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Ezekiel 16 meaning explained in AI Summary

Ezekiel 16 is a long and complex chapter, but here's a summary:

The chapter is an allegory depicting the relationship between God and Jerusalem (representing Judah) as a love story gone wrong.

Part 1: God's Faithfulness and Jerusalem's Humble Beginnings (verses 1-34)

  • God finds Jerusalem as an abandoned infant, left for dead. He cleanses her, cares for her, and raises her into a beautiful woman. This symbolizes God's covenant with Israel, rescuing them from slavery in Egypt and establishing them in the Promised Land.
  • He showers her with blessings and enters into a covenant with her, making her his bride. This represents the blessings and promises given to Israel under the Mosaic covenant.

Part 2: Jerusalem's Unfaithfulness and Prostitution (verses 35-43)

  • Jerusalem, however, forgets her humble beginnings and God's faithfulness. She turns away from God, committing spiritual adultery by worshipping idols and engaging in wickedness. This symbolizes Judah's idolatry and unfaithfulness to God.
  • She even sinks lower than her pagan neighbors, offering her children as sacrifices. This refers to the horrific practices of child sacrifice that were taking place in Judah at the time.

Part 3: God's Judgment and Jerusalem's Punishment (verses 44-58)

  • God, the jealous husband, is enraged by Jerusalem's betrayal. He announces his judgment, promising to bring enemies against her (Babylon) who will humiliate and destroy her. This foreshadows the Babylonian exile, a consequence of Judah's sin.
  • He will expose her shame and make her a spectacle for the nations. This signifies the utter humiliation and destruction that Judah would face.

Part 4: A Glimmer of Hope and Future Restoration (verses 59-63)

  • Despite his anger, God's love for Jerusalem remains. He promises that one day, he will remember his covenant and restore her. This points towards a future restoration for Israel, a common theme in prophetic literature.
  • He will forgive her sins and establish a new covenant with her, based on love and faithfulness. This foreshadows the new covenant promised in Jeremiah 31 and ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Overall Message:

Ezekiel 16 is a powerful indictment of Judah's idolatry and unfaithfulness. It serves as a warning about the consequences of abandoning God and pursuing other gods. However, it also offers a message of hope, reminding us that God's love is steadfast and he desires to restore his people even after they have strayed.

Ezekiel 16 bible study ai commentary

Ezekiel 16 is a visceral and shocking extended allegory depicting the history of God's relationship with Israel, specifically Jerusalem. It portrays Jerusalem as an abandoned female infant, rescued, raised, and married by God, who lavishes her with queenly gifts. She then uses these gifts to become a uniquely depraved prostitute, engaging in spiritual and political adultery through idolatry and foreign alliances. The chapter details her horrifying judgment but concludes with a stunning and unexpected promise of God's unilateral grace, which will restore her through an everlasting covenant, silencing her with shame at the magnitude of His mercy.

Ezekiel 16 context

The prophecy is given to Ezekiel during the Babylonian exile (c. 593-571 BC). The first wave of deportees is already in Babylon, and Jerusalem's final destruction is imminent (586 BC). The exiles, steeped in a theology of their own election and the invincibility of Zion, are wrestling with why God has seemingly abandoned them. Ezekiel's prophecy is a direct, harsh answer: God's judgment is not arbitrary but a just response to a history of unparalleled covenant unfaithfulness. The graphic allegory of adultery and prostitution was a powerful legal and social metaphor in the Ancient Near East, where marriage was a covenant and adultery a capital offense, making the spiritual reality undeniable to the original audience.


Ezekiel 16:1-5

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations, and say, Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. And as for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, out of compassion for you, but you were thrown out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day you were born.

In-depth-analysis

  • A spiritual, not ethnic, genealogy: The "Amorite father and Hittite mother" statement is a polemic against Israel's pride in their Abrahamic lineage. It declares their spiritual DNA is Canaanite—pagan and detestable to God from the beginning.
  • Total Depravity: Jerusalem is depicted as utterly helpless and rejected at birth. The failure to cut the cord, wash, salt (a common ancient practice to cleanse and strengthen a newborn's skin), and swaddle signifies complete neglect and worthlessness.
  • Thrown Out: This is an image of exposure, a practice where unwanted infants were left to die. This illustrates Israel's state before God's call: spiritually dead, unclean, and without hope.

Bible references

  • Deuteronomy 9:5: "...not because of your righteousness...but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you..." (Israel's meritless status)
  • Hosea 2:3: "...lest I strip her naked and make her as in the day she was born..." (Theme of original destitution)
  • Ephesians 2:1-3: "...you were dead in the trespasses and sins... and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind." (Humanity's natural state before God's intervention)

Cross references

Josh 24:2 (pre-covenant pagan origins); Deut 26:5 ("a wandering Aramean was my father"); Ps 51:5 (born in sin); Lam 2:22 (neglect of Jerusalem's children); Isa 1:4 (sinful nation).

Polemics

This opening is a frontal assault on the nationalistic pride of the Judeans, who relied on their descent from Abraham and their possession of the temple. By declaring their origins as Canaanite, God demolishes their claim to inherent specialness, establishing that their entire existence and status are acts of pure, unmerited grace.


