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Proverbs 7
English Standard Version
Proverbs 7
English Standard Version
Warning Against the Adulteress
7 (A)My son, keep my words
and (B)treasure up my commandments with you;
2 (C)keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as (D)the apple of your eye;
3 (E)bind them on your fingers;
(F)write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5 to keep you from (G)the forbidden[a] woman,
from (H)the adulteress[b] with her smooth words.
6 For at (I)the window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice,
7 and I have seen among (J)the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man (K)lacking sense,
8 passing along the street (L)near her corner,
taking the road to her house
9 in (M)the twilight, in the evening,
at (N)the time of night and darkness.
10 And behold, the woman meets him,
(O)dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.[c]
11 She is (P)loud and (Q)wayward;
(R)her feet do not stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the market,
and (S)at every corner she (T)lies in wait.
13 She seizes him and kisses him,
and with (U)bold face she says to him,
14 “I had to (V)offer sacrifices,[d]
and today I have (W)paid my vows;
15 so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with (X)coverings,
colored linens from (Y)Egyptian linen;
17 I have perfumed my bed with (Z)myrrh,
aloes, and (AA)cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For (AB)my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey;
20 he took a bag of money with him;
at full moon he will come home.”
21 With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with (AC)her smooth talk she compels him.
22 All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast[e]
23 till an arrow pierces its liver;
as (AD)a bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24 And (AE)now, O sons, listen to me,
and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths,
26 for many a victim has she laid low,
and all her slain are (AF)a mighty throng.
27 Her house is (AG)the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew strange
- Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew the foreign woman
- Proverbs 7:10 Hebrew guarded in heart
- Proverbs 7:14 Hebrew peace offerings
- Proverbs 7:22 Probable reading (compare Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac); Hebrew as a chain to discipline a fool
Proverbs 7
New International Version
Proverbs 7
New International Version
Warning Against the Adulterous Woman
7 My son,(A) keep my words
and store up my commands within you.
2 Keep my commands and you will live;(B)
guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.(C)
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and to insight, “You are my relative.”
5 They will keep you from the adulterous woman,
from the wayward woman with her seductive words.(D)
6 At the window of my house
I looked down through the lattice.
7 I saw among the simple,
I noticed among the young men,
a youth who had no sense.(E)
8 He was going down the street near her corner,
walking along in the direction of her house
9 at twilight,(F) as the day was fading,
as the dark of night set in.
10 Then out came a woman to meet him,
dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
11 (She is unruly(G) and defiant,
her feet never stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the squares,
at every corner she lurks.)(H)
13 She took hold of him(I) and kissed him
and with a brazen face she said:(J)
14 “Today I fulfilled my vows,
and I have food from my fellowship offering(K) at home.
15 So I came out to meet you;
I looked for you and have found you!
16 I have covered my bed
with colored linens from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed(L)
with myrrh,(M) aloes and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning;
let’s enjoy ourselves with love!(N)
19 My husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey.
20 He took his purse filled with money
and will not be home till full moon.”
21 With persuasive words she led him astray;
she seduced him with her smooth talk.(O)
22 All at once he followed her
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer[a] stepping into a noose[b](P)
23 till an arrow pierces(Q) his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
little knowing it will cost him his life.(R)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:22 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew fool
- Proverbs 7:22 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
Ezekiel 14-16
English Standard Version
Ezekiel 14-16
English Standard Version
Idolatrous Elders Condemned
14 Then certain of the (A)elders of Israel came to me (B)and sat before me. 2 And the word of the Lord came to me: 3 (C)“Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set (D)the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. (E)Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? 4 Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, (F)I the Lord will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, 5 (G)that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, (H)who are all estranged from me through their idols.
