Ezekiel 16
16Then another message came to me from the Lord:H1697H3068H5592“Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable sins.H1121H120H3389H3045H84413Give her this message from the Sovereign Lord: You are nothing but a Canaanite! Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.H559H559H136H3069H3389H4351H4138H776H3669H1H567H517H28504On the day you were born, no one cared about you. Your umbilical cord was not cut, and you were never washed, rubbed with salt, and wrapped in cloth.H4138H3117H3205H8270H3772H7364H4325H4935H4414H4414H2853H28535No one had the slightest interest in you; no one pitied you or cared for you. On the day you were born, you were unwanted, dumped in a field and left to die.H5869H2347H6213H259H2550H7993H6440H7704H1604H5315H3117H32056“But I came by and saw you there, helplessly kicking about in your own blood. As you lay there, I said, ‘Live!’H5674H7200H947H1818H559H1818H2421H559H1818H24217And I helped you to thrive like a plant in the field. You grew up and became a beautiful jewel. Your breasts became full, and your body hair grew, but you were still naked.H5414H7233H6780H7704H7235H1431H935H5716H5716H7699H3559H8181H6779H5903H61818And when I passed by again, I saw that you were old enough for love. So I wrapped my cloak around you to cover your nakedness and declared my marriage vows. I made a covenant with you, says the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.H5674H7200H6256H6256H1730H6566H3671H3680H6172H7650H935H1285H5002H136H30699“Then I bathed you and washed off your blood, and I rubbed fragrant oils into your skin.H7364H4325H7857H1818H5480H808110I gave you expensive clothing of fine linen and silk, beautifully embroidered, and sandals made of fine goatskin leather.H3847H7553H5274H8476H2280H8336H3680H489711I gave you lovely jewelry, bracelets, beautiful necklaces,H5710H5716H5414H6781H3027H7242H162712a ring for your nose, earrings for your ears, and a lovely crown for your head.H5414H5141H639H5694H241H8597H5850H721813And so you were adorned with gold and silver. Your clothes were made of fine linen and were beautifully embroidered. You ate the finest foods—choice flour, honey, and olive oil—and became more beautiful than ever. You looked like a queen, and so you were!H5710H2091H3701H4403H8336H8336H4897H7553H398H5560H1706H8081H3966H3302H6743H441014Your fame soon spread throughout the world because of your beauty. I dressed you in my splendor and perfected your beauty, says the Sovereign Lord.H8034H3318H1471H3308H3632H1926H7760H5002H136H306915“But you thought your fame and beauty were your own. So you gave yourself as a prostitute to every man who came along. Your beauty was theirs for the asking.H982H3308H2181H8034H8210H8457H567416You used the lovely things I gave you to make shrines for idols, where you played the prostitute. Unbelievable! How could such a thing ever happen?H899H3947H6213H1116H2921H2181H93517You took the very jewels and gold and silver ornaments I had given you and made statues of men and worshiped them. This is adultery against me!H3947H8597H3627H2091H3701H5414H6213H6754H2145H218118You used the beautifully embroidered clothes I gave you to dress your idols. Then you used my special oil and my incense to worship them.H3947H7553H899H3680H5414H8081H7004H644019Imagine it! You set before them as a sacrifice the choice flour, olive oil, and honey I had given you, says the Sovereign Lord.H3899H5414H5560H8081H1706H398H5414H6440H5207H7381H5002H136H306920“Then you took your sons and daughters—the children you had borne to me—and sacrificed them to your gods. Was your prostitution not enough?H3947H1121H1323H3205H2076H398H8457H459221Must you also slaughter my children by sacrificing them to idols?H7819H1121H5414H567422In all your years of adultery and detestable sin, you have not once remembered the days long ago when you lay naked in a field, kicking about in your own blood.H8441H8457H2142H3117H5271H5903H6181H947H181823“What sorrow awaits you, says the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness,H310H7451H188H188H5002H136H306924you built a pagan shrine and put altars to idols in every town square.H1129H1354H6213H7413H733925On every street corner you defiled your beauty, offering your body to every passerby in an endless stream of