Ezekiel 16
1 And the word of the Lord was maad to me,
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 and he seide, Sone of man, make thou knowun to Jerusalem her abhomynaciouns; and thou schalt seie,
Son of man, make clear to Jerusalem her disgusting ways,
3 The Lord God seith these thingis. A! thou Jerusalem, thi rote and thi generacioun is of the lond of Canaan; thi fadir is Amorrei, and thi moder is Cetei.
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 whanne thou were borun, thi nawle was not kit awei in the dai of thi birthe, and thou were not waischun in watir in to helthe, nethir saltid with salt, nether wlappid in clothis.
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 An iye sparide not on thee, that it hauynge merci on thee, dide to thee oon of these thingis; but thou were cast forth on the face of erthe, in the castynge out of thi soule, in the dai in which thou were borun.
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 Forsothe Y passide bi thee, and Y siy thee defoulid in thi blood; and Y seide to thee, whanne thou were in thi blood, Lyue thou; sotheli Y seide to thee in thi blood, Lyue thou.
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 Y yaf thee multiplied as the seed of a feeld, and thou were multiplied, and maad greet; and thou entridist, and camest fulli to wymmens ournyng; thi tetis wexiden greet, and thin heer wexide; and thou were nakid, and ful of schenschipe.
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 And Y passide bi thee, and Y siy thee, and lo! thi tyme, the tyme of louyeris; and Y spredde abrood my clothing on thee, and Y hilide thi schenschipe. And Y swoor to thee, and Y made a couenaunt with thee, seith the Lord God, and thou were maad a wijf to me.
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 And Y waischide thee in water, and Y clenside awei thi blood fro thee, and Y anoyntide thee with oile.
Then I had you washed with water, washing away all your blood and rubbing you with oil.
10 And Y clothide thee with clothis of dyuerse colours, and Y schodde thee in iacynct, and Y girde thee with biys;
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 Y clothide thee with sutil thingis, and Y ournede thee with ournement.
And I made you fair with ornaments and put jewels on your hands and a chain on your neck.
12 And Y yaf bies in thin hondis, and a wrethe aboute thi necke; and Y yaf a ryng on thi mouth, and cerclis to thin eeris, and a coroun of fairnesse in thin heed.
And I put a ring in your nose and ear-rings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.
13 And thou were ourned with gold and siluer, and thou were clothid with biys and ray cloth with rounde ymagis, and many colours. Thou etist cleene flour of wheete, and hony, and oile, and thou were maad fair ful greetli; and thou encreessidist in to a rewme,
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 thi name yede out in to hethene men for thi fairnesse; for thou were perfit in my fairnesse which Y hadde sett on thee, seith the Lord God.
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 And thou haddist trist in thi fairnesse, and didist fornicacioun in thi name; and thou settidist forth thi fornicacioun to ech that passide forth, that thou schuldist be maad his.
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 tokist of my clothis, and madist to thee hiy thingis set aboute on ech side; and thou didist fornycacioun on tho, as it was not don, nether schal be don.
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 And thou tokist the vessels of thi fairnesse, of my gold and of my siluer, which Y yaf to thee; and thou madist to thee ymagis of men, and didist fornycacioun in tho.
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 tokist thi clothis of many colours, and thou were clothid in tho; and thou settidist myn oile and myn encence in the siyt of tho.
And you took your robes of needlework for their clothing, and put my oil and my perfume before them.
19 And thou settidist my breed, which Y yaf to thee, flour of wheete, and oile, and hony, bi whiche Y nurschide thee, in the siyt of tho, in to odour of swetnesse; and it was don, seith the Lord God.
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 And thou tokist thi sones and thi douytris, whiche thou gendridist to me, and offridist to tho, for to be deuourid. Whether thi fornicacioun is litil?
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 Thou offridist my sones, and yauest hem, and halewidist to tho.
That you put my children to death and gave them up to go through the fire to them?
22 And aftir alle thin abhomynaciouns and fornicaciouns, thou bithouytist not on the daies of thi yong wexynge age, whanne thou were nakid, and ful of schenschipe, and were defoulid in thi 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 after al thi malice, wo, wo bifelle to thee, seith the Lord God.
