Ezekiel 16

God’s Grace to Unfaithful Jerusalem

1Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, 1make known to Jerusalem her abominations 3and say, ‘Thus says the Lord 2God to Jerusalem, “Your origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite, your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4As for your birth, 3on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing; you were not rubbed with salt or even wrapped in cloths. 5No eye looked with pity on you to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you. Rather you were thrown out into the 45open field, 6for you were abhorred on the day you were born.

6“When I passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood, I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ 7I 7made you 8numerous like plants of the field. Then you grew up, became tall and reached the age for fine ornaments; your breasts were formed and your hair had grown. Yet you were naked and bare.

8“Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, 9you were at the time for love; so I 10spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also 11swore to you and 12entered into a covenant with you so that you 13became Mine,” declares the Lord God. 9“Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you and 14anointed you with oil. 10I also clothed you with 15embroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 11I adorned you with ornaments, put 16bracelets on your hands and a 17necklace around your neck. 12I also put a 18ring in your nostril, earrings in your ears and a 19beautiful crown on your head. 13Thus you were adorned with 20gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey and oil; so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to 21royalty. 14Then your 22fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was 23perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you,” declares the Lord God.

15“But you 24trusted in your beauty and 25played the harlot because of your fame, and you poured out your harlotries on every passer-by 26who might be willing. 16You took some of your clothes, made for yourself high places of various colors and played the harlot on them, 27which should never come about nor happen. 17You also took your beautiful 2829jewels made of My gold and of My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images that you might play the harlot with them. 18Then you took your embroidered cloth and covered them, and offered My oil and My incense before them. 19Also 30My bread which I gave you, fine flour, oil and honey with which I fed you, 31you would offer before them for a soothing aroma; so it happened,” declares the Lord God. 20“Moreover, you took your sons and daughters whom you had borne to 32Me and 33sacrificed them to 34idols to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter? 21You slaughtered 35My children and offered them up to 36idols by 37causing them to pass through the fire. 22Besides all your abominations and harlotries you did not remember the days of 38your youth, when you were naked and bare and squirming in your blood.

23“Then it came about after all your wickedness (‘Woe, woe to you!’ declares the Lord God), 24that you built yourself a 39shrine and made yourself a 40high place in every square. 25You built yourself a high place at the top of 41every street and made your beauty abominable, and you spread your legs to every passer-by to multiply your harlotry. 26You also played the harlot with the Egyptians, your 42lustful neighbors, and multiplied your harlotry to 43make Me angry. 27Behold now, I have stretched out My hand against you and diminished your rations. And I delivered you up to the desire of those who hate you, the 44daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your lewd conduct. 28Moreover, you played the harlot with the 45Assyrians because you were not satisfied; you played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied. 29You also multiplied your harlotry with the land of merchants, Chaldea, yet even with this you were not satisfied.”’”

30“How 46languishing is your heart,” declares the Lord God, “while you do all these things, the actions of a 4748bold-faced harlot. 31When you built your shrine at the beginning of every street and made your high place in every square, in 49disdaining money, you were not like a harlot. 32You adulteress wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband! 3350Men give gifts to all harlots, but you 51give your gifts to all your lovers to bribe them to come to you from every direction for your harlotries. 34Thus you are different from those women in your harlotries, in that no one plays the harlot 52as you do, because you give money and no money is given you; thus you are different.”

35Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord. 36Thus says the Lord God, “Because your lewdness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered through your harlotries with your lovers and with all your detestable 53idols, and because of the blood of your sons which you gave to 54idols, 37therefore, behold, I will 55gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, even all those whom you loved and all those whom you 56hated. So I will gather them against you from every direction and 57expose your nakedness to them that they may see all your nakedness. 38Thus I will 58judge you like women who commit adultery or shed blood are judged; and I will bring on you the blood of 59wrath and jealousy. 39I will also give you into 60the hands of your lovers, and they will tear down your shrines, demolish your high places, 61strip you of your clothing, take away your 62jewels, and will leave you naked and bare. 40They will 63incite a 64crowd against you and they will stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. 41They will 65burn your houses with fire and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women. Then I will 66stop you from playing the harlot, and you will also no longer pay 67your lovers. 42So I 68will calm My fury against you and My jealousy will depart from you, and I will be pacified and angry 69no more. 43Because you have 70not remembered the days of your youth but 71have 72enraged Me by all these things, behold, I in turn will 73bring your conduct down on your own head,” declares the Lord God, “so that you will not commit this lewdness on top of all your other abominations.

44“Behold, everyone who quotes 74proverbs will quote this proverb concerning you, saying, ‘75Like mother, 76like daughter.’ 45You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and children. You are also the 77sister of your sisters, who 78loathed their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. 46Now your 79older sister is Samaria, who lives 80north of you with her 81daughters; and your younger sister, who lives 82south of you, is 83Sodom with her 84daughters. 47Yet you have not merely walked in their ways or done according to their abominations; but, as if that were 85too little, you acted 86more corruptly in all your conduct than they. 48As I live,” declares the Lord God, “Sodom, your sister and her daughters have 87not done as you and your daughters have done. 49Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had 88arrogance, 89abundant food and 90careless ease, but she did not 91help the 92poor and needy. 50Thus they were haughty and committed 93abominations before Me. Therefore I 94removed them 95when I saw it. 51Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half of your sins, for you have multiplied your abominations more than they. Thus you have made your sisters appear 96righteous by all your abominations which you have committed. 52Also bear your disgrace in that you have 97made judgment favorable for your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted 98more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. Yes, be also ashamed and bear your disgrace, in that you made your sisters appear righteous.

53“Nevertheless, I will restore their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, and 99along with them 100your own captivity, 54in order that you may bear your humiliation and feel 101ashamed for all that you have done when you become 102a consolation to them. 55Your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, 103will return to their former state, and you with your daughters will also return to your former state. 56As the name of your sister Sodom was not heard from your lips in your day of pride, 57before your 104wickedness was uncovered, 105so now you have become the 106reproach of the daughters of 107Edom and of all who are around her, of the daughters of the Philistines--those surrounding you who despise you. 58You have 108borne the penalty of your lewdness and abominations,” the Lord declares. 59For thus says the Lord God, “I will also do with you as you have done, you who have 109despised the oath by breaking the covenant.

The Covenant Remembered

60“Nevertheless, I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an 110everlasting covenant with you. 61Then you will 111remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both your older and your younger; and I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant. 62Thus I will 112establish My covenant with you, and you shall 113know that I am the Lord, 63so that you may 114remember and be ashamed and 115never open your mouth anymore because of your humiliation, when I have 116forgiven you for all that you have done,” the Lord God declares.