Jerusalem’s Judgment Inescapable

¹² The word of the Lord came to me: ¹³ “Son of man, if a country sins^(A) against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply^(B) and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals,^{(C) 14} even if these three men—Noah,^(D) Daniel^[a](E) and Job^(F)—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness,^(G) declares the Sovereign Lord.

¹⁵ “Or if I send wild beasts^(H) through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts,^{(I) 16} as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.^(J)

¹⁷ “Or if I bring a sword^(K) against that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass throughout the land,’ and I kill its people and their animals,^{(L) 18} as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.

¹⁹ “Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath^(M) on it through bloodshed,^(N) killing its people and their animals,^{(O) 20} as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.^(P)

²¹ “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments^(Q)—sword^(R) and famine^(S) and wild beasts and plague^(T)—to kill its men and their animals!^{(U) 22} Yet there will be some survivors^(V)—sons and daughters who will be brought out of it.^(W) They will come to you, and when you see their conduct^(X) and their actions, you will be consoled^(Y) regarding the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem—every disaster I have brought on it. ²³ You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(Z)”

Jerusalem as a Useless Vine

15 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, how is the wood of a vine^(AA) different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest? ³ Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful?^(AB) Do they make pegs^(AC) from it to hang things on? ⁴ And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything?^{(AD) 5} If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred?

⁶ “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As I have given the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest as fuel for the fire, so will I treat the people living in Jerusalem. ⁷ I will set my face against^(AE) them. Although they have come out of the fire^(AF), the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against them, you will know that I am the Lord.^{(AG) 8} I will make the land desolate^(AH) because they have been unfaithful,^(AI) declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Jerusalem as an Adulterous Wife

16 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, confront^(AJ) Jerusalem with her detestable practices^{(AK) 3} and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem: Your ancestry^(AL) and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father^(AM) was an Amorite^(AN) and your mother a Hittite.^{(AO) 4} On the day you were born^(AP) your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. ⁵ No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised.

⁶ “‘Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!”^{[b](AQ) 7} I made you grow^(AR) like a plant of the field. You grew and developed and entered puberty. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, yet you were stark naked.^(AS)

⁸ “‘Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment^(AT) over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant^(AU) with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.^(AV)

⁹ “‘I bathed you with water and washed^(AW) the blood from you and put ointments on you. ¹⁰ I clothed you with an embroidered^(AX) dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen^(AY) and covered you with costly garments.^{(AZ) 11} I adorned you with jewelry:^(BA) I put bracelets^(BB) on your arms and a necklace^(BC) around your neck, ¹² and I put a ring on your nose,^(BD) earrings^(BE) on your ears and a beautiful crown^(BF) on your head.^{(BG) 13} So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes^(BH) were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil^(BI) and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen.^{(BJ) 14} And your fame^(BK) spread among the nations on account of your beauty,^(BL) because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(BM)