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 Is Unfaithful
1The Lord said:
2Ezekiel, son of man, remind the people of Jerusalem of their disgusting sins 3and tell them that I, the Lord God, am saying:
Jerusalem, you were born in the country where Canaanites lived. Your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite.#16.3 Amorite … Hittite: People who lived in Canaan before the Israelites and who worshiped idols. 4When you were born, no one cut you loose from your mother or washed your body. No one rubbed your skin with salt and olive oil,#16.4 rubbed your skin with salt and olive oil: People believed this toughened the skin of the babies. and wrapped you in warm blankets. 5Not one person loved you enough to do any of these things, and no one even felt sorry for you. You were despised, thrown into a field, and forgotten.
6I saw you lying there, rolling around in your own blood, and I couldn't let you die. 7I took care of you, like someone caring for a tender, young plant. You grew up to be a beautiful young woman with mature breasts and hair, but you were still naked.
8When I saw you again, you were old enough to have sex. So I covered your naked body with my own robe.#16.8 I covered your naked body with my own robe: To show that he would protect and take care of her. Then I solemnly promised that you would belong to me and that I, the Lord God, would take care of you.
9I washed the blood off you and rubbed your skin with olive oil. 10I gave you the finest clothes and the most expensive robes,#16.10 most expensive robes: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. as well as sandals made from the best leather. 11I gave you bracelets, a necklace, 12a ring for your nose, some earrings, and a beautiful crown. 13Your jewelry was gold and silver, and your clothes were made of only the finest material and embroidered linen. Your bread was baked from fine flour, and you ate honey and olive oil. You were as beautiful as a queen, 14and everyone on earth knew it. I, the Lord God, had helped you become a lovely young woman.
15You learned that you were attractive enough to have any man you wanted, so you offered yourself to every passerby.#16.15 so you offered yourself to every passerby: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. 16You made shrines for yourself and decorated them with some of your clothes. That's where you took your visitors to have sex with them. These things should never have happened!#16.16 These things should never have happened: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. 17You made idols out of the gold and silver jewelry I gave you, then you sinned by worshiping those idols. 18You dressed them in the clothes you got from me, and you offered them the olive oil and incense I gave you. 19I supplied you with fine flour, olive oil, and honey, but you sacrificed it all as offerings to please those idols. I, the Lord God, watched this happen.
20But you did something even worse than that—you sacrificed your own children to those idols! 21You slaughtered my children, so you could offer them as sacrifices. 22You were so busy sinning and being a prostitute that you refused to think about the days when you were young and were rolling around naked in your own blood.
23Now I, the Lord God, say you are doomed! Not only did you do these evil things, 24but you also built places on every street corner 25where you disgraced yourself by having sex with anyone who walked by. And you did that more and more every day! 26To make me angry, you even offered yourself to Egyptians, who were always ready to sleep with you.
27So I punished you by letting those greedy Philistine enemies take over some of your territory. But even they were offended by your repulsive behavior.
28You couldn't get enough sex, so you chased after Assyrians and slept with them. You still weren't satisfied, 29so you went after Babylonians. But those merchants could not satisfy you either.
30I, the Lord God, say that you were so disgusting that you would have done anything to get what you wanted.#16.30 wanted: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 30. 31You had sex on every street corner, and when you finished, you refused to accept money. That's worse than being a prostitute! 32You are nothing but an unfaithful wife who would rather have sex with strangers than with your own husband. 33Prostitutes accept money for having sex, but you bribe men from everywhere to have sex with you. 34You're not like other prostitutes. Men don't ask you for sex—you offer to pay them!
Jerusalem Must Be Punished
The Lord said:
35Jerusalem, you prostitute, listen to me. 36You chased after lovers, then took off your clothes and had sex. You even worshiped disgusting idols and sacrificed your own children as offerings to them. 37So I, the Lord God, will gather every one of your lovers, those you liked and those you hated. They will stand around you, and I will rip off your clothes and let all of those lovers stare at your nakedness. 38I will find you guilty of being an unfaithful wife and a murderer, and in my fierce anger I will sentence you to a violent death! 39Then I will hand you over to your lovers, who will tear down the places where you had sex. They will take your clothes and jewelry, leaving you naked and empty-handed.
40Your lovers and an angry mob will stone you to death; they will cut your dead body into pieces 41and burn down your houses. Other women will watch these terrible things happen to you. I promise to stop you from being a prostitute and paying your lovers for sex.
42Only then will I calm down and stop being angry and jealous. 43You made me furious by doing all these disgusting things and by forgetting how I took care of you when you were young. Then you made things worse by acting like a prostitute. You must be punished! I, the Lord God, have spoken.
Jerusalem's Two Sisters
The Lord said:
44People will use this saying about you, Jerusalem: “If the mother is bad, so is her daughter.” 45You are just like your mother, who hated her husband and her own children. You are also like your sisters, who hated their husbands and children. Your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite.#16.45 Amorite … Hittite: See the note at 16.3. 46Your older sister was Samaria, that city to your north with her nearby villages. Your younger sister was Sodom, that city to your south with her nearby villages. 47You followed their way of life and their wicked customs, and soon you were more repulsive than they were.
48As surely as I am the living Lord God, the people of Sodom and its nearby villages were never as sinful as you. 49They were arrogant and spoiled; they had everything they needed and still refused to help the poor and needy. 50They thought they were better than everyone else, and they did things I hate. And so I destroyed them.
51You people of Jerusalem have sinned twice as much as the people of Samaria. In fact, your evil ways have made both Sodom and Samaria look innocent. 52So their punishment will seem light compared to yours. You will be disgraced and put to shame because of your disgusting sins.
Jerusalem Will Be Ashamed
The Lord said to Jerusalem:
53Someday I will bless Sodom and Samaria and their nearby villages. I will also bless you, Jerusalem. 54Then you will be ashamed of how you've acted, and Sodom and Samaria will be relieved that they weren't as sinful as you. 55When that day comes, you and Sodom and Samaria will once again be well-off, and all nearby villages will be restored.
56Jerusalem, you were so arrogant that you sneered at Sodom. 57But now everyone has learned how wicked you really are. The countries of Syria and Philistia, as well as your other neighbors, hate you and make insulting remarks. 58You must pay for all the vulgar and disgusting things you have done. I, the Lord, have spoken.
The Lord Makes a Promise to Jerusalem
The Lord said:
59Jerusalem, you deserve to be punished, because you broke your promises and ignored our agreement. 60But I remember the agreement I made with you when you were young,#16.60 the agreement … when you were young: See verse 8. and so I will make you a promise that will last forever. 61When you think about how you acted, you will be ashamed, especially when I return your sisters#16.61 sisters: Sodom and Samaria (see verses 44-52). to you as daughters, even though this was not part of our agreement.#16.61 even though this was not part of our agreement: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. 62I will keep this solemn promise, and you will know that I am the Lord. 63I will forgive you, but you will think about your sins and be too ashamed to say a word. I, the Lord God, have spoken.
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