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Ezekiel 15-18
Young's Literal Translation
Ezekiel 15-18
Young's Literal Translation
15 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying:
2 `Son of man, What is the vine-tree more than any tree? The vine-branch that hath been, Among trees of the forest?
3 Is wood taken from it to use for work? Do they take of it a pin to hang any vessel on it?
4 Lo, to the fire it hath been given for fuel, Its two ends hath the fire eaten, And its midst hath been scorched! Is it profitable for work?
5 Lo, in its being perfect it is not used for work, How much less, when fire hath eaten of it, And it is scorched, Hath it been used yet for work?
6 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: As the vine-tree among trees of the forest, That I have given to the fire for fuel, So I have given the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
7 And I have set My face against them, From the fire they have gone forth, And the fire doth consume them, And ye have known that I [am] Jehovah, In My setting My face against them.
8 And I have made the land a desolation, Because they have committed a trespass, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!'
16 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,
2 `Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, and thou hast said:
3 Thus 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.
4 As 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.
5 No 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!
6 And 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.
7 A 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!
8 And 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.
9 And I do wash thee with water, And I wash away thy blood from off thee, And I anoint thee with perfume.
10 And 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.
11 And I adorn thee with adornments, And I give bracelets for thy hands, And a chain for thy neck.
12 And I give a ring for thy nose, And rings for thine ears, And a crown of beauty on thy head.
13 And 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.
14 And 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.
15 And 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.
16 And 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!
17 And 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,
18 And dost take the garments of thy embroidery, And thou dost cover them, And My oil and My perfume thou hast set before them.
19 And 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.
20 And 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,
21 That thou dost slaughter My sons, And dost give them up in causing them to pass over to them?
22 And 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!
23 And it cometh to pass, after all thy wickedness, (Wo, wo, to thee -- an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah),
24 That thou dost build to thee an arch, And dost make to thee a high place in every broad place.
25 At 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,
26 And dost go a-whoring unto sons of Egypt, Thy neighbours -- great of appetite! And thou dost multiply thy whoredoms, To provoke Me to anger.
27 And 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.
28 And 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.
29 And thou dost multiply thy whoredoms On the land of Canaan -- toward Chaldea, And even with this thou hast not been satisfied.
30 How weak [is] thy heart, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, In thy doing all these, The work of a domineering whorish woman.
31 In 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.
32 The wife who committeth adultery -- Under her husband -- doth receive strangers.
33 To 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.
34 And 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.
35 Therefore, O whore, hear a word of Jehovah,
36 Thus 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;
37 Therefore, 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.
38 And I have judged thee -- judgments of adultresses, And of women shedding blood, And have given thee blood, fury, and jealousy.
39 And 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.
40 And have caused an assembly to come up against thee, And stoned thee with stones, And thrust thee through with their swords,
41 And 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.
42 And 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.
43 Because 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.
44 Lo, every one using a simile, Doth use a simile concerning thee, saying: As the mother -- her daughter!
45 Thy 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.
46 And 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.
47 And -- 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.
48 I 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.
49 Lo, 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.
50 And they are haughty and do abomination before Me, And I turn them aside when I have seen.
51 As 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.
52 Thou 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.
53 And 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,
54 So that thou dost bear thy shame, And hast been ashamed of all that thou hast done, In thy comforting them.
55 And 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.
56 And thy sister Sodom hath not been for a report in thy mouth, In the day of thine arrogancy,
57 Before 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.
58 Thy devices and thine abominations, Thou hast borne them, an affirmation of Jehovah.
59 For thus said the Lord Jehovah: I have dealt with thee as thou hast done, In that thou hast despised an oath -- to break covenant.
60 And I -- I have remembered My covenant with thee, In the days of thy youth, And I have established for thee a covenant age-during.
61 And 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.
62 And I -- I have established My covenant with thee, And thou hast known that I [am] Jehovah.
63 So 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!'
17 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,
2 `Son of man, put forth a riddle, and use a simile unto the house of Israel,
3 and thou hast said: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: The great eagle, great-winged, long-pinioned, Full of feathers, that hath diverse colours, Hath come in unto Lebanon, And it taketh the foliage of the cedar,
4 The top of its tender twigs it hath cropped, And it bringeth it in to the land of Canaan. In a city of merchants it hath placed it.
5 And it taketh of the seed of the land, And doth put it in a field of seed, To take by many waters, In a conspicuous place it hath set it.
