Ezekiel 16

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,	1 Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
2 'Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her loathsome practices!	2 Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations.
3 Say, "The Lord Yahweh says this: By origin and birth you belong to the land of Canaan. Your fatherwas an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.	3 Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem: By origin and birth you are of the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.
4 At birth, the very day you were born, there was no one to cut your navel-string, or wash you in water toclean you, or rub you with salt, or wrap you in swaddling clothes.	4 As for your birth, the day you were born your navel cord was not cut; you were neither washed with water nor anointed, nor were you rubbed with salt, nor swathed in swaddling clothes.
5 No one looked at you with pity enough to do any of these things out of sympathy for you. You wereexposed in the open fields in your own dirt on the day you were born.	5 No one looked on you with pity or compassion to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out on the ground as something loathsome, the day you were born.
6 "I saw you kicking on the ground in your blood as I was passing, and I said to you as you lay in yourblood: Live!	6 Then I passed by and saw you weltering in your blood. I said to you: Live in your blood
7 and I made you grow like the grass of the fields. You developed, you grew, you reached marriageableage. Your breasts became firm and your hair grew richly, but you were stark naked.	7 and grow like a plant in the field. You grew and developed, you came to the age of puberty; your breasts were formed, your hair had grown, but you were still stark naked.
8 Then I saw you as I was passing. Your time had come, the time for love. I spread my cloak over youand covered your nakedness; I gave you my oath, I made a covenant with you -- declares the Lord Yahweh --and you became mine.	8 Again I passed by you and saw that you were now old enough for love. So I spread the corner of my cloak over you to cover your nakedness; I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you; you became mine, says the Lord GOD.
9 I bathed you in water, I washed the blood off you, I anointed you with oil.	9 Then I bathed you with water, washed away your blood, and anointed you with oil.
10 I gave you embroidered dresses, fine leather shoes, a linen headband and a cloak of silk.	10 I clothed you with an embroidered gown, put sandals of fine leather on your feet; I gave you a fine linen sash and silk robes to wear.
11 I loaded you with jewels, gave you bracelets for your wrists and a necklace for your throat.	11 I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms, a necklace about your neck,
12 I gave you nose-ring and earrings; I put a beautiful diadem on your head.	12 a ring in your nose, pendants in your ears, and a glorious diadem upon your head.
13 You were loaded with gold and silver and dressed in linen and silk and brocade. Your food was thefinest flour, honey and oil. You grew more and more beautiful; and you rose to be queen.	13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver; your garments were of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. Fine flour, honey, and oil were your food. You were exceedingly beautiful, with the dignity of a queen.
14 The fame of your beauty spread through the nations, since it was perfect, because I had clothed youwith my own splendour -- declares the Lord Yahweh.	14 You were renowned among the nations for your beauty, perfect as it was, because of my splendor which I had bestowed on you, says the Lord GOD.
15 "But you became infatuated with your own beauty and used your fame to play the whore, lavishingyour debauchery on al comers.	15 But you were captivated by your own beauty, you used your renown to make yourself a harlot, and you lavished your harlotry on every passer-by, whose own you became.
16 You took some of your clothes to make for yourself high places bright with colours and there youplayed the whore.	16 You took some of your gowns and made for yourself gaudy high places, where you played the harlot. . . .
17 You also took your jewel ery, made with my gold and silver which I had given you, and made yourselfmale images to serve your whorings.	17 You took the splendid gold and silver ornaments that I had given you and made for yourself male images, with which also you played the harlot.
18 You took your embroidered clothes and used these to dress them up, and you offered them my oiland my incense.	18 You took your embroidered gowns to cover them; my oil and my incense you set before them;
19 And the bread I gave you, the finest flour, the oil and honey with which I fed you, you offered them asa pleasing smel . "What is more -- declares the Lord Yahweh-	19 the food that I had given you, the fine flour, the oil, and the honey with which I fed you, you set before them as an appeasing odor, says the Lord GOD.
20 you took the sons and daughters you had borne me and sacrificed them as food to the images. Wasnot your whoring enough in itself,	20 The sons and daughters you had borne me you took and offered as sacrifices to be devoured by them! Was it not enough that you had become a harlot?
21 for you to slaughter my children and hand them over to be burnt in their honour?	21 You slaughtered and immolated my children to them, making them pass through fire.
22 And in al your loathsome practices and your whorings you never cal ed your early days to mind,when you were stark naked, kicking on the ground in your own blood.	22 And through all your abominations and harlotries you remembered nothing of when you were a girl, stark naked and weltering in your blood.
