Jerusalem the Unfaithful
1 The Lord spoke to me again. 2 “Mortal man,” he said, “point out to Jerusalem what disgusting things she has done. 3 Tell Jerusalem what the Sovereign Lord is saying to her:
“You were born in the land of Canaan. Your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite. 4 When you were born, no one cut your umbilical cord or washed you or rubbed you with salt or wrapped you in cloths. 5 No one took enough pity on you to do any of these things for you. When you were born, no one loved you. You were thrown out in an open field.
6 “Then I passed by and saw you squirming in your own blood. You were covered with blood, but I wouldn't let you die. 7 I made you grow like a healthy plant. You grew strong and tall and became a young woman. Your breasts were well-formed, and your hair had grown, but you were naked.
8 “As I passed by again, I saw that the time had come for you to fall in love. I covered your naked body with my coat and promised to love you. Yes, I made a marriage covenant with you, and you became mine.” This is what the Sovereign Lord says.
9 “Then I took water and washed the blood off you. I rubbed olive oil on your skin. 10 I dressed you in embroidered gowns and gave you shoes of the best leather, a linen headband, and a silk cloak. 11 I put jewels on you—bracelets and necklaces. 12 I gave you a nose ring and earrings and a beautiful crown to wear. 13 You had ornaments of gold and silver, and you always wore clothes of embroidered linen and silk. You ate bread made from the best flour, and had honey and olive oil to eat. Your beauty was dazzling, and you became a queen. 14 You became famous in every nation for your perfect beauty, because I was the one who made you so lovely.” This is what the Sovereign Lord says.
15 “But you took advantage of your beauty and fame to sleep with everyone who came along. 16 You used some of your clothes to decorate your places of worship, and just like a prostitute, you gave yourself to everyone. 17 You took the silver and gold jewelry that I had given you, used it to make male images, and committed adultery with them. 18 You took the embroidered clothes I gave you and put them on the images, and you offered to the images the olive oil and incense I had given you. 19 I gave you food—the best flour, olive oil, and honey—but you offered it as a sacrifice to win the favor of idols.” This is what the Sovereign Lord says.
20 “Then you took the sons and the daughters you had borne me and offered them as sacrifices to idols. Wasn't it bad enough to be unfaithful to me, 21 without taking my children and sacrificing them to idols? 22 During your disgusting life as a prostitute you never once remembered your childhood—when you were naked, squirming in your own blood.”
Jerusalem's Life as a Prostitute
23 The Sovereign Lord said, “You are doomed! Doomed! You did all that evil, and then 24 by the side of every road you built places to worship idols and practice prostitution. 25 You dragged your beauty through the mud. You offered yourself to everyone who came by, and you were more of a prostitute every day. 26 You let your lustful neighbors, the Egyptians, go to bed with you, and you used your prostitution to make me angry.
27 “Now I have raised my hand to punish you and to take away your share of my blessing. I have handed you over to the Philistines, who hate you and are disgusted with your immoral actions.
28 “Because you were not satisfied by the others, you went running after the Assyrians. You were their prostitute, but they didn't satisfy you either. 29 You were also a prostitute for the Babylonians, that nation of merchants, but they didn't satisfy you either.”
30 This is what the Sovereign Lord is saying: “You have done all this like a shameless prostitute. 31 On every street you built places to worship idols and practice prostitution. But you are not out for money like a common prostitute. 32 You are like a woman who commits adultery with strangers instead of loving her husband. 33 A prostitute is paid, but you gave presents to all your lovers and bribed them to come from everywhere to sleep with you. 34 You are a special kind of prostitute. No one forced you to become one. You didn't get paid; you paid them! Yes, you are different.”
God's Judgment on Jerusalem
35 Now then, Jerusalem, you whore! Hear what the Lord is saying.
36 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “You stripped off your clothes, and like a prostitute, you gave yourself to your lovers and to all your disgusting idols, and you killed your children as sacrifices to idols. 37 Because of this I will bring all your former lovers together—the ones you liked and the ones you hated. I will bring them around you in a circle, and then I will strip off your clothes and let them see you naked. 38 I will condemn you for adultery and murder, and in my anger and fury I will punish you with death. 39 I will put you in their power, and they will tear down the places where you engage in prostitution and worship idols. They will take away your clothes and jewels and leave you completely naked.