6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: (I)Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations. 7 For any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, (J)who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to a prophet to consult me through him, (K)I the Lord will answer him myself. 8 And (L)I will set my face against that man; I (M)will make him a sign and a byword (N)and cut him off from the midst of my people, (O)and you shall know that I am the Lord. 9 And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, (P)I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. 10 And they shall bear their punishment[a]—the punishment of the prophet and the punishment of the inquirer shall be alike— 11 that the house of Israel may no more go astray from me, nor (Q)defile themselves anymore with all their transgressions, (R)but that they may be my people and I may be their God, declares the Lord God.”
Jerusalem Will Not Be Spared
12 And the word of the Lord came to me: 13 (S)“Son of man, when a land sins against me (T)by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and (U)break its supply[b] of bread and send famine upon it, and (V)cut off from it man and beast, 14 (W)even if these three men, (X)Noah, (Y)Daniel, and (Z)Job, were in it, (AA)they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord God.
15 (AB)“If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they ravage it, (AC)and it be made desolate, so that no one may pass through because of the beasts, 16 even if these three men were in it, (AD)as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters. They alone would be delivered, but (AE)the land would be desolate.
17 “Or (AF)if I bring a sword upon that land and say, Let a sword pass through the land, (AG)and I cut off from it man and beast, 18 (AH)though these three men were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they alone would be delivered.
19 “Or (AI)if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off from it man and beast, 20 even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness.
21 “For thus says the Lord God: How much more (AJ)when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, (AK)sword, (AL)famine, (AM)wild beasts, and (AN)pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast! 22 But behold, (AO)some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out; behold, when they come out to you, and (AP)you see their ways and their deeds, you will be consoled for the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, for all that I have brought upon it. 23 They will console you, when you see their ways and their deeds, and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, declares the Lord God.”
Jerusalem, a Useless Vine
15 And the word of the Lord came to me: 2 (AQ)“Son of man, how does (AR)the wood of the vine surpass any wood, the vine branch that is among the trees of the forest? 3 Is wood taken from it to make anything? Do people take (AS)a peg from it to hang any vessel on it? 4 (AT)Behold, it is given to the fire for fuel. When the fire has consumed both ends of it, and the middle of it is charred, is it useful for anything? 5 (AU)Behold, when it was whole, it was used for nothing. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it ever be used for anything! 6 Therefore thus says the Lord God: (AV)Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, (AW)which I have given to the fire for fuel, so have I given up the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 7 (AX)And I will set my face against them. Though (AY)they escape from the fire, the fire shall yet consume them, (AZ)and you will know that I am the Lord, (BA)when I set my face against them. 8 (BB)And I will make the land desolate, because (BC)they have acted faithlessly, declares the Lord God.”
The Lord's Faithless Bride
16 Again the word of the Lord came to me: 2 (BD)“Son of man, (BE)make known to Jerusalem her abominations, 3 and say, Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an (BF)Amorite and your mother a (BG)Hittite. 4 And as for your birth, (BH)on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, (BI)but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, (BJ)on the day that you were born.
6 “And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing (BK)in your blood, I said to you (BL)in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you (BM)in your blood, ‘Live!’ 7 (BN)I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall (BO)and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet (BP)you were naked and bare.
8 “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and (BQ)I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you (BR)and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, (BS)and you became mine. 9 Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and (BT)anointed you with oil. 10 (BU)I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.[c] 11 (BV)And I adorned you with ornaments and (BW)put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. 12 And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. (BX)You ate fine flour and honey and oil. (BY)You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. 14 And (BZ)your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord God.
15 (CA)“But you trusted in your beauty (CB)and played the whore[d] because of your renown (CC)and lavished your whorings[e] on any passerby; your beauty[f] became his. 16 You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be.[g] 17 You also took (CD)your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and (CE)made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore. 18 And you took your embroidered garments to cover them, (CF)and set my oil and my incense before them. 19 (CG)Also my bread that I gave you—(CH)I fed you with fine flour and oil and honey—you set before them for (CI)a pleasing aroma; and so it was, declares the Lord God. 20 (CJ)And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and (CK)these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter 21 that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them? 22 And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember (CL)the days of your youth, (CM)when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your blood.
