Ezekiel 16

Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

1God's message came to me again. He said:

2Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,

2"Son of man, tell Jerusalem about the terrible things she has done.

Note"Son of man" is what God calls Ezekiel all through this book. It simply means "human being."

3And 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.

3Tell her this is what the Lord God says to Jerusalem. You were born in the land of Canaan. Your father was an Amorite. Your mother was a Hittite.

4And 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.

4On the day you were born, no one cut your cord. No one washed you clean. No one rubbed you with salt or wrapped you in cloth.

NoteLong ago a newborn baby was washed, rubbed with salt, and wrapped snugly in cloth. No one did any of that for this baby.

5None 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.

5No one felt sorry for you or did any of these things for you. Instead you were thrown out into an open field. You were unwanted on the day you were born.

6And 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.

6Then I came by. I saw you lying there in your own blood. I said to you, 'Live!' Again I said, 'Live!'

7I 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.

7I made you grow like a plant in a field. You grew up and became a beautiful young woman. But you still had no clothes at all.

8Now 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.

8Later I came by and looked at you. You were old enough to be married. So I spread my cloak over you and covered you. I made a promise to you. I made an agreement with you, says the Lord God, and you became mine.

NoteSpreading a cloak over someone was a way of promising to marry them.

9Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.

9Then I washed you with water. I rinsed the blood off you. I rubbed sweet oil on your skin.

10I 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.

10I dressed you in clothes with pretty stitching. I gave you sandals of soft leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.

11I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.

11I gave you jewelry to wear. I put bracelets on your wrists and a chain around your neck.

12And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.

12I put a ring in your nose and rings in your ears. I set a lovely crown on your head.

13Thus 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.

13So you wore gold and silver. Your clothes were fine linen, silk, and pretty stitching. You ate the best flour, honey, and oil. You were very beautiful, and you became a queen.

14And 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.

14People in other nations heard how beautiful you were. Your beauty was perfect, because I was the one who gave it to you, says the Lord God.

15But 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.

15But you trusted your own beauty. You were famous, and you stopped being faithful to me. You gave yourself to everyone who walked by.

16And 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.

16You took some of your clothes and made colorful shrines for idols. There you were unfaithful. Such things should never have happened.

17Thou 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,

17You also took the fine gold and silver jewelry I gave you. You made idols shaped like men, and you gave yourself to them.

18And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.

18You took your pretty stitched clothes and put them on the idols. You set my oil and my sweet-smelling incense in front of them.

19My 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.

19I had fed you the best flour, oil, and honey. You set that food in front of the idols as a gift. That is what you did, says the Lord God.

20Moreover 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,

20You even took your sons and daughters, the children you had with me. You gave them to the idols as food. Was all your unfaithfulness not enough?

21That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?

21You killed my children. You handed them over and passed them through the fire for the idols.

22And 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.

22You did all these terrible things and were never faithful. And you never remembered when you were young. You had no clothes, and you lay in your own blood.

23And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the LORD GOD;)

23Trouble is coming! Trouble is coming to you, says the Lord God! On top of all your other wrongdoing,

24That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street.

24you built yourself a raised mound. In every street you built a tall place for worshiping idols.

25Thou 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.

25At the top of every street you built these places. You made your beauty something ugly. You offered yourself to everyone who passed by. You were unfaithful again and again.

26Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.

26You gave yourself to your neighbors, the Egyptians. You were unfaithful more and more, and it made me angry.

27Behold, 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.

27So I reached out my hand against you. I cut down the food you were given. I handed you over to people who hate you. Even the Philistine towns were ashamed of the way you acted.

28Thou 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.

28Then you gave yourself to the Assyrians, because you still were not satisfied. Even after that you wanted more.

29Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith.

29So you went on to Chaldea, the land of traders. Even that did not satisfy you.

30How weak is thine heart, saith the LORD GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;

30How weak your heart is, says the Lord God. You do all these things like a woman with no shame at all.

31In 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;

31You built your mounds at the top of every street. You made tall places for idols in every square. But you were not even like a woman who is paid. You would not take payment.

