God’s Grace to Unfaithful Jerusalem

16 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, (A)make known to Jerusalem her abominations, and say, ‘This is what the Lord [a]God says to Jerusalem: “Your origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. As for your birth, (B)on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing; you were not 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. Rather you were thrown out into the [b](C)open field, [c]for you were abhorred on the day you were born.

“When I passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood, I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ I (D)made you [d]very numerous, like plants of the field. Then you grew up, became tall and reached the age for fine jewelry; your breasts were formed and your hair had grown. Yet you were naked and bare.

“Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, [e]you were at the time for love; so I (E)spread My [f]garment over you and covered your nakedness. I also (F)swore an oath to you and (G)entered into a covenant with you so that you (H)became Mine,” declares the Lord God. “Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you, and (I)anointed you with oil. 10 I also clothed you with (J)colorfully woven cloth and put sandals of [g]fine leather on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 I adorned you with jewelry, put (K)bracelets on your wrists, and a (L)necklace around your neck. 12 I also put a (M)ring in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a (N)beautiful crown on your head. 13 So you were adorned with (O)gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, silk, and colorfully woven cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil; so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to (P)royalty. 14 Then your (Q)fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was (R)perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you,” declares the Lord God.

15 “But you (S)trusted in your beauty and (T)became unfaithful because of your fame, and you poured out your [h]obscene practices on every passer-by to whom it might be tempting. 16 You took some of your clothes, made for yourself [i]high places of various colors, and committed prostitution on them, which should not come about nor happen. 17 You also took your beautiful [j](U)jewels made of My gold and of My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images so that you might commit prostitution with them. 18 Then you took your colorfully woven cloth and covered them, and offered My oil and My incense before them. 19 Also (V)My bread which I gave you, fine flour, oil, and honey with which I fed you, [k]you would offer before them for a soothing aroma; so it happened,” declares the Lord God. 20 “Furthermore, you took your sons and daughters whom you had borne to (W)Me and (X)sacrificed them to [l]idols to be devoured. Were your obscene practices a trivial matter? 21 You slaughtered (Y)My children and offered them to [m]idols by (Z)making them pass through the fire. 22 And besides all your abominations and obscene practices, you did not remember the days of (AA)your youth, when you were naked and bare and squirming in your blood.

23 “Then it came about after all your wickedness (‘Woe, woe to you!’ declares the Lord God), 24 that you built yourself a (AB)shrine and made yourself a (AC)high place in every public square. 25 You built yourself a high place at the beginning of (AD)every street and made your beauty abominable, and you spread your legs to every passer-by and multiplied your obscene practice. 26 You also committed prostitution with the Egyptians, your [n]lustful neighbors, and multiplied your obscene practice to (AE)provoke Me to anger. 27 So behold, I have stretched out My hand against you and cut back your rations. And I turned you over to the desire of those who hate you, the (AF)daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your outrageous conduct. 28 Moreover, you committed prostitution with the (AG)Assyrians because you were not satisfied; you committed prostitution with them and still were not satisfied. 29 You also multiplied your obscene practice with the land of merchants, Chaldea; yet even with this you were not satisfied.”’”

30 “How (AH)feverish is your heart,” declares the Lord God, “while you do all these things, the action of a [o](AI)bold prostitute! 31 When you built your shrine at the beginning of every street and made your high place in every public square, in (AJ)spurning a prostitute’s fee, you were not like a prostitute. 32 You adulteress wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband! 33 Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you (AK)give your gifts to all your lovers and lavish favors on them so that they will come to you from every direction for your obscene practices. 34 So it is the opposite for you from those women in your obscene practices, in that you are not approached for prostitution, and in the fact that you pay a prostitute’s fee, and no fee is paid to you; so you are the opposite.”

35 Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the Lord. 36 This is what the Lord God says: “Because your lewdness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered through your obscene practices with your lovers and with all your detestable (AL)idols, and because of the blood of your sons that you gave to [p]idols, 37 therefore, behold, I am going to (AM)gather all your lovers whom you pleased, all those whom you loved as well as all those whom you (AN)hated. So I will gather them against you from every direction and (AO)expose your nakedness to them so that they may see all your nakedness. 38 So I will (AP)judge you as women who commit adultery or shed blood are judged; and I will bring on you the blood of (AQ)wrath and jealousy. 39 I will also hand you over to [q]your lovers, and they will tear down your shrines, demolish your high places, (AR)strip you of your clothing, take away your [r]jewels, and will leave you naked and bare. 40 They will [s]incite a (AS)crowd against you, and they will stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. 41 And they will (AT)burn your houses with fire and execute judgments against you in the sight of many women. Then I will (AU)put an end to your prostitution, and you will also no longer pay [t]your lovers. 42 So I (AV)will satisfy My fury against you and My jealousy will leave you, and I will be pacified and (AW)no longer be angry. 43 Since you have (AX)not remembered the days of your youth but [u]have (AY)caused Me unrest by all these things, behold, I in turn will (AZ)bring your conduct down on your own head,” declares the Lord God, “so that you will not commit this outrageous sin in addition to all your other abominations.

