Ezekiel 16:46-52

16:46 Your older sister was Samaria, who lived north ¹  of you with her daughters, and your younger sister, who lived south ²  of you, was Sodom ³  with her daughters. 16:47 Have you not copied their behavior ⁴  and practiced their abominable deeds? In a short time ⁵  you became even more depraved in all your conduct than they were! 16:48 As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, your sister Sodom and her daughters never behaved as wickedly as you and your daughters have behaved.

16:49 “‘See here – this was the iniquity ⁶  of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had majesty, abundance of food, and enjoyed carefree ease, but they did not help ⁷  the poor and needy. 16:50 They were haughty and practiced abominable deeds before me. Therefore when I saw it I removed them. 16:51 Samaria has not committed half the sins you have; you have done more abominable deeds than they did. ⁸  You have made your sisters appear righteous with all the abominable things you have done. 16:52 So now, bear your disgrace, because you have given your sisters reason to justify their behavior. ⁹  Because the sins you have committed were more abominable than those of your sisters; they have become more righteous than you. So now, be ashamed and bear the disgrace of making your sisters appear righteous.

[16:46]  ¹ tn Heb “left.”

[16:46]  ² tn Heb “right.”

[16:46]  ³ sn Sodom was the epitome of evil (Deut 29:23; 32:32; Isa 1:9-10; 3:9; Jer 23:14; Lam 4:6; Matt 10:15; 11:23-24; Jude 7).

[16:47]  ⁴ tn Heb “walked in their ways.”

[16:47]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew expression has a temporal meaning as illustrated by the use of the phrase in 2 Chr 12:7.

[16:49]  ⁶ tn Or “guilt.”

[16:49]  ⁷ tn Heb “strengthen the hand of.”

[16:51]  ⁸ tn Or “you have multiplied your abominable deeds beyond them.”

[16:52]  ⁹ tn Heb “because you have interceded for your sisters with your sins.”