Ezekiel 16
16
God’s Covenant Grace to Unfaithful and Rebellious Israel
1And the word of Yahweh came#Literally “was” to me, saying,#Literally “to say” 2“Son of man,#Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind” make known to Jerusalem its detestable things, 3and you must say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were from the land of the Canaanites,#Hebrew “Canaanite” your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite. 4And as for your birth, on the day you were born#Literally “on the day of being born you” your umbilical cord was not cut, and you were not thoroughly washed clean with water,#Literally “with water not you were cleansed for cleansing” and you were not thoroughly rubbed with salt,#Literally “being rubbed with salt you were not rubbed with salt” and you were not carefully wrapped in strips of cloth.#Literally “being wrapped in strips of cloth not you were wrapped in strips of cloth” 5No eye took pity on you#Literally “not took pity on you an eye” to do to you one of these things to show compassion for you, and you were thrown into the open field#Literally “to the face of the field” in their despising of you on the day you were born.#Literally “on the day of being born you”
6“ ‘And I passed by you, and I saw you kicking about in your blood, and I said to you in your blood, “Live! 7Grow up;#Or “A myriad I have made you” I will make you like a plant of the field.” And you grew up, and you became tall and reached full womanhood.#Literally “ornament of ornaments” Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown, but you were naked and bare.
8“ ‘And I passed by you, and I saw you, and look, your time of lovemaking had come,#Literally “your time was the time of lovemaking” and so I spread out my hem over you, and I covered your nakedness, and I swore to you, and I entered into#Hebrew “in” a covenant with you,’ declares#Literally “declaration of” the Lord Yahweh, ‘and you became mine.#Literally “and you were to me” 9And I washed you with water, and I rinsed off your blood from on you, and I anointed you with oil. 10And I clothed you with beautiful finished cloth, and I put sandals on you of fine leather, and I bound you in fine linen, and I covered you with costly fabric. 11And I adorned you with ornaments,#Hebrew “ornament” and I put a bracelet on your arms and a necklace on your neck. 12And I put an ornamental ring on your nose and earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown#Literally “a crown of splendor” on your head. 13And you adorned yourself with gold and silver, and your clothing was fine linen and costly fabric and beautiful finished cloth; you ate finely milled flour and honey and olive oil, and you became exceedingly beautiful; you were fit to be a queen.#Literally “you could succeed to queenship” 14And a name went out for you among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect because of my majesty that I bestowed on you,’ declares#Literally “declaration of” the Lord Yahweh. 15‘And you trusted in your beauty, and you prostituted on account of your name, and you poured out your fornication on every one passing by, saying, “Let it be his.” 16And you took from your clothes and you made for yourself colorful#Or “gaudy” shrines, and you prostituted on them; this had not happened before,#Literally “Not were happening” and it will not continue to happen.#Literally “and not it will be”; Hebrew text unclear 17And you took your beautiful jewelry#Literally “the jewelry of splendor” made from my gold and from my silver that I had given to you, and you made for yourself male images,#Literally “images of a male” and you prostituted with them. 18And you took the clothes of your beautiful finished cloth, and you covered them and my oil and my incense you set before them.#Literally “to the face of them” 19And my bread that I gave to you, finely milled flour and oil and honey with which I fed you, then you set it before them#Literally “to the face of them” as a pleasing odor,#Literally “a scent of an incense” and so it was,’ declares#Literally “declaration of” the Lord Yahweh. 20‘And you took your sons and your daughters whom you had borne for me, and you sacrificed them to them to be eaten,#Or “consumed” as if your whorings were not enough.#Literally “it was too little from your whorings” 21And you slaughtered my children, and you gave them to be sacrificed to them.#Literally “to cause them to cross over to them” 22And in all of your detestable things and your fornication you did not remember the days of your childhood when you were naked and bare,#Literally “at your being naked and bare” when you were kicking about in your blood.
