Jerusalem as an Adulterous Wife
1The word of the Lord came to me: 2“Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable practices 3and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem: Your ancestry and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. 5No 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!”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!” 7I made you grow 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.
8“ ‘Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.
9“ ‘I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. 10I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. 11I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck, 12and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. 14And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.
15“ ‘But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his. 16You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places, where you carried on your prostitution. You went to him, and he possessed your beauty.16:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain. 17You 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. 18And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil and incense before them. 19Also 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.
20“ ‘And you took your sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough? 21You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols. 22In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, kicking about in your blood.
23“ ‘Woe! Woe to you, declares the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness, 24you built a mound for yourself and made a lofty shrine in every public square. 25At every street corner you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty, spreading your legs with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed by. 26You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your neighbors with large genitals, and aroused my anger with your increasing promiscuity. 27So I stretched out my hand against you and reduced your territory; I gave you over to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were shocked by your lewd conduct. 28You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied. 29Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia,16:29 Or Chaldea a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied.
30“ ‘I am filled with fury against you,16:30 Or How feverish is your heart, declares the Sovereign Lord, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute! 31When you built your mounds at every street corner and made your lofty shrines in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you scorned payment.
32“ ‘You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband! 33All prostitutes receive gifts, but you give gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors. 34So 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! 36This 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, 37therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and will strip you in front of them, and they will see you stark naked. 38I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and who shed blood; I will bring on you the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger. 39Then I will deliver you into the hands 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. 40They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and hack you to pieces with their swords. 41They will burn down your houses and inflict punishment on you in the sight of many women. I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers. 42Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you; 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 down on your head what you have done, declares the Sovereign Lord. Did you not add lewdness to all your other detestable practices?
