16Ezekiel 16

Jerusalem Is Unfaithful

1The Lord said:Select Ezekiel 16:1

2Ezekiel, son of man, remind the people of Jerusalem of their disgusting sinsSelect Ezekiel 16:2

3and tell them that I, the Lord God, am saying: Jerusalem, you were born in the country where Canaanites lived. Your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite.Select Ezekiel 16:3

4When you were born, no one cut you loose from your mother or washed your body. No one rubbed your skin with salt and olive oil, and wrapped you in warm blankets.Select Ezekiel 16:4

5Not one person loved you enough to do any of these things, and no one even felt sorry for you. You were despised, thrown into a field, and forgotten.Select Ezekiel 16:5

6I saw you lying there, rolling around in your own blood, and I couldn't let you die.Select Ezekiel 16:6

7I took care of you, like someone caring for a tender, young plant. You grew up to be a beautiful young woman with mature breasts and hair, but you were still naked.Select Ezekiel 16:7

8When I saw you again, you were old enough to have sex. So I covered your naked body with my own robe. Then I solemnly promised that you would belong to me and that I, the Lord God, would take care of you.Select Ezekiel 16:8

9I washed the blood off you and rubbed your skin with olive oil.Select Ezekiel 16:9

10I gave you the finest clothes and the most expensive robes, as well as sandals made from the best leather.Select Ezekiel 16:10

11I gave you bracelets, a necklace,Select Ezekiel 16:11

12a ring for your nose, some earrings, and a beautiful crown.Select Ezekiel 16:12

13Your jewelry was gold and silver, and your clothes were made of only the finest material and embroidered linen. Your bread was baked from fine flour, and you ate honey and olive oil. You were as beautiful as a queen,Select Ezekiel 16:13

14and everyone on earth knew it. I, the Lord God, had helped you become a lovely young woman.Select Ezekiel 16:14

15You learned that you were attractive enough to have any man you wanted, so you offered yourself to every passerby.Select Ezekiel 16:15

16You made shrines for yourself and decorated them with some of your clothes. That's where you took your visitors to have sex with them. These things should never have happened!Select Ezekiel 16:16

17You made idols out of the gold and silver jewelry I gave you, then you sinned by worshiping those idols.Select Ezekiel 16:17

18You dressed them in the clothes you got from me, and you offered them the olive oil and incense I gave you.Select Ezekiel 16:18

19I supplied you with fine flour, olive oil, and honey, but you sacrificed it all as offerings to please those idols. I, the Lord God, watched this happen.Select Ezekiel 16:19

20But you did something even worse than that—you sacrificed your own children to those idols!Select Ezekiel 16:20

21You slaughtered my children, so you could offer them as sacrifices.Select Ezekiel 16:21

22You were so busy sinning and being a prostitute that you refused to think about the days when you were young and were rolling around naked in your own blood.Select Ezekiel 16:22

23Now I, the Lord God, say you are doomed! Not only did you do these evil things,Select Ezekiel 16:23

24but you also built places on every street cornerSelect Ezekiel 16:24

25where you disgraced yourself by having sex with anyone who walked by. And you did that more and more every day!Select Ezekiel 16:25

26To make me angry, you even offered yourself to Egyptians, who were always ready to sleep with you.Select Ezekiel 16:26

27So I punished you by letting those greedy Philistine enemies take over some of your territory. But even they were offended by your repulsive behavior.Select Ezekiel 16:27

28You couldn't get enough sex, so you chased after Assyrians and slept with them. You still weren't satisfied,Select Ezekiel 16:28

29so you went after Babylonians. But those merchants could not satisfy you either.Select Ezekiel 16:29

30I, the Lord God, say that you were so disgusting that you would have done anything to get what you wanted.Select Ezekiel 16:30

31You had sex on every street corner, and when you finished, you refused to accept money. That's worse than being a prostitute!Select Ezekiel 16:31

32You are nothing but an unfaithful wife who would rather have sex with strangers than with your own husband.Select Ezekiel 16:32

33Prostitutes accept money for having sex, but you bribe men from everywhere to have sex with you.Select Ezekiel 16:33