23“ ‘And then after all of your evil! Woe, woe, to you!’ declares#Literally “declaration of” the Lord Yahweh. 24‘And then you built for yourself a mound, and you made for yourself a high place in every public square. 25At the head of every street you built your high place and you disgraced your beauty and you spread your feet for every passerby, and you increased your whoring. 26And you prostituted with the Egyptians,#Literally “sons/children of Egypt” your neighbors who were sexually aroused,#Literally “those being great of flesh” and you increased your fornication to provoke me. 27And look! I stretched out my hand against you, and I reduced your portion, and I gave you into#Hebrew “in” the desire of your haters, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed because of your lewd conduct.#Literally “your way of life” 28And you prostituted with the Assyrians#Literally “sons/children of Assyria” on account of your insatiable lust,#Literally “of no your satisfaction” and you prostituted with them, and still you were not satisfied. 29And you increased your fornication to the land of traders,#Hebrew “trader” to Chaldea, and even with this you were not satisfied. 30How hot with fever was your heart!’ declares#Literally “declaration of” the Lord Yahweh. ‘When you did#Literally “at/in you to do” all of these actions of a headstrong female prostitute,#Literally “deeds of a woman prostituting domineering” 31when you built#Literally “at/in building your” your mound at the head of every street and your high place you made on every street, yet#Hebrew “and” you were#According to the reading tradition (Qere) not like a prostitute, as you were scorning your harlot’s wages. 32O, adulterous woman! In the place of her husband she received strangers. 33To all prostitutes they give a fee, but you, you gave your gifts to all of your lovers, and you bribed them to come to you from all around in your whorings! 34And it was the opposite with you from the other women in your whorings; no one solicited you as a prostitute.#Literally “and after you not he solicited a prostitute” You gave#Literally “And at your giving” a harlot’s wages, and a harlot’s wages were not given to you, and so it was just the opposite.
35“ ‘Therefore, prostitute, hear the word of Yahweh. 36Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because of the pouring out of your shame and because your nakedness was revealed in your whoring with your lovers, and on account of all of the idols of your detestable things, and according to the blood of your children whom you gave to them, 37therefore, look! I am gathering all of your lovers whom you were pleased about,#Literally “whom you were pleased about them” and all of whom you loved in addition to all of whom you hated, and I will gather them against you from everywhere,#Literally “all around” and I will uncover your nakedness to them, and they will see all of your nakedness. 38And I will judge you with the judgment of women committing adultery and shedding blood, and I will give you the blood of rage and jealousy. 39And I will give you into their hand, and they will demolish your mound, and they will break down your high places, and they will strip you of your clothes, and they will take your beautiful jewelry,#Literally “the objects of your splendor” and they will leave you naked and bare. 40And they will bring up against you a crowd, and they will stone you with stones,#Hebrew “stone” and they will cut you to pieces with their swords. 41And they will burn your houses with fire, and they will execute against you judgments before#Literally “to the eyes of” many women, and I will stop you from prostitution, and also a harlot’s wages you will not give#Or “pay” again. 42And I will satisfy my rage on you, and my jealousy will turn away from you, and I will be calm, and I will not be angry any longer. 43Because#Literally “because that” you did not remember#According to the reading tradition (Qere) with BHS the days of your childhood and you made me angry with all of these. And in turn I, look, I will return your way upon your head,’ declares#Literally “declaration of” the Lord Yahweh, ‘and did#According to the reading tradition (Qere); cf. BHS you not do wickedness#Literally “the wickedness” in addition to all of your detestable things? 44Look! Everyone quoting a proverb#Literally “proverbing a proverb” against you, he will quote, saying,#Literally “to say” ‘Like her mother is her daughter!’ 45You are a daughter of your mother who abhorred her husband and her children, and you are a sister of your sisters who abhorred their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite, and your father was an Amorite. 46And your elder sister, she is Samaria, and her daughters, who are dwelling on your north, and your younger sister is the one dwelling on your south; she is Sodom and her daughters. 47And you have not only gone in their ways, but#Or “and” you also did according to their detestable things. In such a short time#Literally “as few little and” you behaved more corruptly than they in all of your ways. 48As surely as I live,’#Literally “live I” declares#Literally “declaration of” the Lord Yahweh, ‘surely your sister Sodom and her daughters did not do as#Hebrew “as that” you and your daughters did. 49Look! This was the iniquity of Sodom, your sister: Pride, abundance of food, and prosperous ease#Literally “and ease of granting relief” was to her and to her daughters, and she did not sustain the needy and the poor.#Literally “And the hand of the needy and the poor not she did take hold of” 50And they were proud, and they did a detestable thing before me,#Literally “to the face of me” and I removed them because#Literally “as that” I saw it. 51And Samaria did not sin according to even half of your sins,#Literally “about/as/like the half of sins your not did she sin” and you caused your detestable things to increase more than they, and you made your sister righteous in comparison with all of your detestable things that you did.#According to the reading tradition (Qere); cf. BHS 52Also,#Or “indeed” you bear your disgrace, by which you furnished justification to your sisters#Hebrew “sister” through your sins by which you acted more abominably than they; they were more righteous than you, and also,#Or “indeed” you be ashamed and bear your disgrace through your making your sister righteous.
