

So will I make my fury toward you to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from you, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.

43 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?

Because you have not remembered the days of your youth, but have fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will recompense your way upon your head, says the Lord GOD: and you shall not commit this lewdness above all of your abominations.

44 Behold! Everyone who speaks proverbs concerning you will say, “As the mother is, so also is her daughter.”

Behold, every one that uses proverbs shall use this proverb against you, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.

45 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.

You are your mother's daughter, that detests her husband and her children; and you are the sister of your sisters, which loathed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite.

46 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.

And your elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at your left hand: and your younger sister, that dwells at your right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.

47 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.

Yet have you not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, you were corrupted more than they in all your ways.

48 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.

As I live, says the Lord GOD, Sodom your sister has not done, she nor her daughters, as you have done, you and your daughters.

49 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.

Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

50 She was arrogant and committed disgusting actions before me, so I took them away just as you have seen.

And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

51 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!

Neither has Samaria committed half of your sins; but you have multiplied your abominations more than they, and have justified your sisters in all of your abominations which you have done.

52 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.

You also, which have judged your sisters, bear your own shame for your sins that you have committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than you: yea, be you confounded also, and bear your shame, in that you have justified your sisters.

53 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.

When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of your captives in the midst of them:

54 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.

That you may bear your own shame, and may be confounded in all that you have done, in that you are a comfort unto them.

55 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.

When your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then you and your daughters shall return to your former estate.

56 Sodom your sister was not even mentioned by your mouth in the days when you were proud,

For your sister Sodom was not mentioned by your mouth in the day of your pride,

57 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.

Before your wickedness was discovered, as at the time of your reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise you round about.

58 You will show your shame and your disgusting actions!—this is Yahweh's declaration!

You have borne your lewdness and your abominations, says the LORD.

59 The Lord Yahweh says this: I will deal with you as you deserve, you who have despised your oath by breaking the covenant.

For thus says the Lord GOD; I will even deal with you as you have done, which have despised the oath in breaking the covenant.

60 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.

Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish unto you an everlasting covenant.

61 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.

Then you shall remember your ways, and be ashamed, when you shall receive your sisters, your elder and your younger: and I will give them unto you for daughters, but not by your covenant.

62 I myself will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am Yahweh.

And I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall know that I am the LORD:

63 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.'”

That you may remember, and be confounded, and never open your mouth any more because of your shame, when I am pacified toward you for all that you have done, says the Lord GOD.