Jerusalem’s Harlotry

15 o“But you trusted in your own beauty, pplayed the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it. 16 qYou took some of your garments and adorned multicolored 7high places for yourself, and played the harlot on them. Such things should not happen, nor be. 17 You have also taken your beautiful jewelry from My gold and My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images and played the harlot with them. 18 You took your embroidered garments and covered them, and you set My oil and My incense before them. 19 Also rMy food which I gave you—the pastry of fine flour, oil, and honey which I fed you—you set it before them as 8sweet incense; and so it was,” says the Lord God.

20 s“Moreover you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your acts of harlotry a small matter, 21 that you have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the tfire? 22 And in all your abominations and acts of harlotry you did not remember the days of your uyouth, vwhen you were naked and bare, struggling in your blood.

23 “Then it was so, after all your wickedness—‘Woe, woe to you!’ says the Lord God—24 that wyou also built for yourself a shrine, and xmade a 9high place for yourself in every street. 25 You built your high places yat the head of every road, and made your beauty to be abhorred. You offered yourself to everyone who passed by, and multiplied your acts of harlotry. 26 You also committed harlotry with zthe Egyptians, your very fleshly neighbors, and increased your acts of harlotry to aprovoke Me to anger.

27 “Behold, therefore, I stretched out My hand against you, diminished your 1allotment, and gave you up to the will of those who hate you, bthe daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior. 28 You also played the harlot with the cAssyrians, because you were insatiable; indeed you played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied. 29 Moreover you multiplied your acts of harlotry as far as the land of the trader, dChaldea; and even then you were not satisfied.

30 “How degenerate is your heart!” says the Lord God, “seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot.

Jerusalem’s Adultery

31 e“You erected your shrine at the head of every road, and built your 2high place in every street. Yet you were not like a harlot, because you scorned fpayment. 32 You are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband. 33 Men make payment to all harlots, but gyou made your payments to all your lovers, and 3hired them to come to you from all around for your harlotry. 34 You are the opposite of other women in your harlotry, because no one solicited you to be a harlot. In that you gave payment but no payment was given you, therefore you are the opposite.”

Jerusalem’s Lovers Will Abuse Her

35 ‘Now then, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord! 36 Thus says the Lord God: “Because your filthiness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your harlotry with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of hthe blood of your children which you gave to them, 37 surely, therefore, iI will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved, and all those you hated; I will gather them from all around against you and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness. 38 And I will judge you as jwomen who break wedlock or kshed blood are judged; I will bring blood upon you in fury and jealousy. 39 I will also give you into their hand, and they shall throw down your shrines and break down lyour 4high places. mThey shall also strip you of your clothes, take your beautiful jewelry, and leave you naked and bare.

40 n“They shall also bring up an assembly against you, oand they shall stone you with stones and thrust you through with their swords. 41 They shall pburn your houses with fire, and qexecute judgments on you in the sight of many women; and I will make you rcease playing the harlot, and you shall no longer hire lovers. 42 So sI will lay to rest My fury toward you, and My jealousy shall depart from you. I will be quiet, and be angry no more. 43 Because tyou did not remember the days of your youth, but 5agitated Me with all these things, surely uI will also recompense your 6deeds on your own head,” says the Lord God. “And you shall not commit lewdness in addition to all your abominations.

More Wicked Than Samaria and Sodom

44 “Indeed everyone who quotes proverbs will use this proverb against you: ‘Like mother, like daughter!’ 45 You are your mother’s daughter, 7loathing husband and children; and you are the vsister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children; wyour mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.

46 “Your elder sister is Samaria, who dwells with her daughters to the north of you; and xyour younger sister, who dwells to the south of you, is Sodom and her daughters. 47 You did not walk in their ways nor act according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, yyou became more corrupt than they in all your ways.

48 “As I live,” says the Lord God, “neither zyour sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done. 49 Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, afullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty and bcommitted abomination before Me; therefore cI took them away as 8I saw fit.

51 “Samaria did not commit dhalf of your sins; but you have multiplied your abominations more than they, and ehave justified your sisters by all the abominations which you have done. 52 You who judged your sisters, bear your own shame also, because the sins which you committed were more abominable than theirs; they are more righteous than you. Yes, be disgraced also, and bear your own shame, because you justified your sisters.

53 f“When I bring back their captives, the captives of Sodom and her daughters, and the captives of Samaria and her daughters, then I will also bring back gthe captives of your captivity among them, 54 that you may bear your own shame and be disgraced by all that you did when hyou comforted them. 55 When your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters return to their former state, then you and your daughters will return to your former state. 56 For your sister Sodom was not a byword in your mouth in the days of your pride, 57 before your wickedness was uncovered. It was like the time of the ireproach of the daughters of 9Syria and all those around her, and of jthe daughters of the Philistines, who despise you everywhere. 58 kYou have paid for your lewdness and your abominations,” says the Lord. 59 For thus says the Lord God: “I will deal with you as you have done, who ldespised mthe oath by breaking the covenant.

