Ezekiel Chapter 16

Jerusalem's Unfaithfulness

1Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, 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. 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. 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.

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. 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.

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. 9Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. 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. 11I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. 12And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine 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. 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.

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. 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. 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, 18And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before 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. 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, 21That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them? 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.

23And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord GOD;) 24That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street. 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. 26Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger. 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. 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. 29Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith.

30How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman; 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; 32But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her 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. 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.

Judgment on Jerusalem

35Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD: 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; 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. 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. 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. 40They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through 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. 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. 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.

44Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 50And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. 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. 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.

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: 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. 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. 56For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride, 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. 58Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the LORD.

The Covenant Remembered

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.

60Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant. 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. 62And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt 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.

King James Bible

Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

Jerusalem’s Unfaithfulness

1 Again the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations; 3 and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh to Jerusalem: Your birth and your birth is of the land of the Canaanite; the Amorite was your father, and your mother was a Hittite. 4 As for your birth, in the day you were born your navel was not cut, neither were you washed in water to cleanse you; you weren’t salted at all, nor swaddled at all. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you, to have compassion on you; but you were cast out in the open field, for that your person was abhorred, in the day that you were born.

6 When I passed by you, and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you, Though you are in your blood, live; yes, I said to you, Though you are in your blood, live. 7 I caused you to multiply as that which grows in the field, and you increased and grew great, and you attained to excellent ornament; your breasts were fashioned, and your hair was grown; yet you were naked and bare.

8 Now when I passed by you, and looked at you, behold, your time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over you, and covered your nakedness: yes, I swore to you, and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord Yahweh, and you became mine. 9 Then washed I you with water; yes, I thoroughly washed away your blood from you, and I anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you also with embroidered work, and shod you with sealskin, and I dressed you about with fine linen, and covered you with silk. 11 I decked you with ornaments, and I put bracelets on your hands, and a chain on your neck. 12 I put a ring on your nose, and earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 Thus you were decked with gold and silver; and your clothing was of fine linen, and silk, and embroidered work; you ate fine flour, and honey, and oil; and you were exceeding beautiful, and you prospered to royal estate. 14 Your renown went forth among the nations for your beauty; for it was perfect, through my majesty which I had put on you, says the Lord Yahweh.

15 But you trusted in your beauty, and played the prostitute because of your renown, and poured out your prostitution on everyone who passed by; his it was. 16 You took of your garments, and made for yourselves high places decked with various colors, and played the prostitute on them: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so. 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 played the prostitute with them; 18 and you took your embroidered garments, and covered them, and set my oil and my incense before them. 19 My bread also which I gave you, fine flour, and oil, and honey, with which I fed you, you even set it before them for a pleasant aroma; and thus it was, says the Lord Yahweh. 20 Moreover you have taken your sons and your daughters, whom you have borne to me, and you have sacrificed these to them to be devoured. Was your prostitution a small matter, 21 that you have slain my children, and delivered them up, in causing them to pass through the fire to them? 22 In all your abominations and your prostitution you have not remembered the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, and were wallowing in your blood.

23 It has happened after all your wickedness, (woe, woe to you! says the Lord Yahweh), 24 that you have built for yourselves a vaulted place, and have made yourselves a lofty place in every street. 25 You have built your lofty place at the head of every way, and have made your beauty an abomination, and have opened your feet to everyone who passed by, and multiplied your prostitution. 26 You have also committed sexual immorality with the Egyptians, your neighbors, great of flesh; and have multiplied your prostitution, to provoke me to anger. 27 See therefore, I have stretched out my hand over you, and have diminished your ordinary food, and delivered you to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your lewd way. 28 You have played the prostitute also with the Assyrians, because you were insatiable; yes, you have played the prostitute with them, and yet you weren’t satisfied. 29 You have moreover multiplied your prostitution to the land of merchants, to Chaldea; and yet you weren’t satisfied with this.