34You're not like other prostitutes. Men don't ask you for sex—you offer to pay them!Select Ezekiel 16:34

Jerusalem Must Be Punished / The said:

35Jerusalem, you prostitute, listen to me.Select Ezekiel 16:35

36You chased after lovers, then took off your clothes and had sex. You even worshiped disgusting idols and sacrificed your own children as offerings to them.Select Ezekiel 16:36

37So I, the Lord God, will gather every one of your lovers, those you liked and those you hated. They will stand around you, and I will rip off your clothes and let all of those lovers stare at your nakedness.Select Ezekiel 16:37

38I will find you guilty of being an unfaithful wife and a murderer, and in my fierce anger I will sentence you to a violent death!Select Ezekiel 16:38

39Then I will hand you over to your lovers, who will tear down the places where you had sex. They will take your clothes and jewelry, leaving you naked and empty-handed.Select Ezekiel 16:39

40Your lovers and an angry mob will stone you to death; they will cut your dead body into piecesSelect Ezekiel 16:40

41and burn down your houses. Other women will watch these terrible things happen to you. I promise to stop you from being a prostitute and paying your lovers for sex.Select Ezekiel 16:41

42Only then will I calm down and stop being angry and jealous.Select Ezekiel 16:42

43You made me furious by doing all these disgusting things and by forgetting how I took care of you when you were young. Then you made things worse by acting like a prostitute. You must be punished! I, the Lord God, have spoken.Select Ezekiel 16:43

Jerusalem's Two Sisters / The said:

44People will use this saying about you, Jerusalem: “If the mother is bad, so is her daughter.”Select Ezekiel 16:44

45You are just like your mother, who hated her husband and her own children. You are also like your sisters, who hated their husbands and children. Your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite.Select Ezekiel 16:45

46Your older sister was Samaria, that city to your north with her nearby villages. Your younger sister was Sodom, that city to your south with her nearby villages.Select Ezekiel 16:46

47You followed their way of life and their wicked customs, and soon you were more repulsive than they were.Select Ezekiel 16:47

48As surely as I am the living Lord God, the people of Sodom and its nearby villages were never as sinful as you.Select Ezekiel 16:48

49They were arrogant and spoiled; they had everything they needed and still refused to help the poor and needy.Select Ezekiel 16:49

50They thought they were better than everyone else, and they did things I hate. And so I destroyed them.Select Ezekiel 16:50

51You people of Jerusalem have sinned twice as much as the people of Samaria. In fact, your evil ways have made both Sodom and Samaria look innocent.Select Ezekiel 16:51

52So their punishment will seem light compared to yours. You will be disgraced and put to shame because of your disgusting sins.Select Ezekiel 16:52

Jerusalem Will Be Ashamed / The said to Jerusalem:

53Someday I will bless Sodom and Samaria and their nearby villages. I will also bless you, Jerusalem.Select Ezekiel 16:53

54Then you will be ashamed of how you've acted, and Sodom and Samaria will be relieved that they weren't as sinful as you.Select Ezekiel 16:54

55When that day comes, you and Sodom and Samaria will once again be well-off, and all nearby villages will be restored.Select Ezekiel 16:55

56Jerusalem, you were so arrogant that you sneered at Sodom.Select Ezekiel 16:56

57But now everyone has learned how wicked you really are. The countries of Syria and Philistia, as well as your other neighbors, hate you and make insulting remarks.Select Ezekiel 16:57

58You must pay for all the vulgar and disgusting things you have done. I, the Lord, have spoken.Select Ezekiel 16:58

The Makes a Promise to Jerusalem / The said:

59Jerusalem, you deserve to be punished, because you broke your promises and ignored our agreement.Select Ezekiel 16:59

60But I remember the agreement I made with you when you were young, and so I will make you a promise that will last forever.Select Ezekiel 16:60

61When you think about how you acted, you will be ashamed, especially when I return your sisters to you as daughters, even though this was not part of our agreement.Select Ezekiel 16:61

62I will keep this solemn promise, and you will know that I am the Lord.Select Ezekiel 16:62

63I will forgive you, but you will think about your sins and be too ashamed to say a word. I, the Lord God, have spoken.Select Ezekiel 16:63