23 "To crown your wickedness -- disaster upon you, disaster! declares the Lord Yahweh-	23 Then after all your evildoing--woe, woe to you! says the Lord GOD--
24 you built yourself a mound and made yourself a high place in every open space.	24 you raised for yourself a platform and a dais in every public place.
25 At the entry to every al ey you made yourself a high place, defiling your beauty and opening your legsto al comers in countless acts of fornication.	25 At every street corner you built a dais for yourself to use your beauty obscenely, spreading your legs for every passer-by, playing the harlot countless times.
26 You have also fornicated with your big-membered neighbours, the Egyptians, provoking my angerwith further acts of fornication.	26 You played the harlot with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, so many times that I was provoked to anger.
27 So now I have raised my hand against you, I have cut down on your food, I have put you at themercy of your enemies, the Philistine women, who blush at your lewd behaviour.	27 Therefore I stretched out my hand against you, I diminished your allowance and delivered you over to the will of your enemies, the Philistines, who revolted at your lewd conduct.
28 Stil unsatisfied, you prostituted yourself to the Assyrians; you played the whore with them, but werenot satisfied even then.	28 You also played the harlot with the Assyrians, because you were not satisfied; and after playing the harlot with them, you were still not satisfied.
29 You committed further acts of fornication in the country of merchants, with the Chaldaeans, andthese did not satisfy you either.	29 Again and again you played the harlot, now going to Chaldea, the land of the traders; but despite this, you were still not satisfied.
30 "How simple-minded you are!-declares the Lord Yahweh -- for although you do all the things that aprofessional prostitute would,	30 How wild your lust! says the Lord GOD, that you did all these things, acting like a shameless prostitute,
31 in building a mound and making yourself a high place in every street, you do not act like a properprostitute because you disdain to take a fee.	31 building your platform at every street corner and erecting your dais in every public place! Yet you were unlike a prostitute, since you disdained payment.
32 An adulteress welcomes strangers instead of her husband.	32 The adulterous wife receives, instead of her husband, payment.
33 Al prostitutes accept presents, but you give presents to all your lovers, you bribe them to come fromal over the place to fornicate with you!	33 All harlots receive gifts. But you rather bestowed your gifts on all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from all sides for your harlotry.
34 In fornicating, you are the opposite of other women, since no one runs after you to fornicate with you;since you give the fee and do not get one, you are the very opposite!	34 Thus in your harlotry you were different from all other women. No one sought you out for prostitution. Since you gave payment instead of receiving it, how different you were!
35 "Very wel , whore, hear the word of Yahweh!	35 Therefore, harlot, hear the word of the LORD!
36 The Lord Yahweh says this: For having squandered your money and let yourself be seen nakedwhile whoring with your lovers and all the foul idols of your loathsome practices and for giving them yourchildren's blood-	36 Thus says the Lord GOD: Because you poured out your lust and revealed your nakedness in your harlotry with your lovers and abominable idols, and because you sacrificed the life-blood of your children to them,
37 for al this, I shal assemble all the lovers to whom you have given pleasure, al the ones you likedand also al the ones you disliked; yes, I shal assemble them round you and strip you naked in front of them,and let them see you naked from head to foot.	37 I will now gather together all your lovers whom you tried to please, whether you loved them or loved them not; I will gather them against you from all sides and expose you naked for them to see.
38 I shal pass on you the sentence that adulteresses and murderesses receive; I shall hand you over totheir jealous fury;	38 I will inflict on you the sentence of adulteresses and murderesses; I will wreak fury and jealousy upon you.
39 I shal hand you over to them; they wil destroy your mound and pul down your high place; they wiltear off your clothes, take away your jewels and leave you stark naked.	39 I will hand you over to them to tear down your platform and demolish your dais; they shall strip you of your garments and take away your splendid ornaments, leaving you stark naked.
40 Then they wil call an assembly of citizens to deal with you, who wil stone you to death and hack youto pieces with their swords,	40 They shall lead an assembly against you to stone you and hack you with their swords.
41 and burn down your premises and execute justice on you, while many other women look on; and Ishall put an end to your whoring: no more paid lovers for you!	41 They shall burn your apartments with fire and inflict punishments on you while many women look on. Thus I will put an end to your harlotry, and you shall never again give payment.
42 Once my fury is exhausted with you, then my jealousy wil leave you; I shal be calm and not angryany more.	42 When I have wreaked my fury upon you I will cease to be jealous of you, I will be quiet and no longer vexed.
43 Since you never cal ed to mind your early days and have done nothing but provoke me, now I in myturn shall bring your conduct down on your own head -- declares the Lord Yahweh! "Have you not added thislewd behaviour to your other loathsome practices?	43 Because you did not remember what happened when you were a girl, but enraged me with all these things, therefore in return I am bringing down your conduct upon your head, says the Lord GOD. For did you not add lewdness to the rest of your abominable deeds?
