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God’s Grace to Unfaithful Jerusalem

16 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, make Jerusalem understand [the heinous and vile nature of] her repulsive (idolatrous) acts and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem (all of Israel), “Your [spiritual] origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite; your [spiritual] father was an [a]Amorite and your [spiritual] mother a Hittite.(A) And as for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing, nor were you rubbed with salt or even wrapped in cloths. No eye looked with pity on you to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out in the open field, for you were loathed on the day that you were born.

“When I passed by you and saw you squirming in your [newborn] blood, I said to you while you were there in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you while you were there in your blood, ‘Live!’ I made you (Israel) multiply like plants [which grow] in the field, and you grew up and became tall and you reached the age for [wearing] fine jewelry; your breasts were formed and your hair had grown, yet you were naked and bare.

“Then I passed by you [again] and looked on you; behold, you were maturing and at the time for love, and I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore [an oath] to you and entered into a covenant with you,” says the Lord God, “and you became Mine.” “Then I washed you with water; yes, I [thoroughly] washed away from you the [clinging] blood and anointed you with oil. 10 I also clothed you with embroidered cloth and put sandals of [b]porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 I adorned you with ornaments and I put bracelets on your wrists and a necklace around your neck. 12 I also put a ring in your nostril and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was [made] of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil; so you were extremely beautiful and you advanced and prospered into royalty. 14 Then your fame went out among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My majesty and splendor which I bestowed on you,” says the Lord God.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 16:3 Jerusalem became an Israelite city only after David captured it (2 Sam 5:6-10).
  2. Ezekiel 16:10 The meaning of the Hebrew word is not certain; some scholars have suggested that the material is instead a fine leather of unspecified origin.

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