Ezekiel 16
The LORD tells Jerusalem's history as an allegory: she was an abandoned infant whom He rescued, raised, and married. She became exceedingly beautiful but played the harlot with every nation around her, worse than Sodom and Samaria — yet the LORD will remember His covenant and establish an everlasting covenant with her.
| v | King James Version | Modern English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, | The word of the LORD came to me: |
| 2 | Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, | "Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her abominations." |
| 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. | "Say: This is what the Lord GOD says to Jerusalem: Your origin and birth were in the land of Canaan. Your father was an Amorite and Your mother a Hittite." |
| 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. | "On the day You were born, Your umbilical cord was not cut, You were not washed with water, You were not rubbed with salt, and You were not wrapped in cloths." |
| 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. | "No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for You. You were thrown out into the open field on the day You were born — despised and rejected." |
| 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. | "Then I passed by and saw You there, struggling in Your blood. I said to You as You lay in Your blood, 'Live!' Yes, I said to You in Your blood, 'Live!'" |
| 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. | "I made You grow like a plant of the field. You grew up and became tall. You came to have great beauty. Your breasts formed and Your hair grew, yet You were naked and bare." |
| 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. | "Later I passed by and looked at You, and You were old enough for love. I spread the corner of My garment over You and covered Your nakedness. I gave You My solemn oath and entered into a covenant with You, declares the Lord GOD, and You became Mine." |
| 9 | Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. | "I bathed You with water, washed the blood from You, and anointed You with oil." |
| 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. | "I dressed You in embroidered cloth and gave You fine leather sandals. I wrapped You in fine linen and covered You with costly fabric." |
| 11 | I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. | "I adorned You with jewelry. I put bracelets on Your wrists and a necklace around Your neck." |
| 12 | And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. | "I put a ring on Your nose, earrings in Your ears, and a beautiful crown on Your head." |
| 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. | "You were adorned with gold and silver. Your clothing was fine linen, costly fabric, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and olive oil. You grew very beautiful and became a queen." |
| 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. | "Your fame spread among the heathen because of your beauty, for it was perfect because of the splendor I gave You, declares the Lord GOD." |
| 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. | "But You trusted in Your beauty and used Your fame to become a harlot. You lavished Your favors on everyone who passed by and Your beauty became His." |
| 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. | "You took some of Your clothes and made colorful shrines, where You played the harlot. Such things should not happen and should not occur." |
| 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, | "You also took the beautiful jewelry I gave You — the gold and silver — and You made for Yourself male idols and committed whoredom with them." |
| 18 | And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them. | "You took Your embroidered clothes and covered them. You set My oil and My incense before them." |
| 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. | "Also the food I gave You — the fine flour, olive oil, and honey I fed You — you offered as a fragrant aroma before them. That is what happened, declares the Lord GOD." |
| 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, | "And You took Your sons and daughters whom You bore to Me and sacrificed them as food to idols. Was Your whoredom not enough?" |
| 21 | That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them? | "You slaughtered My children and sacrificed them to the idols." |
| 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. | "In all Your abominations and Your whoredom You did not remember the days of Your youth — when You were naked and bare, struggling in Your blood." |
| 23 | And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord GOD;) | "After all Your wickedness — how terrible it will be for You, declares the Lord GOD —" |
| 24 | That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street. | "you built Yourself a shrine and made Yourself a high place in every public square." |
| 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 legs to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms. | "At every street corner You built Your shrines and degraded Your beauty, offering Yourself to anyone who passed by and multiplying your whoredoms." |
| 26 | Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger. | "You committed fornication with the Egyptians, Your neighbors of great flesh, and multiplied Your whoredoms to provoke Me to anger." |
| 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. | "Therefore I stretched out My hand against You and reduced Your food supply. I handed You over to the desire of those who hate You — the daughters of the Philistines, who were appalled by Your shameless conduct." |
| 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. | "You also played the harlot with the Assyrians because You were never satisfied. You played the harlot with them and still could not be satisfied." |
| 29 | Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith. | "You multiplied Your whoredoms in the land of Canaan all the way to Chaldea, yet even then You were not satisfied." |
| 30 | How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman; | "How sick Your heart is, declares the Lord GOD, that You did all these things — the brazen acts of a shameless harlot." |
| 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; | "When You built Your shrines at every street corner and Your high places in every public square, You were unlike a harlot — you refused payment." |
| 32 | But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband! | "You were an adulterous wife who takes strangers instead of her own husband!" |
