Eze 16 | NASB1995 | STEP | Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying ,

Ezekiel 16

God’s Grace to Unfaithful Jerusalem

1 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, ^amake known to Jerusalem her abominations 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord ^{▼▼ Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord , and so throughout the ch}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. 4 “As for your birth, ^con 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. 5 “No 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 ^{▼▼ Lit surface
,} ^eopen field, ^{▼▼ Lit in the loathing of your soul}for 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!’ 7 “I ^gmade you ^{▼▼ Lit a myriad}numerous 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, ^{▼▼ Lit your time was}you were at the time for love; so I ^jspread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also ^kswore to you and ^lentered into a covenant with you so that you ^mbecame Mine,” declares the Lord God. 9 “Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you and ⁿanointed you with oil. 10 “I also clothed you with ^oembroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 “I adorned you with ornaments, put ^pbracelets on your hands and a ^qnecklace around your neck. 12 “I also put a ^rring in your nostril, earrings in your ears and a ^sbeautiful crown on your head. 13 “Thus you were adorned with ^tgold 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 ^uroyalty. 14 “Then your ^vfame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was ^wperfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you,” declares the Lord God.

15 “But you ^xtrusted in your beauty and ^yplayed the harlot because of your fame, and you poured out your harlotries on every passer-by ^{▼▼ Lit to whom it might be}who might be willing. 16 “You took some of your clothes, made for yourself high places of various colors and played the harlot on them, ^{▼▼ Lit things which had not happened nor will it be}which should never come about nor happen. 17 “You also took your beautiful ^{▼▼ Lit articles of beauty
,} ^acjewels 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. 18 “Then you took your embroidered cloth and covered them, and offered My oil and My incense before them. 19 “Also ^adMy bread which I gave you, fine flour, oil and honey with which I fed you, ^{▼▼ Lit and you...offer it}you 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 ^afMe and ^agsacrificed them to ^{▼▼ Lit them}idols to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter? 21 “You slaughtered ^aiMy children and offered them up to ^{▼▼ Lit them}idols by ^akcausing them to pass through the fire. 22 “Besides all your abominations and harlotries you did not remember the days of ^alyour 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), 24 that you built yourself a ^amshrine and made yourself a ^anhigh place in every square. 25 “You built yourself a high place at the top of ^aoevery street and made your beauty abominable, and you spread your legs to every passer-by to multiply your harlotry. 26 “You also played the harlot with the Egyptians, your ^{▼▼ Lit great of flesh}lustful neighbors, and multiplied your harlotry to ^aqmake Me angry. 27 “Behold 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 ^ardaughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your lewd conduct. 28 “Moreover, you played the harlot with the ^asAssyrians because you were not satisfied; you played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied. 29 “You also multiplied your harlotry with the land of merchants, Chaldea, yet even with this you were not satisfied.”’”

30 “How ^atlanguishing is your heart,” declares the Lord God, “while you do all these things, the actions of a ^{▼▼ Lit domineering
,} ^avbold-faced harlot. 31 “When you built your shrine at the beginning of every street and made your high place in every square, in ^awdisdaining money, you were not like a harlot. 32 “You adulteress wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband! 33 ^{▼▼ Lit They}“Men give gifts to all harlots, but you ^aygive your gifts to all your lovers to bribe them to come to you from every direction for your harlotries. 34 “Thus you are different from those women in your harlotries, in that no one plays the harlot ^{▼▼ Lit after you}as you do, because you give money and no money is given you; thus you are different.”

35 Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord. 36 Thus 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 ^baidols, and because of the blood of your sons which you gave to ^{▼▼ Lit them}idols, 37 therefore, behold, I will ^bcgather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, even all those whom you loved and all those whom you ^bdhated. So I will gather them against you from every direction and ^beexpose your nakedness to them that they may see all your nakedness. 38 “Thus I will ^bfjudge you like women who commit adultery or shed blood are judged; and I will bring on you the blood of ^bgwrath and jealousy. 39 “I will also give you into ^{▼▼ Lit their hands, and they}the hands of your lovers, and they will tear down your shrines, demolish your high places, ^bistrip you of your clothing, take away your ^{▼▼ Lit articles of beauty}jewels, and will leave you naked and bare. 40 “They will ^{▼▼ Lit bring up an assembly}incite a ^blcrowd against you and they will stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. 41 “They will ^bmburn your houses with fire and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women. Then I will ^bnstop you from playing the harlot, and you will also no longer pay ^{▼▼ Lit a harlot’s hire}your lovers. 42 “So I ^bpwill calm My fury against you and My jealousy will depart from you, and I will be pacified and angry ^bqno more. 43 “Because you have ^brnot remembered the days of your youth but ^{▼▼ So with ancient versions; Heb are angry against}have ^btenraged Me by all these things, behold, I in turn will ^bubring 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 ^bvproverbs will quote this proverb concerning you, saying, ‘ ^{▼▼ Lit Her}Like mother, ^{▼▼ Lit Her}like daughter.’ 45 “You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and children. You are also the ^bysister of your sisters, who ^bzloathed their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. 46 “Now your ^caolder sister is Samaria, who lives ^{▼▼ Lit on your left}north of you with her ^{▼▼ I.e. environs; so through v 55}daughters; and your younger sister, who lives ^{▼▼ Lit from your right}south of you, is ^ceSodom with her ^{▼▼ I.e. environs; so through v 55}daughters. 47 “Yet you have not merely walked in their ways or done according to their abominations; but, as if that were ^cgtoo little, you acted ^chmore corruptly in all your conduct than they. 48 “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “Sodom, your sister and her daughters have ^cinot done as you and your daughters have done. 49 “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had ^cjarrogance, ^ckabundant food and ^clcareless ease, but she did not ^{▼▼ Lit grasp the hand of}help the ^cnpoor and needy. 50 “Thus they were haughty and committed ^coabominations before Me. Therefore I ^cpremoved them ^{▼▼ Many ancient mss and versions read as you have seen}when I saw it. 51 “Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half of your sins, for you have multiplied your abominations more than they. Thus you have made your sisters appear ^crrighteous by all your abominations which you have committed. 52 “Also bear your disgrace in that you have ^{▼▼ Lit mediated for}made judgment favorable for your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted ^ctmore 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 ^{▼▼ Lit in their midst}along with them ^{▼▼ Lit the captivity of your captivity}your own captivity, 54 in order that you may bear your humiliation and feel ^cwashamed for all that you have done when you become ^cxa consolation to them. 55 “Your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, ^{▼▼ Heb includes will return...state after Sodom also}will return to their former state, and you with your daughters will also return to your former state. 56 “As the name of your sister Sodom was not heard from your lips in your day of pride, 57 before your ^czwickedness was uncovered, ^{▼▼ Lit as at the time of}so now you have become the ^dbreproach of the daughters of ^{▼▼ So with many mss and one version; M.T. Aram}Edom and of all who are around her, of the daughters of the Philistines— those surrounding you who despise you. 58 “You have ^ddborne the penalty of your lewdness and abominations,” the Lord declares. 59 For thus says the Lord God, “I will also do with you as you have done, you who have ^dedespised 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 ^dfeverlasting covenant with you. 61 “Then you will ^dgremember 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. 62 “Thus I will ^dhestablish My covenant with you, and you shall ^diknow that I am the Lord, 63 so that you may ^djremember and be ashamed and ^dknever open your mouth anymore because of your humiliation, when I have ^dlforgiven you for all that you have done,” the Lord God declares.