Ezekiel 16

1Again the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

1Again a message from the LORD came to me:

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

2Human, confront Jerusalem with her disgusting practices.

3and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto Jerusalem: Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of the Canaanite; the Amorite was thy father, and thy mother was a Hittite.

3This is what the Sovereign LORD says to Jerusalem: You were born in the land of the Canaanites. Your father was an Amorite and 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 cleanse thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.

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

5No eye pitied thee, to do any of these things unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, for that thy person was abhorred, in the day that thou wast born.

5No one looked at you with pity or did any of those things for you out of compassion. Instead, you were thrown out into an open field because you were hated on the day you were born.

6And when I passed by thee, and saw thee weltering in thy blood, I said unto thee, Though thou art in thy blood, live; yea, I said unto thee, Though thou art in thy blood, live.

6Then I passed by and saw you kicking around in your own blood. As you lay there in your blood, I said to you, 'Live!' Yes, I said to you, 'Live!'

7I caused thee to multiply as that which groweth in the field, and thou didst increase and wax great, and thou attainedst to excellent ornament; thy breasts were fashioned, and thy hair was grown; yet thou wast naked and bare.

7I made you grow like a plant in the field. You grew up, became tall, and reached peak beauty. Your breasts formed and your hair grew, but you were still completely naked.

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 Jehovah, and thou becamest mine.

8Later, I passed by you again and saw that you were old enough for love. I wrapped my cloak around you to cover your nakedness. I gave you my word and entered into a formal agreement with you, says the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.

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

9Then I bathed you with water, washed the blood off you, and rubbed oil on your skin.

10I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with sealskin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and covered thee with silk.

10I gave you beautiful embroidered clothes and sandals made of fine leather. I gave you a linen headband and covered you with silk.

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

11I decorated you with jewelry, putting bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck.

12And I put a ring upon thy nose, and ear-rings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy head.

12I put a ring in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful 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 unto royal estate.

13So you were decorated with gold and silver. Your clothes were made of fine linen, silk, and embroidery. You ate the finest flour, honey, and olive oil. You became incredibly beautiful and rose to the status of a queen.

14And thy renown went forth among the nations for thy beauty; for it was perfect, through my majesty which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord Jehovah.

14Your fame spread among the nations because of your beauty. It was perfect because of the splendor I gave you, says the Sovereign LORD.

15But thou didst trust in thy beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy whoredoms on every one that passed by; his it was.

15But you trusted in your beauty. You used your fame to act like a prostitute, offering yourself to every man who passed by.

16And thou didst take of thy garments, and madest for thee high places decked with divers colors, and playedst the harlot upon them: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.

16You took some of your clothes to decorate hilltop shrines with many colors and practiced your prostitution there—things that should never happen or even be thought of.

17Thou didst also take thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest for thee images of men, and didst play the harlot with them;

17You also took the beautiful jewelry I gave you, made from my gold and silver, and fashioned male idols to use in your unfaithfulness.

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

18You took your embroidered clothes to cover them, and you offered my oil and my incense to them.

19My bread also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou didst even set it before them for a sweet savor; and thus it was, saith the Lord Jehovah.

19Even the food I gave you—the fine flour, oil, and honey I fed you—you offered to them as a pleasing aroma. That is what happened, says the Sovereign LORD.

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. Were thy whoredoms a small matter,

20Then you took your sons and daughters whom you bore for me and sacrificed them as food to those idols. Was your prostitution not enough?

21that thou hast slain my children, and delivered them up, in causing them to pass through the fire unto them?

21You slaughtered my children and handed them over to be burned in the fire for your 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 weltering in thy blood.

22In all your disgusting practices and unfaithfulness, you didn't remember the time you were young, when you were naked and kicking in your blood.

23And it is come to pass after all thy wickedness (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord Jehovah),

23After all your wickedness—how terrible for you! says the Sovereign LORD—

24that thou hast built unto thee a vaulted place, and hast made thee a lofty place in every street.

24you built a mound for yourself and a shrine in every public square.

25Thou hast built thy lofty place at the head of every way, and hast made thy beauty an abomination, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredom.

25At the head of every street you built your shrines and ruined your beauty. You offered your body to everyone who passed by, increasing your unfaithfulness.

26Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians, thy neighbors, great of flesh; and hast multiplied thy whoredom, to provoke me to anger.

26You acted like a prostitute with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, and you kept being unfaithful to make 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, that are ashamed of thy lewd way.

27So I stretched out my hand against you and reduced your food. I handed you over to the desires of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were shocked by your shameful behavior.

28Thou hast played the harlot also with the Assyrians, because thou wast insatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet thou wast not satisfied.

28You also committed adultery with the Assyrians because you couldn't be satisfied; even after that, you still wanted more.

29Thou hast moreover multiplied thy whoredom unto the land of traffic, unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith.

29You increased your prostitution with Chaldea, a land of traders, but even that didn't satisfy you.

30How weak is thy heart, saith the Lord Jehovah, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an impudent harlot;

30How weak your heart is, says the Sovereign LORD, since you do all these things like a brazen prostitute!

31in that thou buildest thy vaulted place at the head of every way, and makest thy lofty place in every street, and hast not been as a harlot, in that thou scornest hire.