Ezekiel 16:6-14

And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’... I made you flourish like a plant of the field... you grew up... you had reached the age for love. And I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine... Then I bathed you with water... I anointed you with oil. I clothed you with embroidered cloth... I adorned you with ornaments... a beautiful crown on your head... You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.

In-depth-analysis

  • Sovereign Election: God's intervention is entirely His initiative. The repeated command "Live!" is a divine fiat, calling life out of death. The phrase "in your blood" emphasizes her unclean and hopeless state, yet it's the very context for His saving command.
  • Covenant as Marriage: The "age for love," spreading a garment, making a vow (berith - covenant), and the declaration "you became mine" all use explicit ancient marriage imagery. This casts the Sinai covenant as a marriage between Yahweh and Israel.
  • Lavish Gifts: The washing, anointing, and clothing with embroidered cloth, fine linen, leather sandals, bracelets, a necklace, and a crown are not just signs of wealth but mirror the adornments of the Tabernacle and priests (Exod 25-30). God gives His bride His own glory.
  • Fulfillment in the Monarchy: Her advancement to "royalty" and fame among the nations reflects the peak of Israel's history under David and Solomon, where God's blessings were visibly manifest.

Bible references

  • Exodus 19:4-6: "You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians... Now therefore, if you will indeed obey... you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (The Covenant established)
  • Hosea 2:19-20: "And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy." (The divine marriage theme)
  • Ephesians 5:25-27: "Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word..." (A New Covenant echo of cleansing the bride)
  • Ruth 3:9: "...spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer." (Spreading a garment as an act of claiming for marriage/protection)

Cross references

Deut 7:7-8 (election not based on size but love); Isa 61:10 (clothed with garments of salvation); Ps 45:13-14 (adornment of the royal bride); Rev 21:2 (bride adorned for her husband).


Ezekiel 16:15-34

But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your fame and lavished your whoring on any passerby... You took your beautiful jewels... and made for yourself male images... You took your embroidered garments and covered them... Your children also, whom you had borne to me, you took and sacrificed to them to be devoured. Was your whoring so small a matter? ...you built yourself a vaulted chamber and made yourself a lofty place in every square... Yet you were not like a prostitute, because you scorned payment. Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband! They give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers... so you were the opposite.

In-depth-analysis

  • Root of Sin: "You trusted in your beauty." Pride and self-reliance, born from God's own gifts, are the foundation of apostasy.
  • Spiritual Prostitution (zanah): This is the chapter's key term. It refers to idolatry and syncretism. Jerusalem uses the very things God gave her (clothing, jewels, food, oil, incense) to worship idols.
  • Ultimate Abomination: The sacrifice of her children ("whom you had borne to me") refers to the horrific practice of child sacrifice to gods like Molech, which occurred under kings like Ahaz and Manasseh. This is the ultimate betrayal of the covenant Giver of life.
  • Political Adultery: Building a "lofty place" and lavishing favors refer to making political alliances with pagan nations like Egypt (v. 26) and Assyria (v. 28), trusting them for security instead of God.
  • Unique Depravity: She is worse than a typical prostitute. A prostitute receives payment; Jerusalem pays her lovers (the nations and their gods) to sin with her. Her spiritual lust is so great she subsidizes her own unfaithfulness.

Bible references

  • Hosea 2:8: "She did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil... which they used for Baal." (Using God's gifts for idolatry)
  • Jeremiah 3:1: "If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man's, will he return to her? Would not that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the whore with many lovers; and would you return to me? declares the Lord." (The spiritual adultery theme)
  • 2 Kings 16:3, 21:6: King Ahaz and King Manasseh both "burned his son as an offering" (Historical account of the sin Ezekiel condemns)

Cross references

Isa 57:5-9 (idolatry as adultery under trees); Jer 2:20-25 (Israel as a "restless young camel"); Rev 17:1-5 (Mystery Babylon, the mother of prostitutes); James 4:4 (friendship with the world is enmity with God).


Ezekiel 16:35-43

Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the Lord!... I will gather all your lovers... and I will judge you as women who break wedlock and shed blood are judged... And I will give you into the hand of your lovers, and they shall throw down your vaulted chamber... They shall also strip you of your clothes... They shall stone you and thrust you through with their swords... and I will make you stop playing the whore... So will I quiet my wrath... and I will be no more angry.

In-depth-analysis

  • Lex Talionis (Measure for Measure Justice): The punishment directly mirrors the crime.
    • She sought "lovers" (allies); those very lovers will be her executioners (Babylon).
    • She exposed her "nakedness" in spiritual prostitution; they will strip her physically naked in judgment.
    • The prescribed punishment for an adulteress in Israel was stoning (Lev. 20:10; John 8:5). Her judgment is presented in these legal terms.
  • Vindication of God's Honor: The purpose of the judgment is not just punitive but is to stop the prostitution, satisfy God's holy wrath against sin, and ultimately bring His jealousy to an end. The severity of the punishment is proportional to the depth of the love and the covenant that was betrayed.

