Ezekiel 16
1 Again the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
Son of man, make clear to Jerusalem her disgusting ways,
3 and say, Thus says the lord Jehovah to Jerusalem: Thy birth and thy nativity is from the land of the Canaanite. The Amorite was thy father, and thy mother was a Hittite.
And say, This is what the Lord has said to Jerusalem: Your start and your birth was from the land of the Canaanite; an Amorite was your father and your mother was a Hittite.
4 And as for thy nativity, in the day thou were born thy navel was not cut, nor were thou washed in water to cleanse thee. Thou were not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
As for your birth, on the day of your birth your cord was not cut and you were not washed in water to make you clean; you were not salted or folded in linen bands.
5 No eye pitied thee, to do any of these things to thee, to have compassion upon thee, but thou were cast out in the open field. For thy person was abhorred, in the day that thou were born.
No eye had pity on you to do any of these things to you or to be kind to you; but you were put out into the open country, because your life was hated at the time of your birth.
6 And when I passed by thee, and saw thee weltering in thy blood, I said to thee, in thy blood, Live! Yea, I said to thee, in thy blood, Live!
And when I went past you and saw you stretched out in your blood, I said to you, Though you are stretched out in your blood, have life;
7 I caused thee to multiply as that which grows in the field, and thou increased and grew great. And thou attained to excellent ornament, thy breasts were fashioned, and thy hair was grown. Yet thou were naked and bare.
And be increased in number like the buds of the field; and you were increased and became great, and you came to the time of love: your breasts were formed and your hair was long; but you were uncovered and without clothing.
8 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 swore to thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, says the lord Jehovah, and thou became mine.
Now when I went past you, looking at you, I saw that your time was the time of love; and I put my skirts over you, covering your unclothed body: and I gave you my oath and made an agreement with you, says the Lord, and you became mine.
9 Then I washed thee with water. Yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.
Then I had you washed with water, washing away all your blood and rubbing you with oil.
10 I also clothed thee with embroidered work, and shod thee with a certain skin. And I girded thee around with fine linen, and covered thee with silk.
And I had you clothed with needlework, and put leather shoes on your feet, folding fair linen about you and covering you with silk.
11 And I decked thee with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.
And I made you fair with ornaments and put jewels on your hands and a chain on your neck.
12 And I put a ring upon thy nose, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy head.
And I put a ring in your nose and ear-rings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.
13 Thus thou were decked with gold and silver, and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and embroidered work. Thou ate fine flour, and honey, and oil. And thou were very beautiful, and thou prospered to royalty.
So you were made beautiful with gold and silver; and your clothing was of the best linen and silk and needlework; your food was the best meal and honey and oil: and you were very beautiful.
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, says the lord Jehovah.
You were so beautiful that the story of you went out into all nations; you were completely beautiful because of my glory which I had put on you, says the Lord.
15 But thou trusted in thy beauty, and played the harlot because of thy renown, and poured out thy whoredoms on everyone who passed by; his it was.
But you put your faith in the fact that you were beautiful, acting like a loose woman because you were widely talked of, and offering your cheap love to everyone who went by, whoever it might be.
16 And thou took of thy garments, and made high places for thee, decked with various colors, and played the harlot upon them, things which should not come, nor should it be.
And you took your robes and made high places for yourself ornamented with every colour, acting like a loose woman on them, without shame or fear.
17 Thou also took thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and made for thee images of men, and played the harlot with them.
And you took the fair jewels, my silver and gold which I had given to you, and made for yourself male images, acting like a loose woman with them;
18 And thou took thy embroidered garments, and covered them, and set my oil and my incense before them.
And you took your robes of needlework for their clothing, and put my oil and my perfume before them.
19 My bread also which I gave thee, fine flour and oil and honey, with which I fed thee, thou even set it before them for a sweet savor, and thus it was, says the lord Jehovah.
And my bread which I gave you, the best meal and oil and honey which I gave you for your food, you put it before them for a sweet smell, says the Lord.
20 Moreover thou have taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou have borne to me, and thou have sacrificed these to them to be devoured. Were thy whoredoms a small matter,
And you took your sons and your daughters whom I had by you, offering even these to them to be their food. Was your loose behaviour so small a thing,
21 that thou have slain my children, and delivered them up, in causing them to pass through the fire to them?
That you put my children to death and gave them up to go through the fire to them?
22 And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou have not remembered the days of thy youth when thou were naked and bare, and were weltering in thy blood.
