¹² The word of Adonai came to me saying, ¹³ “Son of man, suppose a land sins against Me by trespassing grievously and I stretch out My hand over it, break off its staff of bread, send famine upon it and cut it off from man and beast. ¹⁴ Even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—be in it, they would only deliver their own souls by their righteousness.” It is a declaration of Adonai.

¹⁵ “If I cause evil beasts to pass through the land and they ravage it and make it a wasteland, so that no one would pass through because of the beasts, ¹⁶ even if these three men were in it, as I live, says Adonai, they will not deliver sons or daughters. They would only deliver themselves, but the land will be desolate. ¹⁷ Or if I bring a sword on that land and say: ‘Let the sword go through the land,’ so that I cut off man and beast from it; ¹⁸ though these three men were in it, as I live, says Adonai, they will not deliver sons or daughters, for they will only deliver themselves.

¹⁹ “Or, suppose I were to send a plague to that land and pour out My fury upon it in blood, to cut off man and beast from it. ²⁰ Even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, as I live, says Adonai, they would not deliver either a son or a daughter. They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.”

²¹ For thus Adonai says: “How much more if I send My four dreadful judgments against Jerusalem—the sword, the famine, the evil beasts and the plague—to cut man and beast off from it. ²² Yet behold, survivors would remain in it who would be brought out, both sons and daughters. Behold, when they come to you and you see their ways and their deeds, you would be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought against Jerusalem, all that I have brought on it. ²³ They would comfort you when you see their ways and their deeds. So you will know that I had not done all that I had done without cause.” It is a declaration of Adonai.

Vine Wood for the Fire

15 The word of Adonai came to me saying: ² “Son of man, how can the wood of a vine be better than the branch of any tree that is among the trees of the forest? ³ Can wood be taken from it to make anything useful? Can a peg be made from it to hang anything on? ⁴ Behold, when it is cast in the fire for fuel, both ends are devoured in fire and the middle is charred—is it useful for any work? ⁵ Look, when it was whole, it was not useful for any work—how much less, when the fire has devoured it and it is charred, will it be useful for any work? ⁶ Therefore thus says Adonai Elohim: Like the vine’s wood among the trees of the forest that I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ⁷ I will set My face against them. Even if they come out of the fire, the fire will yet devour them. So you will know that I am Adonai, when I set My face against them. ⁸ I will make the land desolate, because they have acted so faithlessly.” It is a declaration of Adonai.

Harlot, Hear the Word of Adonai

16 The word of Adonai came to me saying: ² “Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her abominations ³ and say, thus says Adonai to Jerusalem: ‘Your origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite; your father was an Amorite, your mother was 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 for cleansing. You were never rubbed with salt nor were you swaddled at all. ⁵ No eye pitied you enough to do any of these things to you out of compassion. Instead you were cast out in the open field, for you were detested on the day you were born.

⁶ “When I passed by you, and saw you kicking in your blood. I said to you, ‘In your blood, live!’ Yes, I said to you, ‘In your blood, live!’ ⁷ I made you grow as myriads, like a branch of the field. You grew up, got tall and came to full adornment. Your breasts were formed, your hair sprouted. Yet you were naked and bare.

⁸ “Again I passed by and saw you, and behold, you were truly at the time of love. I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I swore to you and entered into a covenant with you,” says Adonai. “So you became Mine. ⁹ Then I washed you with water, rinsed off your blood from on you and anointed you with oil. ¹⁰ I clothed you with embroidery and put sandals of fine leather on you. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. ¹¹ I adorned you with jewelry, put bracelets on your hands and a necklace on your neck. ¹² I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears and a crown of glory on your head. ¹³ So you were adorned with gold and silver, and your raiment was of fine linen, silk and embroidery. You ate fine flour, honey and oil. You became exceedingly beautiful, and advanced to the kingdom. ¹⁴ Your fame spread among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect, through My splendor, which I bestowed on you.” It is a declaration of Adonai.

