31 August - Ezekiel 16-17

Jude Thu Aug 16, 2018 9:47 pm

My soul doth magnify my YAH, and my spirit hath rejoiced in EL my Saviour; For HE that is mighty hath done to me great things; and Holy is HIS Name. Now unto HIM who is ever present in my helpless estate; who is able to keep me from falling and to present me faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, unto the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise EL our Saviour be honour and glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and for ever Halleluyah!

EZEKIEL 16

1Again the word of יהוה came to me, saying,

2“Son of man, make known to Yerushalayim her abominations,

3and say, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה to Yerushalayim, “Your origin and your birth are from the land of Kena‛an. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Ḥittite.

4“As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water for cleansing, and you were not rubbed with salt at all, nor wrapped in cloth at all.

5“No eye felt sorry for you, to do any of these for you, to have compassion on you. But you were thrown out into the open field, to the loathing of your life on the day you were born.

6“Then I passed by you and saw you trampled down in your own blood, and I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ And I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’

7“I have let you grow like a plant in the field. And you are grown and are great, and you come in the finest ornaments. – breasts were formed, your hair grew, and you were naked and bare.

8“Again I passed by you and looked upon you and saw that your time was the time of love. And I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. And I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” declares the Master יהוה.

9“And I washed you in water, and I washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil.

10“And I dressed you in embroidered work and gave you sandals of leather. And I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.

11“And I adorned you with ornaments, and I put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck.

12“And I put a ring on your nose, and earrings in your ears, and a crown of adorning on your head.

13“Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, and silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, and honey, and oil. And you were exceedingly pretty, and became fit for royalty.

14“And your name went out among the nations because of your loveliness, for it was perfect, by My splendour which I had put on you,” declares the Master יהוה.

15“But you trusted in your own loveliness, and whored because of your name, and poured out your whorings on everyone passing by who would have it.

16“And you took some of your garments and made multi-coloured high places for yourself, and whored on them – which should not have come about, nor shall it be.

17“And you took your splendid adornments, of My gold and My silver that I gave you, and made for yourself images of a male and whored with them.

18“And you took your embroidered garments and covered them, and you set My oil and My incense before them.

19“And My food which I gave you, fine flour and oil and honey which I fed you, you set it before them as sweet incense – and so it was,” declares the Master יהוה.

20“And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you slaughtered as food to them. Were your whorings a small matter,

21that you have slain My children and gave them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?

22“And in all your abominations and whorings you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, trampled down in your blood.

23“Then it came to be after all your evil – ‘Woe, woe to you!’ declares the Master יהוה –

24that you also built an arched place for yourself, and made a high place in every street for yourself.

25“You built your high places at the head of every way, and made your loveliness to be loathed. And you parted your feet to everyone who passed by, and increased your whorings.

26“And you whored with the sons of Mitsrayim, your neighbours, great of flesh. And you increased your whorings to provoke Me.

27“And see, I have stretched out My hand against you, and withdrew your portion, and gave you up to the desire of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your wicked way.

28“And you whored with the sons of Ashshur, without being satisfied. And you whored with them and still were not satisfied.

29“And you increased your whorings as far as the land of traders, Chaldea, and even then you were not satisfied.

30“How weak is your heart!” declares the Master יהוה, “seeing you do all this, the deeds of a shameless whore.

31“You built your arched place at the head of every way, and built your high place in every street. Yet you were unlike a whore, you scorned payment!

32“The wife who commits adultery who takes strangers instead of her husband!

33“To all whores they give gifts, but you gave gifts to all your lovers, and bribed them to come to you from all around in your whorings.

34“Thus you are different from other women in your whorings, because no one whores after you, and in you giving a gift, while a gift was not given to you. Thus you are different.”

35‘Therefore, O whore, hear the word of יהוה!

36‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “Because your copper was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your whorings with your lovers, and with the idols of your abominations, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them,

37therefore, see, I am gathering all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved, with all those you hated. And I shall gather them from all around against you and shall uncover your nakedness to them, and they shall see all your nakedness.

38“And I shall judge you with judgments of adulteresses and shedders of blood. And I shall bring on you the blood of wrath and jealousy.

39“And I shall give you into their hand, and they shall throw your arched place down, and they shall break down your high places. And they shall strip you of your garments, and they shall take your splendid adornments, and leave you naked and bare.

40“And they shall bring up an assembly against you, and they shall stone you with stones and thrust you through with their swords,

41and burn your houses with fire, and execute judgments on you before the eyes of many women. And I shall make you stop whoring, and no longer give gifts.

42“So I shall bring My wrath to rest upon you, and My jealousy shall turn away from you. And I shall be calm, and no longer be vexed.

43“Because you did not remember the days of your youth, but troubled Me with all this, so see, I shall also bring your way on your own head,” declares the Master יהוה. “And shall I not do this thought for all your abominations?

44“See, all who use proverbs shall use this proverb against you, ‘Like mother, like daughter!’

45“You are your mother’s daughter, who despises her husband and her children. And you are the sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Ḥittite and your father an Amorite.