An Everlasting Covenant

60 “Nevertheless I will nremember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish oan everlasting covenant with you. 61 Then pyou will remember your ways and be ashamed, when you receive your older and your younger sisters; for I will give them to you for qdaughters, rbut not because of My covenant with you. 62 sAnd I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, 63 that you may tremember and be ashamed, uand never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord God.’ ”

The Eagles and the Vine

17 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a aparable to the house of Israel, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

b“A great eagle with large wings and long pinions,

Full of feathers of various colors,

Came to Lebanon

And ctook from the cedar the highest branch.

4 He cropped off its topmost young twig

And carried it to a land of trade;

He set it in a city of merchants.

5 Then he took some of the seed of the land

And planted it in da fertile field;

He placed it by abundant waters

And set it elike a willow tree.

6 And it grew and became a spreading vine fof low stature;

Its branches turned toward him,

But its roots were under it.

So it became a vine,

Brought forth branches,

And put forth shoots.

7 “But there was 1another great eagle with large wings and many feathers;

And behold, gthis vine bent its roots toward him,

And stretched its branches toward him,

From the garden terrace where it had been planted,

That he might water it.

8 It was planted in 2good soil by many waters,

To bring forth branches, bear fruit,

And become a majestic vine.” ’

9 “Say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

“Will it thrive?

hWill he not pull up its roots,

Cut off its fruit,

And leave it to wither?

All of its spring leaves will wither,

And no great power or many people

Will be needed to pluck it up by its roots.

10 Behold, it is planted,

Will it thrive?

iWill it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it?

It will wither in the garden terrace where it grew.” ’ ”

11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 12 “Say now to jthe rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Indeed kthe king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and took its king and princes, and led them with him to Babylon. 13 lAnd he took the king’s offspring, made a covenant with him, mand put him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land, 14 that the kingdom might be nbrought low and not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. 15 But ohe rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, pthat they might give him horses and many people. qWill he prosper? Will he who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still be delivered?

16 ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘surely rin the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke—with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. 17 sNor will Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company do anything in the war, twhen they heap up a siege mound and build a 3wall to cut off many persons. 18 Since he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and in fact ugave 4his hand and still did all these things, he shall not escape.’ ”

19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “As I live, surely My oath which he despised, and My covenant which he broke, I will recompense on his own head. 20 I will vspread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and wtry him there for the 5treason which he committed against Me. 21 xAll his 6fugitives with all his troops shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be yscattered to every wind; and you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”

Israel Exalted at Last

22 Thus says the Lord God: “I will take also one of the highest zbranches of the high cedar and set it out. I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs aa tender one, and will bplant it on a high and prominent mountain. 23 cOn the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. dUnder it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell. 24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, ehave brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; fI, the Lord, have spoken and have done it.”

A False Proverb Refuted

18 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying, 2 “What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying:

‘The afathers have eaten sour grapes,

And the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

3 “As I live,” says the Lord God, “you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.

4 “Behold, all souls are bMine;

The soul of the father

As well as the soul of the son is Mine;

cThe soul who sins shall die.

5 But if a man is just

And does what is lawful and right;

6 dIf he has not eaten 1on the mountains,

Nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel,

Nor edefiled his neighbor’s wife,

Nor approached fa woman during her impurity;

7 If he has not goppressed anyone,

But has restored to the debtor his hpledge;

Has robbed no one by violence,

But has igiven his bread to the hungry

And covered the naked with jclothing;

8 If he has not 2exacted kusury

Nor taken any increase,

But has withdrawn his hand from iniquity

And lexecuted true 3judgment between man and man;

9 If he has walked in My statutes—

And kept My judgments faithfully—

He is just;

He shall surely mlive!”

Says the Lord God.

10 “If he begets a son who is a robber

Or na shedder of blood,

Who does any of these things

11 And does none of those duties,

But has eaten 4on the mountains

Or defiled his neighbor’s wife;

12 If he has oppressed the poor and needy,

Robbed by violence,

Not restored the pledge,

Lifted his eyes to the idols,

Or ocommitted abomination;

13 If he has exacted usury

Or taken increase—

Shall he then live?

He shall not live!

If he has done any of these abominations,

He shall surely die;

pHis blood shall be upon him.