| 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. | "Every harlot receives payment, but You gave gifts to all Your lovers, paying them to come to You from all around for Your whoredoms." |
| 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. | "You were the opposite of other women. No one solicited you — you solicited them. You paid Your lovers instead of receiving payment. You were completely different." |
| 35 | Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD: | "Therefore, You harlot, hear the word of the LORD!" |
| 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; | "This is what the Lord GOD says: Because You poured out Your lust and exposed Your nakedness in Your whoredom with Your lovers — with all Your vile idols — and because You gave them Your children's blood —" |
| 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. | "therefore I am going to gather all Your lovers with whom You found pleasure — all those You loved and all those You hated. I will gather them against You from all around and strip You naked in front of them, and they will see Your complete nakedness." |
| 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. | "I will punish You as women who commit adultery and shed blood are punished. I will bring on You the blood of wrath and jealousy." |
| 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. | "I will hand You over to them, and they will tear down Your shrines and demolish Your high places. They will strip off Your clothes, take Your beautiful jewelry, and leave You naked and bare." |
| 40 | They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords. | "They will bring a crowd against You and stone You and cut You to pieces with their swords." |
| 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. | "They will burn Your houses with fire and execute judgment on You in the sight of many women. I will put an end to Your whoredom, and You will no longer pay lovers." |
| 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. | "Then My wrath against You will be spent and My jealousy will depart. I will be calm and no longer angry." |
| 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. | "Because You did not remember the days of Your youth but enraged Me with all these things — I will surely bring Your conduct down on Your own head, declares the Lord GOD. Did You not add indecency to all Your other abominations?" |
| 44 | Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter. | "Everyone who uses proverbs will apply this to You: 'Like mother, like daughter.'" |
| 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. | "You are a true daughter of Your mother, who despised her husband and her children. You are a true sister of Your sisters, who despised their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and Your father an Amorite." |
| 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. | "Your older sister is Samaria, who lives with her daughters to Your north. Your younger sister, who lives with her daughters to Your south, is Sodom." |
| 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. | "You have not merely walked in their ways or done their abominations. In a very short time You were more corrupt than they in all Your ways." |
| 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. | "As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, Your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what You and Your daughters have done." |
| 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. | "Now this was the iniquity of Your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness. They did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy." |
| 50 | And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. | "They were haughty and did detestable things before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it." |
| 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. | "Samaria did not commit half Your sins. You have done more abominations than they have. By all the abominations You have done, You have made Your sisters look righteous." |
| 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. | "Bear Your own disgrace, for You have given Your sisters reason to appear righteous. Since You sinned more abominably than they did, they are more righteous than You. Be ashamed and bear Your disgrace, for You have made Your sisters appear righteous." |
| 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: | "But I will bring again their captivity — the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters — and I will bring again Your captives in the midst of them." |
| 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. | "so that You may bear Your disgrace and be ashamed of all You have done in becoming a comfort to them." |
| 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. | "Your sisters — Sodom and her daughters, and Samaria and her daughters — will return to what they were before. You and Your daughters will also return to what You were before." |
| 56 | For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride, | "In Your days of pride You did not even mention Your sister Sodom." |
| 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. | "That was before Your wickedness was exposed. Now You are the object of scorn for the daughters of Aram and all her neighbors, and for the daughters of the Philistines — all those around You who despise You." |
| 58 | Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the LORD. | "You will bear the consequences of Your lewdness and Your abominations, declares the LORD." |
| 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. | "For this is what the Lord GOD says: I will deal with You as You deserve, because You have despised the oath by breaking the covenant." |
| 60 | Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant. | "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 | 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. | "Then You will remember Your ways and be ashamed when You receive Your sisters, both Your older and Your younger. I will give them to You as daughters, but not on account of Your covenant." |
| 62 | And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: | "So I will establish My covenant with You, and You will know that I am the LORD." |
| 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. | "Then when I make atonement for You for all You have done, You will remember and be ashamed and never open Your mouth again because of Your disgrace, declares the Lord GOD." |