Jeremiah 3:1-15, Ezekiel 16:1-17:24 - LSB - Legacy Standard Bible

Jeremiah 3:1-15

The Polluted Land

God ¹says, “^aIf a husband divorces his wife

And she goes from him

And belongs to another man,

Will he still return to her?

Will not that land be completely ²polluted?

But you ^bare a harlot with many ³lovers;

Yet you ^cturn to Me,” declares Yahweh.

“Lift up your eyes to the ^abare heights and see;

Where have you not been ravished?

By the roads you have ^bsat for them

Like ¹an Arab in the wilderness,

And you have ^cpolluted a land

With your harlotry and with your evil.

Therefore the ^ashowers have been withheld,

And the ¹late rain has not ²come.

Yet you had a ^bharlot’s forehead;

You refused to feel dishonor.

Have you not just now called to Me,

‘^aMy Father, You are the ¹^bclose companion of my ^cyouth?

^aWill He be angry forever?

Will He keep it to the end?’

Behold, you have spoken

And have done evil things,

And you have ¹had your way.”

Faithless Israel Called to Repentance

6 Then Yahweh said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She ^awent up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there. 7 ^aI said, ‘After she has done all these things, she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her ^btreacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and ^agiven her a certificate of divorce, yet her ^btreacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also. 9 So it was, because of the lightness of her harlotry, that she ^apolluted the land and committed adultery with ^bstones and trees. 10 Yet in spite of all this, her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in ^alying,” declares Yahweh.
11 And Yahweh said to me, “^aFaithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and call out these words toward the north and say,

‘¹^aReturn, faithless Israel,’ declares Yahweh;

‘^bI will not ²look upon you in anger.

For I am ^cOne of lovingkindness,’ declares Yahweh;

‘I will not be angry forever.

Only ¹^aacknowledge your iniquity,

That you have transgressed against Yahweh your God

And have ^bscattered your ways of harlotry to the strangers ^cunder every green tree,

And you have not listened to My voice,’ declares Yahweh.

‘¹Return, O faithless sons,’ declares Yahweh;

‘For I am a ^amaster to you,

And I will take you one from a city and two from a family,

And ^bI will bring you to Zion.’

15 “Then I will give you ^ashepherds after My own heart, who will ¹^bshepherd you on knowledge and understanding.

Ezekiel 16:1-17:24

Jerusalem Plays the Harlot

Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, ^amake known to Jerusalem her abominations 3 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, ^aon 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 ¹^aopen 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 ^amade you ¹numerous 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, ¹you were at the time for love; so I ^aspread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also ^bswore to you and ^centered into a covenant with you so that you ^dbecame Mine,” declares Lord Yahweh. 9 “Then I washed you with water, rinsed your blood off from you, and ^aanointed you with oil. 10 I also clothed you with ^aembroidered 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 ^abracelets on your hands and a ^bnecklace around your neck. 12 I also put a ^aring in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a ^bsplendid crown on your head. 13 Thus you were adorned with ^agold 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 ^broyalty. 14 Then your ^aname went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was ^bperfect because of My majesty which I set on you,” declares Lord Yahweh.
15 “But you ^atrusted in your beauty and ^bplayed the harlot because of your name, and you poured out your harlotries on every passer-by ¹who might be willing. 16 You took some of your clothes, made for yourself high places of various colors, and played the harlot on them, ¹which should never come about nor happen. 17 You also took your splendid ¹^ajewelry 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 ^aMy 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 ^aMe, and ^bsacrificed them to ¹idols to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter? 21 You slaughtered ^aMy children and gave them up to ¹idols by ^bcausing them to pass through the fire. 22 Besides all your abominations and harlotries you did not remember the days of ^ayour 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 ^ashrine and made yourself a ^bhigh place in every square. 25 You built yourself a high place at the head of ^aevery 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 ¹lustful neighbors, and you multiplied your harlotry to ^aprovoke 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 ^adaughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your lewd way. 28 Moreover, you played the harlot with the ^aAssyrians 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 ^alanguishing is your heart,” declares Lord Yahweh, “while you do all these things, the actions of a ¹^bbold-faced harlot. 31 When you built your shrine at the head of every way and made your high place in every square, in ^adisdaining your earnings, you were not like a harlot. 32 You adulteress wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband! 33 ¹Men give gifts to all harlots, but you ^agive 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 ¹as 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 ^aidols, and because of the blood of your sons which you gave to ¹idols, 37 therefore, behold, I will ^agather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, even all those whom you loved and all those whom you ^bhated. So I will gather them against you from all around and ^cuncover your nakedness to them that they may see all your nakedness. 38 Thus I will ^ajudge you like women who commit adultery or shed blood are judged; and I will bring on you the blood of ^bwrath and jealousy. 39 I will also give you into ¹the hands of your lovers, and they will pull down your shrines, tear down your high places, ^astrip you of your clothing, take away your ²splendid jewelry, and will leave you naked and bare. 40 They will bring up an ^aassembly against you, and they will stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. 41 They will ^aburn your houses with fire and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women. Then I will ^bmake you cease from playing the harlot, and you will also no longer give ¹your earnings to your lovers. 42 So I ^awill ¹cause My wrath against you to be at rest, and My jealousy will depart from you, and I will be quiet, and I will ^bnot be provoked anymore. 43 Because you have ^anot remembered the days of your youth but ¹have ^benraged Me by all these things, behold, I in turn will ^cbring 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 ^aproverbs will quote this proverb concerning you, saying, ‘¹Like mother, ¹like daughter.’ 45 You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and children. You are also the ^asister of your sisters, who ^bloathed their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. 46 Now your ^aolder sister is Samaria, who lives ¹north of you with her ²daughters; and your younger sister, who lives ³south of you, is ^bSodom with her daughters. 47 Yet you have not merely walked in their ways or done according to their abominations; but, as if that were ^atoo little, you acted ^bmore corruptly in all your ways than they. 48 As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “Sodom your sister and her daughters have ^anot done as you and your daughters have done. 49 Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had ^alofty pride, ^babundant food, and ^cquiet ease, but she did not strengthen the hand of the ^dafflicted and needy. 50 Then they were haughty and committed ^aabominations before Me. So I ^bremoved them ¹when 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 ^arighteous by all your abominations which you have done. 52 Also bear your dishonor in that you have ¹made judgment favorable for your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted ^amore 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 ¹return their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, and ²along with them ³your own captivity, 54 in order that you may bear your dishonor and feel ^adishonor for all that you have done when you become ^ba comfort to them. 55 Your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, ¹will 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 ^awickedness was uncovered, ¹so now you have become the ^breproach of the daughters of ²Edom and of all who are around her, of the daughters of the Philistines—those all around you who despise you. 58 You have ^aborne 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 ^adespised 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 ^aeverlasting covenant with you. 61 Then you will ^aremember 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 ^aestablish My covenant with you, and you shall ^bknow that I am Yahweh, 63 so that you may ^aremember and be ashamed and ^bnever open your mouth anymore because of your dishonor, when I have ^catoned for you for all that you have done,” declares Lord Yahweh.

Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

Now the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 2 “Son of man, propound a riddle and speak a ^aparable to the house of Israel, 3 and you will say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “A great ^aeagle with ^bgreat wings, long pinions, and a full plumage of ¹many colors came to ^cLebanon and took away the top of the cedar. 4 He plucked off the topmost of its young twigs and brought it to a land of merchants; he set it in a city of traders. 5 He also took some of the seed of the land and planted it in a ^afield fit for seed. He ¹placed it beside abundant waters; he set it like a ^bwillow. 6 Then it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine with its foliage turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and yielded shoots and sent out branches.
7 “But there was ¹another great eagle with great wings and much plumage; and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and sent out its foliage toward him from the beds where it was ^aplanted, that he might water it. 8 It was planted in a good field beside abundant waters, that it might yield branches and bear fruit and become a majestic vine.”’ 9 Say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Will it succeed? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it dries up—so that all its sprouting leaves dry up? And neither by great ¹strength nor by many people can it be raised from its roots again. 10 And behold, though it is planted, will it succeed? Will it not ^acompletely dry up as soon as the east wind strikes it—dry up on the beds where it sprouted?”’”

The King Shall Die in Babylon

11 Moreover, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 12 “Say now to the ^arebellious house, ‘Do you not ^bknow what these things mean?’ Say, ‘Behold, the ^cking of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and princes, and brought them to him in Babylon. 13 He took one of the royal ^aseed and cut a covenant with him and brought him under ^boath. He also took away the ^cdominant one of the land, 14 that the kingdom might ¹^abecome lowly, not lifting itself up, but keeping his covenant that it might continue. 15 But he ^arebelled against him by sending his messengers to Egypt that they might give him horses and many ¹troops. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things ^bescape? Can he indeed break the covenant and escape? 16 As I live,’ declares Lord Yahweh, ‘Surely in the ¹country of the king who made him king, whose oath he ^adespised and whose covenant he broke, ²^bin Babylon he shall die. 17 ^aAnd Pharaoh with his mighty military force and great assembly will not ¹help him in the war, when they cast up ramps and build siege walls to cut off many lives. 18 Now he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and behold, he ¹^apledged his allegiance, yet did all these things; he shall not escape.’” 19 Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “As I live, surely My oath which he despised and My covenant which he broke, I will ¹put on his head. 20 I will spread My ^anet over him, and he will be ^bcaught in My snare. Then I will bring him to Babylon and ^center into judgment with him there regarding the unfaithful act which he has committed against Me. 21 All the ¹^achoice men in all his troops will fall by the sword, and the remnant will be scattered to every wind; and you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken.”
22 Thus says Lord Yahweh, “I will also take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and set it out; I will pluck from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on an ^aexalted and lofty mountain. 23 On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it, that it may lift up ¹boughs and yield fruit and become a majestic ^acedar. And birds of every ²kind will dwell under it; they will dwell in the shade of its ³branches. 24 And all the ^atrees of the field will know that I am Yahweh; I bring down the exalted tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree ^bflourish. I am Yahweh; I have spoken, and I will do it.”