16:1 The word of the LORD came to me:
16:2 “Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable practices
16:3 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.
16:4 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.
16:5 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.
16:6 “‘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!”
16:7 I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew up and developed and became the most beautiful of jewels. Your breasts were formed and your hair grew, you who were naked and bare.
16:8 “‘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 nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.
16:9 “‘I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you.
16:10 I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put leather sandals on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments.
16:11 I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck,
16:12 and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.
16:13 So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was fine flour, honey and olive oil. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen.
16:14 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.
16:15 “‘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. Such things should not happen, nor should they ever occur.
16:17 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.
16:18 And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil and incense before them.
16:19 Also the food I provided for you–the fine 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.
16:20 “‘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?
16:21 You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols.
16:22 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.
16:23 “‘Woe! Woe to you, declares the Sovereign LORD. In addition to all your other wickedness,
16:24 you built a mound for yourself and made a lofty shrine in every public square.
16:25 At the head of every street you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty, offering your body with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed by.
16:26 You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, and provoked me to anger with your increasing promiscuity.
16:27 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.
16:28 You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied.
16:29 Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia, a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied.
16:30 “‘How weak-willed you are, declares the Sovereign LORD, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute!
16:31 When you built your mounds at the head of every street and made your lofty shrines in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you scorned payment.
16:32 “‘You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband!
16:33 Every prostitute receives a fee, but you give gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.
16:34 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.
16:35 “‘Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the LORD!
16:36 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you poured out your wealth and exposed your nakedness in your promiscuity with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children’s blood,
16:37 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 all your nakedness.
16:38 I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and who shed blood; I will bring upon you the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger.
16:39 Then I will hand you over to 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 naked and bare.
16:40 They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and hack you to pieces with their swords.
16:41 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.
16:42 Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you; I will be calm and no longer angry.
16:43 “‘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?
16:44 “‘Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother, like daughter.”
16:45 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.
16:46 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.
16:47 You not only walked in their ways and copied their detestable practices, but in all your ways you soon became more depraved than they.
16:48 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.
16:49 “‘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.
16:50 They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.
16:51 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.
16:52 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.
16:53 “‘However, I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them,
16:54 so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in giving them comfort.
16:55 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.
16:56 You would not even mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride,
16:57 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.
16:58 You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your detestable practices, declares the LORD.
16:59 “‘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.
16:60 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.
16:61 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.
16:62 So I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the LORD.
16:63 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.’”
16:1 Then the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
16:2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
16:3 And say, Thus says the Lord Jehovah to Jerusalem, Your origin and your birth are from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite.
16:4 As for your birth, on the day that you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling clothes.
16:5 No eye pitied you enough to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown into the open field because you were loathed on the day that you were born.
16:6 And I passed by you and saw you kicking about in your blood, and I said to you while you were in your blood, Live! Yes, I said to you while you were in your blood, Live!
16:7 I caused you to increase like the sprouts of the field; and you increased and grew big, and you came to full beauty; your breasts became firm and your hair grew; but you were naked and bare.
16:8 Then I passed by you and saw you; and then was your time a time of love. And I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness; indeed I swore unto you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord Jehovah, and you became Mine.
16:9 Then I washed you with water; yes, I washed away your blood from you, and I anointed you with oil.
16:10 I also clothed you with an embroidered garment and put sandals of porpoise skin on you, and I bound your head with fine linen and covered you with silk.
16:11 And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a necklace around your neck;
16:12 And I put a ring in your nose and earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.
16:13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was fine linen and silk and embroidery; you ate fine flour and honey and oil. And you became so very beautiful, and you prospered so as to become royalty.
16:14 And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My splendor, which I had put upon you, declares the Lord Jehovah.
16:15 But you trusted in your beauty and went about as a harlot because of your renown, and you poured out your fornications upon everyone who passed by; your beauty became his.
16:16 And you took some of your garments and made high places of varied colors for yourself, and you committed fornication upon them, things that had never happened before, nor should have been.
16:17 And you took your beautiful articles, made of My gold and My silver, which I had given you, and made images of men for yourself and committed fornication with them.
16:18 And you took your garments of embroidery and covered them, and you offered My oil and My incense before them.
16:19 And My bread, which I had given you, the fine flour and oil and honey that I fed you with, you offered before them as a sweet savor; thus it was, declares the Lord Jehovah.
16:20 Moreover you took your sons and daughters, whom you had borne unto Me, and you sacrificed them to those idols to be devoured. Were your fornications a small matter,
16:21 That you slaughtered My children and delivered them up to pass through fire unto those idols?
16:22 And in all your abominations and fornications you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare and you were kicking about in your blood.
16:23 Then after all your wickedness (Woe, woe to you! declares the Lord Jehovah)
16:24 You built yourself a mound and made yourself an elevation in every open square.
