Old Testement Bible Reading 11-07-2022

Ezekiel 16-18
New King James Version
God’s Love for Jerusalem

16 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: “Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4 As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born.

6 “And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ 7 I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare.

8 “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord God.

9 “Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck. 12 And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty. 14 Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you,” says the Lord God.

Jerusalem’s Harlotry

15 “But you trusted in your own beauty, played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it. 16 You took some of your garments and adorned multicolored high 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 My food which I gave you—the pastry of fine flour, oil, and honey which I fed you—you set it before them as sweet incense; and so it was,” says the Lord God.

20 “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 fire? 22 And in all your abominations and acts of harlotry you did not remember the days of your youth, when 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 you also built for yourself a shrine, and made a high place for yourself in every street. 25 You built your high places at 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 the Egyptians, your very fleshly neighbors, and increased your acts of harlotry to provoke Me to anger.

27 “Behold, therefore, I stretched out My hand against you, diminished your allotment, and gave you up to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior. 28 You also played the harlot with the Assyrians, 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, Chaldea; 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 “You erected your shrine at the head of every road, and built your high place in every street. Yet you were not like a harlot, because you scorned payment. 32 You are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband. 33 Men make payment to all harlots, but you made your payments to all your lovers, and hired 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 the blood of your children which you gave to them, 37 surely, therefore, I 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 women who break wedlock or shed 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 your high places. They shall also strip you of your clothes, take your beautiful jewelry, and leave you naked and bare.

40 “They shall also bring up an assembly against you, and they shall stone you with stones and thrust you through with their swords. 41 They shall burn your houses with fire, and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women; and I will make you cease playing the harlot, and you shall no longer hire lovers. 42 So I 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 you did not remember the days of your youth, but agitated Me with all these things, surely I will also recompense your deeds 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, loathing husband and children; and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children; your 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 your 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, you became more corrupt than they in all your ways.

48 “As I live,” says the Lord God, “neither your 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, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.

51 “Samaria did not commit half of your sins; but you have multiplied your abominations more than they, and have 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 “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 the captives of your captivity among them, 54 that you may bear your own shame and be disgraced by all that you did when you 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 reproach of the daughters of Syria and all those around her, and of the daughters of the Philistines, who despise you everywhere. 58 You 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 despised the oath by breaking the covenant.

An Everlasting Covenant

60 “Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. 61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed, when you receive your older and your younger sisters; for I will give them to you for daughters, but not because of My covenant with you. 62 And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, 63 that you may remember and be ashamed, and 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 parable to the house of Israel, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

“A great eagle with large wings and long pinions,
Full of feathers of various colors,
Came to Lebanon
And took 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 a fertile field;
He placed it by abundant waters
And set it like a willow tree.
6 And it grew and became a spreading vine of 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 another great eagle with large wings and many feathers;
And behold, this 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 good 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?
Will 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?
Will 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 the rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Indeed the king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and took its king and princes, and led them with him to Babylon. 13 And he took the king’s offspring, made a covenant with him, and put him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land, 14 that the kingdom might be brought low and not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. 15 But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will 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 in 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 Nor will Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company do anything in the war, when they heap up a siege mound and build a wall to cut off many persons. 18 Since he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and in fact gave his 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 spread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and try him there for the treason which he committed against Me. 21 All his fugitives with all his troops shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered 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 branches of the high cedar and set it out. I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and will plant it on a high and prominent mountain. 23 On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. Under 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, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, 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 fathers 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 Mine;
The soul of the father
As well as the soul of the son is Mine;
The soul who sins shall die.
5 But if a man is just
And does what is lawful and right;
6 If he has not eaten on the mountains,
Nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel,
Nor defiled his neighbor’s wife,
Nor approached a woman during her impurity;
7 If he has not oppressed anyone,
But has restored to the debtor his pledge;
Has robbed no one by violence,
But has given his bread to the hungry
And covered the naked with clothing;
8 If he has not exacted usury
Nor taken any increase,
But has withdrawn his hand from iniquity
And executed true [aa]judgment between man and man;
9 If he has walked in My statutes
And kept My judgments faithfully—
He is just;
He shall surely live!”
Says the Lord God.
10 “If he begets a son who is a robber
Or a shedder of blood,
Who does any of these things
11 And does none of those duties,
But has eaten [ab]on 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 committed 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;
His 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 Who has not eaten [ac]on 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 [ad]the 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, he shall die for his iniquity.
Turn and Live