And it came about, after all your evil-doing, says the Lord,
24 And thou bildidist to thee a bordel hous, and madist to thee a place of hordom in alle stretis.
That you made for yourself an arched room in every open place.
25 At ech heed of the weie thou bildidist a signe of thin hordom, and madist thi fairnesse abhomynable; and thou departidist thi feet to ech man passynge forth, and multepliedist thi fornicaciouns.
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 And thou didist fornicacioun with the sones of Egipt, thi neiyboris of grete fleischis, and thou multepliedist thi fornicacioun, to terre me to wraththe.
And you went with the Egyptians, your neighbours, great of flesh; increasing your loose ways, moving me to wrath.
27 Lo! Y schal stretch forth myn hond on thee, and Y schal take awei thi iustifiyng; and Y schal yyue thee in to the soulis of hem that haten thee, of the douytris of Palestyns, that ben aschamed in thi weie ful of greet trespas.
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 And thou didist fornicacioun with the sones of Assiriens, for thou were not fillid yit; and after that thou didist fornicacioun, nether so thou were fillid.
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 And thou multipliedist thi fornycacioun in the lond of Canaan with Caldeis, and nether so thou were fillid.
And you went on in your loose ways, even as far as the land of Chaldaea, and still you had not enough.
30 In what thing schal Y clense thin herte, seith the Lord God, whanne thou doist alle these werkis of a womman an hoore, and gredi axere?
How feeble is your heart, says the Lord, seeing that you do all these things, the work of a loose and overruling woman;
31 For thou madist thi bordel hous in `the heed of ech weie, and thou madist thin hiy place in ech street; and thou were not maad as an hoore ful of anoiyng,
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 encreessynge prijs, but as a womman auowtresse, that bryngith in aliens on hir hosebonde.
The untrue wife who takes strange lovers in place of her husband!
33 Hiris ben youun to alle hooris, but thou hast youe hire to alle thi louyeris; and thou yauest to hem, that thei schulden entre to thee on ech side, to do fornycacioun with thee.
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 it was don in thee ayens the custom of wymmen in thi fornycaciouns, and fornicacioun schal not be after thee; for in that that thou yauest hiris, and tokist not hiris, the contrarie was don in thee.
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 Therfor, thou hoore, here the word of the Lord.
For this cause, O loose woman, give ear to the voice of the Lord:
36 The Lord God seith these thingis, For thi riches is sched out, and thi schenschipe is schewid in thi fornicaciouns on thi louyeris, and on the idols of thin abhomynaciouns, in the blood of thi sones, whiche thou yauest to hem; lo!
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 Y schal gadere to gidere alle thi louyeris, with whiche thou were meddlid, and alle men whiche thou louedist, with alle men whiche thou hatidist; and Y schal gadere hem on thee on ech side, and Y schal make nakid thi schenschipe bifore hem, and thei schulen se al thi filthe.
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 Y schal deme thee bi the domes of auoutressis, and schedinge out blood;
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 and Y schal yyue thee in to the blood of strong veniaunce, and of feruour. And Y schal yyue thee in to the hondis of hem, and thei schulen destrie thi bordel hous, and thei schulen destrie the place of thin hordom; and thei schulen make thee nakid of thi clothis, and thei schulen take awei the vessels of thi fairnesse, and thei schulen forsake thee nakid, and ful of schenschipe.
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 And thei schulen bringe on thee a multitude, and thei schulen stoon thee with stoonys, and thei schulen sle thee with her swerdis.
And they will get together a meeting against you, stoning you with stones and wounding you with their swords.
41 And thei schulen brenne thin housis with fier, and thei schulen make domes in thee, bifor the iyen of ful many wymmen; and thou schalt ceese to do fornicacioun, and thou schalt no more yyue hiris.
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 And myn indignacioun schal reste in thee, and my feruent loue schal be takun awei fro thee; and Y schal reste, and Y schal no more be wrooth,
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 for thou haddist not mynde on the daies of thi yong wexynge age, and thou terridist me to ire in alle these thingis. Wherfor and Y yaf thi weies in thin heed, seith the Lord God, and Y dide not aftir thi grete trespassis, in alle these thin abhomynaciouns.