44 “Behold, everyone who quotes (BA)proverbs will quote this proverb about you, saying, ‘Like [v]mother, like daughter.’ 45 You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and children. You are also the (BB)sister of your sisters, who (BC)loathed their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. 46 Now your (BD)older sister is Samaria, who lives [w]north of you with her [x]daughters; and your younger sister, who lives [y]south of you, is (BE)Sodom with her [z]daughters. 47 Yet you have not merely walked in their ways and [aa]committed their abominations; but, as if that were (BF)too little, you also acted (BG)more corruptly in all your conduct than they. 48 As I live,” declares the Lord God, “Sodom, your sister and her daughters have (BH)not done as you and your daughters have done! 49 Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had (BI)arrogance, (BJ)plenty of food, and (BK)carefree ease, but she did not [ab]help the (BL)poor and needy. 50 So they were haughty and committed (BM)abominations before Me. Therefore I (BN)removed them [ac]when I saw it. 51 Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half of your sins, for you have multiplied your abominations more than they. So you have made your sisters appear (BO)innocent by all your abominations which you have committed. 52 Also, bear your disgrace in that you have [ad]made judgment favorable for your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted (BP)more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. Yes, be also ashamed and bear your disgrace, in that you made your sisters appear innocent.

53 “Nevertheless, I will restore their fortunes, the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters, and [ae]along with them your own fortunes, 54 so that you will bear your disgrace and feel (BQ)ashamed for all that you have done when you become (BR)a consolation to them. 55 Your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, [af]will return to their former state, and you with your daughters will also return to your former state. 56 As the name of your sister Sodom was not heard from your lips in your day of pride, 57 before your (BS)wickedness was uncovered, [ag]so now you have become the (BT)disgrace of the daughters of [ah]Edom and of all who are around her, of the daughters of the Philistines—those surrounding you who despise you. 58 You have (BU)suffered the penalty of your outrageous sin and abominations,” the Lord declares. 59 For this is what the Lord God says: “I will also do with you as you have done, you who have (BV)despised the oath by breaking the covenant.

The Covenant Remembered

60 “Nevertheless, I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an (BW)everlasting covenant with you. 61 Then you will (BX)remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both your older and your younger; and I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant. 62 So I will (BY)establish My covenant with you, and you shall (BZ)know that I am the Lord, 63 so that you may (CA)remember and be ashamed, and (CB)not open your mouth again because of your disgrace, when I have [ai](CC)forgiven you for all that you have done,” the Lord God declares.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 16:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  2. Ezekiel 16:5 Lit face of the field
  3. Ezekiel 16:5 Lit in the loathing of your soul
  4. Ezekiel 16:7 Lit a myriad
  5. Ezekiel 16:8 Lit your time was
  6. Ezekiel 16:8 Lit hem (of a garment)
  7. Ezekiel 16:10 Meaning of the Heb uncertain
  8. Ezekiel 16:15 I.e., idolatrous practices with nations
  9. Ezekiel 16:16 I.e., pagan altars
  10. Ezekiel 16:17 Lit articles of beauty
  11. Ezekiel 16:19 Lit and you...offer it
  12. Ezekiel 16:20 Lit them
  13. Ezekiel 16:21 Lit them
  14. Ezekiel 16:26 Lit great of flesh
  15. Ezekiel 16:30 Lit mighty
  16. Ezekiel 16:36 Lit them
  17. Ezekiel 16:39 Lit their hands, and they
  18. Ezekiel 16:39 Lit articles of beauty
  19. Ezekiel 16:40 Lit bring up an assembly
  20. Ezekiel 16:41 Lit a prostitute’s fee
  21. Ezekiel 16:43 As in ancient versions; MT tremble at
  22. Ezekiel 16:44 Lit her mother, her daughter
  23. Ezekiel 16:46 Lit on your left
  24. Ezekiel 16:46 I.e., surrounding villages; so through v 55
  25. Ezekiel 16:46 Lit from your right
  26. Ezekiel 16:46 I.e., surrounding villages; so through v 55
  27. Ezekiel 16:47 Lit acted in their
  28. Ezekiel 16:49 Lit grasp the hand of
  29. Ezekiel 16:50 Some mss and ancient versions as you have seen
  30. Ezekiel 16:52 Lit mediated for
  31. Ezekiel 16:53 Lit in their midst
  32. Ezekiel 16:55 Heb includes will return...state after Sodom also
  33. Ezekiel 16:57 Lit as at the time of
  34. Ezekiel 16:57 As in many mss and one ancient version; MT Aram
  35. Ezekiel 16:63 Or made atonement for

16 Again the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations; and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto Jerusalem: [a]Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of the Canaanite; the Amorite was thy father, and thy mother was a Hittite. And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to cleanse thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. No eye pitied thee, to do any of these things unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, for that thy person was abhorred, in the day that thou wast born.