Bible references

  • Leviticus 20:10: "If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death." (The legal basis for the judgment)
  • Revelation 17:16: "And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire." (The destroyers are the former lovers)
  • Nahum 3:5: "I am against you... I will lift up your skirts over your face and show the nations your nakedness and the kingdoms your shame." (Public shame as divine judgment)

Cross references

Jer 4:30 (lovers will despise you); Hos 2:9-10 (I will take back my wool and flax); Lam 1:8 (all who honored her despise her).


Ezekiel 16:44-59

“Behold, everyone who uses proverbs will use this proverb about you: ‘Like mother, like daughter.’... Your older sister is Samaria... and your younger sister is Sodom... you were more corrupt than they in all your ways... I swear, as I live, declares the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy... therefore I took them away... Samaria has not committed half your sins... you have made your sisters appear righteous."

In-depth-analysis

  • The Ultimate Insult: To say Jerusalem is worse than Samaria (the Northern Kingdom, despised for its apostasy) was shocking. To say she is worse than Sodom (the byword for utter depravity) was unthinkable.
  • The Nature of Sin: The guilt of Sodom is defined not just by sexual perversion, but by pride, apathy, and social injustice ("did not aid the poor and needy"). This is a profound critique of Judah's focus on ritual while neglecting the core of God's law.
  • Guilt is Proportional to Revelation: Jerusalem is judged more harshly because she received more grace. She had the Law, the Prophets, the Temple, and the history of God's direct intervention. To whom much is given, much is required. Her sin makes the sins of Sodom and Samaria "appear righteous" by comparison.

Bible references

  • Matthew 11:23-24: "And you, Capernaum... it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you." (Jesus makes the same argument: judgment is proportional to revealed light)
  • Genesis 19:24-25: "Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire..." (The historical judgment on Sodom)
  • Luke 12:48: "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required..." (The principle of greater responsibility)

Cross references

Amos 4:1-11 (linking Samaria's sin and Sodom's overthrow); Isa 1:10 (calling Jerusalem's rulers "rulers of Sodom"); Rom 2:17-24 (having the law is no good if you break it).


Ezekiel 16:60-63

Nevertheless, I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant. Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed... not because of your covenant, but because of my covenant which I will establish. I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord God.”

In-depth-analysis

  • Radical Grace: The chapter pivots on the word "Nevertheless." The entire basis for restoration is God's memory and faithfulness to His covenant, not hers. It is unilateral and unconditional.
  • An Everlasting Covenant: This points forward to the New Covenant, which is not based on human obedience (which failed) but on God's grace and power to change the heart.
  • The Proper Response: Awe-Struck Silence: Her restoration does not lead to boasting but to a profound, silent shame (bashful silence, not guilty). It is the confusion that comes from receiving infinite mercy instead of deserved judgment.
  • Atonement (kaphar) Initiated by God: The final word is God's action: "when I atone for you." Forgiveness and cleansing are His work entirely. This silences all human claims and excuses forever.

Bible references

  • Jeremiah 31:31-34: “...I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel... I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (The promise of the New Covenant)
  • Hosea 3:1-5: Hosea is commanded to buy back his adulterous wife, a living parable of God's redeeming love for unfaithful Israel.
  • Romans 3:23-25: "...all have sinned... and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation..." (God provides the atonement)
  • 2 Corinthians 5:17-19: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation... God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them..." (The ultimate fulfillment of the everlasting covenant)

Cross references

Gen 9:16 (everlasting covenant with Noah); Isa 54:10 (covenant of peace); Lev 16:30 (Day of Atonement); Rom 11:25-29 (God's gifts and calling are irrevocable); Eph 2:4-9 (saved by grace, not works).


Ezekiel chapter 16 analysis

  • Narrative as Gospel: The chapter's flow mirrors the gospel story.
    1. Creation/Depravity: The worthless, dying foundling (humanity's natural state).
    2. Election/Justification: God's command "Live!" and the marriage covenant (salvation by grace).
    3. Sanctification: The lavishing of queenly gifts (the blessings and resources given to believers).
    4. Sin/Fall: Trusting in her own beauty and prostituting the gifts (pride, idolatry, worldliness).
    5. Judgment: The devastating consequences of sin.
    6. Redemption/New Covenant: The final, unilateral promise of an everlasting covenant and atonement, leading to silent, grateful worship.
  • Polemic against Self-Righteousness: Ezekiel 16 is one of the Bible's strongest arguments against salvation by works or heritage. It systematically destroys every possible ground for human pride (ancestry, beauty, status, religious performance) to establish that salvation, from start to finish, is an act of God's sovereign mercy.
  • God's Jealousy as Holy Love: The chapter reframes divine jealousy. It is not petty envy but the righteous fury of a deeply committed covenant lover whose beloved has been unfaithful. His anger is the measure of His love.

Ezekiel 16 summary

This chapter uses the powerful allegory of marriage to detail Israel's history. God finds Israel as a rejected newborn, saves her, and marries her, making her a glorious queen. Tragically, she trusts in her God-given beauty and becomes a uniquely perverse prostitute, worse even than Sodom, by running after idols and foreign nations. The just consequence is a horrifying public judgment at the hands of her former "lovers." Yet, in a stunning reversal, God declares He will act not based on her faithlessness but on His faithfulness, remembering His original promises to establish an everlasting covenant of pure grace, whose sheer mercy will leave her silenced in shame and awe.