6 And it springeth up, and becometh a spreading vine, humble of stature, To turn its thin shoots toward itself, And its roots are under it, And it becometh a vine, and maketh boughs, And sendeth forth beauteous branches.
7 And there is another great eagle, Great-winged, and abounding with feathers, And lo, this vine hath bent its roots toward him, And its thin shoots it hath sent out toward him, To water it from the furrows of its planting,
8 On a good field, by many waters, it is planted, To make branches, and to bear fruit, To be for an goodly vine.
9 Say: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: It prospereth -- its roots doth he not draw out, And its fruit cut off, and it is withered? [In] all the leaves of its springing it withereth, And not by great strength, and by a numerous people, To lift it up by its roots.
10 And lo, the planted thing -- doth it prosper? When come against it doth the east wind, Doth it not utterly wither? On the furrows of its springing it withereth.'
11 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying:
12 `Say, I pray thee, to the rebellious house, Have ye not known what these [are]? Say, Lo, come hath the king of Babylon to Jerusalem, And he taketh its king, and its princes, And bringeth them to himself to Babylon.
13 And he taketh of the seed of the kingdom, And maketh with him a covenant, And bringeth him in to an oath, And the mighty of the land he hath taken,
14 That the kingdom may be humble, That it may not lift itself up, To keep his covenant -- that it may stand.
15 And he rebelleth against him, To send his messengers to Egypt, To give to him horses, and much people, Doth he prosper? doth he escape who is doing these things? And hath he broken covenant and escaped?
16 I live -- an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Doth he not -- in the place of the king who is causing him to reign, Whose oath he hath despised, And whose covenant he hath broken, With him -- in the midst of Babylon -- die?
17 And not with a great force, and with a numerous assembly, Doth Pharaoh maintain him in battle, By pouring out a mount, and in building a fortification, To cut off many souls.
18 And he despised the oath -- to break covenant, And lo, he hath given his hand, And all these he hath done, he escapeth not.
19 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: I live -- Mine oath that he hath despised, And My covenant that he hath broken, Have I not put it on his head?
20 And I have spread out for him My snare, And he hath been caught in My net, And I have brought him in to Babylon, And pleaded with him there his trespass, That he hath trespassed against Me.
21 And all his fugitives, with all his bands, By sword do fall, and those remaining, To every wind they are spread out, And ye have known that I, Jehovah, have spoken.
22 Thus said the Lord Jehovah: I have taken of the foliage of the high cedar, And I have set [it], From the top of its tender shoots a tender one I crop, And I -- I have planted [it] on a mountain high and lofty.
23 In a mountain -- the high place of Israel, I plant it, And it hath borne boughs, and yielded fruit, And become a goodly cedar, And dwelt under it have all birds of every wing, In the shade of its thin shoots they dwell.
24 And known have all trees of the field That I, Jehovah, have made low the high tree, I have set on high the low tree, I have dried up the moist tree, And I have caused the dry tree to flourish, I, Jehovah, have spoken, and have done [it]!'
18 `And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying:
2 `What -- to you, ye -- using this simile Concerning the ground of Israel, saying: Fathers do eat unripe fruit, And the sons' teeth are blunted?
3 I live -- an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Ye have no more the use of this simile in Israel.
4 Lo, all the souls are Mine, As the soul of the father, So also the soul of the son -- they are Mine, The soul that is sinning -- it doth die.
5 And a man, when he is righteous, And hath done judgment and righteousness,
6 On the mountains he hath not eaten, And his eyes he hath not lifted up Unto idols of the house of Israel, And the wife of his neighbour defiled not, And to a separated woman cometh not near,
7 A man -- he doth not oppress, His pledge to the debtor he doth return, Plunder he doth not take away, His bread to the hungry he doth give, And the naked doth cover with a garment,
8 In usury he doth not give, and increase taketh not, From perversity he turneth back his hand, True judgment he doth between man and man.
9 In My statutes he doth walk, And My judgments he hath kept -- to deal truly, Righteous [is] he, he surely liveth, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.
10 And -- he hath begotten a son, A burglar -- a shedder of blood, And he hath made a brother of one of these,
11 And he all those hath not done, For even on the mountains he hath eaten, And the wife of his neighbour he hath defiled,
12 The afflicted and needy he hath oppressed, Plunder he hath taken violently away, A pledge he doth not return, And unto the idols he hath lifted up his eyes, Abomination he hath done!