14 “If, however, he begets a son

Who sees all the sins which his father has done,

And considers but does not do likewise;

15 qWho has not eaten 5on the mountains,

Nor lifted his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel,

Nor defiled his neighbor’s wife;

16 Has not oppressed anyone,

Nor withheld a pledge,

Nor robbed by violence,

But has given his bread to the hungry

And covered the naked with clothing;

17 Who has withdrawn his hand from 6the poor

And not received usury or increase,

But has executed My judgments

And walked in My statutes

He shall not die for the iniquity of his father;

He shall surely live!

18 “As for his father,

Because he cruelly oppressed,

Robbed his brother by violence,

And did what is not good among his people,

Behold, rhe shall die for his iniquity.

Turn and Live

19 “Yet you say, ‘Why sshould the son not bear the guilt of the father?’ Because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all My statutes and observed them, he shall surely live. 20 tThe soul who sins shall die. uThe son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. vThe righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, wand the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

21 “But xif a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22 yNone of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall zlive. 23 aDo I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?

24 “But bwhen a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? cAll the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.

25 “Yet you say, d‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair? 26 eWhen a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies. 27 Again, fwhen a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. 28 Because he gconsiders and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29 hYet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair?

30 i“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. j“Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 kCast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a lnew heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 For mI have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and nlive!”

Israel Degraded

19 “Moreover atake up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, 2 and say:

‘What is your mother? A lioness:

She lay down among the lions;

Among the young lions she nourished her cubs.

3 She brought up one of her cubs,

And bhe became a young lion;

He learned to catch prey,

And he devoured men.

4 The nations also heard of him;

He was trapped in their pit,

And they brought him with chains to the land of cEgypt.

5 ‘When she saw that she waited, that her hope was lost,

She took danother of her cubs and made him a young lion.

6 eHe roved among the lions,

And fbecame a young lion;

He learned to catch prey;

He devoured men.

7 1He knew their desolate places,

And laid waste their cities;

The land with its fullness was desolated

By the noise of his roaring.

8 gThen the nations set against him from the provinces on every side,

And spread their net over him;

hHe was trapped in their pit.

9 iThey put him in a cage with 2chains,

And brought him to the king of Babylon;

They brought him in nets,

That his voice should no longer be heard on jthe mountains of Israel.

10 ‘Your mother was klike a vine in your 3bloodline,

Planted by the waters,

lFruitful and full of branches

Because of many waters.

11 She had strong branches for scepters of rulers.

mShe towered in stature above the thick branches,

And was seen in her height amid the 4dense foliage.

12 But she was nplucked up in fury,

She was cast down to the ground,

And the oeast wind dried her fruit.

Her strong branches were broken and withered;

The fire consumed them.

13 And now she is planted in the wilderness,

In a dry and thirsty land.

14 pFire has come out from a rod of her branches

And devoured her fruit,

So that she has no strong branch—a scepter for ruling.’ ”

qThis is a lamentation, and has become a lamentation.

The Rebellions of Israel

20 It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that acertain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me. 2 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” says the Lord God, b“I will not be inquired of by you.” ’ 4 Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then cmake known to them the abominations of their fathers.

5 “Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day when dI chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself eknown to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, f‘I am the Lord your God.’ 6 On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, gto bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, h‘flowing with milk and honey,’ ithe glory of all lands. 7 Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, jthrow away kthe abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with lthe idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ 8 But they rebelled against Me and would not 1obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will mpour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’ 9 nBut I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself oknown to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

10 “Therefore I pmade them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11 qAnd I gave them My statutes and 2showed them My judgments, r‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’ 12 Moreover I also gave them My sSabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. 13 Yet the house of Israel trebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they udespised My judgments, v‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; and they greatly wdefiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the xwilderness, to consume them. 14 yBut I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. 15 So zI also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, a‘flowing with milk and honey,’ bthe glory of all lands, 16 cbecause they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for dtheir heart went after their idols. 17 eNevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

18 “But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am the Lord your God: fWalk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; 20 ghallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’

21 “Notwithstanding, hthe children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, i‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness. 22 Nevertheless I 3withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that jI would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries, 24 kbecause they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and ltheir eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.

25 “Therefore mI also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live; 26 and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all 4their firstborn to pass nthrough the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they omight know that I am the Lord.” ’

27 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “In this too your fathers have pblasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me. 28 When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and qthey saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their rsweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings. 29 Then I said to them, ‘What is this 5high place to which you go?’ So its name is called 6Bamah to this day.” ’ 30 Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Are you defiling yourselves in the manner of your sfathers, and committing harlotry according to their tabominations? 31 For when you offer uyour gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” says the Lord God, “I will vnot be inquired of by you. 32 wWhat you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone.’