A Bride Who Forgot Her Father
Jerusalem's whole history told as one woman's life. An abandoned newborn our Father rescued, raised and dressed as a queen, who then spent every gift on other lovers and even burned her children. The judgment is brutal, and the last word is a covenant remembered.
16 1The word of our Father came to me:
2"Son of man, make Jerusalem confront her detestable practices, 3and say: The Sovereign Father says to Jerusalem: Your origin and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite, your mother a Hittite. 4On the day you were born your cord was not cut, you were not washed clean with water, not rubbed with salt, not wrapped in cloths. a a v4 Newborns in that world were rubbed with salt and wrapped tightly to protect and strengthen them — this child was given none of that care. 5No eye pitied you enough to do any of these for you out of compassion; instead you were thrown into the open field, despised the day you were born.
6"I passed by and saw you kicking in your blood, and as you lay in your blood I said to you, 'Live!' Yes, in your blood I said to you, 'Live!' b b v6 When no one else wanted her, our Father spoke life over the abandoned child — his love, not her worth, is where the story begins. 7I made you grow like a field plant. You grew tall and came to full beauty; your breasts formed and your hair grew, yet you were naked and bare.
8"When I passed by again and saw you, you were old enough for love. I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn pledge and made a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Father, and you became mine. c c v8 Spreading one's garment over someone was an ancient betrothal gesture, claiming them as a spouse — the same act Ruth requests of Boaz in Ruth 3:9.
9"Then I washed you with water, rinsed the blood from you, and anointed you with oil. 10I dressed you in embroidered cloth and fine leather sandals, wrapped you in fine linen, and covered you with costly fabric. 11I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your wrists and a necklace around your neck. 12I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears, a beautiful crown on your head. 13So you were adorned with gold and silver, your clothing fine linen, costly fabric, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil. You grew ever more beautiful and rose to be a queen. 14Your fame spread among the nations for your beauty, made perfect by the splendor I gave you, declares the Sovereign Father.
15"But you trusted in your beauty and, because of your fame, prostituted yourself, pouring out your favors on all who passed by—your beauty became theirs. 16You took some of your garments and made yourself colorful high places, and on them prostituted yourself. Such things should never happen—never! d d v16 'High places' were elevated outdoor shrines used for idol worship throughout Canaan and Israel. 17You also took your fine gold and silver jewelry I had given you, made male images, and prostituted yourself with them. 18You took your embroidered garments to cover them, and set my oil and incense before them. 19The food I gave you—fine flour, oil, and honey I fed you—you set before them as a pleasing aroma. So it was, declares the Sovereign Father.
20"You took the sons and daughters you bore me and sacrificed them to the idols as food. Was your prostitution not enough? 21You slaughtered my children and gave them up, passing them through the fire to the idols. 22In all your detestable things and prostitution you forgot the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, kicking about in your blood.
23"And after all your evil—how terrible, how terrible for you! declares the Sovereign Father.
24"You built yourself a mound and made yourself a lofty platform in every public square. 25At every street corner you built your lofty platform, degraded your beauty, offered yourself to every passerby, and multiplied your prostitution. 26You prostituted yourself with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, and multiplied your prostitution to provoke me. 27So I stretched out my hand against you and cut back your territory. I gave you over to the greed of your enemies, the Philistine daughters, ashamed of your indecent conduct. 28You also prostituted yourself with the Assyrians, insatiable; you prostituted yourself with them, still not satisfied. 29You increased your prostitution as far as Babylon, a land of merchants, yet even with this you were not satisfied."
30"How weak your heart is, declares the Sovereign Father, that you did all this, the work of a bold prostitute!
31"When you built your mound on every corner and made your platform in every square, you were not even like a prostitute, since you refused payment.
32"You adulterous wife! You take strangers instead of your own husband. 33Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side for your prostitution. 34In your prostitution you were the reverse of other women: no one solicited you. You paid out, but none paid you—the very reverse.
35"Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of our Father! 36This is what the Sovereign Father says: "Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness uncovered through prostituting yourself with your lovers and all your detestable idols, and the blood of your children you gave them, 37so I will gather all the lovers you delighted in—those you loved and those you hated—bring them against you from every side, strip you bare before them, and they will see all your nakedness. 38I will sentence you as adulterous women and murderers are sentenced, and bring on you the blood of wrath and jealousy. 39I will hand you to your lovers. They will tear down your mounds, demolish your lofty platforms, strip your clothes, take your fine jewelry, and leave you naked and bare. 40They will bring a mob against you to stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. 41They will burn your houses and execute judgment on you before many women. I will end your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers. 42Then my wrath against you will rest, my jealousy will leave you; I will be calm, no longer angry."
43"Because you did not remember your youth but enraged me with all this, I will bring down on your head what you have done, declares the Sovereign Father. Have you not added indecency to all your other detestable practices?
44"Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: 'Like mother, like daughter.'" 45You are your mother's daughter, who hated her husband and children. You are your sisters' sister, who hated theirs. Your mother was Hittite, your father Amorite. 46North of you lived your older sister Samaria with her daughters; south of you, your younger sister Sodom with her daughters. 47You not only followed their ways and copied their detestable practices; in all your ways you soon grew more corrupt than they. 48As I live, declares the Sovereign Father, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.
49"This was your sister Sodom's sin: she and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and complacent; they never helped the poor and needy. 50They were arrogant and did detestable things before me. So I removed them when I saw it. 51Samaria didn't commit half your sins. You multiplied your detestable things beyond theirs, making your sisters look righteous by all you have done. 52Bear your disgrace, for you gave your sisters an excuse. Since your sins were more detestable than theirs, they seem more righteous than you. So be ashamed and bear your disgrace, for you made your sisters appear righteous.
53"Yet I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them, 54so you may bear your disgrace, ashamed of all you did in comforting them. 55Your sisters, Sodom and Samaria with their daughters, will return to their former state, and you with your daughters to yours. 56You would not even mention your sister Sodom in your days of pride, 57before your own evil was uncovered. Now you are mocked by the daughters of Edom and all her neighbors, and by the daughters of the Philistines—all around you who despise you. 58You will bear the consequences of your indecency and detestable practices, declares our Father.
59The Sovereign Father says: "I will deal with you as you deserve, because you despised my oath by breaking the covenant. 60"Yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and establish an everlasting covenant with you. e e v60 Even after every betrayal, our Father will not let the relationship end — he binds himself in an everlasting covenant, the same faithful love that reaches its fullness in Jesus. 61Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both older and younger. I will give them to you as daughters, but not from our covenant with you. 62So I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am your Father. 63When I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed, never again opening your mouth because of your disgrace, declares the Sovereign Father.'"