And when I passed by thee, and saw thee weltering in thy blood, I said unto thee, Though thou art in thy blood, live; yea, I said unto thee, Though thou art in thy blood, live. I [b]caused thee to multiply as that which groweth in the field, and thou didst increase and wax great, and thou attainedst to [c]excellent ornament; thy breasts were fashioned, and thy hair was grown; yet thou wast naked and bare. 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 sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord Jehovah, and thou becamest mine. Then washed I thee with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. 10 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with [d]sealskin, and I [e]girded thee about with fine linen, and covered thee with silk. 11 And I decked thee with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. 12 And I put a ring upon thy nose, and ear-rings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy head. 13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil; and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper unto royal estate. 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, saith the Lord Jehovah.

15 But thou didst trust in thy beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy whoredoms on every one that passed by; his it was. 16 And thou didst take of thy garments, and madest for thee high places decked with divers colors, and playedst the harlot upon them: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so. 17 Thou didst also take thy [f]fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest for thee [g]images of men, and didst play the harlot with them; 18 and thou tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them, and didst set mine oil and mine incense before them. 19 My bread also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou didst even set it before them for a sweet savor; and thus it was, saith the Lord Jehovah. 20 Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Were thy whoredoms a small matter, 21 that thou hast slain my children, and delivered them up, in [h]causing them to pass through the fire unto them? 22 And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast weltering in thy blood.

23 And it is come to pass after all thy wickedness (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord Jehovah), 24 that thou hast built unto thee a vaulted place, and hast made thee a lofty place in every street. 25 Thou hast built thy lofty place at the head of every way, and hast made thy beauty an abomination, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredom. 26 Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians, thy neighbors, great of flesh; and hast multiplied thy whoredom, to provoke me to anger. 27 Behold therefore, I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine [i]ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, that are ashamed of thy lewd way. 28 Thou hast played the harlot also with the Assyrians, because thou wast insatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet thou wast not satisfied. 29 Thou hast moreover multiplied thy whoredom unto the land of [j]traffic, unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith.

30 How weak is thy heart, saith the Lord Jehovah, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an impudent harlot; 31 in that thou buildest thy vaulted place at the head of every way, and makest thy lofty place in every street, and hast not been as a harlot, [k]in that thou scornest hire. 32 A wife that committeth adultery! that taketh strangers instead of her husband! 33 They give gifts to all harlots; but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and bribest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredoms. 34 And thou art different from other women in thy whoredoms, in that none followeth thee to play the harlot; and whereas thou givest hire, and no hire is given unto thee, therefore thou art different.

35 Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of Jehovah: 36 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Because thy [l]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 children, that thou didst give unto them; 37 therefore behold, I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them against thee on every side, and will uncover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness. 38 And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will bring upon thee the blood of wrath and jealousy. 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. 40 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 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 shalt also give no hire any more. 42 So will I cause my wrath toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry. 43 Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast raged against me in all these things; therefore, behold, I also will bring thy way upon thy head, saith the Lord Jehovah: and [m]thou shalt not commit this lewdness with all thine abominations.

44 Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter. 45 Thou art the daughter of thy mother, that loatheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children: your mother was a Hittite, and your father an Amorite. 46 And thine elder sister is Samaria, that dwelleth at thy left hand, she and her daughters; and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters. 47 Yet hast thou not walked in their ways, nor done after their abominations; but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast more corrupt than they in all thy ways. 48 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 thy sister Sodom: pride, fulness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away [n]as I saw good. 51 Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters by all thine abominations which thou hast done. 52 Thou also, bear thou thine own shame, in that thou hast given judgment for thy [o]sisters; through thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they, they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou also confounded, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.

53 And I will [p]turn 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; 54 that thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be ashamed because of all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto 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. 56 For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride, 57 before thy wickedness was uncovered, as at the time of the reproach of the daughters of Syria, and of all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, that do despite unto thee round about. 58 Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith Jehovah. 59 For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will also deal with thee as thou hast done, who hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.

60 Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant. 61 Then shalt thou remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder sisters and thy younger; and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant. 62 And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah; 63 that thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy shame, when I have forgiven thee all that thou hast done, saith the Lord Jehovah.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 16:3 Or, Thine origin
  2. Ezekiel 16:7 Hebrew made thee a myriad.
  3. Ezekiel 16:7 Hebrew ornament of ornaments.
  4. Ezekiel 16:10 Or, porpoise-skin
  5. Ezekiel 16:10 Or, bound thee with attire of fine linen
  6. Ezekiel 16:17 Or, beautiful vessels
  7. Ezekiel 16:17 Or, male images
  8. Ezekiel 16:21 Or, setting them apart. Hebrew making them pass over.
  9. Ezekiel 16:27 Or, allowance
  10. Ezekiel 16:29 Or, Canaan
  11. Ezekiel 16:31 Or, that scoffeth at her hire
  12. Ezekiel 16:36 Hebrew brass.
  13. Ezekiel 16:43 Or, hast thou not committed etc.?
  14. Ezekiel 16:50 Or, when I saw it
  15. Ezekiel 16:52 Or, sister
  16. Ezekiel 16:53 Or, return to