Ezekiel 16
New English Translation
God’s Unfaithful Bride
16 The Lord’s message came to me: 2 “Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her abominable practices 3 and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4 As for your birth, on the day you were born your umbilical cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water;[a] you were certainly not rubbed down with salt, nor wrapped with blankets.[b] 5 No eye took pity on you to do even one of these things for you to spare you;[c] you were thrown out into the open field[d] because you were detested on the day you were born.
6 “‘I passed by you and saw you kicking around helplessly in your blood. I said to you as you lay there in your blood, “Live!” I said to you as you lay there in your blood, “Live!”[e] 7 I made you plentiful like sprouts in a field; you grew tall and came of age so that you could wear jewelry. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, but you were still naked and bare.
8 “‘Then I passed by you and watched you, noticing[f] that you had reached the age for love.[g] I spread my cloak[h] over you and covered your nakedness. I swore a solemn oath to you and entered into a marriage covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.
9 “‘Then I bathed you in water, washed the blood off you, and anointed you with fragrant oil. 10 I dressed you in embroidered clothing and put fine leather sandals on your feet. I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 I adorned you with jewelry. I put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck. 12 I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 You were adorned with gold and silver, while your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidery. You ate the finest flour, honey, and olive oil. You became extremely beautiful and attained the position of royalty. 14 Your fame[i] spread among the nations because of your beauty; your beauty was perfect because of the splendor that I bestowed on you, declares the Sovereign Lord.[j]
15 “‘But you trusted in your beauty and capitalized on your fame by becoming a prostitute. You offered your sexual favors to every man who passed by so that your beauty[k] became his. 16 You took some of your clothing and made for yourself decorated high places; you engaged in prostitution on them. You went to him to become his.[l] 17 You also took your beautiful jewelry, made of my gold and my silver I had given to you, and made for yourself male images and engaged in prostitution[m] with them. 18 You took your embroidered clothing and used it to cover them; you offered my olive oil and my incense to them. 19 As for my food that I gave you—the fine flour, olive oil, and honey I fed you—you placed it before them as a soothing aroma. That is exactly what happened, declares the Sovereign Lord.
20 “‘You took your sons and your daughters whom you bore to me and you sacrificed them[n] as food for the idols to eat. As if your prostitution was not enough, 21 you slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols.[o] 22 And with all your abominable practices and prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth when you were naked and bare, kicking around in your blood.
23 “‘After all your evil—“Woe! Woe to you!” declares the Sovereign Lord— 24 you built yourself a chamber[p] and put up a pavilion[q] in every public square. 25 At the head of every street you erected your pavilion, and you disgraced[r] your beauty when you spread[s] your legs to every passerby and multiplied your promiscuity. 26 You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors,[t] multiplying your promiscuity and provoking me to anger. 27 So see here, I have stretched out my hand against you and cut off your rations. I have delivered you into the power of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your obscene conduct. 28 You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians because your desires were insatiable; you prostituted yourself with them and yet you were still not satisfied. 29 Then you multiplied your promiscuity to the land of merchants, Babylonia,[u] but you were not satisfied there either.
30 “‘How sick is your heart, declares the Sovereign Lord, when you perform all these acts, the deeds of a bold prostitute. 31 When you built your chamber at the head of every street and put up your pavilion in every public square, you were not like a prostitute, because you scoffed at payment.[v]
32 “‘Adulterous wife, who prefers strangers instead of her own husband! 33 All prostitutes receive payment,[w] but instead you give gifts to every one of your lovers. You bribe them to come to you from all around for your sexual favors! 34 You were different from other prostitutes[x] because no one solicited you. When you gave payment and no payment was given to you, you became the opposite!
35 “‘Therefore, you prostitute, listen to the Lord’s message! 36 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because your lust[y] was poured out and your nakedness was uncovered in your prostitution with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your children you have given to them, 37 therefore, take note: I am about to gather all your lovers whom you enjoyed, both all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around, and I will expose your nakedness to them, and they will see all your nakedness.[z] 38 I will punish you as an adulteress and murderer deserves.[aa] I will avenge your bloody deeds with furious rage.[ab] 39 I will give you into their hands, and they will destroy your chambers and tear down your pavilions. They will strip you of your clothing and take your beautiful jewelry and leave you naked and bare. 40 They will summon a mob who will stone you and hack you in pieces with their swords. 41 They will burn down your houses and execute judgments on you in front of many women. Thus I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer give gifts to your clients.[ac] 42 I will exhaust my rage on you, and then my fury will turn from you. I will calm down and no longer be angry.