30 How weak is your heart, says the Lord Yahweh, since you do all these things, the work of an impudent prostitute; 31 in that you build your vaulted place at the head of every way, and make your lofty place in every street, and have not been as a prostitute, in that you scorn pay. 32 A wife who commits adultery! who takes strangers instead of her husband! 33 They give gifts to all prostitutes; but you give your gifts to all your lovers, and bribe them, that they may come to you on every side for your prostitution. 34 You are different from other women in your prostitution, in that no one follows you to play the prostitute; and whereas you give hire, and no hire is given to you, therefore you are different.

Judgment on Jerusalem

35 Therefore, prostitute, hear the word of Yahweh: 36 Thus says the Lord Yahweh, Because your filthiness was poured out, and your nakedness uncovered through your prostitution with your lovers; and because of all the idols of your abominations, and for the blood of your children, that you gave to them; 37 therefore see, I will gather all your lovers, with whom you have taken pleasure, and all those who you have loved, with all those who you have hated; I will even gather them against you on every side, and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness. 38 I will judge you, as women who break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will bring on you the blood of wrath and jealousy. 39 I will also give you into their hand, and they shall throw down your vaulted place, and break down your lofty places; and they shall strip you of your clothes, and take your beautiful jewels; and they shall leave you naked and bare. 40 They shall also bring up a company against you, and they shall stone you with stones, and thrust you through with their swords. 41 They shall burn your houses with fire, and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women; and I will cause you to cease from playing the prostitute, and you shall also give no hire any more. 42 So will I cause my wrath toward you to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from you, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry. 43 Because you have not remembered the days of your youth, but have raged against me in all these things; therefore, behold, I also will bring your way on your head, says the Lord Yahweh: and you shall not commit this lewdness with all your abominations.

44 Behold, everyone who uses proverbs shall use this proverb against you, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter. 45 You are the daughter of your mother, who loathes 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 Your elder sister is Samaria, who dwells at your left hand, she and her daughters; and your younger sister, who dwells at your right hand, is Sodom and her daughters. 47 Yet have you not walked in their ways, nor done after their abominations; but, as if that were a very little thing, you were more corrupt than they in all your ways. 48 As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, Sodom your sister has not done, she nor her daughters, as you have done, you and your daughters. 49 Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. 51 Neither has Samaria committed half of your sins; but you have multiplied your abominations more than they, and have justified your sisters by all your abominations which you have done. 52 You also, bear you your own shame, in that you have given judgment for your sisters; through your sins that you have committed more abominable than they, they are more righteous that you: yes, be also confounded, and bear your shame, in that you have justified your sisters.

53 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 your captives in their midst; 54 that you may bear your own shame, and may be ashamed because of all that you have done, in that you are a comfort to them. 55 Your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate; and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate; and you and your daughters shall return to your former estate. 56 For your sister Sodom was not mentioned by your mouth in the day of your pride, 57 before your wickedness was uncovered, as at the time of the reproach of the daughters of Syria, and of all who are around her, the daughters of the Philistines, who do despite to you all around. 58 You have borne your lewdness and your abominations, says Yahweh.

The Covenant Remembered

59 For thus says the Lord Yahweh: I will also deal with you as you have done, who have despised the oath in breaking the covenant.

60 Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish to you an everlasting covenant. 61 Then you shall remember your ways, and be ashamed, when you shall receive your sisters, your elder sisters and your younger; and I will give them to you for daughters, but not by your covenant. 62 I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall know that I am Yahweh; 63 that you may remember, and be confounded, and never open your mouth any more, because of your shame, when I have forgiven you all that you have done, says the Lord Yahweh.

Jerusalem’s Unfaithfulness

1 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her abominations 3 and tell her that this is what the Lord GOD says to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4 On the day of your birth your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing. You were not rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. 5 No one cared enough for you to do even one of these things out of compassion for you. Instead, you were thrown out into the open field, because you were despised on the day of your birth.