32But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!

32You are like a wife who is unfaithful. You take strangers instead of your own husband.

33They 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.

33Men pay women like that. But you gave gifts to all your lovers. You paid them to come to you from every direction.

34And 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.

34So you are the opposite of other women. No one came asking for you. You paid them, and no one paid you. You are the opposite.

35Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD:

35So listen to the word of the LORD, you unfaithful woman.

36Thus 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;

36This is what the Lord God says. You poured out your riches. You uncovered yourself for your lovers and for all your disgusting idols. You gave them the blood of your children.

37Behold, 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.

37So I will gather all the lovers you enjoyed. I will gather everyone you loved and everyone you hated. I will bring them around you from every side. I will uncover you in front of them, and they will see everything.

38And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.

38I will punish you the way women are punished who leave their husband and spill blood. My anger and jealousy will fall on you.

39And 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.

39I will hand you over to them. They will tear down your mounds and your tall places for idols. They will strip off your clothes and take your fine jewelry. They will leave you with nothing.

40They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.

40They will bring a crowd against you. They will throw stones at you and cut you with their swords.

41And 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.

41They will burn your houses down. They will punish you where many women can see it. I will stop your unfaithful ways. You will never pay lovers again.

42So 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.

42Then my anger against you will rest. My jealousy will turn away from you. I will be calm and not angry anymore.

43Because 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.

43You never remembered when you were young. Instead you made me angry with all these things. So I will bring what you did back on your own head, says the Lord God. Did you not add this shameful sin to all your other terrible ones?

44Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.

44Everyone who tells wise sayings will say this one about you: 'Like mother, like daughter.'

45Thou 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.

45You are your mother's daughter. She turned away from her husband and her children. You are the sister of your sisters, who did the same. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.

46And 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.

46Your big sister was Samaria. She lived with her towns to the north of you. Your little sister was Sodom. She lived with her towns to the south of you.

47Yet 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.

47You did not just copy their ways and their terrible deeds. Very soon you were worse than they were.

NoteThe old King James wording sounds like Jerusalem did not copy her sisters. The Hebrew means she did more than copy them. She became worse than they were.

48As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters.

48As surely as I live, says the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her towns never did what you and your towns have done.

49Behold, 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.

49Here was your sister Sodom's sin. She and her towns were proud. They had plenty of food and nothing to do. They did not help poor people who needed them.

50And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

50They looked down on others and did disgusting things in front of me. So I took them away, as you have seen.

51Neither 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.

51Samaria did not sin even half as much as you. You did far more terrible things than both of them. You made your sisters look good.

52Thou 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.

52You judged your sisters. Now carry your own shame, because your sins were worse than theirs. They look better than you do. So be ashamed and carry your shame, because you made your sisters look good.

53When 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:

53But I will bring Sodom and her towns back from where they were taken. I will bring Samaria and her towns back too. And I will bring you back along with them.

54That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them.

54So you will carry your shame. You will be ashamed of everything you did. The way you turned out gives them comfort.

55When 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.

55Your sisters will go back to the way they were before. Sodom and her towns will, and Samaria and her towns will. You and your towns will too.

56For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride,

56You made fun of your sister Sodom back when you were proud.

57Before 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.

57That was before anyone saw how bad you were. Now the towns of Edom make fun of you. So do all the people around them, and the Philistine towns near you.

58Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the LORD.

58You will carry the weight of your shameful and terrible deeds, says the LORD.

59For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.

59This is what the Lord God says. I will do to you what you have done. You broke your promise and did not care about our agreement.

60Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.

60Even so, I will remember the agreement I made with you when you were young. I will set up an agreement with you that lasts forever.

61Then 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.

61Then you will remember what you did, and you will be ashamed. You will welcome your big sister and your little sister. I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of my agreement with you.

62And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD:

62I will set up my agreement with you. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

63That 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.

63You will remember and be ashamed. You will never speak up for yourself again, because of your shame. This will happen when I forgive you for everything you did, says the Lord God."