Ezekiel 16 AI Image Audio and Video

Ezekiel chapter 16 kjv

  1. 1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
  2. 2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
  3. 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.
  4. 4 And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
  5. 5 None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.
  6. 6 And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.
  7. 7 I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.
  8. 8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.
  9. 9 Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.
  10. 10 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.
  11. 11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.
  12. 12 And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.
  13. 13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.
  14. 14 And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.
  15. 15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.
  16. 16 And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.
  17. 17 Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,
  18. 18 And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.
  19. 19 My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.
  20. 20 Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,
  21. 21 That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?
  22. 22 And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.
  23. 23 And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the LORD GOD;)
  24. 24 That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street.
  25. 25 Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.
  26. 26 Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.
  27. 27 Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way.
  28. 28 Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.
  29. 29 Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied therewith.
  30. 30 How weak is thine heart, saith the LORD GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;
  31. 31 In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;
  32. 32 But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!
  33. 33 They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.
  34. 34 And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.
  35. 35 Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD:
  36. 36 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;
  37. 37 Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.
  38. 38 And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.
  39. 39 And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.
  40. 40 They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.
  41. 41 And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more.
  42. 42 So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.
  43. 43 Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord GOD: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations.
  44. 44 Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.
  45. 45 Thou art thy mother's daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite.
  46. 46 And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.
  47. 47 Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways.
  48. 48 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters.
  49. 49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
  50. 50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.
  51. 51 Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done.
  52. 52 Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.
  53. 53 When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:
  54. 54 That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them.
  55. 55 When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.
  56. 56 For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride,
  57. 57 Before thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of thy reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise thee round about.
  58. 58 Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the LORD.
  59. 59 For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.
  60. 60 Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.
  61. 61 Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.
  62. 62 And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD:
  63. 63 That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel chapter 16 nkjv

  1. 1 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
  2. 2 "Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
  3. 3 and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem: "Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.
  4. 4 As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.
  5. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born.
  6. 6 "And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!' Yes, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!'
  7. 7 I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare.
  8. 8 "When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine," says the Lord GOD.
  9. 9 "Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil.
  10. 10 I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk.
  11. 11 I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck.
  12. 12 And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.
  13. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty.
  14. 14 Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you," says the Lord GOD.
  15. 15 "But you trusted in your own beauty, played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it.
  16. 16 You took some of your garments and adorned multicolored high places for yourself, and played the harlot on them. Such things should not happen, nor be.
  17. 17 You have also taken your beautiful jewelry from My gold and My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images and played the harlot with them.
  18. 18 You took your embroidered garments and covered them, and you set My oil and My incense before them.
  19. 19 Also My food which I gave you?the pastry of fine flour, oil, and honey which I fed you?you set it before them as sweet incense; and so it was," says the Lord GOD.
  20. 20 "Moreover you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your acts of harlotry a small matter,
  21. 21 that you have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?
  22. 22 And in all your abominations and acts of harlotry you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, struggling in your blood.
  23. 23 "Then it was so, after all your wickedness?'Woe, woe to you!' says the Lord GOD?
  24. 24 that you also built for yourself a shrine, and made a high place for yourself in every street.
  25. 25 You built your high places at the head of every road, and made your beauty to be abhorred. You offered yourself to everyone who passed by, and multiplied your acts of harlotry.
  26. 26 You also committed harlotry with the Egyptians, your very fleshly neighbors, and increased your acts of harlotry to provoke Me to anger.
  27. 27 "Behold, therefore, I stretched out My hand against you, diminished your allotment, and gave you up to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior.
  28. 28 You also played the harlot with the Assyrians, because you were insatiable; indeed you played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied.
  29. 29 Moreover you multiplied your acts of harlotry as far as the land of the trader, Chaldea; and even then you were not satisfied.
  30. 30 "How degenerate is your heart!" says the Lord GOD, "seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot.
  31. 31 "You erected your shrine at the head of every road, and built your high place in every street. Yet you were not like a harlot, because you scorned payment.
  32. 32 You are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband.
  33. 33 Men make payment to all harlots, but you made your payments to all your lovers, and hired them to come to you from all around for your harlotry.
  34. 34 You are the opposite of other women in your harlotry, because no one solicited you to be a harlot. In that you gave payment but no payment was given you, therefore you are the opposite."
  35. 35 'Now then, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD!
  36. 36 Thus says the Lord GOD: "Because your filthiness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your harlotry with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them,
  37. 37 surely, therefore, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved, and all those you hated; I will gather them from all around against you and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness.
  38. 38 And I will judge you as women who break wedlock or shed blood are judged; I will bring blood upon you in fury and jealousy.
  39. 39 I will also give you into their hand, and they shall throw down your shrines and break down your high places. They shall also strip you of your clothes, take your beautiful jewelry, and leave you naked and bare.
  40. 40 "They shall also bring up an assembly against you, and they shall stone you with stones and thrust you through with their swords.
  41. 41 They shall burn your houses with fire, and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women; and I will make you cease playing the harlot, and you shall no longer hire lovers.
  42. 42 So I will lay to rest My fury toward you, and My jealousy shall depart from you. I will be quiet, and be angry no more.
  43. 43 Because you did not remember the days of your youth, but agitated Me with all these things, surely I will also recompense your deeds on your own head," says the Lord GOD. "And you shall not commit lewdness in addition to all your abominations.
  44. 44 "Indeed everyone who quotes proverbs will use this proverb against you: 'Like mother, like daughter!'
  45. 45 You are your mother's daughter, loathing husband and children; and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children; your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.
  46. 46 "Your elder sister is Samaria, who dwells with her daughters to the north of you; and your younger sister, who dwells to the south of you, is Sodom and her daughters.
  47. 47 You did not walk in their ways nor act according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you became more corrupt than they in all your ways.
  48. 48 "As I live," says the Lord GOD, "neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done.
  49. 49 Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
  50. 50 And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.
  51. 51 "Samaria did not commit half of your sins; but you have multiplied your abominations more than they, and have justified your sisters by all the abominations which you have done.
  52. 52 You who judged your sisters, bear your own shame also, because the sins which you committed were more abominable than theirs; they are more righteous than you. Yes, be disgraced also, and bear your own shame, because you justified your sisters.
  53. 53 "When I bring back their captives, the captives of Sodom and her daughters, and the captives of Samaria and her daughters, then I will also bring back the captives of your captivity among them,
  54. 54 that you may bear your own shame and be disgraced by all that you did when you comforted them.
  55. 55 When your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters return to their former state, then you and your daughters will return to your former state.
  56. 56 For your sister Sodom was not a byword in your mouth in the days of your pride,
  57. 57 before your wickedness was uncovered. It was like the time of the reproach of the daughters of Syria and all those around her, and of the daughters of the Philistines, who despise you everywhere.
  58. 58 You have paid for your lewdness and your abominations," says the LORD.
  59. 59 For thus says the Lord GOD: "I will deal with you as you have done, who despised the oath by breaking the covenant.
  60. 60 "Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.
  61. 61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed, when you receive your older and your younger sisters; for I will give them to you for daughters, but not because of My covenant with you.
  62. 62 And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
  63. 63 that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done," says the Lord GOD.' "