6 Then I passed by and saw you wallowing in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, ‘Live!’ There I said to you, ‘Live!’ 7 I made you thrive like a plant of the field. You grew up and matured and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed and your hair grew, but you were naked and bare.

8 Then I passed by and saw you, and you were indeed old enough for love. So I spread My cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I pledged Myself to you, entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine, declares the Lord GOD. 9 Then I bathed you with water, rinsed off your blood, and anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 I adorned you with jewelry, and I put bracelets on your wrists and a chain around your neck. 12 I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head.

13 So you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was made of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil. You became very beautiful and rose to be queen. 14 Your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect in the splendor I bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.

15 But because of your fame, you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot. You lavished your favors on everyone who passed by, and your beauty was theirs for the asking. 16 You took some of your garments and made colorful high places for yourself, and on them you prostituted yourself. Such things should not have happened; never should they have occurred!

17 You also took the fine jewelry of gold and silver I had given you, and you made male idols with which to prostitute yourself. 18 You took your embroidered garments to cover them, and you set My oil and incense before them. 19 And you set before them as a pleasing aroma the food I had given you—the fine flour, oil, and honey that I had fed you. That is what happened, declares the Lord GOD.

20 You even took the sons and daughters you bore to Me and sacrificed them as food to idols. Was your prostitution not enough? 21 You slaughtered My children and delivered them up through the fire to idols.

22 And in all your abominations and acts of prostitution, you did not remember the days of your youth when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your own blood.

23 Woe! Woe to you, declares the Lord GOD. And in addition to all your other wickedness, 24 you built yourself a mound and made yourself a lofty shrine in every public square. 25 At the head of every street you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty. With increasing promiscuity, you spread your legs to all who passed by. 26 You prostituted yourself with your lustful neighbors, the Egyptians, and increased your promiscuity to provoke Me to anger.

27 Therefore I stretched out My hand against you and reduced your portion. I gave you over to the desire of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd conduct. 28 Then you prostituted yourself with the Assyrians, because you were not yet satisfied. Even after that, you were still not satisfied. 29 So you extended your promiscuity to Chaldea, a the land of merchants—but even with this you were not satisfied!

30 How weak-willed is your heart, b declares the Lord GOD, while you do all these things, the acts of a shameless prostitute! 31 But when you built your mounds at the head of every street and made your lofty shrines in every public square, you were not even like a prostitute, because you scorned payment.

32 You adulterous wife! You receive strangers instead of your own husband! 33 Men give gifts to all their prostitutes, but you gave gifts to all your lovers. You bribed them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors. 34 So your prostitution is the opposite of that of other women: No one solicited your favors, and you paid a fee instead of receiving one; so you are the very opposite!

Judgment on Jerusalem

35 Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the LORD! 36 This is what the Lord GOD says: Because you poured out your wealth and exposed your nakedness in your promiscuity with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them, 37 therefore I will surely gather all the 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 expose you before them, and they will see you completely naked. 38 And I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and those who shed blood; so I will bring upon you the wrath of your bloodshed and jealousy.

39 Then I will deliver you into the hands of your lovers, and they will level your mounds and tear down your lofty shrines. They will strip off your clothes, take your fine jewelry, and leave you naked and bare. 40 They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. 41 Then they will burn down your houses and execute judgment against you in the sight of many women.

I will put an end to your prostitution, and you will never again pay your lovers. 42 So I will lay to rest My wrath against you, and My jealousy will turn away from you. Then I will be calm and no longer angry.

43 Because you did not remember the days of your youth, but enraged Me with all these things, I will surely bring your deeds down upon your own head, declares the Lord GOD. Have you not committed this lewdness on top of all your other abominations?

44 Behold, all who speak in proverbs will quote this proverb about you:

‘Like mother, like daughter.’