23 “And after all your wickedness (woe, woe to you! declares the Lord God), 24 you built yourself (CN)a vaulted chamber and made yourself a lofty place in every square. 25 At the head of every street (CO)you built your lofty place and made (CP)your beauty an abomination, (CQ)offering yourself[h] to any passerby and multiplying your whoring. 26 (CR)You also played the whore (CS)with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, (CT)multiplying your whoring, (CU)to provoke me to anger. 27 Behold, therefore, I stretched out my hand against you (CV)and diminished your allotted portion (CW)and delivered you to the greed of your enemies, (CX)the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior. 28 (CY)You played the whore also (CZ)with the Assyrians, because you were not satisfied; yes, you played the whore with them, and still you were not satisfied. 29 You multiplied your whoring also with the trading land (DA)of Chaldea, and even with this you were not satisfied.
30 “How sick is your heart,[i] declares the Lord God, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute, 31 building your vaulted chamber at the head of every street, and making your lofty place in every square. Yet you were not like a prostitute, (DB)because you scorned payment. 32 Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband! 33 Men give gifts to all prostitutes, (DC)but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side with your whorings. 34 So you were different from other women in your whorings. No one solicited you to play the whore, and (DD)you gave payment, while no payment was given to you; therefore you were different.
35 “Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the Lord: 36 Thus says the Lord God, Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your whorings with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, (DE)and because of the blood of your children that you gave to them, 37 therefore, behold, (DF)I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved and (DG)all those you hated. (DH)I will gather them against you from every side (DI)and will uncover your nakedness to them, that (DJ)they may see all your nakedness. 38 (DK)And I will judge you (DL)as women who commit adultery and (DM)shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy. 39 And I will give you into their hands, and they shall throw down your (DN)vaulted chamber and break down (DO)your lofty places. (DP)They shall strip you of your clothes and take (DQ)your beautiful jewels and leave you (DR)naked and bare. 40 (DS)They shall bring up a crowd against you, (DT)and they shall stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. 41 (DU)And they shall (DV)burn your houses and (DW)execute judgments upon you in the sight of many women. (DX)I will make you stop playing the whore, and (DY)you shall also give payment no more. 42 (DZ)So will I satisfy my wrath on you, and my jealousy shall depart from you. I will be calm and will no more be angry. 43 Because you have not remembered (EA)the days of your youth, but have enraged me with all these things, therefore, behold, (EB)I have returned your deeds upon your head, declares the Lord God. Have you not (EC)committed lewdness in addition to all your abominations?
44 “Behold, everyone (ED)who uses proverbs will use this proverb about you: ‘Like mother, like daughter.’ 45 You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and her children; and you are the sister of (EE)your sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children. (EF)Your mother was a Hittite and (EG)your father an Amorite. 46 And (EH)your elder sister is Samaria, who lived with her daughters to the north of you; and (EI)your younger sister, who lived to the south of you, is Sodom with her daughters. 47 (EJ)Not only did you walk in their ways and do according to their abominations; within a very little time (EK)you were more corrupt than they in all your ways. 48 (EL)As I live, declares the Lord God, your sister (EM)Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. 49 Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, (EN)excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and (EO)did an abomination before me. So (EP)I removed them, when I saw it. 51 (EQ)Samaria has not committed half your sins. You have committed more abominations than they, and (ER)have made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations that you have committed. 52 (ES)Bear your disgrace, you also, for you have intervened on behalf of your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. So be ashamed, you also, and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.