43 “‘Because you did not remember the days of your youth and have enraged me with all these deeds, I hereby repay you for what you have done,[ad] declares the Sovereign Lord. Have you not engaged in prostitution on top of all your other abominable practices?
44 “‘Observe—everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother, like daughter.” 45 You are the daughter of your mother, who detested her husband and her sons, and you are the sister of your sisters, who detested their husbands and their sons. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. 46 Your older sister was Samaria, who lived north[ae] of you with her daughters, and your younger sister, who lived south[af] of you, was Sodom[ag] with her daughters. 47 Have you not copied their behavior[ah] and practiced their abominable deeds? In a short time[ai] you became even more depraved in all your conduct than they were! 48 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, your sister Sodom and her daughters never behaved as wickedly as you and your daughters have behaved.
49 “‘See here—this was the iniquity[aj] of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had majesty, abundance of food, and enjoyed carefree ease, but they did not help[ak] the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and practiced abominable deeds before me. Therefore, when I saw it I removed them. 51 Samaria has not committed half the sins you have; you have done more abominable deeds than they did.[al] You have made your sisters appear righteous with all the abominable things you have done. 52 So now, bear your disgrace, because you have given your sisters reason to justify their behavior.[am] Because the sins you have committed were more abominable than those of your sisters; they have become more righteous than you. So now, be ashamed and bear the disgrace of making your sisters appear righteous.
53 “‘I will restore their fortunes, the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters (along with your fortunes among them), 54 so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in consoling them. 55 As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters will be restored to their former status, Samaria and her daughters will be restored to their former status, and you and your daughters will be restored to your former status. 56 In your days of majesty,[an] was not Sodom your sister a byword in your mouth, 57 before your evil was exposed? Now you have become an object of scorn to the daughters of Aram[ao] and all those around her and to the daughters of the Philistines—those all around you who despise you. 58 You must bear your punishment for your obscene conduct and your abominable practices, declares the Lord.
59 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you according to what you have done when you despised your oath by breaking your covenant. 60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish a lasting[ap] covenant with you. 61 Then you will remember your conduct, and be ashamed when you receive your older and younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on account of my covenant with you. 62 I will establish my covenant with you, and then you will know that I am the Lord. 63 Then you will remember, be ashamed, and remain silent[aq] because of your disgrace when I make atonement for all you have done,[ar] declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 16:4 tn Heb “in water you were not washed for cleansing” or “with water you were not washed smooth” (see D. I. Block, Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:473, n. 57, for a discussion of possible meanings of this hapax legomenon).
- Ezekiel 16:4 sn Arab midwives still cut the umbilical cords of infants and then proceed to apply salt and oil to their bodies.
- Ezekiel 16:5 sn These verbs, “pity” and “spare,” echo the judgment oracles in 5:11; 7:4, 9; 8:18; 9:5, 10.
- Ezekiel 16:5 sn A similar concept is found in Deut 32:10.
- Ezekiel 16:6 tc The translation reflects the Hebrew text, which repeats the statement, perhaps for emphasis. However, a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts, the Old Greek, and the Syriac do not include the repetition. The statement could have been accidentally repeated, or the second occurrence could have been accidentally omitted. Based on the available evidence it is difficult to know which is more likely.
- Ezekiel 16:8 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a participle.
- Ezekiel 16:8 tn See similar use of this term in Ezek 23:17; Prov 7:16; Song of Songs 4:10; 7:13.
- Ezekiel 16:8 tn Heb “wing” or “skirt.” The gesture symbolized acquiring a woman in early Arabia (similarly, see Deut 22:30; Ruth 3:9).
- Ezekiel 16:14 tn Heb “name.”
- Ezekiel 16:14 sn The description of the nation Israel in vv. 10-14 recalls the splendor of the nation’s golden age under King Solomon.