Ezekiel chapter 16 niv

  1. 1 The word of the LORD came to me:
  2. 2 "Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable practices
  3. 3 and say, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says to Jerusalem: Your ancestry and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.
  4. 4 On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths.
  5. 5 No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised.
  6. 6 "?'Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, "Live!"
  7. 7 I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew and developed and entered puberty. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, yet you were stark naked.
  8. 8 "?'Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.
  9. 9 "?'I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you.
  10. 10 I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments.
  11. 11 I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck,
  12. 12 and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.
  13. 13 So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen.
  14. 14 And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign LORD.
  15. 15 "?'But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his.
  16. 16 You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places, where you carried on your prostitution. You went to him, and he possessed your beauty.
  17. 17 You also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them.
  18. 18 And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil and incense before them.
  19. 19 Also the food I provided for you?the flour, olive oil and honey I gave you to eat?you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is what happened, declares the Sovereign LORD.
  20. 20 "?'And you took your sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough?
  21. 21 You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols.
  22. 22 In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, kicking about in your blood.
  23. 23 "?'Woe! Woe to you, declares the Sovereign LORD. In addition to all your other wickedness,
  24. 24 you built a mound for yourself and made a lofty shrine in every public square.
  25. 25 At every street corner you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty, spreading your legs with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed by.
  26. 26 You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your neighbors with large genitals, and aroused my anger with your increasing promiscuity.
  27. 27 So I stretched out my hand against you and reduced your territory; I gave you over to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were shocked by your lewd conduct.
  28. 28 You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied.
  29. 29 Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia, a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied.
  30. 30 "?'I am filled with fury against you, declares the Sovereign LORD, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute!
  31. 31 When you built your mounds at every street corner and made your lofty shrines in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you scorned payment.
  32. 32 "?'You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband!
  33. 33 All prostitutes receive gifts, but you give gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.
  34. 34 So in your prostitution you are the opposite of others; no one runs after you for your favors. You are the very opposite, for you give payment and none is given to you.
  35. 35 "?'Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the LORD!
  36. 36 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you poured out your lust and exposed your naked body in your promiscuity with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children's blood,
  37. 37 therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and will strip you in front of them, and they will see you stark naked.
  38. 38 I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and who shed blood; I will bring on you the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger.
  39. 39 Then I will deliver you into the hands of your lovers, and they will tear down your mounds and destroy your lofty shrines. They will strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry and leave you stark naked.
  40. 40 They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and hack you to pieces with their swords.
  41. 41 They will burn down your houses and inflict punishment on you in the sight of many women. I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers.
  42. 42 Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you; I will be calm and no longer angry.
  43. 43 "?'Because you did not remember the days of your youth but enraged me with all these things, I will surely bring down on your head what you have done, declares the Sovereign LORD. Did you not add lewdness to all your other detestable practices?
  44. 44 "?'Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: "Like mother, like daughter."
  45. 45 You are a true daughter of your mother, who despised her husband and her children; and you are a true sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.
  46. 46 Your older sister was Samaria, who lived to the north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you with her daughters, was Sodom.
  47. 47 You not only followed their ways and copied their detestable practices, but in all your ways you soon became more depraved than they.
  48. 48 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.
  49. 49 "?'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.
  50. 50 They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.
  51. 51 Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have done more detestable things than they, and have made your sisters seem righteous by all these things you have done.
  52. 52 Bear your disgrace, for you have furnished some justification for your sisters. Because your sins were more vile than theirs, they appear more righteous than you. So then, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.
  53. 53 "?'However, I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them,
  54. 54 so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in giving them comfort.
  55. 55 And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to what they were before; and you and your daughters will return to what you were before.
  56. 56 You would not even mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride,
  57. 57 before your wickedness was uncovered. Even so, you are now scorned by the daughters of Edom and all her neighbors and the daughters of the Philistines?all those around you who despise you.
  58. 58 You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your detestable practices, declares the LORD.
  59. 59 "?'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant.
  60. 60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.
  61. 61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both those who are older than you and those who are younger. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on the basis of my covenant with you.
  62. 62 So I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the LORD.
  63. 63 Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign LORD.'?"