53 (ET)“I will restore their fortunes, both the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters, and I will restore your own fortunes in their midst, 54 that you may bear your disgrace (EU)and be ashamed of all that you have done, (EV)becoming a consolation to them. 55 As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters shall return to their former state, (EW)and Samaria and her daughters shall return (EX)to their former state, (EY)and you and your daughters shall return (EZ)to your former state. 56 Was not your sister Sodom a byword in your mouth (FA)in the day of your pride, 57 before your wickedness was uncovered? Now you have become (FB)an object of reproach for the daughters of Syria[j] and all those around her, and for (FC)the daughters of the Philistines, (FD)those all around who despise you. 58 (FE)You bear the penalty of your lewdness and your abominations, declares the Lord.
The Lord's Everlasting Covenant
59 “For thus says the Lord God: I will deal with you as you have done, you (FF)who have despised the oath in breaking the covenant, 60 yet (FG)I will remember my covenant with you (FH)in the days of your youth, (FI)and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant. 61 (FJ)Then you will remember your ways (FK)and be ashamed when you take (FL)your sisters, both your elder and your younger, and I give them to you (FM)as daughters, but not on account of[k] the covenant with you. 62 I will establish my covenant with you, (FN)and you shall know that I am the Lord, 63 that you may remember and be confounded, and (FO)never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord God.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 14:10 Or iniquity; three times in this verse
- Ezekiel 14:13 Hebrew staff
- Ezekiel 16:10 Or with rich fabric
- Ezekiel 16:15 Or were unfaithful; also verses 16, 17, 26, 28
- Ezekiel 16:15 Or unfaithfulness; also verses 20, 22, 25, 26, 29, 33, 34, 36
- Ezekiel 16:15 Hebrew it
- Ezekiel 16:16 The meaning of this Hebrew sentence is uncertain
- Ezekiel 16:25 Hebrew spreading your legs
- Ezekiel 16:30 Revocalization yields How I am filled with anger against you
- Ezekiel 16:57 Some manuscripts (compare Syriac) of Edom
- Ezekiel 16:61 Or not apart from
Ezekiel 14-16
New International Version
Ezekiel 14-16
New International Version
Idolaters Condemned
14 Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me.(A) 2 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 3 “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts(B) and put wicked stumbling blocks(C) before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?(D) 4 Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry. 5 I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted(E) me for their idols.’(F)
6 “Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent!(G) Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!(H)
7 “‘When any of the Israelites or any foreigner(I) residing in Israel separate themselves from me and set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block(J) before their faces and then go to a prophet to inquire(K) of me, I the Lord will answer them myself. 8 I will set my face against(L) them and make them an example(M) and a byword.(N) I will remove them from my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.(O)
9 “‘And if the prophet(P) is enticed(Q) to utter a prophecy, I the Lord have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel.(R) 10 They will bear their guilt—the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him. 11 Then the people of Israel will no longer stray(S) from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people,(T) and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign Lord.(U)’”
Jerusalem’s Judgment Inescapable
12 The word of the Lord came to me: 13 “Son of man, if a country sins(V) against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply(W) and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals,(X) 14 even if these three men—Noah,(Y) Daniel[a](Z) and Job(AA)—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness,(AB) declares the Sovereign Lord.
15 “Or if I send wild beasts(AC) through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts,(AD) 16 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.(AE)
17 “Or if I bring a sword(AF) against that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass throughout the land,’ and I kill its people and their animals,(AG) 18 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.
19 “Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath(AH) on it through bloodshed,(AI) killing its people and their animals,(AJ) 20 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.(AK)
21 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments(AL)—sword(AM) and famine(AN) and wild beasts and plague(AO)—to kill its men and their animals!(AP) 22 Yet there will be some survivors(AQ)—sons and daughters who will be brought out of it.(AR) They will come to you, and when you see their conduct(AS) and their actions, you will be consoled(AT) regarding the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem—every disaster I have brought on it. 23 You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign Lord.(AU)”
Jerusalem as a Useless Vine
15 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, how is the wood of a vine(AV) different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest? 3 Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful?(AW) Do they make pegs(AX) from it to hang things on? 4 And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything?(AY) 5 If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred?