45 You are the daughter of your mother, who despised her husband and children. You are the sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. 46 Your older sister was Samaria, who lived with her daughters to your north; and your younger sister was Sodom, who lived with her daughters to your south. 47 And you not only walked in their ways and practiced their abominations, but soon you were more depraved than they were.

48 As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did as you and your daughters have done. 49 Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and complacent; they did not help the poor and needy. 50 Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them, as you have seen. c

51 Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have multiplied your abominations beyond theirs, and all the abominations you have committed have made your sisters appear righteous. 52 So now you must bear your disgrace, since you have brought justification for your sisters. For they appear more righteous than you, because your sins were more vile than theirs. So you too must bear your shame and disgrace, since you have made your sisters appear righteous.

53 But I will restore Sodom and her daughters from captivity, d as well as Samaria and her daughters. And I will restore you along with them. 54 So you will bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you did to comfort them.

55 And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to their former state. You and your daughters will also return to your former state. 56 Did you not treat your sister Sodom as an object of scorn in the day of your pride, 57 before your wickedness was uncovered? Even so, you are now scorned by the daughters of Edom e and all those around her, and by the daughters of the Philistines—all those around you who despise you. 58 You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your abominations, declares the LORD.

The Covenant Remembered

59 For this is what the Lord GOD says: I will deal with you according to your deeds, since you have despised the oath by breaking the covenant. 60 But 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 you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your older and younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of My covenant with you.

62 So I will establish My covenant with you, and you will know that I am the LORD, 63 so that when I make atonement for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your disgrace, declares the Lord GOD.”

Footnotes:

29 a Or Babylonia
30 b Or How feverish is your heart,
50 c A few Hebrew manuscripts and LXX; MT as I have seen
53 d Or restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters
57 e Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Vulgate Aram

Jerusalem's Unfaithfulness

1And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, 2'Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, and thou hast said: 3Thus said the Lord Jehovah to Jerusalem: Thy birth and thy nativity Are of the land of the Canaanite, Thy father the Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite. 4As to thy nativity, in the day thou wast born, Thou -- thy navel hath not been cut, And in water thou wast not washed for ease, And thou hast not been salted at all, And thou hast not been swaddled at all. 5No eye hath had pity on thee, to do to thee any of these, To have compassion on thee, And thou art cast on the face of the field, With loathing of thy person. In the day thou hast been born -- thou!

6And I do pass over by thee, And I see thee trodden down in thy blood, And I say to thee in thy blood, Live, And I say to thee in thy blood, Live. 7A myriad -- as the shoot of the field I have made thee, And thou art multiplied, and art great, And comest in with an excellent adornment, Breasts have been formed, and thy hair hath grown -- And thou, naked and bare!

8And I pass over by thee, and I see thee, And lo, thy time is a time of loves, And I spread My skirt over thee, And I cover thy nakedness, And I swear to thee, and come in to a covenant with thee, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, And thou dost become Mine. 9And I do wash thee with water, And I wash away thy blood from off thee, And I anoint thee with perfume. 10And I clothe thee with embroidery, And I shoe thee with badger's skin, And I gird thee with fine linen, And I cover thee with figured silk. 11And I adorn thee with adornments, And I give bracelets for thy hands, And a chain for thy neck. 12And I give a ring for thy nose, And rings for thine ears, And a crown of beauty on thy head. 13And thou dost put on gold and silver, And thy clothing is fine linen, And figured silk and embroidery, Fine flour, and honey, and oil thou hast eaten, And thou art very very beautiful, And dost go prosperously to the kingdom. 14And go forth doth thy name among nations, Because of thy beauty -- for it is complete, In My honour that I have set upon thee, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