prostitution.H1129H7413H7218H1870H3308H8581H6589H7272H5674H7235H845726Then you added lustful Egypt to your lovers, provoking my anger with your increasing promiscuity.H2181H1121H4714H7934H1432H1320H7235H8457H370727That is why I struck you with my fist and reduced your boundaries. I handed you over to your enemies, the Philistines, and even they were shocked by your lewd conduct.H5186H3027H1639H2706H5414H5315H8130H1323H6430H3637H2154H187028You have prostituted yourself with the Assyrians, too. It seems you can never find enough new lovers! And after your prostitution there, you still were not satisfied.H2181H1121H804H1115H7646H2181H765429You added to your lovers by embracing Babylonia, the land of merchants, but you still weren’t satisfied.H7235H8457H776H3667H3778H7646H206330“What a sick heart you have, says the Sovereign Lord, to do such things as these, acting like a shameless prostitute.H535H3826H5002H136H3069H6213H4639H7986H2181H80231You build your pagan shrines on every street corner and your altars to idols in every square. In fact, you have been worse than a prostitute, so eager for sin that you have not even demanded payment.H1129H1354H7218H1870H6213H7413H7339H2181H7046H86832Yes, you are an adulterous wife who takes in strangers instead of her own husband.H802H5003H3947H2114H37633Prostitutes charge for their services—but not you! You give gifts to your lovers, bribing them to come and have sex with you.H5414H5078H2181H5414H5083H157H7809H935H5439H845734So you are the opposite of other prostitutes. You pay your lovers instead of their paying you!H2016H802H8457H310H2181H5414H868H868H5414H1961H201635“Therefore, you prostitute, listen to this message from the Lord!H2181H8085H1697H306836This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have poured out your lust and exposed yourself in prostitution to all your lovers, and because you have worshiped detestable idols, and because you have slaughtered your children as sacrifices to your gods,H559H136H3069H5178H8210H6172H1540H8457H157H1544H8441H1818H1121H541437this is what I am going to do. I will gather together all your allies—the lovers with whom you have sinned, both those you loved and those you hated—and I will strip you naked in front of them so they can stare at you.H6908H157H6149H157H8130H6908H5439H1540H6172H7200H617238I will punish you for your murder and adultery. I will cover you with blood in my jealous fury.H8199H5003H8210H1818H4941H5414H1818H2534H706839Then I will give you to these many nations who are your lovers, and they will destroy you. They will knock down your pagan shrines and the altars to your idols. They will strip you and take your beautiful jewels, leaving you stark naked.H5414H3027H2040H1354H5422H7413H6584H899H3947H8597H3627H3240H5903H618140They will band together in a mob to stone you and cut you up with swords.H5927H6951H7275H68H1333H271941They will burn your homes and punish you in front of many women. I will stop your prostitution and end your payments to your many lovers.H8313H1004H784H6213H8201H5869H7227H802H7673H2181H5414H86842“Then at last my fury against you will be spent, and my jealous anger will subside. I will be calm and will not be angry with you anymore.H2534H5117H7068H5493H8252H370743But first, because you have not remembered your youth but have angered me by doing all these evil things, I will fully repay you for all of your sins, says the Sovereign Lord. For you have added lewd acts to all your detestable sins.H2142H3117H5271H7264H1887H5414H1870H7218H5002H136H3069H6213H2154H844144Everyone who makes up proverbs will say of you, ‘Like mother, like daughter.’H4911H4911H559H517H132345For your mother loathed her husband and her children, and so do you. And you are exactly like your sisters, for they despised their husbands and their children. Truly your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.H517H1323H1602H376H1121H269H269H1602H582H1121H517H2850H1H56746“Your older sister was Samaria, who lived with her daughters in the north. Your younger sister was Sodom, who lived with her daughters in the south.H1419H269H8111H1323H3427H8040H6996H269H3427H3225H5467H132347But you have not merely sinned as they did. You quickly surpassed them in corruption.H1980H1870H6213H8441H6985H4592H6962H7843H2004H187048As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, Sodom