- Ezekiel 16:15 tn Heb “it” (so KJV, ASV); the referent (the beauty in which the prostitute trusted; see the beginning of the verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Ezekiel 16:16 tc The text as written in the MT is incomprehensible (“not coming [plural] and he will not”). Driver has suggested a copying error of similar-sounding words, specifically לֹא (loʾ) for לוֹ (lo). The feminine participle בָאוֹת (vaʾot) has also been read as the feminine perfect בָאת (vaʾt). See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 1:228, n. 15.b, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:486, n. 137.
- Ezekiel 16:17 tn Or perhaps “and worshiped them,” if the word “prostitution” is understood in a figurative rather than a literal sense (cf. CEV, NLT).
- Ezekiel 16:20 sn The sacrifice of children was prohibited in Lev 18:21; 20:2; Deut 12:31; 18:10.
- Ezekiel 16:21 tn Heb “and you gave them, by passing them through to them.” Some believe this alludes to the pagan practice of making children pass through the fire.
- Ezekiel 16:24 tn The Hebrew גֶּב (gev) may represent more than one word, each rare in the Old Testament. It may refer to a “mound” or to “rafters.” The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate interpret this as a brothel.
- Ezekiel 16:24 tn Or “lofty place” (NRSV). See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 1:229, and B. Lang, Frau Weisheit, 137.
- Ezekiel 16:25 tn Heb “treated as if abominable,” i.e., repudiated.
- Ezekiel 16:25 tn The only other occurrence of the Hebrew root is found in Prov 13:3 in reference to the talkative person who habitually “opens wide” his lips.
- Ezekiel 16:26 tn Heb “your neighbors, large of flesh.” The word “flesh” is used here of the genitals. It may simply refer to the size of their genitals in general, or that they are lustful.
- Ezekiel 16:29 tn Heb “Chaldea.” The name of the tribal group ruling Babylon (“Chaldeans”) and the territory from which they originated (“Chaldea”) are used as metonymy for the whole empire of Babylon.
- Ezekiel 16:31 tn The Hebrew term, which also occurs in vv. 34 and 41 of this chapter, always refers to the payment of a prostitute (Deut 23:19; Isa 23:17; Hos 9:1; Mic 1:7).
- Ezekiel 16:33 tn The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT.
- Ezekiel 16:34 tn Heb “With you it was opposite of women in your prostitution.”
- Ezekiel 16:36 tn The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT.
- Ezekiel 16:37 sn Harlots suffered degradation when their nakedness was exposed (Jer 13:22, 26; Hos 2:12; Nah 3:5).
- Ezekiel 16:38 tn Heb “and I will judge you (with) the judgments of adulteresses and of those who shed blood.”
- Ezekiel 16:38 tn Heb “and I will give you the blood of rage and zeal.”
- Ezekiel 16:41 tn The words “to your clients” are not in the Hebrew text but are implied.
- Ezekiel 16:43 tn Heb “your way on (your) head I have placed.”
- Ezekiel 16:46 tn Heb “left.”
- Ezekiel 16:46 tn Heb “right.”
- Ezekiel 16:46 sn Sodom was the epitome of evil (Deut 29:23; 32:32; Isa 1:9-10; 3:9; Jer 23:14; Lam 4:6; Matt 10:15; 11:23-24; Jude 7).
- Ezekiel 16:47 tn Heb “walked in their ways.”
- Ezekiel 16:47 tn The Hebrew expression has a temporal meaning as illustrated by the use of the phrase in 2 Chr 12:7.
- Ezekiel 16:49 tn Or “guilt.”
- Ezekiel 16:49 tn Heb “strengthen the hand of.”
- Ezekiel 16:51 tn Or “you have multiplied your abominable deeds beyond them.”
- Ezekiel 16:52 tn Heb “because you have interceded for your sisters with your sins.”
- Ezekiel 16:56 tn Or “pride.”
- Ezekiel 16:57 tc So MT, LXX, and Vulgate; many Hebrew mss and the Syriac read “Edom.”
- Ezekiel 16:60 tn Or “eternal.”
- Ezekiel 16:63 tn Heb “and your mouth will not be open any longer.”