15And thou dost trust in thy beauty, And goest a-whoring because of thy renown, And dost pour out thy whoredoms On every passer by -- to him it is. 16And thou dost take of thy garments, And dost make to thee spotted high-places, And dost go a-whoring upon them, They are not coming in -- nor shall it be! 17And thou dost take thy beauteous vessels Of My gold and My silver that I gave to thee, And dost make to thee images of a male, And dost go a-whoring with them, 18And dost take the garments of thy embroidery, And thou dost cover them, And My oil and My perfume thou hast set before them. 19And My bread, that I gave to thee, Fine flour, and oil, and honey, that I caused thee to eat. Thou hast even set it before them, For a sweet fragrance -- thus it is, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah. 20And thou dost take thy sons and thy daughters Whom thou hast born to Me, And dost sacrifice them to them for food. Is it a little thing because of thy whoredoms, 21That thou dost slaughter My sons, And dost give them up in causing them to pass over to them? 22And with all thine abominations and thy whoredoms, Thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, When thou wast naked and bare, Trodden down in thy blood thou wast!

23And it cometh to pass, after all thy wickedness, (Woe, woe, to thee -- an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah), 24That thou dost build to thee an arch, And dost make to thee a high place in every broad place. 25At every head of the way thou hast built thy high place, And thou dost make thy beauty abominable, And dost open wide thy feet to every passer by, And dost multiply thy whoredoms, 26And dost go a-whoring unto sons of Egypt, Thy neighbours -- great of appetite! And thou dost multiply thy whoredoms, To provoke Me to anger. 27And lo, I have stretched out My hand against thee, And I diminish thy portion, And give thee to the desire of those hating thee, The daughters of the Philistines, Who are ashamed of thy wicked way. 28And thou goest a-whoring unto sons of Asshur, Without thy being satisfied, And thou dost go a-whoring with them, And also -- thou hast not been satisfied. 29And thou dost multiply thy whoredoms On the land of Canaan -- toward Chaldea, And even with this thou hast not been satisfied.

30How weak is thy heart, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, In thy doing all these, The work of a domineering whorish woman. 31In thy building thine arch at the head of every way, Thy high place thou hast made in every broad place, And -- hast not been as a whore deriding a gift. 32The wife who committeth adultery -- Under her husband -- doth receive strangers. 33To all whores they give a gift, And -- thou hast given thy gifts to all thy lovers, And dost bribe them to come in unto thee, From round about -- in thy whoredoms. 34And the contrary is in thee from women in thy whoredoms, That after thee none doth go a-whoring; And in thy giving a gift, And a gift hath not been given to thee; And thou art become contrary.

Judgment on Jerusalem

35Therefore, O whore, hear a word of Jehovah, 36Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because of thy brass being poured forth, And thy nakedness is revealed in thy whoredoms near thy lovers, And near all the idols of thy abominations, And according to the blood of thy sons, Whom thou hast given to them; 37Therefore, lo, I am assembling all thy lovers, To whom thou hast been sweet, And all whom thou hast loved, Besides all whom thou hast hated; And I have assembled them by thee round about, And have revealed thy nakedness to them, And they have seen all thy nakedness. 38And I have judged thee -- judgments of adulteresses, And of women shedding blood, And have given thee blood, fury, and jealousy. 39And I have given thee into their hand, And they have thrown down thine arch, And they have broken down thy high places, And they have stript thee of thy garments, And they have taken thy beauteous vessels, And they have left thee naked and bare. 40And have caused an assembly to come up against thee, And stoned thee with stones, And thrust thee through with their swords, 41And burnt thy houses with fire, And done in thee judgments before the eyes of many women, And I have caused thee to cease from going a-whoring, And also a gift thou givest no more. 42And I have caused My fury against thee to rest, And My jealousy hath turned aside from thee, And I have been quiet, and I am not angry any more. 43Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, And dost give trouble to Me in all these, Lo, even I also thy way at first gave up, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, And I did not this thought for all thine abominations.