31You built your mounds at the head of every street and your shrines in every square. Yet you weren't even like a normal prostitute, because you turned down payment.

32A wife that committeth adultery! that taketh strangers instead of her husband!

32You are an adulterous wife who welcomes strangers instead of her own husband!

33They give gifts to all harlots; but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and bribest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredoms.

33People usually give gifts to prostitutes, but you give gifts to all your lovers instead. You bribe them to come to you from everywhere to sleep with you.

34And thou art different from other women in thy whoredoms, in that none followeth thee to play the harlot; and whereas thou givest hire, and no hire is given unto thee, therefore thou art different.

34You are the opposite of other prostitutes. No one chased after you to pay for sex. You were the one who paid others instead of being paid. You are truly different.

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

35Therefore, prostitute, hear the word of the LORD!

36Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness uncovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers; and because of all the idols of thy abominations, and for the blood of thy children, that thou didst give unto them;

36This is what the Sovereign LORD says: You poured out your lust and bared your nakedness in your unfaithfulness to your lovers and to all your disgusting idols. You even gave them the blood of your children.

37therefore behold, 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 against thee on every side, and will uncover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.

37Because of this, I am going to gather all your lovers—the ones you enjoyed, the ones you loved, and even the ones you hated. I will gather them from all sides against you. I will strip you naked in front of them so they can see everything.

38And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will bring upon thee the blood of wrath and jealousy.

38I will sentence you to the punishment for women who commit adultery and murder. I will bring upon you the blood of my furious jealousy.

39I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thy vaulted place, and break down thy lofty places; and they shall strip thee of thy clothes, and take thy fair jewels; and they shall leave thee naked and bare.

39I will hand you over to your lovers. They will tear down your mounds and destroy your shrines. They will strip off your clothes, take your beautiful jewelry, and leave you completely naked.

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 mob against you to stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords.

41And they shall burn thy 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 shalt also give no hire any more.

41They will burn down your houses and carry out your punishment while many women watch. I will put an end to your prostitution, and you will stop paying your lovers.

42So will I cause my wrath 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 calm down, and my jealous fury will go away. I will be quiet and not be angry anymore.

43Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast raged against me in all these things; therefore, behold, I also will bring thy way upon thy head, saith the Lord Jehovah: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness with all thine abominations.

43Because you didn't remember your youth but made me furious with all these things, I will bring your own conduct down on your head, says the Sovereign LORD. Didn't you add this shameful behavior to all your other disgusting practices?

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

44Everyone who uses proverbs will use this one about you: 'Like mother, like daughter.'

45Thou art the daughter of thy mother, that loatheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children: your mother was a Hittite, and your father an Amorite.

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

46And thine elder sister is Samaria, that dwelleth at thy left hand, she and her daughters; and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.

46Your older sister was Samaria, who lived to your north with her daughters. Your younger sister was Sodom, who lived to your south with her daughters.

47Yet hast thou not walked in their ways, nor done after their abominations; but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast more corrupt than they in all thy ways.

47You didn't just follow their ways or do their disgusting things. Within a very short time, you became even more corrupt than they were in everything you did.

48As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, 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 Sovereign LORD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.

49Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fulness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

49This was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, had plenty of food, and lived in comfortable ease, but they did not help the poor and needy.

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

50They were proud and did disgusting things before me. So I did away with them as I saw fit.

51Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters by all thine abominations which thou hast done.

51Samaria did not commit even half the sins you did. You have done so many more disgusting things than they did that you make your sisters look righteous by comparison.

52Thou also, bear thou thine own shame, in that thou hast given judgment for thy sisters; through thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they, they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou also confounded, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.

52You must now carry your shame, for you have made your sisters look better. Because your sins are so much more terrible than theirs, they are more righteous than you. Be ashamed and carry your disgrace, because you have made your sisters look good.

53And I will turn again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, and the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them;

53However, I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and of Samaria and her daughters. I will also restore your fortune along with theirs.

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

54This will happen so you can bear your shame and be disgraced by everything you did, serving as a 'comfort' to them.

55And thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate; and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate; and thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

55When your sisters—Sodom and her daughters, and Samaria and her daughters—return to their former state, you and your daughters will also return to your former state.

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

56You wouldn't even mention the name of your sister Sodom during the days when you were proud,

57before thy wickedness was uncovered, as at the time of the reproach of the daughters of Syria, and of all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, that do despite unto thee round about.

57before your own wickedness was exposed. Now you have become a joke to the daughters of Edom and all her neighbors, and to the daughters of the Philistines—everyone around you who despises you.

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

58You must suffer the consequences of your shameful behavior and disgusting practices, says the LORD.

59For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will also deal with thee as thou hast done, who hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.

59This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will treat you as you deserve, because you despised my oath and broke the covenant.

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

60Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were young, and I will establish a permanent covenant with you.

61Then shalt thou remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder sisters and thy younger; and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.

61Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both the older and the younger. I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of the covenant you had.

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

62I will establish my covenant with you, and 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 have forgiven thee all that thou hast done, saith the Lord Jehovah.

63Then you will remember and be so ashamed that you won't be able to open your mouth anymore when I forgive you for everything you have done, says the Sovereign LORD.