40 “They will stir up a crowd to stone you, and they will cut you to pieces with their swords. 41 They will burn your houses down and let crowds of women see your punishment. I will make you stop being a prostitute and make you stop giving gifts to your lovers. 42 Then my anger will be over, and I will be calm. I will not be angry or jealous any more. 43 You have forgotten how I treated you when you were young, and you have made me angry by all the things you did. That is why I have made you pay for them all. Why did you add sexual immorality to all the other disgusting things you did?” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.
Like Mother, Like Daughter
44 The Lord said, “People will use this proverb about you, Jerusalem: ‘Like mother, like daughter.’ 45 You really are your mother's daughter. She detested her husband and her children. You are like your sisters, who hated their husbands and their children. You and your sister cities had a Hittite mother and an Amorite father.
46 “Your older sister, with her villages, is Samaria, in the north. Your younger sister, with her villages, is Sodom, in the south. 47 Were you satisfied to follow in their footsteps and copy their disgusting actions? No, in only a little while you were acting worse than they were in everything you did.
48 “As surely as I am the living God,” the Sovereign Lord says, “your sister Sodom and her villages never did the evil that you and your villages have done. 49 She and her daughters were proud because they had plenty to eat and lived in peace and quiet, but they did not take care of the poor and the underprivileged. 50 They were proud and stubborn and did the things that I hate, so I destroyed them, as you well know.
51 “Samaria did not sin half as much as you have. You have acted more disgustingly than she ever did. Your corruption makes your sisters look innocent by comparison. 52 And now you will have to endure your disgrace. Your sins are so much worse than those of your sisters that they look innocent beside you. Now blush and bear your shame, because you make your sisters look pure.”
Sodom and Samaria Will Be Restored
53 The Lord said to Jerusalem, “I will make them prosperous again—Sodom and her villages and Samaria and her villages. Yes, I will make you prosperous too. 54 You will be ashamed of yourself, and your disgrace will show your sisters how well-off they are. 55 They will become prosperous again, and you and your villages will also be restored. 56 Didn't you joke about Sodom in those days when you were proud 57 and before the evil you did had been exposed? Now you are just like her—a joke to the Edomites, the Philistines, and your other neighbors who hate you. 58 You must suffer for the obscene, disgusting things you have done.” The Lord has spoken.
A Covenant That Lasts Forever
59 The Sovereign Lord says, “I will treat you the way you deserve, because you ignored your promises and broke the covenant. 60 But I will honor the covenant I made with you when you were young, and I will make a covenant with you that will last forever. 61 You will remember how you have acted, and be ashamed of it when you get your older sister and your younger sister back. I will let them be like daughters to you, even though this was not part of my covenant with you. 62 I will renew my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. 63 I will forgive all the wrongs you have done, but you will remember them and be too ashamed to open your mouth.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.
Jeruzāleme – Dieva neuzticīgā līgava
1 Kunga vārds nāca pār mani: 2 “Cilvēka dēls, paziņo Jeruzālemei par viņas preteklībām, 3 saki: tā saka Kungs Dievs par Jeruzālemi: tava dzimta un tava izcelsme ir no Kanaāna zemes, tavs tēvs ir amorietis, un tava māte ir hetiete! 4 Tā tu piedzimi – todien, kad tu piedzimi, tev nabassaiti nepārgrieza, ar ūdeni tevi nemazgāja, lai tu būtu tīra, arī ar sāli tevi nenoberza un autos tevi neietina. 5 Neviens uz tevi pat nepaskatījās līdzcietībā, lai darītu tev to kaut aiz līdzjūtības – tavā piedzimšanas dienā tie nometa tevi uz lauka, nicinādami tavu dzīvību. 6 Tad es gāju tev garām, es ieraudzīju, ka tu ķepurojies savās asinīs, un tev, kas gulēji savās asinīs, es sacīju: dzīvo! – tev, kas gulēji savās asinīs. 7 Tad es vairoju tevi bez skaita kā zāli laukā, tu izaugi stalta un kļuvi jo krāšņa, piebrieda tavas krūtis, mati tev sakuploja – bet tu biji plika un nabaga!
