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.
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Ezekiel 16: LEB
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Ezekiel 16
16
Jerusalem as an adulterous wife
1The word of the Lord came to me: 2‘Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable practices 3and say, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem: your ancestry and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. 5No-one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised.
6‘ “Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, ‘Live!’#16:6 A few Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts repeat and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, ‘Live!’ 7I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew and developed and entered puberty. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, yet you were stark naked.
8‘ “Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.
9‘ “I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. 10I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. 11I adorned you with jewellery: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace round your neck, 12and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. 14And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendour I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.
15‘ “But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favours on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his. 16You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places, where you carried on your prostitution. You went to him, and he possessed your beauty.#16:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain. 17You also took the fine jewellery I gave you, the jewellery made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them. 18And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil and incense before them. 19Also the food I provided for you – the flour, olive oil and honey I gave you to eat – you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is what happened, declares the Sovereign Lord.
20‘ “And you took your sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough? 21You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols. 22In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, kicking about in your blood.
23‘ “Woe! Woe to you, declares the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness, 24you built a mound for yourself and made a lofty shrine in every public square. 25At every street corner you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty, spreading your legs with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed by. 26You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your neighbours with large genitals, and aroused my anger with your increasing promiscuity. 27So I stretched out my hand against you and reduced your territory; I gave you over to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were shocked by your lewd conduct. 28You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied. 29Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia,#16:29 Or Chaldea a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied.
30‘ “I am filled with fury against you,#16:30 Or How feverish is your heart, declares the Sovereign Lord, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute! 31When you built your mounds at every street corner and made your lofty shrines in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you scorned payment.
32‘ “You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband! 33All prostitutes receive gifts, but you give gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favours. 34So in your prostitution you are the opposite of others; no-one runs after you for your favours. You are the very opposite, for you give payment and none is given to you.
35‘ “Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the Lord! 36This is what the Sovereign Lord says: because you poured out your lust and exposed your naked body in your promiscuity with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children’s blood, 37therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and will strip you in front of them, and they will see you stark naked. 38I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and who shed blood; I will bring on you the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger. 39Then I will deliver you into the hands of your lovers, and they will tear down your mounds and destroy your lofty shrines. They will strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewellery and leave you stark naked. 40They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and hack you to pieces with their swords. 41They will burn down your houses and inflict punishment on you in the sight of many women. I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers. 42Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you; I will be calm and no longer angry.
43‘ “Because you did not remember the days of your youth but enraged me with all these things, I will surely bring down on your head what you have done, declares the Sovereign Lord. Did you not add lewdness to all your other detestable practices?
44‘ “Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: ‘Like mother, like daughter.’ 45You are a true daughter of your mother, who despised her husband and her children; and you are a true sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. 46Your elder sister was Samaria, who lived to the north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you with her daughters, was Sodom. 47You not only followed their ways and copied their detestable practices, but in all your ways you soon became more depraved than they. 48As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.
49‘ “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. 50They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen. 51Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have done more detestable things than they, and have made your sisters seem righteous by all these things you have done. 52Bear your disgrace, for you have furnished some justification for your sisters. Because your sins were more vile than theirs, they appear more righteous than you. So then, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.
53‘ “However, I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them, 54so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in giving them comfort. 55And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to what they were before; and you and your daughters will return to what you were before. 56You would not even mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride, 57before your wickedness was uncovered. Even so, you are now scorned by the daughters of Edom#16:57 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate Aram and all her neighbours and the daughters of the Philistines – all those around you who despise you. 58You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your detestable practices, declares the Lord.
59‘ “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant. 60Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. 61Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both those who are older than you and those who are younger. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on the basis of my covenant with you. 62So I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. 63Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord.” ’
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