Ezekiel chapter 16 esv

  1. 1 Again the word of the LORD came to me:
  2. 2 "Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations,
  3. 3 and say, Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.
  4. 4 And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.
  5. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born.
  6. 6 "And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!' I said to you in your blood, 'Live!'
  7. 7 I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare.
  8. 8 "When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine.
  9. 9 Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil.
  10. 10 I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.
  11. 11 And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck.
  12. 12 And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.
  13. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.
  14. 14 And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.
  15. 15 "But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his.
  16. 16 You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be.
  17. 17 You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore.
  18. 18 And you took your embroidered garments to cover them, and set my oil and my incense before them.
  19. 19 Also my bread that I gave you ? I fed you with fine flour and oil and honey ? you set before them for a pleasing aroma; and so it was, declares the Lord GOD.
  20. 20 And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter
  21. 21 that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them?
  22. 22 And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your blood.
  23. 23 "And after all your wickedness (woe, woe to you! declares the Lord GOD),
  24. 24 you built yourself a vaulted chamber and made yourself a lofty place in every square.
  25. 25 At the head of every street you built your lofty place and made your beauty an abomination, offering yourself to any passerby and multiplying your whoring.
  26. 26 You also played the whore with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, multiplying your whoring, to provoke me to anger.
  27. 27 Behold, therefore, I stretched out my hand against you and diminished your allotted portion and delivered you to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior.
  28. 28 You played the whore also with the Assyrians, because you were not satisfied; yes, you played the whore with them, and still you were not satisfied.
  29. 29 You multiplied your whoring also with the trading land of Chaldea, and even with this you were not satisfied.
  30. 30 "How sick is your heart, declares the Lord GOD, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute,
  31. 31 building your vaulted chamber at the head of every street, and making your lofty place in every square. Yet you were not like a prostitute, because you scorned payment.
  32. 32 Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband!
  33. 33 Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side with your whorings.
  34. 34 So you were different from other women in your whorings. No one solicited you to play the whore, and you gave payment, while no payment was given to you; therefore you were different.
  35. 35 "Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the LORD:
  36. 36 Thus says the Lord GOD, Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your whorings with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children that you gave to them,
  37. 37 therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from every side and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness.
  38. 38 And I will judge you as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy.
  39. 39 And I will give you into their hands, and they shall throw down your vaulted chamber and break down your lofty places. They shall strip you of your clothes and take your beautiful jewels and leave you naked and bare.
  40. 40 They shall bring up a crowd against you, and they shall stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords.
  41. 41 And they shall burn your houses and execute judgments upon you in the sight of many women. I will make you stop playing the whore, and you shall also give payment no more.
  42. 42 So will I satisfy my wrath on you, and my jealousy shall depart from you. I will be calm and will no more be angry.
  43. 43 Because you have not remembered the days of your youth, but have enraged me with all these things, therefore, behold, I have returned your deeds upon your head, declares the Lord GOD. Have you not committed lewdness in addition to all your abominations?
  44. 44 "Behold, everyone who uses proverbs will use this proverb about you: 'Like mother, like daughter.'
  45. 45 You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and her children; and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.
  46. 46 And your elder sister is Samaria, who lived with her daughters to the north of you; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you, is Sodom with her daughters.
  47. 47 Not only did you walk in their ways and do according to their abominations; within a very little time you were more corrupt than they in all your ways.
  48. 48 As I live, declares the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done.
  49. 49 Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.
  50. 50 They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.
  51. 51 Samaria has not committed half your sins. You have committed more abominations than they, and have made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations that you have committed.
  52. 52 Bear your disgrace, you also, for you have intervened on behalf of your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. So be ashamed, you also, and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.
  53. 53 "I will restore their fortunes, both the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters, and I will restore your own fortunes in their midst,
  54. 54 that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all that you have done, becoming a consolation to them.
  55. 55 As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters shall return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former state, and you and your daughters shall return to your former state.
  56. 56 Was not your sister Sodom a byword in your mouth in the day of your pride,
  57. 57 before your wickedness was uncovered? Now you have become an object of reproach for the daughters of Syria and all those around her, and for the daughters of the Philistines, those all around who despise you.
  58. 58 You bear the penalty of your lewdness and your abominations, declares the LORD.
  59. 59 "For thus says the Lord GOD: I will deal with you as you have done, you who have despised the oath in breaking the covenant,
  60. 60 yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant.
  61. 61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you take your sisters, both your elder and your younger, and I give them to you as daughters, but not on account of the covenant with you.
  62. 62 I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD,
  63. 63 that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord GOD."