8 Kad es gāju tev garām, es skatījos, un redzi – jau klāt tavs laiks mīlēt! Un es ar saviem svārkiem apklāju tavu kailumu, un es tev zvērēju, es stājos derībā ar tevi, saka Kungs Dievs, un tu biji mana! 9 Es mazgāju tevi ūdenī, noskaloju tavas asinis un ieziedu tevi ar eļļu. 10 Es tevi ietērpu rakstītās drānās, apāvu ādas sandales, uzvilku tev vieglbalta lina drānas un apklāju tevi ar zīdu. 11 Es tevi rotāju ar rokassprādzēm, kakla ķēdītēm, 12 ar deguna riņķi, auskariem un brīnišķīgu vainagu. 13 Tu biji izrotāta ar zeltu un sudrabu, tavas drānas bija no vieglbalta lina, ar zīdu izrakstītas! Tava barība bija smalki milti, medus un eļļa, un tu kļuvi arvien skaistāka, līdz stājies ķēniņienes godā. 14 Tautas daudzināja tavu vārdu skaistuma dēļ, jo ar manis doto krāšņumu tavs skaistums bija nevainojams, saka Kungs Dievs.
15 Tu paļāvies uz savu skaistumu, savu slavu tu izmantoji, lai maukotu, tu atdevies maucībai ar katru garāmgājēju – tu piederēji tiem! 16 Tu ņēmi savas drānas un darināji raibas segas augstieņu altāriem, un tur tu tā maukoji kā neviens vēl līdz šim, nedz arī turpmāk! 17 Tu arī ņēmi manis dotās krāšņās rotas, manu zeltu un sudrabu, un darināji sev vīrišķā atveidus un maukoji ar tiem. 18 Tu ņēmi izrakstītas drānas, ko uzsegt tiem, tu atdevi tiem manu eļļu un manu kvēpināmo. 19 Un barību, ko es tev devu, smalkos miltus, eļļu un medu, ko es tev devu ēst, tu cēli tiem priekšā par tīkamu smaržu! Tā bija, saka Kungs Dievs. 20 Tu ņēmi manus dēlus un meitas, ko man dzemdējusi, un upurēji tiem par ēdamo upuri. Vai tad maukot vien tev bija par maz?! 21 Tu nokāvi manus dēlus un upurēji tos elkiem! 22 Visā savā preteklībā un maucībā tu pat nepieminēji savas jaunības dienas, kad tu biji plika un nabaga un ķepurojies savās asinīs.
23 Ak, vai tev! Ak, vai! – visa tava ļaunuma dēļ, saka Kungs Dievs. 24 Tu sev cēli augstienes un ikvienā līdzenākā vietā taisīji paaugstinājumus. 25 Katra ceļa galā tu cēli paaugstinājumus un sagānīji savu skaistumu – kad vien kāds gāja garām, tu atpleti savas kājas un maukoji, cik spēji! 26 Tu maukoji ar saviem kaimiņiem ēģiptiešiem, kam branga miesa, un vairoji savu maucību, lai mani sadusmotu. 27 Redzi, es izstiepu roku un atņēmu tev pienākošos daļu, un es tevi atdevu tavām ienaidniecēm filistiešu meitām – tās kaunējās par tavu negantību. 28 Tad tu maukoji ar asīriešiem, jo biji neapmierināma – tu maukoji, bet arī tie tevi neapmierināja. 29 Tu vairoji savu maucību ar kaldiešiem no tirgoņu zemes, bet arī tie tevi neapmierināja.
30 Cik zemas tev vēlmes, saka Kungs Dievs, ka tu tā esi darījusi – tu, mauku mauka! 31 Tu cēli augstienes katra ceļa galā un taisīji paaugstinājumus uz visām ielām, un tu pat nebiji kā citas maukas, jo nicināji samaksu, – 32 laulības pārkāpēja, kas sava vīra vietā pieņem svešos! 33 Jo visām maukām tiek dotas dāvanas, bet tu dod dāvanas saviem mīļākajiem, tu piekukuļo viņus, lai tie nāk pie tevis no visām malām maukot ar tevi. 34 Tu ar savu maucību atšķiries no visām citām sievām – neviens nealkst maukot ar tevi, un tad tu maksā, bet tev nemaksā! Tā tu atšķiries! 35 Tādēļ tu, mauka, klausies Kunga vārdu!