- Ezekiel 16:63 tn Heb “when I make atonement for you for all that you have done.”
Ezekiel 16
Expanded Bible
The Lord’s Kindness to Jerusalem
16 The ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to me, saying: 2 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], tell Jerusalem about her ·hateful [detestable; abominable] actions. 3 Say, ‘This is what the Lord God says to Jerusalem: Your ·beginnings [origin] and your ·ancestors [L birth] were in the land of the Canaanites. Your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite. 4 On the day you were born, your cord [C umbilical cord] was not cut. You were not washed with water to clean you. You were not rubbed with salt or wrapped in ·cloths [T swaddling cloths; Luke 2:7, 12; C typical care for newborns in the ancient Near East]. 5 No ·one felt sorry enough for [L eye took pity on] you to do any of these things for you. No, you were thrown out into the open field, because you were ·hated [detested; despised] on the day you were born.
6 “‘When I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, I said to you ·as you lay in your blood [L in your blood], “Live!”[a] 7 I made you ·grow [flourish] like a plant in the field. You grew up and ·became tall [or matured; developed] and ·became like a beautiful jewel [or entered puberty; reached womanhood]. Your breasts formed, and your hair grew, but you were naked and ·without clothes [bare; exposed].
8 “‘Later when I passed by you and looked at you, ·I saw that [T behold] you were old enough for love. So I spread ·my robe [L the corner of my garment; Deut. 22:30; Ruth 3:9] over you and covered your nakedness. I also ·made a promise [swore; made a vow] to you and entered into an ·agreement [covenant; treaty; Ex. 19:5] with you so that you became mine, says the Lord God.
9 “‘Then I bathed you with water, washed all the blood off of you, and ·put oil on you [anointed you with oil/ointment]. 10 I put ·beautiful clothes made with needlework [embroidered clothing] on you and put sandals of fine leather on your feet. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 I put jewelry on you: bracelets on your arms, a ·necklace [chain] around your neck, 12 a ring in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful ·crown [tiara] on your head. 13 So you ·wore [were adorned with] gold and silver. Your clothes were made of fine linen, silk, and ·beautiful needlework [embroidery]. You ate fine flour, honey, and olive oil. You were very beautiful and became ·a queen [royalty]. 14 Then ·you became famous [your fame spread] among the nations, because you were so beautiful. Your beauty was perfect, because of the ·glory [splendor] I gave you, says the Lord God.
Jerusalem Becomes a Prostitute
15 “‘But you trusted in your beauty. You used your fame to become a prostitute. You ·had sexual relations with [lavished sexual favors on] anyone who passed by. 16 You took some of your clothes and made your ·places of worship [high places; 6:3] ·colorful [decorated; gaudy]. There you carried on your prostitution. ·These things should not happen; they should never occur [or You went to him and became his; or How could such a thing ever have happened? C the Hebrew here is obscure]. 17 You also took your beautiful jewelry, made from my gold and silver I had given you, and you made for yourselves male idols so you could be a prostitute with them [2 Kin. 23:7]. 18 Then you took your ·clothes with beautiful needlework [embroidered clothing] and covered the idols. You gave my oil and incense as an offering to them. 19 Also, you took the ·bread [food] I gave you, the fine flour, oil, and honey I gave you to eat, and you offered them before the gods as a ·pleasing smell [fragrant incense]. This is what happened, says the Lord God.
20 “‘But your ·sexual sins [acts of prostitution] were not enough for you. You also took your sons and daughters who ·were my children [you bore to me], and you sacrificed them to the idols as food. 21 You ·killed [slaughtered] my children and offered them up in fire to the idols [Lev. 18:21; 20:2; Deut. 12:31; 18:10; 2 Kin. 16:3; 21:6; 23:10; Jer. 32:35]. 22 While you did all your ·hateful [detestable; abominable] acts and ·sexual sins [prostitution], you did not remember ·when you were young [L the days of your youth], when you were naked and had no clothes and were ·left [L kicking about] in your blood.