13 In usury he hath given, and increase taken, And he liveth: he doth not live, All these abominations he hath done, He doth surely die, his blood is on him.
14 And -- lo, he hath begotten a son, And he seeth all the sins of his father, That he hath done, and he feareth, And doth not do like them,
15 On the mountains he hath not eaten, And his eyes he hath not lifted up Unto idols of the house of Israel, The wife of his neighbour he hath not defiled,
16 A man -- he hath not oppressed, A pledge he hath not bound, And plunder he hath not taken away, His bread to the hungry he hath given, And the naked he covered with a garment,
17 From the afflicted he hath turned back his hand, Usury and increase he hath not taken, My judgments he hath done, In My statutes he hath walked, He doth not die for the iniquity of his father, He doth surely live.
18 His father -- because he used oppression, Did violently Plunder a brother, And that which [is] not good did in the midst of his people, And lo, he is dying in his iniquity.
19 And ye have said, Wherefore hath not the son, Borne of the iniquity of the father? And -- the son judgment and righteousness hath done, All My statutes he hath kept, And he doeth them, he surely liveth.
20 The soul that doth sin -- it doth die. A son doth not bear of the iniquity of the father, And a father doth not bear of the iniquity of the son, The righteousness of the righteous is on him, And the wickedness of the wicked is on him.
21 And the wicked -- when he turneth back From all his sins that he hath done, And he hath kept all My statutes, And hath done judgment and righteousness, He doth surely live, he doth not die.
22 All his transgressions that he hath done Are not remembered to him, In his righteousness that he hath done he liveth.
23 Do I at all desire the death of the wicked? An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Is it not in his turning back from his way -- And he hath lived?
24 And in the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, And he hath done perversity, According to all the abominations That the wicked hath done, he doth -- thus he liveth, All his righteousnesses that he hath done are not remembered, For his trespass that he hath trespassed, And for his sin that he hath sinned, For them he doth die.
25 And ye have said, Not pondered is the way of the Lord. Hear, I pray you, O house of Israel, My way -- is it not pondered? Are not your ways unpondered?
26 In the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, And he hath done perversity, And he is dying by them, for his perversity That he hath done he dieth.
27 And in the turning back of the wicked From his wickedness that he hath done, And he doth judgment and righteousness, He his soul doth keep alive.
28 And he seeth and turneth back, From all his transgressions that he hath done, He doth surely live, he doth not die,
29 And the house of Israel have said, Not pondered is the way of the Lord, My ways -- are they not pondered? O house of Israel -- are not your ways unpondered?
30 Therefore, each according to his ways I judge you, O house of Israel? An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Turn ye back, yea, turn yourselves back, From all your transgressions, And iniquity is not to you for a stumbling-block,
31 Cast from off you all your transgressions, By which ye have transgressed, And make to you a new heart, and a new spirit, And why do ye die, O house of Israel?
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of the dying, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, And turn ye back and live!
Ezekiel 15-18
New International Version
Ezekiel 15-18
New International Version
Jerusalem as a Useless Vine
15 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, how is the wood of a vine(A) different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest? 3 Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful?(B) Do they make pegs(C) from it to hang things on? 4 And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything?(D) 5 If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred?
6 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As I have given the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest as fuel for the fire, so will I treat the people living in Jerusalem. 7 I will set my face against(E) them. Although they have come out of the fire(F), the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against them, you will know that I am the Lord.(G) 8 I will make the land desolate(H) because they have been unfaithful,(I) declares the Sovereign Lord.”
Jerusalem as an Adulterous Wife
16 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, confront(J) Jerusalem with her detestable practices(K) 3 and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem: Your ancestry(L) and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father(M) was an Amorite(N) and your mother a Hittite.(O) 4 On the day you were born(P) 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. 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.