and her daughters were never as wicked as you and your daughters.H2416H5002H136H3069H5467H269H6213H1323H6213H132349Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door.H5771H269H5467H1347H7653H3899H7962H8252H1323H2388H3027H6041H3450She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have seen.H1361H6213H8441H6440H5493H720051“Even Samaria did not commit half your sins. You have done far more detestable things than your sisters ever did. They seem righteous compared to you.H8111H2398H2677H2403H7235H8441H2007H6663H269H8441H621352Shame on you! Your sins are so terrible that you make your sisters seem righteous, even virtuous.H6419H269H5375H3639H2403H8581H2004H6663H954H5375H3639H6663H26953“But someday I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and Samaria, and I will restore you, too.H7725H7622H7622H7622H7622H5467H1323H7622H7622H8111H1323H7622H7622H7622H843254Then you will be truly ashamed of everything you have done, for your sins make them feel good in comparison.H5375H3639H3637H6213H516255Yes, your sisters, Sodom and Samaria, and all their people will be restored, and at that time you also will be restored.H269H5467H1323H7725H6927H8111H1323H7725H6927H1323H7725H692756In your proud days you held Sodom in contempt.H269H5467H8052H6310H3117H134757But now your greater wickedness has been exposed to all the world, and you are the one who is scorned—by Edom and all her neighbors and by Philistia.H7451H1540H6256H2781H1323H758H5439H1323H6430H7590H543958This is your punishment for all your lewdness and detestable sins, says the Lord.H5375H2154H8441H5002H306859“Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will give you what you deserve, for you have taken your solemn vows lightly by breaking your covenant.H559H136H3069H6213H6213H959H423H6565H128560Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were young, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.H2142H1285H3117H5271H6965H5769H128561Then you will remember with shame all the evil you have done. I will make your sisters, Samaria and Sodom, to be your daughters, even though they are not part of our covenant.H2142H1870H3637H3947H269H1419H6996H5414H1323H128562And I will reaffirm my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord.H6965H1285H3045H306863You will remember your sins and cover your mouth in silent shame when I forgive you of all that you have done. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”H2142H954H6610H6310H6440H3639H3722H6213H5002H136H3069
Ezekiel 17
17Then this message came to me from the Lord:H1697H3068H5592“Son of man, give this riddle, and tell this story to the people of Israel.H1121H120H2330H2420H4911H4912H1004H34783Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord. “A great eagle with broad wings and long feathers, covered with many-colored plumage, came to Lebanon. He seized the top of a cedar treeH559H559H136H3069H1419H5404H1419H3671H83H750H4392H5133H7553H935H3844H3947H6788H7304and plucked off its highest branch. He carried it away to a city filled with merchants. He planted it in a city of traders.H6998H7218H3242H935H776H3667H7760H5892H74025He also took a seedling from the land and planted it in fertile soil. He placed it beside a broad river, where it could grow like a willow tree.H3947H2233H776H5414H2233H7704H3947H7227H4325H7760H68516It took root there and grew into a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned up toward the eagle, and its roots grew down into the ground. It produced strong branches and put out shoots.H6779H5628H1612H8217H6967H1808H6437H8328H1612H6213H905H7971H62887But then another great eagle came with broad wings and full plumage. So the vine now sent its roots and branches toward him for water,H259H1419H5404H1419H3671H7227H5133H1612H3719H8328H7971H1808H8248H6170H43028even though it was already planted in good soil and had plenty of water so it could grow into a splendid vine and produce rich leaves and luscious fruit.H8362H2896H7704H7227H4325H6213H6057H5375H6529H155H16129“So now the Sovereign Lord asks. Will this vine grow and prosper? No! I will pull it up, roots and all! I will cut off its fruit and let its leaves wither and die. I will pull it up easily without a strong arm or a large