Old/New Testament
A Prophecy Confronting Jerusalem
16 This message came to me from the Lord: 2 “Son of Man, make known to Israel her detestable practices. 3 You are to declare, ‘This is what the Lord God says to Jerusalem: “Your birth place[a] was the territory that belonged to the Canaanites. Your father was an Ammonite and your mother was a Hittite. 4 Now as to your birth, on the day you were born your umbilical cord wasn’t cut. You weren’t washed with water to clean you, and nobody rubbed you with salt. And it’s certain that you weren’t wrapped in strips of cloth. 5 Nobody pitied you to do any of these things for you, and nobody showed you any compassion. You were tossed outside on the ground, because you[b] were detested from the day you were born.
6 “‘“When I passed by you, I saw you kicking around, covered in your own blood. That’s when I told you, ‘Live!’—while you were wallowing in your blood. I commanded you to live, even as you lay there in your own blood. 7 I made you increase like sprouting grain[c] in the field. As a result, you multiplied greatly. Eventually, you reached the age when young women start wearing jewelry. Your breasts were formed, your hair had grown, but you were still bare and naked.”’”
God’s Betrothal to Jerusalem
8 “When I passed by you again, I looked at you, and noticed that it was your proper time for love. I spread my cloak[d] over you to cover your nakedness. I made a solemn promise to you and entered into a covenant with you,” declares the Lord God. “You belong to me. 9 I bathed you with water, rinsed your own blood from you, and anointed you with oil. 10 Then I covered you with embroidered clothing, clothed your feet with leather sandals, wrapped[e] you with fine linen, and dressed you in silk. 11 I adorned you with jewels, placing bracelets on your hand and necklaces on your neck. 12 I put a ring in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a crown encrusted with jewels on your head. 13 You were adorned with gold, silver, clothing of fine linen, silk, and embroidery. You ate food made from the finest flour, honey, and olive oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, attaining royal status. 14 Your fame[f] spread throughout the nations because of your beauty. You were perfectly beautiful due to my splendor with which I endowed you,” declares the Lord God.
Jerusalem’s Arrogant Unfaithfulness
15 “But you trusted in your beauty. You did what whores do, as a result of your fame. You passed out your sexual favors[g] to anyone who passed by, giving yourself to anyone. 16 You took some of your clothes and made gaily-colored high places and prostituted yourself all around them—something which had never happened before nor will ever happen again.
17 “You also took your fine jewelry—including my gold and my silver that I had given you. Then you made for yourself male images and had sex with them! 18 You took your embroidered gowns and made clothes to cover them. Then you offered my olive oil and incense to them.
19 “Not only that, you took the food I gave you—my fine flour, olive oil, and honey with which I fed you, and you offered[h] them to those gods[i] in order to appease them.[j] That’s exactly what happened,” says the Lord God. 20 “Then you took your sons and daughters whom you bore for me and sacrificed them for your idols to eat. As though your prostitutions were an insignificant thing, 21 you also slaughtered my sons and offered them to idols, incinerating them in fire.[k] 22 Throughout all of your detestable practices and immorality, you never did remember your earlier life when you were bare, naked, and wallowing in your own blood.”
The Unfaithfulness of God’s People
23 “How terrible! How terrible it will be for all of your wickedness!” declares the Lord God. 24 “You built raised mounds and high places for yourself on every plaza. 25 At every street corner you made your beauty abhorrent when you made yourself available for sex to[l] anyone who was passing by. By doing this, you kept on committing more and more immorality. 26 Then you committed immorality with your neighbors, the Egyptians,[m] with perverted lust,[n] and by doing so you fornicated even more, provoking me to anger.
27 “Therefore, look out! I’ve reached out to oppose you. I withdrew your rations and delivered you[o] to those Philistine women who hate you. Even they were embarrassed at your wicked ways! 28 You committed immorality with the Assyrians,[p] because you still weren’t satisfied. You committed immorality with them, but you still weren’t satisfied. 29 You committed even more immorality with that land of the merchants, the Chaldeans. But you weren’t satisfied even with these!
30 “How weak is your heart,” declares the Lord God, “when you committed all of these deeds, the acts of an imperious whore! 31 When you built your mound on every street corner and constructed your high place at every plaza, you weren’t like a common prostitute, in that you’ve insulted the wages of a prostitute 32 who commits adultery, preferring a stranger over her husband!
