Ezekiel 16

1And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

2Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations.

3and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite; your father was an Amorite, and your mother a Hittite.’

4And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, and you were not washed with water for cleansing; you were not rubbed with salt, and you were not wrapped in cloths.

5No eye pitied you enough to do for you even one of these things, to have compassion on you; instead, you were thrown out into the open field in loathing of your life on the day you were born.

6And I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, and I said to you, ‘In your blood, live!’ Yes, I said to you, ‘In your blood, live!’

7I made you countless like the growth of the field, and you multiplied and grew up and came to full adornment. Your breasts were formed and your hair had grown, yet you were naked and bare.

8When I passed by you and saw you, behold, your time was the time for love. So I spread the edge of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I swore myself to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine.

9Then I washed you with water, rinsed your blood off you, and anointed you with oil.

10I clothed you with embroidered cloth, put fine leather sandals on you, wrapped you in fine linen, and covered you with silk.

11I adorned you with jewelry, and I put bracelets on your hands and a necklace on your neck.

12And I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears, and a splendid crown on your head.

13You adorned yourself with gold and silver, and your clothing was fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil, and you became exceedingly beautiful and prospered to royalty.

14And your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through my splendor that I had set upon you, declares the Lord GOD.

15But you trusted in your beauty, and you prostituted yourself because of your name, and you poured out your prostitutions on every passerby; they became his.

16You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful high places, and you prostituted yourself on them—such things should not come, nor should they be.

17You took your beautiful jewels from my gold and my silver, which I had given to you, and made for yourself male images, and you prostituted yourself with them.

18You took your embroidered garments and covered them, and you set my oil and my incense before them.

19And my bread that I gave you—fine flour, oil, and honey with which I fed you—you set before them as a pleasing aroma, and so it was, declares the Lord GOD.

20And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and sacrificed them to them as food. Was your prostitution too small a thing?

21You slaughtered my sons and gave them up to them by making them pass through the fire.

22And in all your abominations and your prostitutions, you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your blood.

23And it came about, after all your wickedness—woe, woe to you! declares the Lord GOD—

24You built for yourself a mound and made for yourself a high place in every square.

25At every street corner you built your high place, and you made your beauty detestable. You spread your legs to every passerby and multiplied your prostitution.

26You prostituted yourself with the sons of Egypt, your neighbors, great of flesh, and multiplied your prostitution to provoke me to anger.

27And behold, I stretched out my hand against you, and I reduced your allotted portion, and gave you over to the desire of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your lewd way.

28You prostituted yourself with the sons of Assyria because you were not satisfied; you prostituted yourself with them, and even then you were not satisfied.

29You multiplied your prostitution to the land of Canaan, to Chaldea; yet even with this you were not satisfied.

30How weak your heart is, declares the Lord GOD, when you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute,

31When you built your mound at the head of every road and made your high place in every square, you were not like a prostitute, in that you scorned payment.

32The adulterous wife takes strangers instead of her husband.

33Men give a prostitute her payment, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, and you bribed them to come to you from all around for your prostitutions.

34And in your prostitution you were the opposite of other women: no one solicited you, but you gave payment, and no payment was given to you; so you became the opposite.

35Therefore, prostitute, hear the word of Yahweh.

36Thus says the Lord GOD: Because your bronze was poured out, and your nakedness was uncovered in your prostitutions with your lovers, and because of all the idols of your abominations, and because of the blood of your children whom you gave to them,

37Therefore, behold, I am gathering all your lovers with whom you found pleasure, and all whom you loved, along with all whom you hated; and I will gather them against you from every side, and I will uncover your nakedness to them, and they will see all your nakedness.

38And I will judge you with the judgments of women who commit adultery and who shed blood, and I will give you over to blood in wrath and jealousy.

39I will give you into their hand, and they will tear down your vaulted chamber and demolish your high places. They will strip you of your clothes, take your beautiful jewelry, and leave you naked and bare.

40They will bring up an assembly against you, and they will stone you and cut you down with their swords.

41They will burn your houses with fire and execute judgments against you before the eyes of many women. I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer give payment.

42So I will satisfy my wrath against you, and my jealousy will turn away from you; then I will be quiet and no longer be angry.

43Because you did not remember the days of your youth, but enraged me with all these things, therefore I also have put your way on your own head, declares the Lord GOD, and you have not committed lewdness beyond all your abominations.

44Look, everyone who uses proverbs about you will use this proverb, saying, ‘Like mother, like daughter.’

45You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and her children; and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite, and your father an Amorite.

46Your older sister is Samaria, she and her daughters, who dwell to your left; and your younger sister, who dwells to your right, is Sodom and her daughters.

47Yet you did not walk in their ways or act according to their abominations; as if that were too little, you became more corrupt than they in all your ways.

48As I live, declares the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom, she and her daughters, has not done as you and your daughters have done.

49Look, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and prosperous ease belonged to her and to her daughters, but she did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

50They became haughty and committed abomination before me, so I removed them when I saw it.

51And Samaria did not sin half as much as you; you multiplied your abominations more than they, and by all your abominations that you committed, you made your sisters appear righteous.

52You also, bear your disgrace, because you pronounced judgment in favor of your sisters. By your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they have become more righteous than you. So you too, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, because you made your sisters appear righteous.

53And I will restore their fortunes—the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters—and your fortunes among them,

54so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed because of all that you have done, becoming a comfort to them.

55And your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, will return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters will return to their former state, and you and your daughters will return to your former state.

56Was not Sodom your sister a byword in your mouth in the day of your pride?

57before your wickedness was uncovered, as at the time of the reproach of the daughters of Aram and all those around her, the daughters of the Philistines, who despise you from every side.

58You have borne your lewdness and your abominations, declares Yahweh.

59For thus says the Lord GOD: I will deal with you as you have done, because you despised the oath by breaking the covenant.

60But I myself will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant.

61Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, those older than you along with those younger than you; and I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant.

62And I myself will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am Yahweh.

63so that you may remember and be ashamed, and no longer have any opening of the mouth because of your disgrace, when I make atonement for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord GOD.