6 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As I have given the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest as fuel for the fire, so will I treat the people living in Jerusalem. 7 I will set my face against(AZ) them. Although they have come out of the fire(BA), the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against them, you will know that I am the Lord.(BB) 8 I will make the land desolate(BC) because they have been unfaithful,(BD) declares the Sovereign Lord.”
Jerusalem as an Adulterous Wife
16 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, confront(BE) Jerusalem with her detestable practices(BF) 3 and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem: Your ancestry(BG) and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father(BH) was an Amorite(BI) and your mother a Hittite.(BJ) 4 On the day you were born(BK) your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. 5 No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised.
6 “‘Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!”[b](BL) 7 I made you grow(BM) like a plant of the field. You grew and developed and entered puberty. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, yet you were stark naked.(BN)
8 “‘Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment(BO) over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant(BP) with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.(BQ)
9 “‘I bathed you with water and washed(BR) the blood from you and put ointments on you. 10 I clothed you with an embroidered(BS) dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen(BT) and covered you with costly garments.(BU) 11 I adorned you with jewelry:(BV) I put bracelets(BW) on your arms and a necklace(BX) around your neck, 12 and I put a ring on your nose,(BY) earrings(BZ) on your ears and a beautiful crown(CA) on your head.(CB) 13 So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes(CC) were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil(CD) and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen.(CE) 14 And your fame(CF) spread among the nations on account of your beauty,(CG) because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.(CH)
15 “‘But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by(CI) and your beauty became his.(CJ) 16 You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places,(CK) where you carried on your prostitution.(CL) You went to him, and he possessed your beauty.[c] 17 You also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them.(CM) 18 And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil and incense(CN) before them. 19 Also the food I provided for you—the flour, olive oil and honey I gave you to eat—you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is what happened, declares the Sovereign Lord.(CO)
20 “‘And you took your sons and daughters(CP) whom you bore to me(CQ) and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough?(CR) 21 You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols.(CS) 22 In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth,(CT) when you were naked and bare,(CU) kicking about in your blood.(CV)
23 “‘Woe!(CW) Woe to you, declares the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness, 24 you built a mound for yourself and made a lofty shrine(CX) in every public square.(CY) 25 At every street corner(CZ) you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty, spreading your legs with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed by.(DA) 26 You engaged in prostitution(DB) with the Egyptians,(DC) your neighbors with large genitals, and aroused my anger(DD) with your increasing promiscuity.(DE) 27 So I stretched out my hand(DF) against you and reduced your territory; I gave you over(DG) to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines,(DH) who were shocked by your lewd conduct. 28 You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians(DI) too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied.(DJ) 29 Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia,[d](DK) a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied.(DL)
30 “‘I am filled with fury against you,[e] declares the Sovereign Lord, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute!(DM) 31 When you built your mounds at every street corner and made your lofty shrines(DN) in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you scorned payment.
32 “‘You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband! 33 All prostitutes receive gifts,(DO) but you give gifts(DP) to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.(DQ) 34 So in your prostitution you are the opposite of others; no one runs after you for your favors. You are the very opposite, for you give payment and none is given to you.
