Read the Bible

Jerusalem Plays the Harlot

¹ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,² "Son of man, ^(C1)make known to Jerusalem her abominations³ and say, 'Thus says Lord Yahweh to Jerusalem, "Your origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.⁴ "As for your birth, ^(C1)on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing; you were not rubbed with salt or even wrapped in cloths.⁵ "No eye had pity on you to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you. Rather you were thrown out into the ^(F1)(C1)open field, for your soul was abhorred on the day you were born.

⁶ "Then I passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood. So I said to you while you were in your blood, 'Live!' Indeed I said to you while you were in your blood, 'Live!'⁷ "I ^(C1)made you ^(F1)numerous like plants of the field. Then you grew up, became tall, and came into the age for fine ornaments; your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown. Yet you were naked and bare.

⁸ "Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, ^(F1)you were at the time for love; so I ^(C1)spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also ^(C2)swore to you and ^(C3)entered into a covenant with you so that you ^(C4)became Mine," declares Lord Yahweh.⁹ "Then I washed you with water, rinsed your blood off from you, and ^(C1)anointed you with oil.¹⁰ "I also clothed you with ^(C1)embroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk.¹¹ "I also adorned you with ornaments and put ^(C1)bracelets on your hands and a ^(C2)necklace around your neck.¹² "I also put a ^(C1)ring in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a ^(C2)splendid crown on your head.¹³ "Thus you were adorned with ^(C1)gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil; so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to ^(C2)royalty.¹⁴ "Then your ^(C1)name went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was ^(C2)perfect because of My majesty which I set on you," declares Lord Yahweh.

¹⁵ "But you ^(C1)trusted in your beauty and ^(C2)played the harlot because of your name, and you poured out your harlotries on every passer-by ^(F1)who might be willing.¹⁶ "You took some of your clothes, made for yourself high places of various colors, and played the harlot on them, ^(F1)which should never come about nor happen.¹⁷ "You also took your splendid ^(F1)(C1)jewelry made of My gold and of My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images that you might play the harlot with them.¹⁸ "Then you took your embroidered cloth and covered them and gave My oil and My incense before them.¹⁹ "Also ^(C1)My bread which I gave you, fine flour, oil, and honey with which I had you eat, you gave before them for a soothing aroma; so it happened," declares Lord Yahweh.²⁰ "Moreover, you took your sons and daughters, whom you had borne to ^(C1)Me, and ^(C2)sacrificed them to ^(F1)idols to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter?²¹ "You slaughtered ^(C1)My children and gave them up to ^(F1)idols by ^(C2)causing them to pass through the fire.²² "Besides all your abominations and harlotries you did not remember the days of ^(C1)your youth, when you were naked and bare—you were squirming in your blood!

²³ "Now it happened after all your evil—'Woe, woe to you!' declares Lord Yahweh—²⁴ that you built yourself a ^(C1)shrine and made yourself a ^(C2)high place in every square.²⁵ "You built yourself a high place at the head of ^(C1)every street and made your beauty abominable, and you spread your legs to every passer-by to multiply your harlotry.²⁶ "You also played the harlot with the Egyptians, your ^(F1)lustful neighbors, and you multiplied your harlotry to ^(C1)provoke Me to anger.²⁷ "Behold now, I have stretched out My hand against you and cut off your rations. And I gave you up to the desire of those who hate you, the ^(C1)daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your lewd way.²⁸ "Moreover, you played the harlot with the ^(C1)Assyrians because you were not satisfied; you played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied.²⁹ "You also multiplied your harlotry with the land of merchants, Chaldea, yet even with this you were not satisfied."'"

³⁰ "How ^(C1)languishing is your heart," declares Lord Yahweh, "while you do all these things, the actions of a ^(F1)(C2)bold-faced harlot.³¹ "When you built your shrine at the head of every way and made your high place in every square, in ^(C1)disdaining your earnings, you were not like a harlot.³² "You adulteress wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband!³³ "^(F1)Men give gifts to all harlots, but you ^(C1)give your gifts to all your lovers to bribe them to come to you from all around for your harlotries.³⁴ "Thus you are the opposite of those women in your harlotries, in that no one plays the harlot ^(F1)as you do, because you give away your earnings and no earnings are given to you; thus you are the opposite."