46“And your elder sister is Shomeron, she and her daughters, who is dwelling to the north of you. And your younger sister, who is dwelling to the south of you, is Seḏom and her daughters.

47“And have you not walked in their ways and did according to their abominations? But in all your ways you soon became more corrupt than they.

48“As I live,” declares the Master יהוה, “neither your sister Seḏom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done.

49“See, this was the crookedness of your sister Seḏom: She and her daughter had pride, sufficiency of bread, and unconcerned ease. And she did not help the poor and needy.

50“And they were haughty and did abomination before Me, and I took them away when I saw it.

51“And Shomeron did not commit half of your sins, but you have increased your abominations more than they, and by all the abominations which you have done you made your sisters seem righteous!

52“You also, who pleaded for your sisters, bear your own shame, because the sins which you committed were more abominable than theirs. They are more righteous than you. So be ashamed too, and bear your own shame, because you have made your sisters seem righteous.

53“And I shall turn back their captivity, the captivity of Seḏom and her daughters, and the captivity of Shomeron and her daughters, and the captivity of your captives with them,

54so that you bear your shame, and shall blush for all that you did when you comforted them,

55“and your sisters, Seḏom and her daughters, return to their former state, and Shomeron and her daughters return to their former state, and you and your daughters return to your former state.

56“Was not your sister Seḏom a byword in your mouth in the days of your pride,

57before your evil was exposed, as the time of the reproach of the daughters of Aram and all who were around her, and of the daughters of the Philistines, who are despising you everywhere?

58“You shall bear your wickedness and your abominations,” declares יהוה.

59‘For thus said the Master יהוה, “I shall deal with you as you have done, in that you have despised the oath by breaking the covenant.

60“But I shall remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I shall establish an everlasting covenant with you.

61“And you shall remember your ways and be ashamed, when you receive your older and your younger sisters. And I shall give them to you for daughters, though not by your own covenant.

62“And I Myself shall establish My covenant with you. And you shall know that I am יהוה,

63so that you remember. And you shall be ashamed, and never open your mouth any more because of your shame, when I pardon you for all you have done,” declares the Master יהוה.’ ”

EZEKIEL 17

1And the word of יהוה came to me, saying,

2“Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Yisra’ĕl.

3“And you shall say, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “The great eagle with large wings of long pinions, covered with feathers of various colours, came to Leḇanon and took the top of the cedar.

4“He plucked off the topmost of its young twigs and brought it to a land of traders. In a city of merchants he placed it.

5“He also took some of the seed of the land and planted it in a field for seed. He took it by many waters, set it like a willow tree.

6“So it grew and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward him, and its roots were under it. And it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and sent out shoots.

7“And there was another great eagle with large wings and many feathers. And see, this vine bent its roots toward him, and stretched its branches toward him, to water it, away from the beds where it was planted.

8“It was planted in a good field by many waters, to bring forth branches, and to bear fruit, to be a splendid vine.” ’

9“Say, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “Is it going to thrive? Is he not going to pull up its roots, and cut off its fruit, and let it wither? All of its sprouting leaves wither, without great power or many people, to pluck it up by its roots.

10“See, it is planted, is it going to thrive? Would it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it – wither in the beds where it grows?” ’ ”

11And the word of יהוה came to me, saying,

12“Please say to the rebellious house, ‘Do you not know what these mean?’ Say, ‘See, the sovereign of Baḇel went to Yerushalayim and took its sovereign and heads, and brought them with him to Baḇel.

13‘And he took one of the royal seed, and made a covenant with him, and put him under oath. And he took away the mighty of the land,

14so that the reign would be brought low and not lift itself up, but guard his covenant, that it might stand.

15‘But he rebelled against him by sending his messengers to Mitsrayim, to give him horses and many people. Shall he thrive? Shall he escape who is doing these? And shall he break a covenant and still escape?

16‘As I live,’ declares the Master יהוה, ‘in the place where the sovereign dwells who set him up to reign, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke, with him in the midst of Baḇel he shall die!

17‘And Pharaoh with his great army and great company is not going to help him in battle, when they heap up a siege mound and build a wall to cut off many beings.

18‘And he despised the oath by breaking the covenant. And see, he has given his hand and he has done all this, he is not going to escape.’ ”

19Therefore thus said the Master יהוה, “As I live, My oath which he has despised, and My covenant which he has broken, shall I not put it on his own head?

20“And I shall spread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare. And I shall bring him to Baḇel and enter into judgment with him there for the trespass which he committed against Me,

21and all his fugitives with all his bands fall by the sword, and those who are left be scattered to every wind. And you shall know that I, יהוה, have spoken.”

22Thus said the Master יהוה, “And I shall take of the top of the highest cedar and set it out. And I Myself shall pluck off a tender one from the topmost of its young twigs, and plant it on a high and lofty mountain.

23“On the mountain height of Yisra’ĕl I plant it. And it shall bring forth branches, and bear fruit, and become a big cedar. And under it shall dwell birds of every sort, in the shadow of its branches they shall dwell.

24“And all the trees of the field shall know that I, יהוה, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish. I, יהוה, have spoken and shall do it.”