33 “All prostitutes receive gifts, but you give your gifts to all your lovers, then you bribe them to come to you from everywhere to get your sexual favors![q] 34 You’re different from other women when you commit immorality—no one can match you in that![r] After all, you pay fees, but no fee is given to you. You’re certainly different!”
The Coming Punishment
35 “Therefore listen to this message from the Lord, you whore! 36 This is what the Lord God says: ‘Because your lust has been poured out and your nakedness has been uncovered by your acts of fornication with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols and the blood of your sons, whom you offered to them, 37 therefore, watch out! I’m about to gather all your lovers from whom you’ve received your pleasure, everyone whom you’ve loved, and those whom you’ve hated. I’ll gather them together to oppose you from every side, and they’ll uncover your nakedness in their presence. Then they’ll see you completely naked. 38 I’ll judge you with the same standards by which I issue verdicts against a woman who commits adultery and murder.[s] I’ll avenge the blood you’ve shed with impassioned wrath.[t]
39 “I’ll also deliver you into their control, and they’ll break down your mounds, tear down your high places, strip off your clothes, remove your fine jewels, and then they’ll leave you stark naked! 40 They’ll bring a mob against you to stone you to death[u] and cut you into pieces with their swords. 41 Then they’ll burn your houses and carry out my sentence[v] against you in the sight of many women.
“That’s how I’ll make you stop your prostitution so you won’t pay any prostitute’s fees anymore. 42 I’ll stop being angry with you, and I’ll cease being jealous.[w] I’ll be calm and not be indignant anymore. 43 Because you didn’t remember the time when you were young, but instead you provoked me to anger because of all these things, watch out! I’m going to bring your behavior back to haunt[x] you!” declares the Lord God. “Didn’t you do this wicked thing, in addition to all your other[y] detestable practices?”
Like Mother, Like Daughter
44 “Now, everyone who likes proverbs will quote this proverb about you, ‘Like mother, like daughter.’ 45 You’re the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and children. You’re the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children.
“Your mother was a Hittite and your father was an Amorite. 46 Your elder sister was Samaria. She and her daughters lived in the north,[z] while your younger sister who lived in the south[aa] with her daughters was Sodom. 47 It wasn’t just that you lived like they did and committed their detestable practices, but in just a little while your behavior led you to become more corrupt than they were!”
Sins of Sodom
48 “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “your sister Sodom and her daughters didn’t do what you and your daughters have done. 49 Look! This was the sin of your sister Sodom and her daughters: Pride, too much food, undisturbed peace, and failure to help[ab] the poor and needy. 50 In their arrogance, they committed detestable practices in my presence, so when I saw it, I removed them. 51 Samaria didn’t commit half of your sins—you practiced more detestable deeds than they did! You’ve caused your sister to be more righteous than you, because of the detestable practices that you’ve committed. 52 So now, bear your own shame as you mediate for your sisters. The sins that you’ve committed are more detestable than theirs. That makes them more righteous than you. Indeed, be ashamed and bear your reproach, because you’ve made your sisters to be more righteous than you.”
A Change in Circumstances
53 “I’ll bring them back from their captivity—that is, from the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, along with the captivity of Samaria and her daughters and the captivity of your captives among them. 54 But you’ll continue to bear your own reproach and be humiliated for everything that you’ve done. You’ll be a comfort to them. 55 Your sister Sodom and her daughters will be restored to their former status. Samaria and her daughters will be restored to their former status. Then you and your daughters will be restored to your former status.
56 “When you were being so arrogant, you never once mentioned your sister Sodom 57 before your wickedness was revealed. Now you’ve become an object of derision to the inhabitants[ac] of Aram and its neighbors, including the Philistines[ad]—all those around you who despise you. 58 You are to bear the punishment of your wickedness and detestable practices,” declares the Lord, 59 “since the Lord God says, ‘I’ll deal with you according to what you’ve done, when you despised your oath by breaking the covenant.
60 “‘Meanwhile, as for me, I’ll remember my covenant with you from when you were young, because I’ll establish an eternal covenant with you. 61 Then you’ll remember your behavior and be ashamed when you greet your sisters—your elder sister and your younger sister. I’ll give them to you as daughters, but not on account of my covenant with you. 62 I’ll establish my covenant with you, and then you’ll know that I am the Lord. 63 Then you will remember, be ashamed, and you won’t open your mouth anymore due to humiliation when I will have made atonement for you for everything that you’ve done,’ declares the Lord God.”