44“ ‘Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother, like daughter.” 45You are a true daughter of your mother, who despised her husband and her children; and you are a true sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. 46Your older sister was Samaria, who lived to the north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you with her daughters, was Sodom. 47You not only followed their ways and copied their detestable practices, but in all your ways you soon became more depraved than they. 48As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.
49“ ‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. 50They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen. 51Samaria 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. 52Bear your disgrace, for you have furnished some justification for your sisters. Because your sins were more vile than theirs, they appear more righteous than you. So then, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.
53“ ‘However, I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them, 54so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in giving them comfort. 55And 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. 56You would not even mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride, 57before your wickedness was uncovered. Even so, you are now scorned by the daughters of Edom16:57 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate Aram and all her neighbors and the daughters of the Philistines—all those around you who despise you. 58You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your detestable practices, declares the Lord.
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. 60Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. 61Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both those who are older than you and those who are younger. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on the basis of my covenant with you. 62So I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. 63Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord.’ ”
耶路撒冷的不忠
1耶和華對我說： 2「人子啊，你要使耶路撒冷知道她的可憎行徑。 3你要告訴她，主耶和華這樣對她說，『你祖居迦南，生於迦南。你的父親是亞摩利人，母親是赫人。 4你出生時沒人剪斷你的臍帶，沒人用水洗你的身體，用鹽擦淨你，用布包裹你。 5沒有人可憐你，同情你，為你做以上的事。你生下來便遭人厭惡，被扔在野外。
6「『我從你旁邊經過，見你在血泊中掙扎，便對血泊中的你說，活下去！ 7我使你像田間的植物一樣茁壯生長。你漸漸發育成熟，長得亭亭玉立，雙乳豐滿，秀髮垂肩，但仍然赤身露體。
8「『後來我又從你旁邊經過，見你正值少女懷春，我便用衣襟遮蓋你的身體，向你起誓，與你定下婚約，你便屬於我。這是主耶和華說的。 9我用水洗淨你身上的血污，給你塗上馨香的油， 10穿上錦繡的衣裳和海狗皮的鞋，披上細麻衣和絲綢外袍。 11我用首飾來裝扮你，給你戴上手鐲、項鏈、 12鼻環、耳環和華冠。 13這樣，你戴的是金銀首飾，穿的是綾羅綢緞，吃的是細麵粉、蜂蜜和油。你變得美豔絕倫，晉升為王后。 14你的美貌名揚四方，因為我給你的華貴使你美貌無比。這是主耶和華說的。
15「『你卻仗著自己的美貌和名聲縱情淫亂，與所有過路的人苟合。 16你用自己的衣服在拜偶像的地方結彩，在那裡行淫。這樣的事真是空前絕後！ 17你用我給你的金銀首飾為自己製造男人的像，與他們苟合。 18你給他們穿上錦繡衣服，把我給你的膏油和香料供奉他們。 19你把我賜你吃的細麵粉、油和蜂蜜作為馨香的供物奉獻在他們面前。這是主耶和華說的。 20你還把你給我生的兒女燒作燔祭獻給偶像。難道你淫亂還不夠嗎？ 21你竟屠殺我的兒女，把他們焚燒獻給偶像。 22你做這一切可憎、淫亂的事，忘記了你幼年赤身露體，在血泊中掙扎的日子。
23「『主耶和華說，你有禍了！你有禍了！你不但做了這些惡事， 24還為自己築祭壇，在各廣場建高高的神廟。 25你在街頭巷尾建高高的神廟，糟蹋自己的美貌。你向每一個過路的人投懷送抱，縱情淫亂， 26甚至與放縱情慾的鄰邦埃及人苟合，激起我的憤怒。 27看吧，我要伸手攻擊你，削減你的口糧，把你交給憎恨你的非利士人，任他們宰割。他們會為你的淫蕩行為感到羞恥。 28你慾海難填，又跟亞述人行淫，但仍不滿足， 29於是又跟那商賈之地的迦勒底人行淫，但仍不滿足。
30「『主耶和華說，你的心敗壞至極，簡直就像不知羞恥的娼妓， 31因為你在街頭巷尾築祭壇，在廣場建高高的神廟，甚至不收淫資，實在連妓女都不如。 32你這蕩婦，寧願跟外人淫亂，也不愛自己的丈夫。 33妓女接受淫資，你卻送禮物給所有的情人，引誘他們從四方前來跟你淫亂。 34你賣淫不同於別的妓女，沒有人給你淫資，你倒貼錢給人，你真是與眾不同。
主對耶路撒冷的審判和應許
35「『你這淫婦，要聽耶和華的話。 36主耶和華說，你放縱情慾，赤身露體地與眾情人苟合。你祭拜一切可憎的偶像，把自己兒女的血獻給它們。 37因此，我要把你所愛和所恨的情人都聚集起來，從四方攻擊你，讓你赤裸裸地顯露在他們面前，讓他們看到你赤身露體。 38我要懲罰你，像懲罰淫亂和殺人的婦女一樣。我要把烈怒和義憤倒在你身上，報應你殺人流血的罪。 39我要把你交在你的情人手裡。他們必拆毀你的祭壇，夷平你高高的神廟，剝去你的衣裳，奪走你的珠寶，留下你赤身露體。 40他們要聚眾攻擊你，用石頭打你，用刀劍砍碎你， 41燒毀你的房屋，在眾婦女面前審判你。我要阻止你的淫亂行為，使你不再倒貼錢給情人。 42這樣，我的烈怒才會平息，我的義憤才會消除，我才會平靜下來，不再發怒。 43因為你忘記了幼年的日子，做這些事來惹我發怒，我要照你的所作所為報應你。因為你不僅行一切可憎的事，還放蕩淫亂。這是主耶和華說的。
44「『好說俗語的人都會譏諷你說，有其母必有其女。 45你和你母親及姊妹如出一轍，都厭棄自己的丈夫和兒女。你母親是赫人，你父親是亞摩利人。 46你姐姐是撒瑪利亞，她和她的女兒們住在你的北面。你妹妹是所多瑪，她和她的女兒們住在你的南面。 47你不僅追隨她們可憎的行徑，還很快超過了她們。 48我憑我的永恆起誓，與你妹妹所多瑪和她女兒們相比，你和你女兒們的行徑有過之而無不及。這是主耶和華說的。 49看啊，你妹妹所多瑪和她的女兒們傲慢狂妄，安逸飽足，對窮困的人漠不關心。 50她們心驕氣傲，在我面前做可憎的事，我看見後便除掉了她們。 51撒瑪利亞的罪還不及你的一半，你做的事比她們做的更可憎，以致與你相比，你的姊妹倒顯得公義了。 52既然你幫了你的姊妹，使她們顯得公義，你就蒙受羞辱吧！因為你犯的罪比你姊妹犯的罪更可憎，以致她們顯得比你更公義。因此，你就自取其辱，抱愧蒙羞吧！
53「『然而，我要使所多瑪、撒瑪利亞及她們的女兒們復興，並使你一同復興， 54讓你自取其辱，深感羞愧，因為你的一切惡行使她們反得安慰。 55你姊妹所多瑪、撒瑪利亞和她們的眾女兒，以及你和你的眾女兒必恢復起初的光景。 56-57在你驕傲的日子，你的惡行還沒有被揭露的時候，你覺得妹妹所多瑪不屑一提。但現在，你卻成為以東的眾女兒和她四鄰非利士的眾女兒的笑柄。你周圍的人都鄙視你。 58你要承擔淫蕩和可憎行徑帶來的懲罰。這是耶和華說的。
59「『主耶和華說，你背誓毀約，我必照你的所作所為報應你。 60然而，我顧念在你幼年時與你所立的約，我要與你立一個永遠的約。 61你接納你姊妹的時候，會想起自己的所作所為並自覺羞愧。我要將你姊妹賜給你作女兒，我這樣做並不是出於我與你所立的約。 62我要和你立約，使你知道我是耶和華。 63我要赦免你所有的罪，那時你想起這事會羞愧難當，不敢再開口。這是主耶和華說的。』」