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 Lo! ech man that seith a prouerbe comynli, schal take it in thee,
See, in every common saying about you it will be said, As the mother is, so is her daughter.
45 and schal seie, As the modir, so and the douytir of hir. Thou art the douyter of thi modir, that castide awey hir hosebonde and hir sones; and thou art the sister of thi sistris, that castiden a wei her hosebondis and her sones. Thi modir is Cetei, and thi fadir is Ammorrei;
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 thi gretter sister is Samarie, sche and hir douytris, that dwellen at thi left side; but thi sistir lesse than thou, that dwellith at thi riyt side, is Sodom, and hir douytris.
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 But thou yedist not in the weies of hem, nethir thou didist aftir the grete trespassis of hem; hast thou do almest a litil lesse cursidere dedis than thei, in alle thi weies?
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 Y lyue, seith the Lord God, for Sodom, thi sister, did not, sche and hir douytris, as thou didist, and thi douytris.
By my life, says the Lord, Sodom your sister never did, she or her daughters, what you and your daughters have done.
49 Lo! this was the wickidnesse of Sodom, thi sister, pride, fulnesse of breed, and habundaunce, and idilnesse of hir, and of hir douytris; and thei puttiden not hond to a nedi man and pore.
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 thei weren enhaunsid, and diden other abhominaciouns bifore me; and Y took hem awei, as thou hast seyn.
They were full of pride and did what was disgusting to me: and so I took them away as you have seen.
51 And Samarie synnede not the half of thi synnes, but thou hast ouercome hem in thi grete trespassis; and thou hast iustified thi sistris in alle thin abhomynaciouns, whiche thou wrouytist.
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 Therfor and thou bere thi schenschipe, that hast ouercome thi sistris with thi synnes, and didist more cursidli than thei; for thei ben iustified of thee. Therfor and be thou schent, and bere thi schenschipe, which hast iustified thi sistris.
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 Y schal conuerte and restore hem by the conuersioun of Sodom with hir douytris, and bi the conuersioun of Samarie and of hir douytris; and Y schal conuerte thi turnyng ayen in the myddis of hem,
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 bere thi schenschipe, and be aschamed in alle thingis whiche thou didist, coumfortynge hem.
So that you will be shamed and made low because of all you have done, when I have mercy on you.
55 And thi sister Sodom and hir doytris schulen turne ayen to her eldnesse; and Samarie and hir douytris shulen turne ayen to her eeldnesse; and thou and thi douytris turne ayen to youre eldnesse.
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 Forsothe Sodom, thi sister, was not herd in thi mouth, in the dai of thi pride,
Was not your sister Sodom an oath in your mouth in the day of your pride,
57 bifore that thi malice was schewid, as in this tyme, in to schenschipe of the douytris of Sirie, and of alle douytris in thi cumpas, of the douytris of Palestyn that ben aboute thee bi cumpas.
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 hast bore thi greet trespas, and thi schenschipe, seith the Lord God.
The reward of your evil designs and your disgusting ways has come on you, says the Lord.
59 For the Lord God seith these thingis, And Y schal do to thee as thou dispisidist the ooth, that thou schuldist make voide the couenaunt;
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 and Y schal haue mynde on my couenaunt with thee in the daies of thi yongthe, and Y schal reise to thee a couenaunt euerlastynge.
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 And thou schalt haue mynde on thi weies, and schalt be aschamed, whanne thou schalt resseyue thi sistris grettere than thou, with thi lesse sistris; and Y schal yyue hem in to douytris to thee, but not of thi couenaunt.
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 Y schal reise my couenaunt with thee, and thou schalt wite, that Y am the Lord, that thou haue mynde, and be aschamed;
And I will make my agreement with you; and you will be certain that I am the Lord:
63 and that it be no more to thee to opene the mouth for thi schame, whanne Y schal be plesid to thee in alle thingis whiche thou didist, seith the Lord God.
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.