35 “‘Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the Lord! 36 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you poured out your lust and exposed your naked body in your promiscuity with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children’s blood,(DR) 37 therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and will strip(DS) you in front of them, and they will see you stark naked.(DT) 38 I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and who shed blood;(DU) I will bring on you the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger.(DV) 39 Then I will deliver you into the hands(DW) of your lovers, and they will tear down your mounds and destroy your lofty shrines. They will strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry and leave you stark naked.(DX) 40 They will bring a mob against you, who will stone(DY) you and hack you to pieces with their swords. 41 They will burn down(DZ) your houses and inflict punishment on you in the sight of many women.(EA) I will put a stop(EB) to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers. 42 Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you; I will be calm and no longer angry.(EC)
43 “‘Because you did not remember(ED) the days of your youth but enraged me with all these things, I will surely bring down(EE) on your head what you have done, declares the Sovereign Lord. Did you not add lewdness to all your other detestable practices?(EF)
44 “‘Everyone who quotes proverbs(EG) will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother, like daughter.” 45 You are a true daughter of your mother, who despised(EH) her husband(EI) and her children; and you are a true sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.(EJ) 46 Your older sister(EK) was Samaria, who lived to the north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you with her daughters, was Sodom.(EL) 47 You not only followed their ways and copied their detestable practices, but in all your ways you soon became more depraved than they.(EM) 48 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign(EN) Lord, your sister Sodom(EO) and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.(EP)
49 “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom:(EQ) She and her daughters were arrogant,(ER) overfed and unconcerned;(ES) they did not help the poor and needy.(ET) 50 They were haughty(EU) and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.(EV) 51 Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have done more detestable things than they, and have made your sisters seem righteous by all these things you have done.(EW) 52 Bear your disgrace, for you have furnished some justification for your sisters. Because your sins were more vile than theirs, they appear more righteous(EX) than you. So then, be ashamed and bear(EY) your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.
53 “‘However, I will restore(EZ) the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them,(FA) 54 so that you may bear your disgrace(FB) and be ashamed of all you have done in giving them comfort. 55 And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to what they were before; and you and your daughters will return to what you were before.(FC) 56 You would not even mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride, 57 before your wickedness was uncovered. Even so, you are now scorned(FD) by the daughters of Edom[f](FE) and all her neighbors and the daughters of the Philistines—all those around you who despise you. 58 You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your detestable practices, declares the Lord.(FF)
59 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant.(FG) 60 Yet I will remember the covenant(FH) I made with you in the days of your youth,(FI) and I will establish an everlasting covenant(FJ) with you. 61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed(FK) when you receive your sisters, both those who are older than you and those who are younger. I will give them to you as daughters,(FL) but not on the basis of my covenant with you. 62 So I will establish my covenant(FM) with you, and you will know that I am the Lord.(FN) 63 Then, when I make atonement(FO) for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed(FP) and never again open your mouth(FQ) because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord.(FR)’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 14:14 Or Danel, a man of renown in ancient literature; also in verse 20
- Ezekiel 16:6 A few Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts repeat and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!”
- Ezekiel 16:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
- Ezekiel 16:29 Or Chaldea
- Ezekiel 16:30 Or How feverish is your heart,
- Ezekiel 16:57 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate Aram
3 John
English Standard Version
3 John
English Standard Version
Greeting
1 (A)The elder to the beloved Gaius, (B)whom I love in truth.
2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. 3 For (C)I rejoiced greatly when the brothers[a] came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that (D)my children are walking in the truth.
Support and Opposition
5 Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for (E)these brothers, (F)strangers as they are, 6 who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner (G)worthy of God. 7 For they have gone out for the sake of (H)the name, (I)accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
9 I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 10 So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.
11 Beloved, (J)do not imitate evil but imitate good. (K)Whoever does good is from God; (L)whoever does evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius (M)has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and (N)you know that our testimony is true.
Final Greetings
13 (O)I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.
15 Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, (P)each by name.
Footnotes
- 3 John 1:3 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verses 5, 10
3 John
New International Version
3 John
New International Version
1 The elder,(A)
To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 It gave me great joy when some believers(B) came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.(C) 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children(D) are walking in the truth.(E)
5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters,[a](F) even though they are strangers to you.(G) 6 They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way(H) in a manner that honors(I) God. 7 It was for the sake of the Name(J) that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans.(K) 8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.
9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. 10 So when I come,(L) I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers.(M) He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.(N)
11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good.(O) Anyone who does what is good is from God.(P) Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.(Q) 12 Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone(R)—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.(S)
13 I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.(T)
15 Peace to you.(U) The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.(V)
Footnotes
- 3 John 1:5 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.