army.H559H559H136H3069H6743H5423H8328H7082H6529H3001H3001H2964H6780H1419H2220H7227H5971H5375H832810But when the vine is transplanted, will it thrive? No, it will wither away when the east wind blows against it. It will die in the same good soil where it had grown so well.”H8362H6743H3001H3001H6921H7307H5060H3001H6170H678011Then this message came to me from the Lord:H1697H3068H55912“Say to these rebels of Israel: Don’t you understand the meaning of this riddle of the eagles? The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took away her king and princes, and brought them to Babylon.H559H4805H1004H3045H559H4428H894H935H3389H3947H4428H8269H935H89413He made a treaty with a member of the royal family and forced him to take an oath of loyalty. He also exiled Israel’s most influential leaders,H3947H4410H2233H3772H1285H935H423H3947H352H77614so Israel would not become strong again and revolt. Only by keeping her treaty with Babylon could Israel survive.H4467H8217H5375H8104H1285H597515“Nevertheless, this man of Israel’s royal family rebelled against Babylon, sending ambassadors to Egypt to request a great army and many horses. Can Israel break her sworn treaties like that and get away with it?H4775H7971H4397H4714H5414H5483H7227H5971H6743H4422H6213H6565H1285H442216No! For as surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, the king of Israel will die in Babylon, the land of the king who put him in power and whose treaty he disregarded and broke.H2416H5002H136H3069H4725H4428H4427H423H959H1285H6565H8432H894H419117Pharaoh and all his mighty army will fail to help Israel when the king of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem again and destroys many lives.H6547H1419H2428H7227H6951H6213H4421H8210H5550H1129H1785H3772H7227H531518For the king of Israel disregarded his treaty and broke it after swearing to obey; therefore, he will not escape.H959H423H6565H1285H5414H3027H6213H442219“So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will punish him for breaking my covenant and disregarding the solemn oath he made in my name.H559H136H3069H2416H423H959H1285H6331H5414H721820I will throw my net over him and capture him in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and put him on trial for this treason against me.H6566H7568H8610H4686H935H894H8199H4603H460421And all his best warriors will be killed in battle, and those who survive will be scattered to the four winds. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.H4015H102H5307H2719H7604H6566H7307H3045H3068H169622“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take a branch from the top of a tall cedar, and I will plant it on the top of Israel’s highest mountain.H559H136H3069H3947H6788H7311H730H5414H6998H7218H3127H7390H8362H1364H2022H852423It will become a majestic cedar, sending forth its branches and producing seed. Birds of every sort will nest in it, finding shelter in the shade of its branches.H2022H4791H3478H8362H5375H6057H6213H6529H117H730H7931H6833H3671H6738H1808H793124And all the trees will know that it is I, the Lord, who cuts the tall tree down and makes the short tree grow tall. It is I who makes the green tree wither and gives the dead tree new life. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do what I said!”H6086H7704H3045H3068H8213H1364H6086H1361H8217H6086H3001H3892H6086H3002H6086H6524H3068H1696H6213
Ezekiel 18
18Then another message came to me from the Lord:H1697H3068H5592“Why do you quote this proverb concerning the land of Israel: ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste’?H4911H4912H127H3478H559H1H398H1155H1121H8127H69493As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, you will not quote this proverb anymore in Israel.H2416H5002H136H3069H4911H4912H34784For all people are mine to judge—both parents and children alike. And this is my rule: The person who sins is the one who will die.H5315H5315H1H5315H1121H5315H2398H41915“Suppose a certain man is righteous and does what is just and right.H376H6662H6213H4941H66666He does not feast in the mountains before Israel’s idols or worship them. He does not commit adultery or have intercourse with a woman during her menstrual period.H398H2022H5375H5869H1544H1004H3478H2930H7453H802H7126H5079H8027He is a merciful creditor, not keeping the items given as security by poor