Ezekiel chapter 16 nlt

  1. 1 Then another message came to me from the LORD:
  2. 2 "Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable sins.
  3. 3 Give her this message from the Sovereign LORD: You are nothing but a Canaanite! Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.
  4. 4 On the day you were born, no one cared about you. Your umbilical cord was not cut, and you were never washed, rubbed with salt, and wrapped in cloth.
  5. 5 No one had the slightest interest in you; no one pitied you or cared for you. On the day you were born, you were unwanted, dumped in a field and left to die.
  6. 6 "But I came by and saw you there, helplessly kicking about in your own blood. As you lay there, I said, 'Live!'
  7. 7 And I helped you to thrive like a plant in the field. You grew up and became a beautiful jewel. Your breasts became full, and your body hair grew, but you were still naked.
  8. 8 And when I passed by again, I saw that you were old enough for love. So I wrapped my cloak around you to cover your nakedness and declared my marriage vows. I made a covenant with you, says the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.
  9. 9 "Then I bathed you and washed off your blood, and I rubbed fragrant oils into your skin.
  10. 10 I gave you expensive clothing of fine linen and silk, beautifully embroidered, and sandals made of fine goatskin leather.
  11. 11 I gave you lovely jewelry, bracelets, beautiful necklaces,
  12. 12 a ring for your nose, earrings for your ears, and a lovely crown for your head.
  13. 13 And so you were adorned with gold and silver. Your clothes were made of fine linen and costly fabric and were beautifully embroidered. You ate the finest foods ? choice flour, honey, and olive oil ? and became more beautiful than ever. You looked like a queen, and so you were!
  14. 14 Your fame soon spread throughout the world because of your beauty. I dressed you in my splendor and perfected your beauty, says the Sovereign LORD.
  15. 15 "But you thought your fame and beauty were your own. So you gave yourself as a prostitute to every man who came along. Your beauty was theirs for the asking.
  16. 16 You used the lovely things I gave you to make shrines for idols, where you played the prostitute. Unbelievable! How could such a thing ever happen?
  17. 17 You took the very jewels and gold and silver ornaments I had given you and made statues of men and worshiped them. This is adultery against me!
  18. 18 You used the beautifully embroidered clothes I gave you to dress your idols. Then you used my special oil and my incense to worship them.
  19. 19 Imagine it! You set before them as a sacrifice the choice flour, olive oil, and honey I had given you, says the Sovereign LORD.
  20. 20 "Then you took your sons and daughters ? the children you had borne to me ? and sacrificed them to your gods. Was your prostitution not enough?
  21. 21 Must you also slaughter my children by sacrificing them to idols?
  22. 22 In all your years of adultery and detestable sin, you have not once remembered the days long ago when you lay naked in a field, kicking about in your own blood.
  23. 23 "What sorrow awaits you, says the Sovereign LORD. In addition to all your other wickedness,
  24. 24 you built a pagan shrine and put altars to idols in every town square.
  25. 25 On every street corner you defiled your beauty, offering your body to every passerby in an endless stream of prostitution.
  26. 26 Then you added lustful Egypt to your lovers, provoking my anger with your increasing promiscuity.
  27. 27 That is why I struck you with my fist and reduced your boundaries. I handed you over to your enemies, the Philistines, and even they were shocked by your lewd conduct.
  28. 28 You have prostituted yourself with the Assyrians, too. It seems you can never find enough new lovers! And after your prostitution there, you still were not satisfied.
  29. 29 You added to your lovers by embracing Babylonia, the land of merchants, but you still weren't satisfied.
  30. 30 "What a sick heart you have, says the Sovereign LORD, to do such things as these, acting like a shameless prostitute.
  31. 31 You build your pagan shrines on every street corner and your altars to idols in every square. In fact, you have been worse than a prostitute, so eager for sin that you have not even demanded payment.
  32. 32 Yes, you are an adulterous wife who takes in strangers instead of her own husband.
  33. 33 Prostitutes charge for their services ? but not you! You give gifts to your lovers, bribing them to come and have sex with you.
  34. 34 So you are the opposite of other prostitutes. You pay your lovers instead of their paying you!
  35. 35 "Therefore, you prostitute, listen to this message from the LORD!
  36. 36 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you have poured out your lust and exposed yourself in prostitution to all your lovers, and because you have worshiped detestable idols, and because you have slaughtered your children as sacrifices to your gods,
  37. 37 this is what I am going to do. I will gather together all your allies ? the lovers with whom you have sinned, both those you loved and those you hated ? and I will strip you naked in front of them so they can stare at you.