And in all your disgusting and false behaviour you had no memory of your early days, when you were uncovered and without clothing, stretched out in your blood.
23 And it has come to pass according to all thy wickedness, (woe, woe to thee! says the lord Jehovah),
And it came about, after all your evil-doing, says the Lord,
24 that thou have built thyself a vaulted place, and have made thee a lofty place in every street.
That you made for yourself an arched room in every open place.
25 Thou have built thy lofty place at the head of every way, and have made thy beauty an abomination. And have opened thy feet to everyone who passed by, and multiplied thy whoredom.
You put up your high places at the top of every street, and made the grace of your form a disgusting thing, opening your feet to everyone who went by, increasing your loose ways.
26 Thou have also committed fornication with the Egyptians, thy neighbors, great of flesh, and have multiplied thy whoredom, to provoke me to anger.
And you went with the Egyptians, your neighbours, great of flesh; increasing your loose ways, moving me to wrath.
27 Behold therefore, I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thy portion, and delivered thee to the will of those who hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of thy lewd way.
Now, then, my hand is stretched out against you, cutting down your fixed amount, and I have given you up to the desire of your haters, the daughters of the Philistines who are shamed by your loose ways.
28 Thou have played the harlot also with the Assyrians, because thou were insatiable. Yea, thou have played the harlot with them, and yet thou were not satisfied.
And you went with the Assyrians, because of your desire which was without measure; you were acting like a loose woman with them, and still you had not enough.
29 Thou have moreover multiplied thy whoredom to the land of traffic, to Chaldea, and yet thou were not satisfied with this.
And you went on in your loose ways, even as far as the land of Chaldaea, and still you had not enough.
30 How weak is thy heart, says the lord Jehovah, seeing thou do all these things, the work of an impudent harlot,
How feeble is your heart, says the Lord, seeing that you do all these things, the work of a loose and overruling woman;
31 in that thou build thy vaulted place at the head of every way, and make thy lofty place in every street. And have not even been as a harlot, in that thou scorn hire.
For you have made your arched room at the top of every street, and your high place in every open place; though you were not like a loose woman in getting together your payment.
32 A wife who commits adultery, who takes strangers instead of her husband!
The untrue wife who takes strange lovers in place of her husband!
33 They give gifts to all harlots, but thou give thy gifts to all thy lovers, and bribe them, that they may come to thee on every side for thy whoredoms.
They give payment to all loose women: but you give rewards to your lovers, offering them payment so that they may come to you on every side for your cheap love.
34 And thou are different from other women in thy whoredoms, in that none follows thee to play the harlot. And whereas thou give a wage, and no wage is given to thee, therefore thou are different.
And in your loose behaviour you are different from other women, for no one goes after you to make love to you: and because you give payment and no payment is given to you, in this you are different from them.
35 Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of Jehovah.
For this cause, O loose woman, give ear to the voice of the Lord:
36 Thus says the lord Jehovah: Because thy 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 sons, that thou gave to them,
This is what the Lord has said: Because your unclean behaviour was let loose and your body uncovered in your loose ways with your lovers and with your disgusting images, and for the blood of your children which you gave to them;
37 therefore, behold, I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou have taken pleasure, and all those whom thou have loved, with all those whom thou have hated, I will even gather them against thee on every side. And I will uncover thy nakedness to them, that they may see all thy nakedness.
For this cause I will get together all your lovers with whom you have taken your pleasure, and all those to whom you have given your love, with all those who were hated by you; I will even make them come together against you on every side, and I will have you uncovered before them so that they may see your shame.
38 And I will judge thee, as women who break wedlock and shed blood are judged. And I will bring upon thee the blood of wrath and jealousy.
And you will be judged by me as women are judged who have been untrue to their husbands and have taken life; and I will let loose against you passion and bitter feeling.
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.
I will give you into their hands, and your arched room will be overturned and your high places broken down; they will take your clothing off you and take away your fair jewels: and when they have done, you will be uncovered and shamed.
40 They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.
And they will get together a meeting against you, stoning you with stones and wounding you 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 shall also give no wage any more.
And they will have you burned with fire, sending punishments on you before the eyes of great numbers of women; and I will put an end to your loose ways, and you will no longer give payment.
42 So I will cause my wrath toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will no more be angry.
And the heat of my wrath against you will have an end, and my bitter feeling will be turned away from you, and I will be quiet and will be angry no longer.
43 Because thou have not remembered the days of thy youth, but have raged against me in all these things, therefore, behold, I also will bring thy way upon thy head, says the lord Jehovah. And thou shall not commit this lewdness with all thine abominations.