44Lo, every one using a simile, Doth use a simile concerning thee, saying: As the mother -- her daughter! 45Thy mother's daughter thou art, Loathing her husband and her sons, And thy sisters' sister thou art, Who loathed their husbands and their sons, Your mother is a Hittite, and your father an Amorite. 46And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters, Who is dwelling at thy left hand, And thy younger sister, who is dwelling on thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters. 47And -- in their ways thou hast not walked, And according to their abominations done, As a little thing it hath been loathed, And thou dost more corruptly than they in all thy ways. 48I live -- an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Sodom thy sister hath not done -- she and her daughters -- As thou hast done -- thou and thy daughters. 49Lo, this hath been the iniquity of Sodom thy sister, Arrogancy, fulness of bread, and quiet ease, Have been to her and to her daughters, And the hand of the afflicted and needy She hath not strengthened. 50And they are haughty and do abomination before Me, And I turn them aside when I have seen. 51As to Samaria, as the half of thy sins -- she hath not sinned, And thou dost multiply thine abominations more than they, And dost justify thy sisters by all thy abominations that thou hast done. 52Thou also -- bear thy shame, That thou hast adjudged to thy sisters, Because of thy sins that thou hast done more abominably than they, They are more righteous than thou, And thou, also, be ashamed and bear thy shame, In thy justifying thy sisters.

53And I have turned back to their captivity, The captivity of Sodom and her daughters, And the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, And the captivity of thy captives in their midst, 54So that thou dost bear thy shame, And hast been ashamed of all that thou hast done, In thy comforting them. 55And thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, Do turn back to their former state, And Samaria and her daughters Do turn back to their former state, And thou and thy daughters do turn back to your former state. 56And thy sister Sodom hath not been for a report in thy mouth, In the day of thine arrogancy, 57Before thy wickedness is revealed, As at the time of the reproach of the daughters of Aram, And of all her neighbours, the daughters of the Philistines, Who are despising thee round about. 58Thy devices and thine abominations, Thou hast borne them, an affirmation of Jehovah.

The Covenant Remembered

59For thus said the Lord Jehovah: I have dealt with thee as thou hast done, In that thou hast despised an oath -- to break covenant.

60And I -- I have remembered My covenant with thee, In the days of thy youth, And I have established for thee a covenant age-during. 61And thou hast remembered thy ways, And thou hast been ashamed, In thy receiving thy sisters -- Thine elder with thy younger, And I have given them to thee for daughters, And not by thy covenant. 62And I -- I have established My covenant with thee, And thou hast known that I am Jehovah. 63So that thou dost remember, And thou hast been ashamed, And there is not to thee any more an opening of the mouth because of thy shame, In My receiving atonement for thee, For all that thou hast done, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!'

The F.O.G Commentary:

1What is the meaning of Ezekiel 16?

1.1Introduction to Ezekiel 16

1.2Context of Ezekiel 16

1.3Ancient Key Word Study

1.4Compare & Contrast

1.5Ezekiel 16 Unique Insights

1.6Ezekiel 16 Connections to Yeshua

1.7Ezekiel 16 Scriptural Echoes

1.8Ezekiel 16 Devotional

1.9Did You Know

What is the meaning of Ezekiel 16?

Introduction to Ezekiel 16

Ezekiel 16 stands as one of the most vivid and emotionally charged chapters in all of Scripture. Through an extended metaphor of a rescued orphan who becomes an unfaithful bride, God presents His relationship with Jerusalem in stark, intimate terms. The chapter employs shocking imagery and explicit language to convey the depth of Israel’s betrayal and the magnitude of God’s faithful love despite that betrayal. This powerful allegory serves as both an indictment of Jerusalem’s unfaithfulness and a testament to God’s enduring covenant loyalty.

Context of Ezekiel 16

This chapter appears in the first section of Ezekiel’s prophecies, which primarily contains oracles of judgment against Jerusalem and Judah. It follows Ezekiel 15’s vine analogy and precedes another allegorical passage in chapter 17. Within the book’s structure, chapter 16 serves as an extended explanation of why judgment must come to Jerusalem, providing historical and theological context for God’s actions.

