Ezekiel 16:23-35

International Standard Version

The Unfaithfulness of God’s People

²³ “How terrible! How terrible it will be for all of your wickedness!” declares the Lord God. ²⁴ “You built raised mounds and high places for yourself on every plaza. ²⁵ At every street corner you made your beauty abhorrent when you made yourself available for sex to^[a] anyone who was passing by. By doing this, you kept on committing more and more immorality. ²⁶ Then you committed immorality with your neighbors, the Egyptians,^[b] with perverted lust,^[c] and by doing so you fornicated even more, provoking me to anger.

²⁷ “Therefore, look out! I’ve reached out to oppose you. I withdrew your rations and delivered you^[d] to those Philistine women who hate you. Even they were embarrassed at your wicked ways! ²⁸ You committed immorality with the Assyrians,^[e] because you still weren’t satisfied. You committed immorality with them, but you still weren’t satisfied. ²⁹ You committed even more immorality with that land of the merchants, the Chaldeans. But you weren’t satisfied even with these!

³⁰ “How weak is your heart,” declares the Lord God, “when you committed all of these deeds, the acts of an imperious whore! ³¹ When you built your mound on every street corner and constructed your high place at every plaza, you weren’t like a common prostitute, in that you’ve insulted the wages of a prostitute ³² who commits adultery, preferring a stranger over her husband!

³³ “All prostitutes receive gifts, but you give your gifts to all your lovers, then you bribe them to come to you from everywhere to get your sexual favors!^{[f] 34} You’re different from other women when you commit immorality—no one can match you in that!^[g] After all, you pay fees, but no fee is given to you. You’re certainly different!”

The Coming Punishment

³⁵ “Therefore listen to this message from the Lord, you whore!