Because you have not kept in mind the days when you were young, but have been troubling me with all these things; for this reason I will make the punishment of your ways come on your head, says the Lord, because you have done this evil thing in addition to all your disgusting acts.
44 Behold, everyone who uses proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.
See, in every common saying about you it will be said, As the mother is, so is her daughter.
45 Thou are the daughter of thy mother, who loathes her husband and her sons. And thou are the sister of thy sisters, who loathed their husbands and their sons. Your mother was a Hittite, and your father an Amorite.
You are the daughter of your mother whose soul is turned in disgust from her husband and her children; and you are the sister of your sisters who were turned in disgust from their husbands and their children: your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.
46 And thine elder sister is Samaria, who dwells at thy left hand, she and her daughters. And thy younger sister, who dwells at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.
Your older sister is Samaria, living at your left hand, she and her daughters: and your younger sister, living at your right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.
47 Yet thou have not walked in their ways, nor done according to their abominations, but, like it was a very little thing, thou were more corrupt than they in all thy ways.
Still you have not gone in their ways or done the disgusting things which they have done; but, as if that was only a little thing, you have gone deeper in evil than they in all your ways.
48 As I live, says the lord Jehovah, Sodom thy sister has not done, she nor her daughters, as thou have done, thou and thy daughters.
By my life, says the Lord, Sodom your sister never did, she or her daughters, what you and your daughters have done.
49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters, and she did not strengthen the hand of a poor and needy man.
Truly, this was the sin of your sister Sodom: pride, a full measure of food, and the comforts of wealth in peace, were seen in her and her daughters, and she gave no help to the poor or to those in need.
50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me. Therefore I took them away as I saw fit.
They were full of pride and did what was disgusting to me: and so I took them away as you have seen.
51 Neither has Samaria committed half of thy sins, but thou have multiplied thine abominations more than they, and have justified thy sisters by all thine abominations which thou have done.
And Samaria has not done half your sins; but you have made the number of your disgusting acts greater than theirs, making your sisters seem more upright than you by all the disgusting things which you have done.
52 Thou also, bear thou thine own shame, in that thou have given judgment for thy sisters, through thy sins that thou have committed more abominable than they. They are more righteous than thou. Yea, be thou also confounded, and bear thy shame, in that thou have justified thy sisters.
And you yourself will be put to shame, in that you have given the decision for your sisters; through your sins, which are more disgusting than theirs, they are more upright than you: truly, you will be shamed and made low, for you have made your sisters seem upright.
53 And I will turn back 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,
And I will let their fate be changed, the fate of Sodom and her daughters, and the fate of Samaria and her daughters, and your fate with theirs.
54 that thou may bear thine own shame, and may be ashamed because of all that thou have done, in that thou are a comfort to them.
So that you will be shamed and made low because of all you have done, when I have mercy on you.
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.
And your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, will go back to their first condition, and Samaria and her daughters will go back to their first condition, and you and your daughters will go back to your first condition.
56 For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride,
Was not your sister Sodom an oath in your mouth in the day of your pride,
57 before thy wickedness was uncovered, as at the time of the reproach of the daughters of Syria, and of all who are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, who do despite to thee round about.
Before your shame was uncovered? Now you have become like her a word of shame to the daughters of Edom and all who are round about you, the daughters of the Philistines who put shame on you round about.
58 Thou have borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, says Jehovah.
The reward of your evil designs and your disgusting ways has come on you, says the Lord.
59 For thus says the lord Jehovah: I will also deal with thee as thou have done, who have despised the oath in breaking the covenant.
For this is what the Lord has said: I will do to you as you have done, you who, putting the oath on one side, have let the agreement be broken.
60 Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish to thee an everlasting covenant.
But still I will keep in mind the agreement made with you in the days when you were young, and I will make with you an eternal agreement.
61 Then thou shall remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shall receive thy sisters, thine elder sisters and thy younger, and I will give them to thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.
Then at the memory of your ways you will be overcome with shame, when I take your sisters, the older and the younger, and give them to you for daughters, but not by your agreement.
62 And I will establish my covenant with thee, and thou shall know that I am Jehovah,
And I will make my agreement with you; and you will be certain that I am the Lord:
63 that thou may remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy shame, when I have forgiven thee all that thou have done, says the lord Jehovah.
So that, at the memory of these things, you may be at a loss, never opening your mouth because of your shame; when you have my forgiveness for all you have done, says the Lord.