³⁵ Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of Yahweh.³⁶ Thus says Lord Yahweh, "Because your lewdness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered through your harlotries with your lovers and with all your abominable ^(C1)idols, and because of the blood of your sons which you gave to ^(F1)idols,³⁷ therefore, behold, I will ^(C1)gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, even all those whom you loved and all those whom you ^(C2)hated. So I will gather them against you from all around and ^(C3)uncover your nakedness to them that they may see all your nakedness.³⁸ "Thus I will ^(C1)judge you like women who commit adultery or shed blood are judged; and I will bring on you the blood of ^(C2)wrath and jealousy.³⁹ "I will also give you into ^(F1)the hands of your lovers, and they will pull down your shrines, tear down your high places, ^(C1)strip you of your clothing, take away your ^(F2)splendid jewelry, and will leave you naked and bare.⁴⁰ "They will bring up an ^(C1)assembly against you, and they will stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords.⁴¹ "They will ^(C1)burn your houses with fire and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women. Then I will ^(C2)make you cease from playing the harlot, and you will also no longer give ^(F1)your earnings to your lovers.⁴² "So I ^(C1)will ^(F1)cause My wrath against you to be at rest, and My jealousy will depart from you, and I will be quiet, and I will ^(C2)not be provoked anymore.⁴³ "Because you have ^(C1)not remembered the days of your youth but ^(F1)have ^(C2)enraged Me by all these things, behold, I in turn will ^(C3)bring your way down on your own head," declares Lord Yahweh, "so that you will not commit this lewdness on top of all your other abominations.

⁴⁴ "Behold, everyone who quotes ^(C1)proverbs will quote this proverb concerning you, saying, '^(F1)Like mother, ^(F1)like daughter.'⁴⁵ "You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and children. You are also the ^(C1)sister of your sisters, who ^(C2)loathed their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.⁴⁶ "Now your ^(C1)older sister is Samaria, who lives ^(F1)north of you with her ^(F2)daughters; and your younger sister, who lives ^(F3)south of you, is ^(C2)Sodom with her daughters.⁴⁷ "Yet you have not merely walked in their ways or done according to their abominations; but, as if that were ^(C1)too little, you acted ^(C2)more corruptly in all your ways than they.⁴⁸ "As I live," declares Lord Yahweh, "Sodom your sister and her daughters have ^(C1)not done as you and your daughters have done.⁴⁹ "Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had ^(C1)lofty pride, ^(C2)abundant food, and ^(C3)quiet ease, but she did not strengthen the hand of the ^(C4)afflicted and needy.⁵⁰ "Then they were haughty and committed ^(C1)abominations before Me. So I ^(C2)removed them ^(F1)when I saw it.⁵¹ "Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half of your sins, for you have multiplied your abominations more than they. Thus you have made your sisters appear ^(C1)righteous by all your abominations which you have done.⁵² "Also bear your dishonor in that you have ^(F1)made judgment favorable for your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted ^(C1)more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. Yes, be also ashamed and bear your dishonor, in that you made your sisters appear righteous.

⁵³ "Nevertheless, I will ^(F1)return their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, and ^(F2)along with them ^(F3)your own captivity,⁵⁴ in order that you may bear your dishonor and feel ^(C1)dishonor for all that you have done when you become ^(C2)a comfort to them.⁵⁵ "Your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, ^(F1)will return to their former state, and you with your daughters will also return to your former state.⁵⁶ "As the name of your sister Sodom was not heard in your mouth in your day of lofty pride,⁵⁷ before your ^(C1)wickedness was uncovered, ^(F1)so now you have become the ^(C2)reproach of the daughters of ^(F2)Edom and of all who are around her, of the daughters of the Philistines—those all around you who despise you.⁵⁸ "You have ^(C1)borne the penalty of your lewdness and abominations," declares Yahweh.⁵⁹ For thus says Lord Yahweh, "I will also do with you as you have done, you who have ^(C1)despised the oath by breaking the covenant.

Yahweh's Everlasting Covenant

⁶⁰ "Nevertheless, I Myself will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an ^(C1)everlasting covenant with you.⁶¹ "Then you will ^(C1)remember your ways and feel dishonor when you receive your sisters, both your older and your younger; and I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant.⁶² "Thus I will ^(C1)establish My covenant with you, and you shall ^(C2)know that I am Yahweh,⁶³ so that you may ^(C1)remember and be ashamed and ^(C2)never open your mouth anymore because of your dishonor, when I have ^(C3)atoned for you for all that you have done," declares Lord Yahweh.