23 “‘·How terrible [L Woe]! ·How terrible it will be for you [L Woe to you], says the Lord God. After you did all these evil things, 24 you built yourself a ·place to worship gods [pagan shrine; or chamber; or mound]. You made for yourself a ·place of worship [lofty shrine; pavilion] in every city square. 25 You built a place of worship at the ·beginning [head; corner] of every street. You made your beauty ·hateful [defiled; disgraced; detestable; an abomination], ·offering your body for sex [L spreading your legs] to anyone who passed by, ·so your sexual sins became worse and worse [multiplying your promiscuity/prostitution]. 26 You also ·had sexual relations [engaged in prostitution] with the ·Egyptians [L sons of Egypt], who were your ·neighbors and partners in sexual sin [or well-endowed neighbors; or lusty neighbors]. Your ·sexual sins [prostitution; promiscuity] became even worse, and ·they caused me to be angry [provoked me to anger]. 27 So then, [L look; T behold] I ·used my power [L stretched out my hand] against you and ·took away some of your land [reduced your boundaries; or cut off your rations]. I ·let you be defeated by [L delivered you to the greed/desire of] ·those who hate you [your enemies], the Philistine ·women [L daughters], who were ashamed of your ·evil ways [obscene/lewd behavior; C even the pagan Philistines were shocked at Israel’s outrageous sins]. 28 Also, you ·had sexual relations [engaged in prostitution] with the Assyrians, because you could not be satisfied. Even though you ·had sexual relations [prostituted yourself] with them, you still were not satisfied. 29 You ·did many more sexual sins [multiplied your prostitution/promiscuity] in ·Babylonia [L Chaldea], the land of ·traders [merchants], but even this did not satisfy you.
30 “‘·Truly your will is weak [or How sick/feverish is your heart; or I am filled with anger against you], says the Lord God. You do all the things a ·stubborn [bold; brazen; shameless] prostitute does. 31 You built your ·place to worship gods [pagan shrines; or chambers; or mounds] at the ·beginning [head; corner] of every street, and you made ·places of worship [lofty shrines; pavilions; v. 24] in every city square. But you were not like a prostitute when you ·refused to accept [scorned; scoffed at] payment.
32 “‘You adulterous wife! You ·desire [prefer; receive] strangers instead of your husband. 33 Men ·pay [or give gifts to] prostitutes, but you ·pay all [give gifts to] your lovers, bribing them to come to you. And they come from all around for ·sexual relations [your prostitution]. 34 So you are ·different from [the opposite of] other prostitutes. No man ·asks [solicited] you to be a prostitute, and you pay money instead of having money paid to you. Yes, you are ·different [the opposite].
The Prostitute Is Judged
35 “‘So, prostitute, hear the word of the Lord. 36 This is what the Lord God says: You ·showed your nakedness [L poured out your lust] and ·uncovered your body [L exposed your nakedness] in your ·sexual sins [prostitution; promiscuity] with your lovers and with all your ·hateful [detestable; abominable] idols. You killed your children and offered their blood to your idols. 37 So [L look; T behold] I will gather all your lovers with whom you found pleasure. Yes, I will gather all those you loved and those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around, and I will strip you naked in front of them so they can see your nakedness [C an act of humiliation and shame; Jer. 13:22, 26; Nah. 3:5]. 38 I will punish you as women guilty of adultery or as ·murderers [L those who shed blood] are punished. I will ·put you to death [L bring blood upon you; or avenge your bloody deeds] because I am angry and jealous. 39 I will also ·hand you over to your lovers [L give you into their hands]. They will tear down your ·places of worship [pagan shrines; chambers; mounds] and destroy ·other places where you worship gods [your lofty shrines; or pavilions; v. 24]. They will ·tear [strip] off your clothes and take away your beautiful jewelry, leaving you naked and bare. 40 They will bring a crowd against you to throw stones at you and to cut you into pieces with their swords. 41 They will burn down your houses and will ·punish you [execute judgments] in ·front [the sight of] of many women. I will put an end to your ·sexual sins [prostitution], and you will no longer ·pay [give gifts to] your lovers. 42 Then I will ·rest from [exhaust; satisfy] my ·anger [wrath] against you, and ·I will stop being jealous [L my jealousy will turn away from you]. I will be ·quiet [calm] and not angry anymore.