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!”[a](Q) 7 I made you grow(R) like a plant of the field. You grew and developed and entered puberty. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, yet you were stark naked.(S)
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(T) over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant(U) with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.(V)
9 “‘I bathed you with water and washed(W) the blood from you and put ointments on you. 10 I clothed you with an embroidered(X) dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen(Y) and covered you with costly garments.(Z) 11 I adorned you with jewelry:(AA) I put bracelets(AB) on your arms and a necklace(AC) around your neck, 12 and I put a ring on your nose,(AD) earrings(AE) on your ears and a beautiful crown(AF) on your head.(AG) 13 So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes(AH) were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil(AI) and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen.(AJ) 14 And your fame(AK) spread among the nations on account of your beauty,(AL) because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.(AM)
15 “‘But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by(AN) and your beauty became his.(AO) 16 You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places,(AP) where you carried on your prostitution.(AQ) You went to him, and he possessed your beauty.[b] 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.(AR) 18 And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil and incense(AS) before them. 19 Also the food I provided for you—the 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.(AT)
20 “‘And you took your sons and daughters(AU) whom you bore to me(AV) and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough?(AW) 21 You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols.(AX) 22 In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth,(AY) when you were naked and bare,(AZ) kicking about in your blood.(BA)
23 “‘Woe!(BB) Woe to you, declares the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness, 24 you built a mound for yourself and made a lofty shrine(BC) in every public square.(BD) 25 At every street corner(BE) you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty, spreading your legs with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed by.(BF) 26 You engaged in prostitution(BG) with the Egyptians,(BH) your neighbors with large genitals, and aroused my anger(BI) with your increasing promiscuity.(BJ) 27 So I stretched out my hand(BK) against you and reduced your territory; I gave you over(BL) to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines,(BM) who were shocked by your lewd conduct. 28 You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians(BN) too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied.(BO) 29 Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia,[c](BP) a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied.(BQ)
30 “‘I am filled with fury against you,[d] declares the Sovereign Lord, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute!(BR) 31 When you built your mounds at every street corner and made your lofty shrines(BS) in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you scorned payment.
32 “‘You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband! 33 All prostitutes receive gifts,(BT) but you give gifts(BU) to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.(BV) 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.
35 “‘Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the Lord! 36 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you poured out your lust and exposed your naked body in your promiscuity with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children’s blood,(BW) 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(BX) you in front of them, and they will see you stark naked.(BY) 38 I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and who shed blood;(BZ) I will bring on you the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger.(CA) 39 Then I will deliver you into the hands(CB) of 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 stark naked.(CC) 40 They will bring a mob against you, who will stone(CD) you and hack you to pieces with their swords. 41 They will burn down(CE) your houses and inflict punishment on you in the sight of many women.(CF) I will put a stop(CG) to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers. 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.(CH)
43 “‘Because you did not remember(CI) the days of your youth but enraged me with all these things, I will surely bring down(CJ) on your head what you have done, declares the Sovereign Lord. Did you not add lewdness to all your other detestable practices?(CK)
44 “‘Everyone who quotes proverbs(CL) will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother, like daughter.” 45 You are a true daughter of your mother, who despised(CM) her husband(CN) 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.(CO) 46 Your older sister(CP) 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.(CQ) 47 You not only followed their ways and copied their detestable practices, but in all your ways you soon became more depraved than they.(CR) 48 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign(CS) Lord, your sister Sodom(CT) and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.(CU)
49 “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom:(CV) She and her daughters were arrogant,(CW) overfed and unconcerned;(CX) they did not help the poor and needy.(CY) 50 They were haughty(CZ) and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.(DA) 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.(DB) 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(DC) than you. So then, be ashamed and bear(DD) your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.
53 “‘However, I will restore(DE) the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them,(DF) 54 so that you may bear your disgrace(DG) and be ashamed of all you have done in giving them comfort. 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.(DH) 56 You would not even mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride, 57 before your wickedness was uncovered. Even so, you are now scorned(DI) by the daughters of Edom[e](DJ) and all her neighbors and the daughters of the Philistines—all those around you who despise you. 58 You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your detestable practices, declares the Lord.(DK)
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.(DL) 60 Yet I will remember the covenant(DM) I made with you in the days of your youth,(DN) and I will establish an everlasting covenant(DO) with you. 61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed(DP) 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,(DQ) but not on the basis of my covenant with you. 62 So I will establish my covenant(DR) with you, and you will know that I am the Lord.(DS) 63 Then, when I make atonement(DT) for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed(DU) and never again open your mouth(DV) because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord.(DW)’”
Two Eagles and a Vine
17 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell it to the Israelites as a parable.(DX) 3 Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: A great eagle(DY) with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon.(DZ) Taking hold of the top of a cedar, 4 he broke off(EA) its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders.