¹⁵ “But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a harlot. You poured out your enticements on everyone who passed by—they were his. ¹⁶ You took your garments, made high places decked out with various colors and fornicated on them—this should not happen, it should not be! ¹⁷ You also took your jewelry—My gold and My silver, which I gave you—made male images for yourself and committed harlotry with them. ¹⁸ You took your embroidered garments, covered them and placed My oil and My incense before them. ¹⁹ My bread that I gave you, fine flour, oil and honey that I fed you with, you set before them as a sweet aroma. That is what happened.” It is a declaration of Adonai.

²⁰ “You took your sons and your daughters whom you bore for Me, and sacrificed them to be eaten by them. Were your obscene practices not enough? ²¹ You slaughtered My children, making them pass through fire for them. ²² In all your abominations and harlotry, you have not remembered the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, kicking about in your blood. ²³ So it was after all your wickedness—oy, oy to you!” It is a declaration of Adonai.

²⁴ “Then you built a mound for yourself. You made a high place for yourself in every square. ²⁵ You built your lofty place at the head of every street. You made your beauty an abomination. You spread your legs for everyone passing by and multiplied your harlotry. ²⁶ You committed immorality with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors. You multiplied your prostitution, to provoke Me.

²⁷ “So behold, I stretched out My hand over you. I diminished your ration. I gave you over to those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your indecent conduct. ²⁸ Then you also played the harlot with the Assyrians, never being satisfied; you played the harlot with them, and still you were not satisfied. ²⁹ So you multiplied your harlotry toward the land of merchants—Chaldea—yet even with this, you were not satisfied.

³⁰ “How weak is your heart”—it is a declaration of Adonai Elohim—“while you are doing all these things, the work of a shameless harlot, ³¹ when you build your mound at the head of every road and make your high place in every street. Yet you were not like a harlot, since you scoffed at receiving payment. ³² You adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband! ³³ To all prostitutes gifts are given—but you gave your gifts to all your lovers! You bribed them to come to you from every side in your harlotry. ³⁴ So you are the opposite of other women—no one runs after you for favors. You give payment and none is given to you. So you are the opposite!

³⁵ “Therefore, harlot, hear the word of Adonai!” ³⁶ Thus says Adonai Elohim: “Because your filth was poured out and your nakedness exposed through your harlotry with your lovers, because of all the idols of your abominations, and because of the blood of your children that you gave to them, ³⁷ therefore behold, I will gather all your lovers—those you have pleased and all those you have loved, with all them that you have hated. I will gather them against you from every side. I will expose your nakedness to them, so they may all see your nakedness. ³⁸ So I will judge you, as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged. Then I will bring on you the blood of fury and jealousy. ³⁹ I will give you into their hand. They will tear down your mound and break down your high places. They will strip you of your clothes and take your jewelry. They will leave you naked and bare. ⁴⁰ They will also incite an assembly against you, stone you with stones and thrust you through with their swords. ⁴¹ They will set your houses on fire and execute judgment on you in the sight of many women. So I will cause you to stop your harlotry. You will never again pay for a lover.

¹⁸ For on the one hand, a former requirement is set aside because of its weakness and ineffectiveness— ¹⁹ for Torah made nothing perfect. But on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

²⁰ Moreover, it was not without a sworn oath. (Others indeed have become kohanim without a sworn oath, ²¹ but He with an oath—sworn by the One who said to Him, “Adonai has sworn and will not change His mind, ‘You are a kohen forever.’”^[a]) ²² How much more then has Yeshua become the guarantee of a better covenant.

²³ Now on the one hand, many have become kohanim, who through death are prevented from continuing in office. ^{[b] 24} But on the other hand, the One who does remain forever has a permanent priesthood. ²⁵ Therefore He is also able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, always living to make intercession for them.

²⁶ For such a Kohen Gadol was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. ²⁷ He has no need to offer up sacrifices day by day like those other kohanim g’dolim—first for their own sins and then for the sins of the people.^[c] For when He offered up Himself, He did this once for all. ²⁸ For the Torah appoints as kohanim g’dolim men who have weakness; but the word of the oath,^[d] which came after the Torah, appoints a Son—made perfect forever.

Adonai Still Faithful to Israel

Psalm 106