Ezekiel 16
The Lord God describes Jerusalem's origins as a lowly and unclean city, born of Canaanite and Amorite parents, but He chose her, cleansed her, and adorned her with beauty and riches. However, Jerusalem became proud of her beauty and used it to fornicate with other nations, sacrificing her children to idols and engaging in prostitution. The Lord God condemns Jerusalem's actions, comparing her to a prostitute who pays her lovers instead of receiving payment, and announces that He will gather her lovers against her, uncover her shame, and judge her with the judgment of adulteresses. The Lord God also compares Jerusalem to her sisters, Sodom and Samaria, stating that Jerusalem's sins are even greater than theirs, but He promises to restore Sodom and Samaria, and to give them to Jerusalem as daughters, as a reminder of her shame and a testament to God's covenant with her.
1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying2"Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations3And you shall say: Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your root and your lineage is from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Cethite4And when you were born, on the day of your nativity, your umbilical cord was not cut, and you were not washed with water for health, nor salted with salt, nor wrapped with cloths5No eye took pity on you, so as to do even one of these things to you, out of compassion for you. Instead, you were cast upon the face of the earth, in the abjection of your soul, on the day when you were born6But, passing by you, I saw that you were wallowing in your own blood. And I said to you, when you were in your blood: ‘Live.’ I tell you that I said to you, in your blood: ‘Live.7I multiplied you like the seedling of the field. And you were multiplied and became great, and you advanced and arrived at the ornament of a woman. Your breasts rose up, and your hair grew. And you were naked and full of shame8And I passed by you and saw you. And behold, your time was the time of lovers. And I spread my garment over you, and I covered your disgrace. And I swore to you, and I entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord God, and you became mine9And I washed you with water, and I cleansed you of your blood. And I anointed you with oil10And I covered you with embroidery, and I put violet shoes upon you, and I wrapped you in fine linen, and I clothed you with delicate garments11I adorned you with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon your hands and a necklace around your neck12And I put gold upon your face, and earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head13And you were adorned with gold and silver, and you were clothed in fine linen, woven with many colors. You ate fine flour, and honey, and oil. And you became very beautiful. And you advanced to royal power14And your renown went forth among the Gentiles, because of your beauty. For you were perfected by my beauty, which I had placed upon you, says the Lord God15But, having confidence in your own beauty, you fornicated in your fame. And you presented your fornication to every passer-by, so as to become his16And taking from your garments, you made for yourself exalted things, having sewed together disparate pieces. And you fornicated upon them, in a way that has not been done before, nor will be in the future17And you took your beautiful items, made of my gold and my silver, which I gave to you, and you made for yourself images of men, and you fornicated with them18And you used your multicolored vestments to cover these things. And you placed my oil and my incense before them19And my bread, which I gave to you, the fine flour, and the oil, and the honey, by which I nourished you, you placed in their sight as a sweet fragrance. And so it was done, says the Lord God20And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore for me, and you immolated them to be devoured. Is your fornication a small matter21You have immolated my sons, and you have consecrated and delivered my sons to them22And after all your abominations and fornications, you have not remembered the days of your youth, when you were naked and full of shame, wallowing in your own blood23And it happened that, after all your wickedness, (woe, woe to you, says the Lord God24you built for yourself a brothel, and you made for yourself a place of prostitution in every street25At the head of every way, you set up a banner of your prostitution. And you caused your beauty to become abominable. And you distributed your feet to every passer-by. And you multiplied your fornications26And you fornicated with the sons of Egypt, your neighbors, who have large bodies. And you multiplied your fornications, so as to provoke me27Behold, I will extend my hand over you, and I will take away your justification. And I will give you to the souls of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your wicked way28You also fornicated with the sons of the Assyrians, for you were not yet done. And after you fornicated, even then, you were not satisfied29And you multiplied your fornications in the land of Canaan with the Chaldeans. And even then, you were not satisfied30With what can I cleanse your heart, says the Lord God, since you do all these things, the works of a woman who is a shameless prostitute31For you have built your brothel at the head of every way, and you have made your exalted place on every street. And