Ezekiel Chapter 16
Jerusalem, an Unfaithful Wife
1 A message from Yahveh came to me:
2 “Son of man, confront Jerusalem about her detestable things. 3 Say, ‘Your birth was from the Canaanites—an Amorite father and a Hittite mother. 4 When you were born, your umbilical cord wasn’t cut off, you weren’t washed, or rubbed with salt, or even wrapped in cloth. 5 Nobody took pity on you to do any of those things for you. You were tossed out in an open field because you were repulsive.
Ezek 16:1-5
6 “When I went by and saw you squirming in your blood, I said to you, ‘Live!’ 7 I made you as numerous as plants in a field. You grew up tall and filled out. Your breasts formed and your hair grew, but you were naked and bare. 8 Then I went by and saw you were at the age to be sexually active; so I spread my cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my word and made a covenant with you so you’d be mine. 9 I gave you a bath, washed off your blood, and anointed you with oil. 10 I dressed you with embroidered cloth, put porpoise-skin sandals on you, wrapped you in fine linen, and covered you with silk. 11 I adorned you with bracelets, a necklace, 12 a ring in your nostril, earrings, and a beautiful crown. 13 You wore gold and silver, fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil. You were especially beautiful, and advanced to royalty. 14 You became famous in every country because of your beauty. It was perfect because of the splendor I put on you.
Ezek 16:6-14
15 “But you trusted in your beauty and played the prostitute because you were famous. You poured out your prostitutions on every passer-by that was willing. 16 You took some of your clothes and made high places of various colors, and played the prostitute on them. That shouldn’t have happened. 17 You took the beautiful gold and silver jewels I gave you, and made male images so you could carry on prostitution with them. 18 You took your embroidered cloth and covered them, and offered my oil and incense to them. 19 The bread I gave you, the fine flour, oil, and honey I fed you, you offered in front of them for a soothing aroma. 20 You took the sons and daughters you bore to me and sacrificed them to idols. Were your prostitutions a small thing? 21 You slaughtered my children and offered them up to idols by making them pass through fire. 22 Besides your abominations and prostitutions, you forgot your youth when you were naked, squirming in your blood.
Ezek 16:15-22
23 “Then after all your sinfulness (The Lord Yahveh says, ‘Misfortune awaits you!’), 24 you built a shrine and made a high place in every square. 25 You built a high place at the head of every street and made your beauty detestable. You spread your legs to every passer-by to multiply your prostitution. 26 You carried on prostitution with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, to make me angry. 27 I reached out against you, diminished your rations, and delivered you to those who hate you, the young women of the Philistines, who are embarrassed by your lewd behavior. 28 You carried on prostitution with the Assyrians 29 and multiplied it with the merchants of Babylon. You still weren’t satisfied.”’”
Ezek 16:23-29
30 “How lovesick your heart is,” the Lord Yahveh says, “while you do all this brazen prostitution. 31 When you built your shrine at the beginning of every street and made your high place in every square, in disdaining money, you weren’t like a prostitute— 32 you adulteress wife that takes strangers instead of your husband! 33 Men pay prostitutes but you pay your lovers to get them to come to you. 34 Nobody carries on prostitution like you do. You do the paying!”
Ezek 16:30-34
35 So, prostitute, listen to what Yahveh says, 36 “Because your lewdness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered through your prostitution with your lovers and your detestable idols, and because of your sons’ blood that you gave to idols, 37 I’ll gather the lovers you had pleasure with, the ones both loved and hated. I’ll gather them against you from every direction and expose your nakedness to them. 38 That’s how I’ll judge you—like women that commit adultery or shed blood. I’ll bring on you the blood of wrath and jealousy. 39 I’ll deliver you to your lovers. They’ll tear down your shrines, demolish your high places, strip off your clothes, steal your jewels, and leave you naked. 40 They’ll stir up a mob against you, stone you, and cut you to pieces with swords. 41 Many women will watch me burn your houses and carry out judgments on you. I’ll make you quit being a prostitute. You won’t be paying your lovers anymore. 42 I’ll calm my fury against you. My jealousy will leave you, and I’ll be at peace. 43 Since you’ve forgotten your youth and angered me with those things, I’ll bring your deeds down on your own head. So you won’t continue to commit that lewdness in addition to your other disgusting deeds.
Ezek 16:35-43
44 “Everybody that quotes sayings will quote this one about you: ‘Like mother, like daughter.’ 45 You’re your mother’s daughter, who despised her husband and children. You’re your sisters’ sister, who despised their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite; your father was an Amorite. 46 Your older sister is Samaria that lives north of you with her daughters. Your younger sister is Sodom that lives south of you with her daughters. 47 You haven’t just done disgusting things like theirs; you’ve done worse. 48 As I live, Sodom your sister and her daughters haven’t done like you and your daughters have done. 49 This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she didn’t help the poor and needy. 50 They were arrogant and committed disgusting sins in my presence; so I removed them. 51 Samaria didn’t commit half the sins you did. 52 Deal with your disgrace because you’ve made judgment easier on your sisters. Your sins are worse than theirs. They’re better than you. Be ashamed and deal with your disgrace, because by comparison you make your sisters look good.
Ezek 16:44-52
53 “But, I’ll overturn the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, along with your captivity, 54 so you can deal with your humiliation, and feel ashamed of everything you’ve done when you become a consolation to them. 55 Your sisters, Sodom and Samaria with their daughters, will come back to their former condition, and you with your daughters will come back to your former condition. 56-57 Before your own sinfulness was revealed, you wouldn’t even say the name of your sister Sodom in your pride. 57 So now you’ve become the disgrace of the Edomites and everybody around them, the disgrace of the Philistines, people around you that despise you. 58 You’ve borne the penalty for your lewdness. 59 I’ll do to you what you’ve done—you that have despised the oath by breaking the covenant.
Ezek 16:53-59
60 “Nevertheless, I’ll remember my covenant with you when you were young, and I’ll establish an everlasting covenant with you. 61 Then you’ll remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters Samaria and
Sodom, your older and younger ones. I’ll give them to you as daughters even though they’re not part of our covenant. 62 That’s how I’ll re-establish my covenant with you, and you’ll know I’m Yahveh. 63 In your humiliation, you won’t open your mouth when I forgive you for everything you’ve done,”
the Lord Yahveh says.
Ezek 16:60-63