And the word of YEHOWAH came to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, how is the vine tree more than any tree, or than any branch which is among the trees of the forest?
3 Can wood be taken from it to do any work, or will anyone take a pin of it to hang any vessel upon?
4 Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devours both ends of it, and the middle of it is burned. Is it useful for anything?
5 Behold, when it was whole, it was not good for any work. How much less will it be worth, when the fire has devoured it, and it is burned?
6 Therefore, thus says Master YEHOWAH, ‘As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
7 And I will set My face against them. They will go out from one fire, and another fire will devour them, and you will know that I am YEHOWAH, when I set My face against them.
8 And I will make the land desolate, because they have transgressed grievously,’” says Master YEHOWAH.
CHAPTER 16
Again the word of YEHOWAH came to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
3 and say, ‘Thus says Master YEHOWAH, to Jerusalem, “Your birth and your issue is of the land of the Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother was a Hittite.
4 As for your birth, on the day you were born your umbilical cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing; you were not salted at all, nor were you swaddled.
5 No eye pitied you to do any of these things for you; to have compassion upon you, but you were cast out into the open field, to the loathing of your person, on the day you were born.
6 And when I passed by you and saw you polluted in your own blood, I said to you, in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’
7 I caused you to multiply as the bud of the field, and you increased and became great, and came to the age of beauty; your breasts were formed and your hair is grown, but you were naked and bare.
8 Now when I passed by you, and looked upon you, behold, you were at the time for love, and I spread My skirt over you, and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore to you, and entered into a covenant with you,”'” says Master YEHOWAH, “and you became Mine.
9 Then I washed you with water; yes, I washed away your blood from you, and I anointed you with oil.
10 I also clothed you with embroidered work, and I put sandals of badger skin on your feet, wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk.
11 I decorated you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists and a chain around 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 fine flour, honey and oil, and you were exceedingly beautiful; and you prospered into a kingdom.
14 And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My magnificence, which I put upon you,” says Master YEHOWAH.
15 “But you put trust in your own beauty, and played the harlot because of your renown, and you poured out your whoredom on every one that passed by; continually.
16 And you took your garments, made for yourself high places of various colors, and played the harlot on them, which should not be, nor will ever again occur.
17 And you took the glorious jewels of gold and silver, which I gave you, and made for yourself images of men, and you played the whore with them.
18 And you took the embroidered cloth and covered them, and offered My oil and My incense before them.
19 My meat also, which I gave you; and fine flour, oil and honey, with which I fed you, you have set before them for a soothing aroma. And so it was,” says Master YEHOWAH.
20 “Moreover, you took your sons and daughters, whom you had borne to Me, and sacrificed them to be devoured. Were your whoredoms a small matter,
21 that you slain My children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?
22 And in all your abominations and whoredoms you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare and polluted in your blood.
23 And it came to pass, after all your wickedness (‘Woe! Woe unto you!’ says Master YEHOWAH),
24 that you built yourself a place; even a high place of worship in every street.
25 You built yourself a high place at the head of every road, and made your beauty to be abhorred, and have opened your legs to every passer-by, and multiplied your whoredom.
26 You also played the harlot with the Egyptians, your neighbors, who are great of flesh, and multiplied your whoredom to provoke Me to anger.
27 Behold, therefore I have stretched out My hand over you, and have diminished your portion, and delivered you to the will of those who hate you; the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your lewd ways.
28 And you played the harlot with the Assyrians, because you were not satisfied; you played the harlot with them and still could not be satisfied.
29 Moreover, you multiplied your harlotry in the land of Canaan with the Chaldeans, and yet even with this you were not satisfied.
30 How weak is your heart,” says Master YEHOWAH, “seeing you do all these things; the work of a vixen; a whorish woman.
31 You built your high place of worship at the head of every way, and made your high place on every street, but in scorning money, you were not like a harlot,
32 but as an adulteress wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband!
33 They give gifts to all whores, but you give your gifts to all your lovers, and hire them, that they may come to you on ever side for your whoredom.
34 Thus you are contrary from other women in your whoredom, in that no one plays the harlot as you do, because you give reward, while no reward is given you; thus you are contrary.
35 Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of YEHOWAH.
36 Thus says Master YEHOWAH, ‘Because your filthiness was poured out, and your nakedness uncovered through your whoredom with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and by the blood of your children, which you gave to them,
37 behold, therefore, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure; all those whom you loved, and all those whom you hated, and I will gather them round about 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 commit adultery and shed blood are judged, and I will give your blood in wrath and jealousy.
39 And I will give you into their hands, and they will tear down your high places; they will strip also of your clothing, take away your things of beauty and leave you naked and bare.
40 They will also bring up a company against you, and they will stone you with stones, and thrust you through with their swords.
41 And they will burn your houses with fire, and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women, and I will cause you to stop from playing the harlot, and you also will give no hire any more.
42 So I will make my fury toward you to rest, and My jealousy will depart from you, and I will be appeased, and be angry no more.
43 Because you have not remembered the days of your youth, but have enraged Me by all these things, behold, therefore I also will repay your way upon your head,’ says Master YEHOWAH, ‘so that you will not commit this lewdness above all your abominations.
44 Behold, everyone who uses proverbs will use this proverb against you, saying, “Like mother, like daughter.”
45 You are your mother’s daughter, who loathed her husband and her children, and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father was an Amorite.
46 Your older sister is Samaria, who dwells at your left hand with her daughters, and your younger sister, who lives at your right hand, is Sodom with her daughters.
47 Yet you have not walked in their ways or done according to their abominations, but, as if that were too little, you acted more corruptly in all your ways than they.
48 As I live,’ says Master YEHOWAH, ‘Sodom your sister, and her daughters, have not done as you and your daughters have done.
49 Behold, this was the sin of your sister Sodom: Pride, fullness of food, and an abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
50 And they were proud, and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I took them away when I saw it.
51 Neither has Samaria committed half your sins, but you have multiplied your abominations more than they, and have justified your sisters in all your abominations that you have done.
52 You also, who have judged your sisters, bear your own shame for your sins that you have committed, which are more abominable than they. They are more righteous than you. Yes, be confounded also, and bear your shame, in that you justified your sisters.
53 When I shall bring again their captivity; the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then the captivity of your captives will I bring again in the midst of them,
54 so that you may bear your own shame, and may be confounded in all that you have done; in that you are a comfort to them.
55 When your sisters, Sodom with her daughters, shall return to their former state, and Samaria with her daughters, shall return to their former state, then you and your daughters will return to your former state.
56 For the name of your sister Sodom was not heard from your mouth in the day of your pride,
57 before your wickedness was uncovered, as at the time of your reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round about her; the daughters of the Philistines, who despise you round about.
58 You have borne your lewdness and abominations,’ says YEHOWAH.
59 For thus says Master YEHOWAH, ‘I will even deal with you as you have done, who have despised the oath by breaking the covenant.
60 Nevertheless, I will remember My covenant with you from the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.
61 And you will remember your ways, and be ashamed when you receive your sisters; your older and your younger, and I will give them to you as daughters, but not by your covenant.
62 And I will establish My covenant with you, and you will know that I am YEHOWAH;
63 that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I am appeased toward you for all that you have done,’” says Master YEHOWAH.