The allegory connects deeply with other scriptural metaphors of God as husband and Israel as bride, particularly resonating with Hosea 1-3 and Jeremiah 2:2. This marriage metaphor would later be developed in the New Testament’s portrayal of the Messiah as the bridegroom and the church as His bride (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Ancient Key Word Study

חָיָה (chayah) – “Live” (v.6): This Hebrew imperative appears twice in quick succession (“Live! Live!”), emphasizing God’s sovereign act of giving life. The word carries connotations of both physical preservation and spiritual renewal, foreshadowing the concept of being “born again” in Messiah.
בְּדָמַ֖יִךְ (b’damayikh) – “In your blood” (v.6): A powerful image connecting to both birth blood and covenant blood. The word dam (blood) is fundamental in Hebrew thought, representing both life itself and sacrificial atonement.
צָמַח (tzamach) – “Thrive/Sprout” (v.7): A verb often used in messianic prophecies, particularly regarding the “Branch” of David. Here it describes Jerusalem’s growth under God’s care, carrying undertones of divine nurturing and destiny.
בְּרִית (b’rit) – “Covenant” (v.8): The fundamental concept of God’s relationship with His people. The word implies not just a contract but a binding relationship sealed with blood, pointing toward the New Covenant in Messiah’s blood.
תַּכְשִׁיט (takhshit) – “Ornament” (v.11): Refers to decorative jewelry but carries deeper meaning of being adorned for royal or priestly service, foreshadowing believers’ role as a royal priesthood.
זָנָה (zanah) – “Harlotry” (v.15): This word appears repeatedly throughout the chapter, describing not just physical adultery but spiritual unfaithfulness – the breaking of covenant relationship with God.
תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah) – “Abomination” (v.22): A term often used for idolatrous practices, indicating not just sin but a complete inversion of divine order and purpose.
חֶסֶד (chesed) – “Lovingkindness” (implied in v.60): Though not explicitly used, this concept undergirds God’s faithful love despite betrayal, pointing to His unchanging character.

Compare & Contrast

Verse 4’s description of an abandoned newborn uses specific Hebrew medical terminology (cutting umbilical cord, washing with water, rubbing with salt) that would have been familiar to ancient midwives. The precision of these terms emphasizes the historical reality of such practices while metaphorically describing Israel’s helpless spiritual state before God’s intervention.
The phrase “spread My wing over you” in verse 8 deliberately echoes Ruth 3:9, where Boaz as kinsman-redeemer covers Ruth with his garment. This linguistic connection strengthens the marriage metaphor while foreshadowing the redemptive work of the Messiah.
Verse 13’s description of the bride’s royal status uses terminology identical to that found in royal coronation texts, suggesting intentional parallel between Jerusalem’s exaltation and Davidic kingship.
The repeated use of “harlot” (zanah) rather than “adulteress” (na’af) in verses 15-36 emphasizes not just unfaithfulness but the commercialization of what should have been a sacred relationship.
The phrase “reverse sisters” in verse 46 employs a unique Hebrew grammatical construction to emphasize how Jerusalem had made Sodom and Samaria appear righteous by comparison – a shocking reversal of expected moral order.

Ezekiel 16 Unique Insights

The chapter’s structure follows the pattern of ancient Near Eastern adoption contracts, where a ruler would adopt and later marry a foreign princess. This legal framework would have been readily understood by Ezekiel’s audience, lending additional weight to the charges of covenant betrayal. The specific details of Jerusalem’s adorning in verses 10-13 parallel the ritual preparation of both priests and royal brides, suggesting a deliberate conflation of royal and priestly imagery.

Can a Bible Come to Life over a Coffee?

This biblical entry has a unique origin story. Find out how it came to be—and why your visit today is about so much more than words. Get your coffee ready—God’s about to visit. But will you open the door for Him?

