Ezekiel 16:44-58

44Look! Everyone says that this proverb is true about you: A daughter will do the same things that her mother does.

45Yes, you are a true daughter of your mother! Your mother hated her husband and her children. And you are the same as your sisters too. They also hated their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father was an Amorite.

46Your older sister was Samaria. She and her daughters lived north of you. Your younger sister was Sodom. She and her daughters lived south of you.

47You lived like them and you did all the same disgusting things that they did. But you quickly became even worse than them.

48Your sister Sodom and her daughters never did such wicked things as you and your daughters have done. That is true as surely as I live, says the Almighty Lord.

49Listen to me! This is the wicked thing that your sister Sodom did: She and her daughters were very proud. They had plenty of food to eat and they enjoyed life. But they did not help people who were poor and weak.

50They were proud and they did whatever they wanted to do. When I saw the disgusting things that they were doing, I removed them.

51Samaria's people did less than half as many sins as you have done. You have done many more disgusting things than they did. The many wicked things that you have done make your sisters seem righteous!

52So now you must accept that you are guilty. You have done such wicked things that your sisters think that they are good people. You have done much worse things than they ever did. I must punish you even more than I punished them. So you should be ashamed and you should accept your punishment. You have made your sisters seem to be righteous.

53But one day I will cause Sodom and her daughters to enjoy life again. I will also cause Samaria and her daughters to enjoy life again. And I will also do that for you, Jerusalem.

54You will be sorry and ashamed that you did such wicked things. Your sisters will be happy that their punishment was less than yours.

55Sodom and her daughters will become as happy as they were before. Samaria and her daughters will become as happy as they were before. And you and your daughters will also become as happy as you were before.

56In the days when you were proud of yourselves, you did not respect your sister Sodom.

57But now everyone can see how wicked you are. So the other nations around you laugh at you. The people of Syria and Philistia and the nations near to them all insult you.

58You must accept your punishment because of the disgusting things that you have done. You have not been faithful to me. That is what the Almighty Lord says.