debtors. He does not rob the poor but instead gives food to the hungry and provides clothes for the needy.H3238H376H7725H2326H2258H1497H1500H5414H3899H7457H3680H5903H8998He grants loans without interest, stays away from injustice, is honest and fair when judging others,H5414H5392H3947H8636H7725H3027H5766H6213H571H4941H376H3769and faithfully obeys my decrees and regulations. Anyone who does these things is just and will surely live, says the Sovereign Lord.H1980H2708H8104H4941H6213H571H6662H2421H2421H5002H136H306910“But suppose that man has a son who grows up to be a robber or murderer and refuses to do what is right.H3205H1121H6530H8210H1818H6213H251H25911And that son does all the evil things his father would never do—he worships idols on the mountains, commits adultery,H6213H398H2022H2930H7453H80212oppresses the poor and helpless, steals from debtors by refusing to let them redeem their security, worships idols, commits detestable sins,H3238H6041H34H1497H1500H7725H2258H5375H5869H1544H6213H844113and lends money at excessive interest. Should such a sinful person live? No! He must die and must take full blame.H5414H5392H3947H8636H2425H2421H6213H8441H4191H4191H181814“But suppose that sinful son, in turn, has a son who sees his father’s wickedness and decides against that kind of life.H3205H1121H7200H1H2403H6213H7200H6213H200415This son refuses to worship idols on the mountains and does not commit adultery.H398H2022H5375H5869H1544H1004H3478H2930H7453H80216He does not exploit the poor, but instead is fair to debtors and does not rob them. He gives food to the hungry and provides clothes for the needy.H3238H376H2254H2258H1497H1500H5414H3899H7457H3680H5903H89917He helps the poor, does not lend money at interest, and obeys all my regulations and decrees. Such a person will not die because of his father’s sins; he will surely live.H7725H3027H6041H3947H5392H8636H6213H4941H1980H2708H4191H5771H1H2421H242118But the father will die for his many sins—for being cruel, robbing people, and doing what was clearly wrong among his people.H1H6233H6231H1497H251H1499H6213H2896H8432H5971H4191H577119“‘What?’ you ask. ‘Doesn’t the child pay for the parent’s sins?’ No! For if the child does what is just and right and keeps my decrees, that child will surely live.H559H1121H5375H5771H1H1121H6213H4941H6666H8104H2708H6213H2421H242120The person who sins is the one who will die. The child will not be punished for the parent’s sins, and the parent will not be punished for the child’s sins. Righteous people will be rewarded for their own righteous behavior, and wicked people will be punished for their own wickedness.H5315H2398H4191H1121H5375H5771H1H1H5375H5771H1121H6666H6662H7564H756321But if wicked people turn away from all their sins and begin to obey my decrees and do what is just and right, they will surely live and not die.H7563H7725H2403H6213H8104H2708H6213H4941H6666H2421H2421H419122All their past sins will be forgotten, and they will live because of the righteous things they have done.H6588H6213H2142H6666H6213H242123“Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.H2654H2654H7563H4194H5002H136H3069H7725H1870H242124However, if righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things and act like other sinners, should they be allowed to live? No, of course not! All their righteous acts will be forgotten, and they will die for their sins.H6662H7725H6666H6213H5766H6213H8441H7563H6213H2425H6666H6213H2142H4603H4604H2403H2398H419125“Yet you say, ‘The Lord isn’t doing what’s right!’ Listen to me, O people of Israel. Am I the one not doing what’s right, or is it you?H559H1870H136H8505H8085H1004H3478H1870H8505H1870H850526When righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things, they will die for it. Yes, they will die because of their sinful deeds.H6662H7725H6666H6213H5766H4191H5766H6213H419127And if wicked people turn from their wickedness, obey the law, and do what is just and right, they will save their lives.H7563H7725H7564H6213H6213H4941H6666H2421H5315H242128They will live because they thought it over and decided to turn from their sins. Such people will not die.H7200H7725H6588H6213H2421H2421H419129And yet the people of Israel keep saying, ‘The Lord isn’t doing what’s right!’ O people of Israel, it is you who are not doing what’s right, not I.H559H1004H3478H1870H136H8505H1004H3478H1870H8505H1870H850530“Therefore, I will judge each of you, O people of Israel, according to your actions, says the Sovereign Lord. Repent, and turn from your sins. Don’t let them destroy you!H8199H1004H3478H376H1870H5002H136H3069H7725H7725H6588H5771H438331Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel?H7993H6588H6586H6213H2319H3820H2319H7307H4191H1004H347832I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign Lord. Turn back and live!H2654H4194H4191H5002H136H3069H7725H2421