I’m ready

The Talmud (Sanhedrin 44b) notes that even when Israel is steeped in sin, they are still called God’s children, drawing from this chapter’s persistent theme of relationship despite betrayal. This connects powerfully to the New Testament concept of believers being adopted into God’s family through the Messiah (Romans 8:15).

Early rabbinic commentary on verse 6 (“In your blood, live!”) connects this passage to the Exodus, suggesting that Israel’s redemption from Egypt came through the blood of circumcision and the Passover lamb – both of which point prophetically to Messiah’s atoning work.

The restoration promised in verses 60-63 introduces the concept of an “everlasting covenant” that will supersede and fulfill the earlier covenant, precisely matching New Testament teaching about the New Covenant in Messiah’s blood (Hebrews 8:6-13).

Ezekiel 16 Connections to Yeshua

The chapter’s central metaphor of God as the faithful husband to an unfaithful bride finds its ultimate fulfillment in Yeshua the Messiah, who loves and gives Himself for His bride, the church (Ephesians 5:25-27). The shocking depth of Jerusalem’s betrayal serves to highlight the even more shocking extent of God’s grace through Messiah’s sacrifice.

The blood motif that opens the chapter (“In your blood, live!”) points forward to the life-giving blood of Messiah, through which believers receive both life and cleansing. The promised “everlasting covenant” of verse 60 finds its fulfillment in the New Covenant established through Yeshua’s blood (Luke 22:20).

Ezekiel 16 Scriptural Echoes

This chapter’s marriage metaphor resonates throughout Scripture, from Hosea 1-3 to Revelation 19:7-9. The abandonment and adoption motif connects to Exodus 19:4, while the betrayal narrative parallels Jeremiah 2. The promise of restoration despite betrayal finds echoes in Isaiah 54:4-8 and anticipates Romans 11:25-27.

Particularly significant is the connection to Song of Solomon, where similar imagery of adorning and marriage appears in a positive light, suggesting the eventual restoration of the relationship between God and His people.

Ezekiel 16 Devotional

This chapter confronts us with both the depth of human betrayal and the heights of divine love. It challenges us to examine our own faithfulness to God’s covenant, recognizing how often we, like Jerusalem, take His gifts and use them for our own purposes rather than His glory. Yet the chapter also assures us that God’s love transcends our failures.

The imagery of God finding us in our helpless state reminds us that salvation is entirely His initiative. We contribute nothing to our spiritual birth except our desperate need, just as the abandoned infant contributed nothing except her need for rescue. This should produce both humility and gratitude in our hearts.

Did You Know

The specific beauty treatments mentioned in verse 9 (anointing with oil) parallel ancient Egyptian royal preparation rituals, suggesting God treated Jerusalem with royal dignity.
The “salt rubbing” mentioned in verse 4 was an ancient practice believed to toughen a newborn’s skin and prevent infection – a medical practice that actually had scientific merit.
The “food of finest flour, honey, and oil” (v.13) exactly matches the ingredients used in Temple offerings, suggesting Jerusalem had taken holy things and profaned them.
The hebrew word for “wing” (kanaf) used in verse 8 is the same word used for the corners of garments where prayer tassels (tzitzit) were attached, connecting this imagery to both marriage customs and religious devotion.
The description of Jerusalem’s beauty becoming “perfect” through God’s splendor (v.14) uses a word (kalil) normally reserved for Temple furniture, suggesting a connection between the city’s glory and God’s sanctuary.
The “nose ring” mentioned in verse 12 was traditionally given as part of marriage negotiations in ancient Near Eastern culture, serving as a type of down payment for the bride price.
The phrase “bear your shame” in verse 52 uses legal terminology from ancient Near Eastern courts, suggesting formal judicial pronouncement.

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Bible Themes

Jean Paul Joseph

After a dramatic early morning encounter with King Jesus, I just couldn’t put my Bible down. The F.O.G took a hold of me and this website was born. What is the F.O.G?

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