The Parable of the Eagle
17 This message came to me from the Lord: 2 “Son of Man, compose a riddle and relate a parable to Israel’s house. 3 Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says, “A massive eagle with gigantic wings, long pinions, and full, multi-colored plumage came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar.[ae] 4 He plucked off the top of its shoot, brought it to a land of merchants, and set it down in a city full of traders. 5 Then the eagle took a seed from the land and planted it in fertile ground. He planted it like a willow tree next to abundant waters. 6 It flourished and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward him, and its roots spread under him to become a vine that put out shoots and spread out its branches.
7 “‘“All of a sudden, there was another eagle with gigantic wings and thick plumage. The vine stretched its roots hungrily toward him and spread its branches out to him in order to be watered on the terraces where it was planted. 8 It was transplanted into good soil[af] near abundant water, and it produced branches and bore fruit, becoming a magnificent vine.”’
9 “Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says, “Will it prosper? Won’t he pull up its roots, and strip it bare so all its fresh foliage dries up? It won’t be by great strength or by a great army that it will be uprooted. 10 Look! Because it’s a transplanted vine, won’t it wither when the east wind hits it? It will surely wither in the terraces where it had started to sprout.”’”
The Meaning of the Parable
11 This message came to me from the Lord: 12 “Tell my[ag] rebellious house, ‘Don’t you know what these things mean? Look! The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, captured her king and princes, and took them with him to Babylon. 13 Then he took one of the royal descendants, made a covenant with him, and put him under an oath of loyalty, taking the leaders of the land captive 14 in order to humiliate the kingdom so it wouldn’t be able to return to power, but would still be able to continue as long as he keeps his covenant. 15 But he rebelled against the king of Babylon[ah] by sending his messengers to Egypt to obtain horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Or will the one who did this escape? Will he break the covenant, but still be delivered?’”
God will Punish the King
16 “As long as I live,” declares the Lord God, “in Babylon, that place where the king has enthroned him, whose oath he despised so as to break his covenant, he’ll die with him. 17 Pharaoh, with his massive army and large battalions won’t protect him when mounds and siege walls are built to destroy many people.[ai] 18 He despised the oath he had made and broke the covenant. Look! Because he willingly submitted,[aj] yet he has done all these things, he won’t escape.
19 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says, “As long as I live, because he despised my oath and broke my covenant, he’s going to suffer the consequences.[ak] 20 I’ll spread my net over him so that he’ll be caught in my snare. I’ll bring him to Babylon and carry out my sentence there because of his treachery toward me. 21 The fugitives of his troops will die by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to the four[al] winds. Then you’ll know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”
The Transplanted Vine
22 This is what the Lord God says, “I’m also going to take a shoot from the top of a cedar and plant it. I’ll pluck off its delicate twigs and transplant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 I’ll transplant it on Israel’s land, and it will grow branches, bear fruit, and become a majestic cedar. All sorts[am] of birds will rest under it, and they’ll settle down in the shade of its branches. 24 Then all the trees of the fields will know that I, the Lord, bring down the lofty tree and exalt the lowly tree. I dry up the green[an] tree and cause the dry tree to bud. I the Lord have spoken this, and I will fulfill it.”
Speak Wisely
3 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach[a] will be judged more severely than others.[b] 2 For all of us make many mistakes. If someone does not make any mistakes when he speaks, he is perfect and able to control his whole body. 3 Now if we put bits into horses’ mouths to make them obey us, we can guide their whole bodies as well. 4 And look at ships! They are so big that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are steered by a tiny rudder wherever the helmsman directs.
5 In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it can boast of great achievements. A huge forest can be set on fire by a little flame. 6 The tongue is a fire, a world of evil. Placed among the parts of our bodies, the tongue contaminates the whole body and sets on fire the course of life, and is itself set on fire by hell.[c] 7 For all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures can be or have been tamed by humans, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil filled with deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in God’s likeness. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. It should not be like this, my brothers! 11 A spring cannot pour both fresh and brackish water from the same opening, can it? 12 My brothers, a fig tree cannot produce olives, nor a grapevine figs, can it? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
Live Wisely
13 Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his noble conduct that his actions are done humbly and wisely. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and rivalry in your hearts, stop boasting and slandering the truth. 15 That kind of wisdom does not come from above. No, it is worldly, self-centered, and demonic. 16 For wherever jealousy and rivalry exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil.
17 However, the wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, willing to yield, full of compassion and good deeds,[d] and without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is grown from the seed of peace[e] planted by peacemakers.
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