44 So now al dealers in proverbs will apply this one to you: Like mother, like daughter.	44 See, everyone who is fond of proverbs will say of you, 'Like mother, like daughter.'
45 Yes; you are a true daughter of your mother, who hated her husband and her children; you are a truesister of your sisters, who hated their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father anAmorite.	45 Yes, you are the true daughter of the mother who spurned her husband and children, and you are a true sister to those who spurned their husbands and children--your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.
46 Your elder sister is Samaria, who lives to the north of you with her daughters. Your younger sister isSodom, who lives to the south of you with her daughters.	46 Your elder sister was Samaria with her daughters, living to the north of you; and your younger sister, living to the south of you, was Sodom with her daughters.
47 You never failed to imitate their behaviour and copy their loathsome practices, and soon yourbehaviour was more corrupt than theirs was.	47 Yet not only in their ways did you walk, and act as abominably as they did; in a very short time you became more corrupt in all your ways than they.
48 As I live -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you andyour daughters have done.	48 As I live, says the Lord GOD, I swear that your sister Sodom, with her daughters, has not done as you and your daughters have done!
49 The crime of your sister Sodom was pride, gluttony, calm complacency; such were hers and herdaughters' crimes. They never helped the poor and needy;	49 And look at the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters were proud, sated with food, complacent in their prosperity, and they gave no help to the poor and needy.
50 they were proud, and engaged in loathsome practices before me, and so I swept them away as youhave seen.	50 Rather, they became haughty and committed abominable crimes in my presence; then, as you have seen, I removed them.
51 And yet Samaria never committed half the crimes that you have. "You have done more loathsomethings than they have. By al your loathsome practices you have made your sisters seem innocent,	51 Samaria did not commit half your sins! You have done more abominable things than they, and have even made your sisters appear just, with all the abominable deeds you have done.
52 and now you bear the shame of which you have freed your sisters; since the sins which you havecommitted are more revolting than theirs, they are more upright than you are. So now, bear the disgrace andshame of having put your sisters in the right.	52 You, then, bear your shame; you are an argument in favor of your sisters! In view of your sinful deeds, more abominable than theirs, they appear just in comparison with you. Blush for shame, and bear the shame of having made your sisters appear just.
53 "I shal restore their fortunes, I shal restore Sodom and her daughters, I shal re- store Samaria andher daughters, and then I shal restore your fortune with theirs,	53 I will restore their fortunes, the fortune of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters (and I will restore your fortune along with them),
54 so that you can bear your shame and disgrace for al you have done, and so console them.	54 that you may bear your shame and be disgraced for all the comfort you brought them.
55 When your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, are restored to what they were, and Samaria and herdaughters are restored to what they were, then you too and your daughters wil be restored to what you were.	55 Yes, your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, Samaria and her daughters, shall return to their former state (you and your daughters shall return to your former state).
56 Did you not gloat over your sister Sodom when you were so proud,	56 Was not your sister Sodom kept in bad repute by you while you felt proud of yourself,
57 before you were stripped naked? Like her, you are now the laughing-stock of the women of Edom, ofal the women round, of the women of Philistia, who pour out their contempt on you.	57 before your wickedness became evident? Now you are like her, reproached by the Edomites and all your neighbors, despised on all sides by the Philistines.
58 You have brought this on yourself, with your lewdness and your loathsome practices -- declares theLord Yahweh.	58 The penalty of your lewdness and your abominations--you must bear it all, says the LORD.
59 "For the Lord Yahweh says this: I shal treat you as you have deserved for making light of an oathand breaking a covenant,	59 For thus speaks the Lord GOD: I will deal with you according to what you have done, you who despised your oath, breaking a covenant.
60 but I shal remember my covenant with you when you were a girl and shal conclude a covenant withyou that wil last for ever.	60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl, and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you.
61 And you for your part wil remember your behaviour and feel ashamed of it when you receive yourelder and younger sisters and I make them your daughters, although this is not included in my covenant withyou.	61 Then you shall remember your conduct and be ashamed when I take your sisters, those older and younger than you, and give them to you as daughters, even though I am not bound by my covenant with you.
62 I shal renew my covenant with you; and you wil know that I am Yahweh,	62 For I will re-establish my covenant with you, that you may know that I am the LORD,
63 and so remember and feel ashamed and in your confusion be reduced to silence, when I forgive youfor everything you have done -- declares the Lord Yahweh." '	63 that you may remember and be covered with confusion, and that you may be utterly silenced for shame when I pardon you for all you have done, says the Lord GOD.