you have not even been like a choosy prostitute, increasing her price32but instead like a woman who is an adulteress, who prefers strangers to her own husband33Wages are given to all prostitutes. But you have given wages to all your lovers, and you have given gifts to them, so that they would enter to you from every side, in order to fornicate with you34And it is done with you, in your fornications, contrary to the custom of women, and even after you, there will be no such fornication. For in as much as you have given payment, and not taken payment, what has been done in you is the contrary.35Because of this, O harlot, listen to the word of the Lord36Thus says the Lord God: "Because your money has been poured out, and your disgrace has been uncovered, in your fornications with your lovers and with the idols of your abominations, in the blood of your sons, whom you gave to them37Behold, I will gather all your lovers, with whom you have united, and all those whom you have loved, together with all those whom you have hated. And I will gather them together against you on every side. And I will uncover your disgrace before them, and they will see all your indecency38And I will judge you with the judgment of adulteresses and of those who shed blood. And I will give you over to blood, in fury and in zeal39And I will deliver you into their hands. And they will destroy your brothel and demolish your place of prostitution. And they will strip you of your vestments. And they will take away the ornaments of your beauty. And they will leave you behind, naked and full of disgrace40And they will lead over you a multitude. And they will stone you with stones, and massacre you with their swords41And they will burn up your houses with fire, and they will carry out judgments against you in the sight of many women. And you will cease from fornication, and no longer give payment42And my indignation will be quieted in you. And my zeal will be taken from you. And I will rest, and no longer be angry43For you have not remembered the days of your youth, and you have provoked me in all these things. Because of this, I also have delivered all your ways upon your head, says the Lord God, but I have not acted in accord with your wickedness in all your abominations44Behold, all who speak a common proverb will take this up against you, saying: ‘Like the mother, so also is her daughter.45You are your mother’s daughter, for she cast away her husband and her children. And you are the sister of your sisters, for they cast away their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Cethite, and your father was an Amorite46And your older sister is Samaria, she and her daughters are those who live to your left. But your younger sister, who lives to your right, is Sodom and her daughters47But neither have you walked in their ways. For you have done only a little less compared to their wickedness. You have acted almost more wickedly, in all your ways, than they have acted48As I live, says the Lord God, your sister Sodom herself, and her daughters, have not done as you and your daughters have done49Behold, this was the iniquity of Sodom, your sister: arrogance, indulgence in bread and abundance, and the idleness of her and her daughters; and they did not reach out their hand to the needy and the poor50And they were exalted, and they committed abominations before me. And so I took them away, just as you have seen51But Samaria has not committed even half of your sins. For you have exceeded them in your wickedness, and you have justified your sisters by all your abominations, which you have wrought52Therefore, you also bear your shame, for you have exceeded your sisters with your sins, acting more wickedly than they did. So they have been justified above you. By this also, you are confounded, and you bear your disgrace, for you have justified your sisters53But I will convert and restore them, by converting Sodom with her daughters, and by converting Samaria and her daughters. And I will convert your return in their midst54So may you bear your disgrace and be confounded over all that you have done, consoling them55And your sister Sodom and her daughters will return to their ancient state. And Samaria and her daughters will return to their ancient state. And you and your daughters will be returned to your ancient state56Your sister Sodom was not heard from your mouth, then, in the day of your pride57before your malice was revealed, as it is at this time, with the reproach of the daughters of Syria and of all the daughters of Palestine, who surround you, who encircle you on every side58You have borne your wickedness and your disgrace, says the Lord God.59For thus says the Lord God: "I will act toward you, just as you have despised the oath, so that you would make void the covenant60And I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth. And I will raise up for you an everlasting covenant61And you shall remember your ways and be confounded, when you will have received your sisters, your elder with your younger. And I will give them to you as daughters, but not by your covenant62And I will raise up my covenant with you. And you shall know that I am the Lord63So may you remember and be confounded. And it will no longer be for you to open your mouth, because of your shame, when I will have been pacified toward you over all that you have done, says the Lord God.
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