43 “‘Because you didn’t remember ·when you were young [L the days of your youth], but have ·made me angry [enraged me] in all these ways, I will ·repay you for what you have done [L bring these ways upon your head], says the Lord God. Didn’t you add ·sexual sins [lewd acts; obscenities] to all your ·other acts which I hate [detestable practices; abominations]?
44 “‘Everyone who uses ·wise sayings [proverbs] will say this about you: “·The daughter is like her mother [L Like mother, like daughter].” 45 You are ·like your mother [L the daughter of your mother], who ·hated [detested; loathed] her husband and ·children [sons]. You are ·also like your sisters [L the sister of your sisters], who ·hated [detested; loathed] their husbands and ·children [sons]. Your mother was a Hittite, and your father was an Amorite [v. 3]. 46 Your older sister is Samaria, who lived north of you with her daughters; your younger sister is Sodom, who lived south of you with her daughters [Gen. 19; C Sodom is a symbol of evil in Scripture; Deut. 29:23; 32:32; Is. 1:9–10; 3:9; Jer. 23:14; Lam. 4:6; Matt. 10:15; 11:23–24; Jude 7]. 47 You not only ·followed [walked in] their ways and did the ·hateful [detestable; abominable] things they did, but you were ·soon worse [more corrupt/depraved] than they were in all your ways. 48 As surely as I live, says the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.
49 “‘This was the ·sin [iniquity; guilt] of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were proud and had plenty of food and lived in ·great comfort [secure ease], but she did not ·help [L strengthen the hand of] the poor and needy. 50 So Sodom and her daughters were ·proud [haughty] and did ·things I hate [detestable/abominable things] in front of me. So I ·got rid of [removed] them when I saw what they did. 51 Also, Samaria [C the northern kingdom] did not do half the sins you do; you have done more ·hateful [detestable; abominable] things than they did. So you make your sisters ·look good [appear righteous] because of all the ·hateful [detestable; abominable] things you have done. 52 You will ·suffer [bear your] disgrace, because you have ·provided an excuse [L interceded with your sins] for your sisters. They ·are better [appear more righteous] than you are. Your sins were even more ·terrible [vile; abominable] than theirs. Feel ashamed and suffer disgrace, because you made your sisters ·look good [appear righteous].
53 “‘But I will ·give back [restore] to Sodom and her daughters ·the good things they once had [their fortunes]. I will give back to Samaria and her daughters ·the good things they once had [their fortunes]. And with them I will also give back ·the good things you once had [your fortunes] 54 so you may ·suffer [bear your] disgrace and feel ashamed for all the things you have done. You even gave comfort to your sisters in their sins. 55 Your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to ·what they were before [their former status]. You and your daughters will also return to ·what you were before [their former status]. 56 You ·humiliated [spoke contemptuously about; L made a byword in your mouth] your sister Sodom ·when you were proud [L in the day of your pride/majesty], 57 before your ·evil [wickedness] was uncovered [exposed]. And now the Edomite ·women[b] [L daughters] and their neighbors ·humiliate [scorn] you. Even the Philistine women ·humiliate [scorn] you. Those around you ·hate [despise] you. 58 ·This is your punishment [L You bear the penalty] for your ·terrible sins [lewdness] and for ·actions that I hate [your detestable practices/abominations], says the Lord.
God Keeps His Promises
59 “‘This is what the Lord God says: I will ·do to you what you have done [give you what you deserve]. You ·hated [despised] and broke the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] you ·promised [swore; made an oath] to keep. 60 But I will remember my ·agreement [covenant; treaty] I made with you ·when you were young [L in the days of your youth], and I will make an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] that will continue forever with you [Jer. 31:31–34]. 61 Then you will remember ·what you have done [your ways] and feel ashamed when you receive your sisters—both your older and your younger sisters. I will give them to you like daughters, but not because they share in my ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with you. 62 I will ·set up my agreement [establish my covenant/treaty] with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. 63 You will remember what you did and feel ashamed. You will not open your mouth again because of your shame, when I ·forgive [make atonement for] you for all the things you have done, says the Lord God.’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 16:6 Live Some Hebrew, Greek and Syriac copies repeat the phrase, “I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’”
- Ezekiel 16:57 Edomite women Hebrew copies read “daughters of Edom.” Some Hebrew copies read “daughters of Aram.”
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