19 “Yet you say, ‘Why should 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 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

21 “But if 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 None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. 23 Do 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 when 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? All 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, ‘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 When 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, when 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 considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29 Yet 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 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!”

Footnotes

Ezekiel 16:3 origin and your birth
Ezekiel 16:5 abhorred
Ezekiel 16:7 Lit. a myriad
Ezekiel 16:8 Or the corner of My garment
Ezekiel 16:10 Or dolphin or dugong
Ezekiel 16:12 Lit. ring
Ezekiel 16:16 Places for pagan worship
Ezekiel 16:19 Or a sweet aroma
Ezekiel 16:24 Place for pagan worship
Ezekiel 16:27 Allowance of food
Ezekiel 16:31 Place for pagan worship
Ezekiel 16:33 Or bribed
Ezekiel 16:39 Places for pagan worship
Ezekiel 16:43 So with LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg.; MT were agitated with Me
Ezekiel 16:43 Lit. way
Ezekiel 16:45 Or despising
Ezekiel 16:50 Vg. you saw; LXX he saw; Tg. as was revealed to Me
Ezekiel 16:57 Heb. Aram; so with MT, LXX, Tg., Vg.; many Heb. mss., Syr. Edom
Ezekiel 17:7 So with LXX, Syr., Vg.; MT, Tg. one
Ezekiel 17:8 Lit. a good field
Ezekiel 17:17 Or siege wall
Ezekiel 17:18 Took an oath
Ezekiel 17:20 Lit. unfaithful act
Ezekiel 17:21 So with MT, Vg.; many Heb. mss., Syr. choice men; Tg. mighty men; LXX omits All his fugitives
Ezekiel 18:6 At the mountain shrines
Ezekiel 18:8 Lent money at interest
Ezekiel 18:8 justice
Ezekiel 18:11 At the mountain shrines
Ezekiel 18:15 At the mountain shrines
Ezekiel 18:17 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX iniquity (cf. v. 😎
Ezequiel 16-18
Reina Valera Actualizada
Alegoría de la esposa infiel

16 Entonces vino a mí la palabra del SEÑOR, diciendo: 2 “Oh hijo de hombre, haz conocer sus abominaciones a Jerusalén. 3 Dile que así ha dicho el SEÑOR Dios a Jerusalén: ‘En cuanto a tu origen y a tu nacimiento, eres de la tierra de los cananeos; tu padre fue un amorreo y tu madre una hetea. 4 Y en cuanto a tu nacimiento, el día en que naciste no fue cortado tu cordón umbilical ni fuiste lavada con agua por higiene. No fuiste frotada con sal ni envuelta en pañales. 5 No hubo ojo que te tuviera lástima, para hacer por ti alguna de estas cosas, teniendo compasión de ti. Al contrario, el día en que naciste fuiste echada sobre la superficie del campo con repulsión por tu vida.

6 “‘Pero pasé junto a ti y te vi revolcándote en tu sangre. Y estando tú en tu sangre, te dije: ¡Vive! Te dije: ¡Sí, vive en tu sangre!

7 “‘Te hice crecer como la hierba del campo. Creciste, te desarrollaste y llegaste a la flor de la juventud. Tus pechos se afirmaron, y tu cabello creció; pero estabas desnuda y descubierta.