53And I will restore their fortune, the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters, and even the fortunes of your captivity in the midst of them, 54in order that you may bear your disgrace and you may be put to shame because of all that you did at your consoling them. 55And as for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, they will return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters, they will return to their former state, and you and your daughters will return to your former state. 56And was not Sodom, your sister, a byword in your mouth in the day of your pride 57before#Literally “at not yet” your evil was uncovered? It was like the time of the scorn of the daughters of Aram and all those around her, and of the daughters of the Philistines, those all around who are despising you. 58Your wickedness and your detestable things, you, you must bear them,’ declares#Literally “declaration of” Yahweh. 59‘For thus says the Lord Yahweh: And I will do it#According to the reading tradition (Qere) to you according to what you have done,#Literally “as that you have done” who despised the oath to break covenant. 60And I, I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish with you an everlasting covenant.#Literally “a covenant of eternity” 61And you will remember your ways, and you will be ashamed when you take your sisters, both the older and the younger,#Literally “the older from you to the younger from you” and I give them to you as daughters, but not on account of your covenant. 62And I, I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am Yahweh, 63in order that you will remember, and you will be ashamed, and you will not open your mouth again#Literally “and not it will be again an opening of mouth” because of#Literally “from the face of” your disgrace when I forgive you for all that you have done!’ ” declares#Literally “declaration of” the Lord Yahweh.
Currently Selected:
Ezekiel 16: LEB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
2010 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
Ezekiel 16
16
The Lord’s Kindness to Jerusalem
1The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: 2“Human, tell Jerusalem about her hateful actions. 3Say, ‘This is what the Lord God says to Jerusalem: Your beginnings and your ancestors were in the land of the Canaanites. Your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite. 4On the day you were born, your cord was not cut. You were not washed with water to clean you. You were not rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. 5No one felt sorry enough for you to do any of these things for you. No, you were thrown out into the open field, because you were hated on the day you were born.
6“ ‘When I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, I said to you, “Live!” 7I made you grow like a plant in the field. You grew up and became tall and became like a beautiful jewel. Your breasts formed, and your hair grew, but you were naked and without clothes.
8“ ‘Later when I passed by you and looked at you, I saw that you were old enough for love. So I spread my robe over you and covered your nakedness. I also made a promise to you and entered into an agreement with you so that you became mine, says the Lord God.
9“ ‘Then I bathed you with water, washed all the blood off of you, and put oil on you. 10I put beautiful clothes made with needlework on you and put sandals of fine leather on your feet. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. 11I put jewelry on you: bracelets on your arms, a necklace around your neck, 12a ring in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. 13So you wore gold and silver. Your clothes were made of fine linen, silk, and beautiful needlework. You ate fine flour, honey, and olive oil. You were very beautiful and became a queen. 14Then you became famous among the nations, because you were so beautiful. Your beauty was perfect, because of the glory I gave you, says the Lord God.
Jerusalem Becomes a Prostitute
15“ ‘But you trusted in your beauty. You became a prostitute, because you were so famous. You had sexual relations with anyone who passed by. 16You took some of your clothes and made your places of worship colorful. There you carried on your prostitution. These things should not happen; they should never occur. 17You also took your beautiful jewelry, made from my gold and silver I had given you, and you made for yourselves male idols so you could be a prostitute with them. 18Then you took your clothes with beautiful needlework and covered the idols. You gave my oil and incense as an offering to them. 19Also, you took the bread I gave you, the fine flour, oil, and honey I gave you to eat, and you offered them before the gods as a pleasing smell. This is what happened, says the Lord God.
20“ ‘But your sexual sins were not enough for you. You also took your sons and daughters who were my children, and you sacrificed them to the idols as food. 21You killed my children and offered them up in fire to the idols. 22While you did all your hateful acts and sexual sins, you did not remember when you were young, when you were naked and had no clothes and were left in your blood.
