Yehezqĕl (Ezekiel) 16

1Again the word of יהוה came to me, saying,

2“Son of man, make known to Yerushalayim her abominations,

3and say, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה to Yerushalayim, “Your origin and your birth are from the land of Kena‛an. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Ḥittite.

4“As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water for cleansing, and you were not rubbed with salt at all, nor wrapped in cloth at all.

5“No eye felt sorry for you, to do any of these for you, to have compassion on you. But you were thrown out into the open field, to the loathing of your life on the day you were born.

6“Then I passed by you and saw you trampled down in your own blood, and I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ And I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’

7“I have let you grow like a plant in the field. And you are grown and are great, and you come in the finest ornaments. – breasts were formed, your hair grew, and you were naked and bare.

8“Again I passed by you and looked upon you and saw that your time was the time of carnal-love. And I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. And I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” declares the Master יהוה.

9“And I washed you in water, and I washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil.

10“And I dressed you in embroidered work and gave you sandals of leather. And I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.

11“And I adorned you with ornaments, and I put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck.

12“And I put a ring on your nose, and earrings in your ears, and a crown of adorning on your head.

13“Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, and silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, and honey, and oil. And you were exceedingly beautiful, and became fit for royalty.

14“And your name went out among the nations because of your loveliness, for it was perfect, by My splendour which I had put on you,” declares the Master יהוה.

15“But you trusted in your own loveliness, and whored because of your name, and poured out your whorings on everyone passing by who would have it.

16“And you took some of your garments and made multi-coloured high places for yourself, and whored on them – which should not have come about, nor shall it be.

17“And you took your splendid adornments, of My gold and My silver that I gave you, and made for yourself images of a male and whored with them.

18“And you took your embroidered garments and covered them, and you set My oil and My incense before them.

19“And My food which I gave you, fine flour and oil and honey which I fed you, you set it before them as sweet incense – and so it was,” declares the Master יהוה.

20“And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you slaughtered as food to them. Were your whorings a small matter,

21that you have slain My children and gave them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?

22“And in all your abominations and whorings you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, trampled down in your blood.

23“Then it came to be after all your evil – ‘Woe, woe to you!’ declares the Master יהוה –

24that you also built an arched place for yourself, and made a high place in every street for yourself.

25“You built your high places at the head of every way, and made your loveliness to be loathed. And you parted your feet to everyone who passed by, and increased your whorings.

26“And you whored with the sons of Mitsrayim, your neighbours, great of flesh. And you increased your whorings to provoke Me.

27“And see, I have stretched out My hand against you, and withdrew what is lawfully yours, and gave you up to the desire of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your wicked way.

28“And you whored with the sons of Ashshur, without being satisfied. And you whored with them and still were not satisfied.

29“And you increased your whorings as far as the land of traders, Kasdima, and even then you were not satisfied.

30“How weak is your heart!” declares the Master יהוה, “seeing you do all this, the deeds of a shameless whore.

31“You built your arched place at the head of every way, and built your high place in every street. Yet you were unlike a whore, you scorned a harlot-fee!

32“The wife who commits adultery who takes strangers instead of her husband!

33“To all whores they give gifts, but you gave gifts to all your lovers, and bribed them to come to you from all around in your whorings.

34“Thus you are different from other women in your whorings, because no one whores after you, and in you giving a harlot-fee, while a harlot-fee was not given to you. Thus you are different.”

35Therefore, O whore, hear the word of יהוה!

36Thus said the Master יהוה, “Because your copper was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your whorings with your lovers, and with the idols of your abominations, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them,

37therefore, see, I am gathering all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved, with all those you hated. And I shall gather them from all around against you and shall uncover your nakedness to them, and they shall see all your nakedness.

38“And I shall judge you with judgments of adulteresses and shedders of blood. And I shall bring on you the blood of wrath and jealousy.

39“And I shall give you into their hand, and they shall throw your arched place down, and they shall break down your high places. And they shall strip you of your garments, and they shall take your splendid adornments, and leave you naked and bare.

40“And they shall bring up an assembly against you, and they shall stone you with stones and thrust you through with their swords,

41and burn your houses with fire, and execute judgments on you before the eyes of many women. And I shall make you stop whoring, and no longer give harlot-fees.

42“So I shall bring My wrath to rest upon you, and My jealousy shall turn away from you. And I shall be calm, and no longer be vexed.

43“Because you did not remember the days of your youth, but troubled Me with all this, so see, I shall also bring your way on your own head,” declares the Master יהוה. “And shall I not do this thought for all your abominations?

44“See, all who use proverbs shall use this proverb against you, ‘Like mother, like daughter!’

45“You are your mother’s daughter, who despises her husband and her children. And you are the sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Ḥittite and your father an Amorite.

46“And your elder sister is Shomeron, she and her daughters, who is dwelling to the north of you. And your younger sister, who is dwelling to the south of you, is Seḏom and her daughters.

47“And have you not walked in their ways and did according to their abominations? But in all your ways you soon became more corrupt than they.

48“As I live,” declares the Master יהוה, “neither your sister Seḏom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done.

49“See, this was the crookedness of your sister Seḏom: She and her daughter had pride, sufficiency of bread, and unconcerned ease. And she did not help the poor and needy.

50“And they were haughty and did abomination before Me, and I took them away when I saw it.

51“And Shomeron did not commit half of your sins, but you have increased your abominations more than they, and by all the abominations which you have done you made your sisters seem righteous!

52“You also, who pleaded for your sisters, bear your own shame, because the sins which you committed were more abominable than theirs. They are more righteous than you. So be ashamed too, and bear your own shame, because you have made your sisters seem righteous.

53“And I shall turn back their captivity, the captivity of Seḏom and her daughters, and the captivity of Shomeron and her daughters, and the captivity of your captives with them,

54so that you bear your shame, and shall blush for all that you did when you comforted them,

55“and your sisters, Seḏom and her daughters, return to their former state, and Shomeron and her daughters return to their former state, and you and your daughters return to your former state.

56“Was not your sister Seḏom a byword in your mouth in the days of your pride,

57before your evil was exposed, as the time of the reproach of the daughters of Aram and all who were around her, and of the daughters of the Philistines, who are despising you everywhere?

58“You shall bear your wickedness and your abominations,” declares יהוה.

59For thus said the Master יהוה, “I shall deal with you as you have done, in that you have despised the oath by breaking the covenant.

60“But I shall remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I shall establish an everlasting covenant with you.

61“And you shall remember your ways and be ashamed, when you receive your older and your younger sisters. And I shall give them to you for daughters, though not by your own covenant.

62“And I Myself shall establish My covenant with you. And you shall know that I am יהוה,

63so that you remember. And you shall be ashamed, and never open your mouth any more because of your shame, when I pardon you for all you have done,” declares the Master יהוה.’ ”

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Yehezqĕl (Ezekiel) 16: TS2009

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