Psalms 35
35[A psalm of David.] O LORD, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me.H1732H7378H3068H3401H3898H38982Put on your armor, and take up your shield. Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.H2388H4043H6793H6965H58333Lift up your spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Let me hear you say, "I will give you victory!"H7324H2595H5462H7125H7291H559H5315H34444Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me; turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.H954H3637H1245H5315H5472H268H2659H2803H74515Blow them away like chaff in the wind—a wind sent by the angel of the LORD.H4671H6440H7307H4397H3068H17606Make their path dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.H1870H2822H2519H4397H3068H72917I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me. I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.H2600H2934H7568H7845H2600H2658H53158So let sudden ruin come upon them! Let them be caught in the trap they set for me! Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.H7722H935H3045H3808H7568H2934H3920H7722H53079Then I will rejoice in the LORD. I will be glad because he rescues me.H5315H1523H3068H7797H344410With every bone in my body I will praise him. "LORD, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?"H6106H559H3068H5337H6041H2389H6041H34H149711Malicious witnesses testify against me. They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.H2555H5707H6965H7592H304512They repay me evil for good. I am sick with despair.H7999H7451H2896H7908H531513Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered.H2470H3830H8242H6031H5315H6685H8605H7725H243614I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother.H1980H7453H251H7817H6937H57H51715But they are glad now that I am in trouble; they gleefully join together against me. I am attacked by people I don't even know; they slander me constantly.H6761H8055H622H5222H622H3045H7167H182616They mock me and call me names; they snarl at me.H2611H3934H4580H2786H812717How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing? Rescue me from their fierce attacks. Protect my life from these lions!H136H7200H7725H5315H7722H3173H371518Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly. I will praise you before all the people.H3034H7227H6951H1984H6099H597119Don't let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat. Don't let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.H341H8267H8055H7169H5869H8130H260020They don't talk of peace; they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.H1696H7965H2803H4820H1697H7282H77621They shout, "Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we saw him do it!"H6310H7337H559H1889H1889H5869H720022O LORD, you know all about this. Do not stay silent. Do not abandon me now, O Lord.H7200H3068H2790H136H736823Wake up! Rise to my defense! Take up my case, my God and my Lord.H5782H6974H4941H7379H430H13624Declare me not guilty, O LORD my God, for you give justice. Don't let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.H8199H3068H430H6664H805525Don't let them say, "Look, we got what we wanted! Now we will eat him alive!"H559H3820H1889H5315H559H110426May those who rejoice at my troubles be humiliated and disgraced. May those who triumph over me be covered with shame and dishonor.H954H2659H3162H8056H7451H3847H1322H3639H143127But give great joy to those who came to my defense. Let them continually say, "Great is the LORD, who delights in blessing his servant with peace!"H7442H8055H2655H6664H559H8548H3068H1431H2655H7965H565028Then I will proclaim your justice, and I will praise you all day long.H3956H1897H6664H8416H3117
Dublin, OH
, the land of merchants, but you still weren’t satisfied.H7235