23“ ‘How terrible! How terrible it will be for you, says the Lord God. After you did all these evil things, 24you built yourself a place to worship gods. You made for yourself a place of worship in every city square. 25You built a place of worship at the beginning of every street. You made your beauty hateful, offering your body for sex to anyone who passed by, so your sexual sins became worse and worse. 26You also had sexual relations with the Egyptians, who were your neighbors and partners in sexual sin. Your sexual sins became even worse, and they caused me to be angry. 27So then, I used my power against you and took away some of your land. I let you be defeated by those who hate you, the Philistine women, who were ashamed of your evil ways. 28Also, you had sexual relations with the Assyrians, because you could not be satisfied. Even though you had sexual relations with them, you still were not satisfied. 29You did many more sexual sins in Babylonia, the land of traders, but even this did not satisfy you.
30“ ‘Truly your will is weak, says the Lord God. You do all the things a stubborn prostitute does. 31You built your place to worship gods at the beginning of every street, and you made places of worship in every city square. But you were not like a prostitute when you refused to accept payment.
32“ ‘You are a wife who is guilty of adultery. You desire strangers instead of your husband. 33Men pay prostitutes, but you pay all your lovers to come to you. And they come from all around for sexual relations. 34So you are different from other prostitutes. No man asks you to be a prostitute, and you pay money instead of having money paid to you. Yes, you are different.
The Prostitute Is Judged
35“ ‘So, prostitute, hear the word of the Lord. 36This is what the Lord God says: You showed your nakedness to other countries. You uncovered your body in your sexual sins with them as your lovers and with all your hateful idols. You killed your children and offered their blood to your idols. 37So I will gather all your lovers with whom you found pleasure. Yes, I will gather all those you loved and those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around, and I will strip you naked in front of them so they can see your nakedness. 38I will punish you as women guilty of adultery or as murderers are punished. I will put you to death because I am angry and jealous. 39I will also hand you over to your lovers. They will tear down your places of worship and destroy other places where you worship gods. They will tear off your clothes and take away your jewelry, leaving you naked and bare. 40They will bring a crowd against you to throw stones at you and to cut you into pieces with their swords. 41They will burn down your houses and will punish you in front of many women. I will put an end to your sexual sins, and you will no longer pay your lovers. 42Then I will rest from my anger against you, and I will stop being jealous. I will be quiet and not angry anymore.
43“ ‘Because you didn’t remember when you were young, but have made me angry in all these ways, I will repay you for what you have done, says the Lord God. Didn’t you add sexual sins to all your other acts which I hate?
44“ ‘Everyone who uses wise sayings will say this about you: “The daughter is like her mother.” 45You are like your mother, who hated her husband and children. You are also like your sisters, who hated their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite, and your father was an Amorite. 46Your older sister is Samaria, who lived north of you with her daughters; your younger sister is Sodom, who lived south of you with her daughters. 47You not only followed their ways and did the hateful things they did, but you were soon worse than they were in all your ways. 48As surely as I live, says the Lord God, this is true. Your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.
49“ ‘This was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were proud and had plenty of food and lived in great comfort, but she did not help the poor and needy. 50So Sodom and her daughters were proud and did things I hate in front of me. So I got rid of them when I saw what they did. 51Also, Samaria did not do half the sins you do; you have done more hateful things than they did. So you make your sisters look good because of all the hateful things you have done. 52You will suffer disgrace, because you have provided an excuse for your sisters. They are better than you are. Your sins were even more terrible than theirs. Feel ashamed and suffer disgrace, because you made your sisters look good.
53“ ‘But I will give back to Sodom and her daughters the good things they once had. I will give back to Samaria and her daughters the good things they once had. And with them I will also give back the good things you once had 54so you may suffer disgrace and feel ashamed for all the things you have done. You even gave comfort to your sisters in their sins. 55Your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to what they were before. You and your daughters will also return to what you were before. 56You humiliated your sister Sodom when you were proud, 57before your evil was uncovered. And now the Edomite women and their neighbors humiliate you. Even the Philistine women humiliate you. Those around you hate you. 58This is your punishment for your terrible sins and for actions that I hate, says the Lord.
God Keeps His Promises
59“ ‘This is what the Lord God says: I will do to you what you have done. You hated and broke the agreement you promised to keep. 60But I will remember my agreement I made with you when you were young, and I will make an agreement that will continue forever with you. 61Then you will remember what you have done and feel ashamed when you receive your sisters—both your older and your younger sisters. I will give them to you like daughters, but not because they share in my agreement with you. 62I will set up my agreement with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. 63You will remember what you did and feel ashamed. You will not open your mouth again because of your shame, when I forgive you for all the things you have done, says the Lord God.’ ”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.