📖 Ezekiel — Chapter 16 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
Ezekiel 16:1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Ezekiel 16:2 Son of man, Rcause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
Ezekiel 16:3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; RThy Tbirth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.
Ezekiel 16:4 And as Rfor thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water Tto supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
Ezekiel 16:5 None Reye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.
Ezekiel 16:6 And when I passed by thee, Rand saw thee Tpolluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.
Ezekiel 16:7 I have RTcaused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to Texcellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.
Ezekiel 16:8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, Rthy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.
Ezekiel 16:9 Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy Tblood from thee, and I Ranointed thee with oil.
Ezekiel 16:10 I Rclothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.
Ezekiel 16:11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and RI put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.
Ezekiel 16:12 And I put a jewel on thy RTforehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.
Ezekiel 16:13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: Rand thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.
Ezekiel 16:14 And Rthy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 16:15 But Rthou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.
Ezekiel 16:16 And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.
Ezekiel 16:17 Thou Rhast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images Tof men, and didst commit whoredom with them,
Ezekiel 16:18 And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.
Ezekiel 16:19 My Rmeat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for Ta sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 16:20 Moreover thou hast taken Rthy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them Tto be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,
Ezekiel 16:21 That thou hast slain Rmy children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?
Ezekiel 16:22 And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.
Ezekiel 16:23 And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the LORD GOD;)
Ezekiel 16:24 That Rthou hast also built unto thee an Teminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street.
Ezekiel 16:25 Thou hast built thy high place Rat every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.
Ezekiel 16:26 Thou hast also committed fornication Rwith the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.
Ezekiel 16:27 Behold, therefore RI have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the Tdaughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way.
Ezekiel 16:28 Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.
Ezekiel 16:29 Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication Rin the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied therewith.
Ezekiel 16:30 How Rweak is thine heart, saith the LORD GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;
Ezekiel 16:31 RTIn that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;
Ezekiel 16:32 But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!
Ezekiel 16:33 They Rgive gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and Thirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.
Ezekiel 16:34 And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.
Ezekiel 16:35 Wherefore, RO harlot, hear the word of the LORD:
Ezekiel 16:36 Thus saith the Lord GOD; RBecause thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;
Ezekiel 16:37 Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.
Ezekiel 16:38 And I will judge thee, RTas women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.
Ezekiel 16:39 And I will also give thee into their hand, and Rthey shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take Tthy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.
Ezekiel 16:40 They Rshall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.
Ezekiel 16:41 And they shall Rburn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more.
Ezekiel 16:42 So Rwill I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.
Ezekiel 16:43 Because Rthou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord GOD: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations.
Ezekiel 16:44 Behold, Revery one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.
Ezekiel 16:45 Thou art thy mother’s daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite.
Ezekiel 16:46 And thine Relder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and Tthy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.
Ezekiel 16:47 Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, RTas if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways.
Ezekiel 16:48 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters.
Ezekiel 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, Rpride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
Ezekiel 16:50 And they were haughty, Rand committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.
Ezekiel 16:51 Neither hath RSamaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done.
Ezekiel 16:52 Thou also, Rwhich hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.
Ezekiel 16:53 When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives Rin the midst of them:
Ezekiel 16:54 That Rthou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them.
Ezekiel 16:55 When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, Rthen thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.
Ezekiel 16:56 For thy sister Sodom Rwas not Tmentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy Tpride,
Ezekiel 16:57 Before Rthy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of thy reproach of the daughters of TSyria, and all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which Tdespise thee round about.
Ezekiel 16:58 Thou Rhast Tborne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the LORD.
Ezekiel 16:59 For thus saith the Lord GOD; RI will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.
Ezekiel 16:60 Nevertheless RI will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.
Ezekiel 16:61 Then thou shalt Rremember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.
Ezekiel 16:62 And RI will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD:
Ezekiel 16:63 That thou mayest Rremember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Ezekiel 16:1–21 — An abandoned child receives life and gifts
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Jerusalem is portrayed as an unwanted infant whom the Lord gives life, care, and covenant honor. The city then trusts her beauty, redirects his gifts toward idols, and sacrifices the children he calls his own.
Key Truth: Remember the giver rather than worshiping the gifts.
Check What You Remember
1. Complete the KJV wording: “Again the ____ of the LORD came unto me, saying,” (Ezekiel 16:1)
Find it in Ezekiel 16:1 (KJV).
2. Complete the KJV wording: “I ____ thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy …” (Ezekiel 16:11)
Find it in Ezekiel 16:11 (KJV).
3. Complete the KJV wording: “That thou hast slain my ____ , and delivered them to cause them to pass through …” (Ezekiel 16:21)
Find it in Ezekiel 16:21 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Ezekiel 16:22–42 — Forgotten beginnings and broken covenant
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The marriage imagery exposes Jerusalem’s pursuit of foreign loyalties and her failure to remember helpless beginnings. Judgment strips away the security and display she had used in betrayal.
Key Truth: Do not let received abundance erase gratitude and faithfulness.
Check What You Remember
1. Complete the KJV wording: “And in all thine ____ and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of …” (Ezekiel 16:22)
Find it in Ezekiel 16:22 (KJV).
2. Complete the KJV wording: “But as a ____ that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!” (Ezekiel 16:32)
Find it in Ezekiel 16:32 (KJV).
3. Complete the KJV wording: “So will I ____ my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall …” (Ezekiel 16:42)
Find it in Ezekiel 16:42 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Ezekiel 16:43–63 — Pride exposed and covenant mercy remembered
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Jerusalem is compared unfavorably with Samaria and Sodom, whose pride and neglect of the poor are named. Restoration and an everlasting covenant bring humbled remembrance rather than a return to boasting.
Key Truth: Let mercy produce humility and care for the needy.
Check What You Remember
1. Complete the KJV wording: “Because thou hast not ____ the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in …” (Ezekiel 16:43)
Find it in Ezekiel 16:43 (KJV).
2. Complete the KJV wording: “When I shall ____ again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, …” (Ezekiel 16:53)
Find it in Ezekiel 16:53 (KJV).
3. Complete the KJV wording: “For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy ____ in the day of thy pride,” (Ezekiel 16:56)
Find it in Ezekiel 16:56 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Deuteronomy 8:11 — The law warns against forgetting the Lord amid abundance.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
Which blessing should lead you back to gratitude and generous care?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. Which summary best distinguishes Ezekiel 16:1–21 (An abandoned child receives life and gifts) from the chapter’s other sections?
2. Which summary best distinguishes Ezekiel 16:22–42 (Forgotten beginnings and broken covenant) from the chapter’s other sections?
3. Which summary best distinguishes Ezekiel 16:43–63 (Pride exposed and covenant mercy remembered) from the chapter’s other sections?
4. What wider wrongdoing is named in the account of Sodom’s iniquity?
5. How does the covenant promise qualify the chapter’s exposure of sin?
Notes
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