36 Tā saka Kungs Dievs: tādēļ, ka tava kaisle ir izvirdusi un atsedzies tavs kailums, maukojot ar taviem mīļākajiem, un visu tavu pretīgo elku un tavu dēlu asiņu dēļ, ko tu šiem elkiem atdevi, – 37 tādēļ, redzi, es sapulcēšu visus tavus mīļākos, gan tos, kas tev vēl tīkami, gan tos, kas tev jau apriebušies. Es tos pulcināšu pret tevi no visām pusēm, un es atsegšu tavu kailumu – lai tie ierauga tavu kailumu! 38 Un es tevi tiesāšu par laulības pārkāpšanu un asins izliešanu – es izliešu tava niknuma un dusmības asinis! 39 Es tevi atdošu viņiem, un tie nopostīs tavas augstienes un sagāzīs tavas svētnīcas, tie noraus tev drānas un paņems tavas rotas, un tad pametīs tevi galīgi pliku! 40 Tie sapulcinās pret tevi veselu pulku un nomētās tevi akmeņiem, un tad sacirtīs zobeniem. 41 Tavus namus tie nodedzinās ar uguni, un daudz sievu noraudzīsies, kā tie tev izpilda spriedumu! Es izbeigšu tavu maucību, un maukas algu tu vairs nedāļāsi. 42 Tikai tad es rimšos savā niknumā pret tevi un novērsīšu savu greizsirdību, es mitēšos un vairs nedusmošu. 43 Tādēļ ka tu pat nepieminēji savas jaunības dienas, bet skumdināji mani ar visām šīm lietām, redzi, es pavērsīšu tavu nodarījumu pret tevi, saka Kungs Dievs, tad tu vairs negudrosi par savām preteklībām!
44 Redzi, ikviens parunu teicējs par tevi teiks: kāda māte, tāda meita! 45 Tu esi meita savai mātei, kurai riebās gan pašas vīrs, gan bērni; tu esi māsa savām māsām, kurām riebj viņu vīri un bērni! Jūsu māte ir hetiete un jūsu tēvs – amorietis. 46 Tava vecākā māsa ir Samarija, kas dzīvo ziemeļos no tevis, un tava jaunākā māsa dzīvo dienvidos – tava māsa Sodoma! 47 Tu nestaigāji viņu ceļus un nedarīji viņu preteklības – viss, ko tu darīji, bija daudz nešķīstāks! 48 Kā es esmu dzīvs! – saka Kungs Dievs, ne tava māsa Sodoma, ne viņas meitas tā nav darījušas, kā tu un tavas meitas. 49 Redzi nu, šī ir tavas māsas Sodomas vaina – lepnība, rijība un pašpaļāvība; tāda bija viņa un viņas meitas, nabagam un cietējam tās vis nepalīdzēja, 50 bet turēja augstu prātu un darīja preteklības. Es to redzēju un tādēļ tās aizslaucīju!
51 Samarija nav darījusi pat ne pusi no taviem grēkiem, tu esi darījusi daudz vairāk preteklību nekā viņas. Un ar visām šīm tevis darītajām preteklībām tu esi pierādījusi, ka tavas māsas ir par tevi taisnīgākas. 52 Tad nu arī nes savu kaunu, jo tu attaisnoji savas māsas ar saviem grēkiem, rīkojoties pretīgāk nekā viņas, – viņas ir taisnīgākas par tevi. Tad nu esi apkaunota un nes savu kaunu, jo tavas māsas ir taisnīgākas. 53 Tomēr es atbrīvošu viņas no gūsta – Sodomu un viņas meitas, Samariju un viņas meitas – un tevi kopā ar viņām. 54 Lai tu nes savu kaunu un esi apkaunota par visu, ko esi darījusi viņām par mierinājumu. 55 Tava māsa Sodoma un viņas meitas atkal būs tādas kā agrāk, un Samarija un viņas meitas arī būs tādas kā agrāk, un arī tavas meitas būs tādas kā agrāk. 56 Savas lepnības dienās tu pat nepieminēji savas māsas Sodomas vārdu, 57 pirms atklājās tavs ļaunums, kā tagad Edoma meitas un visas viņu kaimiņienes, un filistiešu meitas no visas apkārtnes nicina tevi, 58 bet tev jānes tava negantība un tavas preteklības,” saka Kungs.
Mūžīga derība
59 Tā saka Kungs Dievs: “Es tev darīšu tāpat, kā tu esi darījusi – tu nonievāji zvērestu, tu lauzi derību! 60 Es atceros savu derību, ko es noslēdzu ar tevi tavas jaunības dienās – es to nostiprināju uz mūžiem! 61 Tad tu atcerēsies savus nodarījumus un kaunēsies. Tu pieņemsi gan savu vecāko, gan jaunāko māsu, jo es tev tās došu par meitām – bet ne pēc manas derības ar tevi. 62 Es nostiprināšu savu derību ar tevi, tad tu zināsi, ka es esmu Kungs! 63 Tādēļ atceries un kaunies, un neatdari savu muti aiz kauna, kad es piedošu visu, ko tu esi darījusi!” saka Kungs Dievs.
