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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Ezechiel (Ezekiel) 16
16
1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
2Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations.
3And thou shalt say: Thus saith the Lord God to Jerusalem: Thy root and thy nativity is of the land of Chanaan. Thy father was an Amorrhite and thy mother a Cethite.
4And when thou wast born, in the day of thy nativity thy navel wast not cut, neither wast thou washed with water for thy health, nor salted with salt, nor swaddled with clouts.
5No eye had pity on thee to do any of these things for thee, out of compassion to thee: but thou wast cast out upon the face of the earth in the abjection of thy soul, in the day that thou wast born.
6And passing by thee, I saw that thou wast trodden under foot in thy own blood. And I said to thee when thou wast in thy blood: Live. I have said to thee: Live in thy blood.
7I caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field: and thou didst increase and grow great and advancedst and camest to woman's ornament. Thy breasts were fashioned and thy hair grew: and thou wast naked and full of confusion.
8And I passed by thee and saw thee: and, behold, thy time was the time of lovers: and I spread my garment over thee and covered thy ignominy. And I swore to thee and I entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God. And thou becamest mine.
9And I washed thee with water and cleansed away thy blood from thee: and I anointed thee with oil.
10And I clothed thee with embroidery and shod thee with violet-coloured shoes: and I girded thee about with fine linen and clothed thee with fine garments.
11I decked thee also with ornaments and put bracelets on thy hands and a chain about thy neck.
12And I put a jewel upon thy forehead and earrings in thy ears and a beautiful crown upon thy head.
13And thou wast adorned with gold and silver, and wast clothed with fine linen and embroidered work and many colours: thou didst eat fine flour and honey and oil: and wast made exceeding beautiful and wast advanced to be a queen.
14And thy renown went forth among the nations for thy beauty: for thou wast perfect through my beauty which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God.
15But trusting in thy beauty, thou playedst the harlot because of thy renown and thou hast prostituted thyself to every passenger, to be his.
16And taking of thy garments thou hast made thee high places sewed together on each side: and hast played the harlot upon them, as hath not been done before nor shall be hereafter.
17And thou tookest thy beautiful vessels, of my gold and my silver which I gave thee, and thou madest thee images of men and hast committed fornication with them.
18And thou tookest thy garments of divers colours and coveredst them: and settest my oil and my sweet incense before them.
19And my bread which I gave thee, the fine flour and oil and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast set before them for a sweet odour: and it was done, saith the Lord God.
20And thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne to me, and hast sacrificed the same to them to be devoured. Is thy fornication small?
21Thou hast sacrificed and given my children to them, consecrating them by fire.
22And after all thy abominations and fornications, thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and full of confusion, trodden under foot in thy own blood.
23And it came to pass after all thy wickedness (Woe, Woe to thee, saith the Lord God)
24That thou didst also build thee a common stew and madest thee a brothel house in every street.
25At every head of the way thou hast set up a sign of thy prostitution, and hast made thy beauty to be abominable, and hast prostituted thyself to every one that passed by, and hast multiplied thy fornications.
26And thou hast committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, men of large bodies, and hast multiplied thy fornications to provoke me.
27Behold, I will stretch out my hand upon thee and will take away thy justification: and I will deliver thee up to the will of the daughters of the Philistines that hate thee, that are ashamed of thy wicked way.
28Thou hast also committed fornication with the Assyrians, because thou wast not yet satisfied: and after thou hadst played the harlot with them, even so thou wast not contented.
29Thou hast also multiplied thy fornications in the land of Chanaan with the Chaldeans: and neither so wast then satisfied.
30Wherein shall I cleanse thy heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou dost all these the works of a shameless prostitute?
31Because thou hast built thy brothel house at the head of every way and thou hast made thy high place in every street: and wast not as a harlot that by disdain enhanceth her price,
32But as an adulteress that bringeth in strangers over her husband.
33Gifts are given to all harlots: but thou hast given hire to all thy lovers, and thou hast given them gifts to come to thee from every side, to commit fornication with thee.
34And it hath happened in thee contrary to the custom of women in thy fornications, and after thee there shall be no such fornication: for in that thou gavest rewards and didst not take rewards, the contrary hath been done in thee.
35Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord.
36Thus saith the Lord God: Because thy money hath been poured out and thy shame discovered through thy fornications with thy lovers and with the idols of thy abominations, by the blood of thy children whom thou gavest them:
37Behold, I will gather together all thy lovers with whom thou hast taken pleasure and all whom thou hast loved with all whom thou hast hated: and I will gather them together against thee on every side and will discover thy shame in their sight: and they shall see all thy nakedness.
38And I will judge thee as adulteresses and they that shed blood are judged: and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.
39And I will deliver thee into their hands: and they shall destroy thy brothel house and throw down thy stews. And they shall strip thee of thy garments and shall take away the vessels of thy beauty and leave thee naked and full of disgrace.
40And they shall bring upon thee a multitude: and they shall stone thee with stones and shall slay thee with their swords.
41And they shall burn thy houses with fire and shall execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and thou shalt cease from fornication and shalt give no hire any more.
42And my indignation shall rest in thee and my jealousy shall depart from thee: and I will cease and be angry no more.
43Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast provoked me in all these things: wherefore I also have turned thy ways upon thy head, saith the Lord God, and I have not done according to thy wicked deeds in all thy abominations.
44Behold, every one that useth a common proverb shall use this against thee, saying: As the mother was, so also is her daughter.
45Thou art thy mother's daughter, that cast off her husband and her children: and thou art the sister of thy sisters, who cast off their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Cethite, and your father an Amorrhite.
46And thy elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister that dwelleth at thy right hand is Sodom and her daughters.
47But neither hast thou walked in their ways, nor hast thou done a little less than they according to their wickednesses: thou hast done almost more wicked things than they in all thy ways
48 As I live, saith the Lord God, thy sister Sodom herself and her daughters have not done as thou hast done and thy daughters.
49Behold, this was the iniquity of Sodom thy sister, pride, fulness of bread and abundance, and the idleness of her and of her daughters: and they did not put forth their hand to the needy and to the poor.
50And they were lifted up and committed abominations before me: and I took them away, as thou hast seen.
51And Samaria committed not half thy sins: but thou hast surpassed them with thy crimes and hast justified thy sisters by all thy abominations which thou hast done.
52Therefore, do thou also bear thy confusion, thou that hast surpassed thy sisters with thy sins doing more wickedly than they: for they are justified above thee. Therefore be thou also confounded and bear thy shame, thou that hast justified thy sisters.
53And I will bring back and restore them by bringing back Sodom, with her daughters, and by bringing back Samaria and her daughters: and I will bring those that return of thee in the midst of them.
54That thou mayest bear thy shame and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, comforting them.
55And thy sister Sodom and her daughters shall return to their ancient state: and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their ancient state: and thou and thy daughters shall return to your ancient state.
56And Sodom thy sister was not heard of in thy mouth, in the day of thy pride,
57Before thy malice was laid open: as it is at this time, making thee a reproach of the daughters of Syria and of all the daughters of Palestine round about thee, that encompass thee on all sides.
58Thou hast borne thy wickedness and thy disgrace, saith the Lord God.
59For thus saith the Lord God: I will deal with thee as thou hast despised the oath, in breaking the covenant:
60And I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth: and I will establish with thee an everlasting covenant.
61And thou shalt remember thy ways and be ashamed when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thy elder and thy younger: and I will give them to thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.
62And I will establish my covenant with thee: and thou shalt know that I am the Lord,
63That thou mayest remember and be confounded and mayest no more open thy mouth because of thy confusion, when I shall be pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.