8 “‘Pasé junto a ti y te miré, y he aquí que estabas en tu tiempo de amar. Entonces extendí sobre ti mis alas y cubrí tu desnudez. Te hice juramento y entré en pacto contigo; y fuiste mía, dice el SEÑOR Dios . 9 Te lavé con agua, limpié la sangre que tenías sobre ti y te ungí con aceite. 10 Te vestí con un vestido de colores variados, y te calcé con sandalias de cuero fino. Te ceñí de lino y te cubrí de seda. 11 Te adorné con joyas; puse brazaletes en tus manos y un collar en tu cuello. 12 Puse un zarcillo en tu nariz, aretes en tus orejas y una corona de hermosura sobre tu cabeza. 13 Fuiste adornada con oro y plata; tu vestido era de lino, de seda y de tela bordada. Comiste harina fina, miel y aceite. Llegaste a ser sumamente bella y alcanzaste la realeza. 14 Y tu fama se difundió entre las naciones, a causa de tu belleza, que era perfecta por el esplendor que puse en ti, dice el SEÑOR Dios .

15 “‘Pero confiaste en tu belleza y te prostituiste a causa de tu fama; vertiste tu lujuria sobre todo el que pasaba, fuera quien fuera. 16 Tomaste algunos de tus vestidos y te hiciste lugares altos de vivos colores, y sobre ellos te prostituiste. ¡Cosa semejante no ha sucedido ni volverá a suceder! 17 Asimismo, tomaste las bellas joyas de mi oro y de mi plata que yo te había dado, y te hiciste símbolos de varón, y con ellos te prostituías. 18 Tomaste tus vestidos bordados para cubrirlos, y pusiste ante ellos mi aceite y mi incienso. 19 También tomaste mi pan que yo te había dado —la harina fina, el aceite y la miel con que yo te alimentaba— y lo pusiste delante de ellos como grato olor, dice el SEÑOR Dios .

20 “‘Además de esto, tomaste a tus hijos y a tus hijas que me habías dado a luz, y los sacrificaste ante ellos para que fueran consumidos. ¿Eran poca cosa tus prostituciones?

21 Pues ****llaste a mis hijos y los diste para hacerlos pasar por fuego ante ellos . 22 En medio de tus abominaciones y de tus prostituciones no te acordaste de los días de tu juventud, cuando estabas desnuda y descubierta, revolcándote en tu sangre. 23 Y sucedió que después de toda tu maldad (¡Ay, ay de ti! dice el SEÑOR Dios ), 24 construiste plataformas e hiciste lugares altos en todas las plazas. 25 En cada comienzo de camino construiste lugares altos y convertiste tu hermosura en abominación, ofreciéndote a cuantos pasaban y multiplicando tus prostituciones.

26 “‘Te prostituiste con los hijos de Egipto, tus vecinos de grandes carnes; multiplicaste tus prostituciones, provocándome a ira. 27 Por tanto, he aquí que extendí mi mano contra ti y disminuí tu ración. Te entregué a la voluntad de quienes te aborrecen, las hijas de los filisteos, las cuales se avergüenzan de tu conducta infame. 28 Y como no te quedaste satisfecha, te prostituiste también con los hijos de Asiria. Te prostituiste con ellos, pero tampoco te quedaste satisfecha. 29 Igualmente, multiplicaste tus prostituciones con una tierra de mercaderes, con Caldea. Pero tampoco con esto te quedaste satisfecha.

30 “‘¡Cuán débil es tu corazón!, dice el SEÑOR Dios . Porque has hecho todas estas cosas, obras de una prostituta atrevida, 31 al edificar tus plataformas en el comienzo de cada camino, y tus altares que hiciste en todas las plazas. No has sido como una prostituta, porque tú despreciaste la paga. 32 ¡Mujer adúltera! ¡En lugar de su marido recibe a los extraños! 33 A todas las prostitutas les dan obsequios; en cambio, tú diste regalos a todos tus amantes y los sobornaste para que vinieran a ti de todas partes para tus prostituciones. 34 Cuando te prostituist