5 “‘He took one of the seedlings of the land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water,(EB) 6 and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches(EC) turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs.(ED)
7 “‘But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water.(EE) 8 It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches,(EF) bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’
9 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots.(EG) 10 It has been planted,(EH) but will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it—wither away in the plot where it grew?(EI)’”
11 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 12 “Say to this rebellious people, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?(EJ)’ Say to them: ‘The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles,(EK) bringing them back with him to Babylon.(EL) 13 Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty(EM) with him, putting him under oath.(EN) He also carried away the leading men(EO) of the land, 14 so that the kingdom would be brought low,(EP) unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty. 15 But the king rebelled(EQ) against him by sending his envoys to Egypt(ER) to get horses and a large army.(ES) Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape?(ET)
16 “‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, he shall die(EU) in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke.(EV) 17 Pharaoh(EW) with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps(EX) are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives.(EY) 18 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge(EZ) and yet did all these things, he shall not escape.
19 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant.(FA) 20 I will spread my net(FB) for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment(FC) on him there because he was unfaithful(FD) to me. 21 All his choice troops will fall by the sword,(FE) and the survivors(FF) will be scattered to the winds.(FG) Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken.(FH)
22 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot(FI) from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain.(FJ) 23 On the mountain heights(FK) of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit(FL) and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.(FM) 24 All the trees of the forest(FN) will know that I the Lord bring down(FO) the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.(FP)
“‘I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.(FQ)’”
The One Who Sins Will Die
18 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:
“‘The parents eat sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?(FR)
3 “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb(FS) in Israel. 4 For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins(FT) is the one who will die.(FU)
5 “Suppose there is a righteous man
who does what is just and right.
6 He does not eat at the mountain(FV) shrines
or look to the idols(FW) of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife
or have sexual relations with a woman during her period.(FX)
7 He does not oppress(FY) anyone,
but returns what he took in pledge(FZ) for a loan.
He does not commit robbery(GA)
but gives his food to the hungry(GB)
and provides clothing for the naked.(GC)
8 He does not lend to them at interest
or take a profit from them.(GD)
He withholds his hand from doing wrong
and judges fairly(GE) between two parties.
9 He follows my decrees(GF)
and faithfully keeps my laws.
That man is righteous;(GG)
he will surely live,(GH)
declares the Sovereign Lord.
10 “Suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood(GI) or does any of these other things[f] 11 (though the father has done none of them):
“He eats at the mountain shrines.(GJ)
He defiles his neighbor’s wife.
12 He oppresses the poor(GK) and needy.
He commits robbery.
He does not return what he took in pledge.(GL)
He looks to the idols.
He does detestable things.(GM)
13 He lends at interest and takes a profit.(GN)
Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he is to be put to death; his blood will be on his own head.(GO)
14 “But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things:(GP)
15 “He does not eat at the mountain shrines(GQ)
or look to the idols(GR) of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.
16 He does not oppress anyone
or require a pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
but gives his food to the hungry(GS)
and provides clothing for the naked.(GT)
17 He withholds his hand from mistreating the poor
and takes no interest or profit from them.
He keeps my laws(GU) and follows my decrees.
He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live. 18 But his father will die for his own sin, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was wrong among his people.
19 “Yet you ask, ‘Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live.(GV) 20 The one who sins is the one who will die.(GW) The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.(GX)
21 “But if(GY) a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees(GZ) and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die.(HA) 22 None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live.(HB) 23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased(HC) when they turn from their ways and live?(HD)
24 “But if a righteous person turns(HE) from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked person does, will they live? None of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness(HF) they are guilty of and because of the sins they have committed, they will die.(HG)
25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’(HH) Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust?(HI) Is it not your ways that are unjust? 26 If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die. 27 But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life.(HJ) 28 Because they consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die.(HK) 29 Yet the Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are my ways unjust, people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?
30 “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent!(HL) Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall.(HM) 31 Rid(HN) yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart(HO) and a new spirit. Why(HP) will you die, people of Israel?(HQ) 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent(HR) and live!(HS)
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 16:6 A few Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts repeat and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!”
- Ezekiel 16:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
- Ezekiel 16:29 Or Chaldea
- Ezekiel 16:30 Or How feverish is your heart,
- Ezekiel 16:57 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate Aram
- Ezekiel 18:10 Or things to a brother
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