  38. 38 I will punish you for your murder and adultery. I will cover you with blood in my jealous fury.
  39. 39 Then I will give you to these many nations who are your lovers, and they will destroy you. They will knock down your pagan shrines and the altars to your idols. They will strip you and take your beautiful jewels, leaving you stark naked.
  40. 40 They will band together in a mob to stone you and cut you up with swords.
  41. 41 They will burn your homes and punish you in front of many women. I will stop your prostitution and end your payments to your many lovers.
  42. 42 "Then at last my fury against you will be spent, and my jealous anger will subside. I will be calm and will not be angry with you anymore.
  43. 43 But first, because you have not remembered your youth but have angered me by doing all these evil things, I will fully repay you for all of your sins, says the Sovereign LORD. For you have added lewd acts to all your detestable sins.
  44. 44 Everyone who makes up proverbs will say of you, 'Like mother, like daughter.'
  45. 45 For your mother loathed her husband and her children, and so do you. And you are exactly like your sisters, for they despised their husbands and their children. Truly your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.
  46. 46 "Your older sister was Samaria, who lived with her daughters in the north. Your younger sister was Sodom, who lived with her daughters in the south.
  47. 47 But you have not merely sinned as they did. You quickly surpassed them in corruption.
  48. 48 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, Sodom and her daughters were never as wicked as you and your daughters.
  49. 49 Sodom's sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door.
  50. 50 She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have seen.
  51. 51 "Even Samaria did not commit half your sins. You have done far more detestable things than your sisters ever did. They seem righteous compared to you.
  52. 52 Shame on you! Your sins are so terrible that you make your sisters seem righteous, even virtuous.
  53. 53 "But someday I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and Samaria, and I will restore you, too.
  54. 54 Then you will be truly ashamed of everything you have done, for your sins make them feel good in comparison.
  55. 55 Yes, your sisters, Sodom and Samaria, and all their people will be restored, and at that time you also will be restored.
  56. 56 In your proud days you held Sodom in contempt.
  57. 57 But now your greater wickedness has been exposed to all the world, and you are the one who is scorned ? by Edom and all her neighbors and by Philistia.
  58. 58 This is your punishment for all your lewdness and detestable sins, says the LORD.
  59. 59 "Now this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will give you what you deserve, for you have taken your solemn vows lightly by breaking your covenant.
  60. 60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were young, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.
  61. 61 Then you will remember with shame all the evil you have done. I will make your sisters, Samaria and Sodom, to be your daughters, even though they are not part of our covenant.
  62. 62 And I will reaffirm my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the LORD.
  63. 63 You will remember your sins and cover your mouth in silent shame when I forgive you of all that you have done. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!"
  1. Bible Book of Ezekiel
  2. 1 Ezekiel in Babylon
  3. 2 Ezekiel's Call
  4. 3 A Watchman for Israel
  5. 4 The Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized
  6. 5 Jerusalem Will Be Destroyed
  7. 6 Judgment Against Idolatry
  8. 7 The Day of the Wrath of the Lord
  9. 8 Abominations in the Temple
  10. 9 Idolaters Killed
  11. 10 The Glory of the Lord Leaves the Temple
  12. 11 Judgment on Wicked Counselors
  13. 12 Judah's Captivity Symbolized
  14. 13 False Prophets Condemned
  15. 14 Idolatry Will Be Punished
  16. 15 Jerusalem, a Useless Vine
  17. 16 The Lord's Faithless Bride
  18. 17 Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine
  19. 18 The Soul Who Sins Shall Die
  20. 19 A Lament for the Princes of Israel
  21. 20 Israel's Continuing Rebellion
  22. 21 The Sword of the Lord
  23. 22 Israel's Shedding of Blood
  24. 23 Oholah and Oholibah the immoral sisters
  25. 24 The Siege of Jerusalem
  26. 25 Prophecy Against Ammon
  27. 26 Prophecy Against Tyre
  28. 27 A Lament for Tyre
  29. 28 Prophecy against the King of Tyre
  30. 29 Prophecy Against Egypt
  31. 30 A Lament for Egypt
  32. 31 Pharaoh to Be Slain
  33. 32 A Lament over Pharaoh and Egypt
  34. 33 Ezekiel Is Israel's Watchman
  35. 34 Prophecy Against the Shepherds of Israel
  36. 35 Prophecy Against Mount Seir
  37. 36 Prophecy to the Mountains of Israel
  38. 37 The Dry Bones Live
  39. 38 Prophecy Against Gog
  40. 39 The Lord Will Restore Israel
  41. 40 Vision of the New Temple
  42. 41 The Inner Temple
  43. 42 The Temple's Chambers
  44. 43 The Glory of the Lord Fills the Temple
  45. 44 The Gate for the Prince
  46. 45 The Holy District
  47. 46 The Prince and the Feasts
  48. 47 Water Flowing from the Temple
  49. 48 The Gates of the City