16:25 At the head of every street you built your elevation and caused your beauty to be abhorred; and you spread your legs to everyone who passed by and multiplied your fornications.
16:26 You also committed fornication with the sons of Egypt, your neighbors, great of flesh, and multiplied your fornications to provoke Me to anger.
16:27 Indeed then I stretched out My hand over you and diminished the food apportioned to you; and I delivered you to the desire of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your lewd way.
16:28 You also committed fornication with the sons of Assyria because you were not satisfied; and you committed fornication with them and were still not satisfied.
16:29 Furthermore you multiplied your fornications into the land of merchants, Chaldea, yet you were still not satisfied by this.
16:30 How feeble is your heart, declares the Lord Jehovah, in that you do all these things, the actions of an unrestrained harlot!
16:31 When you built your mound at the head of every street and you made your elevation in every open square, you were not like a harlot, by disdaining payment.
16:32 The adulterous wife takes strangers instead of her husband.
16:33 Men give gifts to all harlots, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers and bribed them to come to you from all around for your fornications.
16:34 Thus you are perverse compared to other women in your fornications, in that they do not go after you as a prostitute, but you give payment and no payment is given to you; therefore you are perverse.
16:35 Therefore, you harlot, hear the word of Jehovah:
16:36 Thus says the Lord Jehovah, Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness was uncovered through your fornications with your lovers and with all your abominable idols and because of the blood of your children, whom you gave to them,
16:37 Therefore I am about to gather all your lovers whom you have pleased, indeed, all those whom you loved, with all those whom you hated; thus I will gather them against you from all around, and I will uncover your nakedness to them so that they may see all your nakedness.
16:38 And I will judge you with the judgment that falls on adulterous women and on women who shed blood, and I will bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy.
16:39 And I will give you into their hand; and they will tear down your mounds and break down your elevations; they will also strip you of your garments and take your beautiful articles, and they will leave you naked and bare.
16:40 And they will raise up a crowd against you and will stone you with stones and will cut you to pieces with their swords.
16:41 And they will burn your houses with fire and execute judgments upon you in the sight of many women. And I will stop you from being a harlot, and also you will no longer give payment.
16:42 Thus I will cause My wrath against you to rest, and My jealousy will turn from you; and I will be quiet and angry no more.
16:43 Because you have not remembered the days of your youth but have raged against Me in all these things, therefore, I, for My part, will bring your ways upon your head, declares the Lord Jehovah; and you will not commit this lewdness in addition to all your abominations.
16:44 Indeed everyone who uses proverbs will use this proverb concerning you, saying, As the mother is, so is her daughter.
16:45 You are the daughter of your mother, she who loathed her husband and her children; and you are the sister of your sisters, they who loathed their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father was an Amorite.
16:46 And your older sister is Samaria with her daughters, who lives to your left; and your sister who is younger than you, who lives to your right, is Sodom with her daughters.
16:47 But you have not walked merely according to their ways and have not acted merely according to their abominations; but, as if such were too small a thing, you acted more corruptly in all your ways than they did.
16:48 As I live, declares the Lord Jehovah, Sodom your sister, she with her daughters, has not done as you have done, you with your daughters.
16:49 Indeed this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: pride, abundance of bread, and careless ease were with her and her daughters, but she did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy;
16:50 And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me. Therefore I took them away when I saw it.
16:51 And Samaria has not committed the half of your sins, but you have multiplied your abominations more than they and have justified your sisters in all your abominations which you have committed.
16:52 Bear then also your disgrace, which you have adjudged to your sisters; through your sins which you have committed more abominably than they, they are more righteous than you; indeed then be also put to shame and bear your disgrace, in that you have made your sisters appear to be more righteous.
16:53 But I will turn their captivity, the captivity of Sodom with her daughters and the captivity of Samaria with her daughters, as well as the captivity of your captives with them;
16:54 That you may bear your disgrace and be disgraced for all that you have done, in that you were a comfort to them.
16:55 And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters, will return to their former state, and Samaria with her daughters will return to their former state; and you with your daughters will return to your former state.
16:56 Indeed, was not Sodom your sister a byword in your mouth on the day of your pride,
16:57 Before your wickedness was uncovered? So now you are the reproach of the daughters of Aram and all who are around her and of the daughters of the Philistines, those all around who despise you.
16:58 You have borne your own lewdness and abominations, declares Jehovah.
16:59 For thus says the Lord Jehovah, I will also do with you as you have done, you who have despised the oath by breaking the covenant.
16:60 Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an eternal covenant for you.
16:61 Then you will remember your ways and you will be disgraced when you receive your sisters, the one older than you and the one younger than you; and I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant.
16:62 And I will establish My covenant with you, and you will know that I am Jehovah,
16:63 That you may remember and be ashamed and never open your mouth because of your disgrace, when I make propitiation for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord Jehovah.