“ How can you say,‘ I am not polluted, I have not gone after the Baals’? See your way in the valley; Know what you have done: You are a swift dromedary breaking loose in her ways,

你怎能说：‘我没有玷污、没有随从众巴力’？你看你谷中的路，就知道你所行的如何。你是快行的独峰驼，狂奔乱走。

你怎能说：‘我没有玷污，没有随从巴力’？看看你在谷中所做的，思想你自己的所作所为；你是快行的独峰驼，狂奔乱闯。

你怎能说：‘我没有玷污，没有随从巴力’？看看你在谷中所做的，思想你自己的所作所为；你是快行的独峰驼，狂奔乱闯。

“你怎能说，‘我没有玷污自己，也没有随从巴力’？看看你在山谷中干的勾当，想想你的所作所为。你是一只发情的母骆驼，烦躁不安，跑来跑去。

“你怎么能说：‘我没有玷污自己，未曾跟从过巴力’呢？看看你在谷中的行径，想想你所作过的！简直像快捷的小雌驼，在路上乱闯；

你怎能說：我沒有玷污、沒有隨從眾巴力？你看你谷中的路，就知道你所行的如何。你是快行的獨峯駝，狂奔亂走。

你怎能說：『我沒有玷污，沒有隨從巴力』？看看你在谷中所做的，思想你自己的所作所為；你是快行的獨峯駝，狂奔亂闖。

你怎能說：『我沒有玷污，沒有隨從巴力』？看看你在谷中所做的，思想你自己的所作所為；你是快行的獨峯駝，狂奔亂闖。

「你怎能說，『我沒有玷污自己，也沒有隨從巴力』？看看你在山谷中幹的勾當，想想你的所作所為。你是一隻發情的母駱駝，煩躁不安，跑來跑去。

“你怎麼能說：‘我沒有玷污自己，未曾跟從過巴力’呢？看看你在谷中的行徑，想想你所作過的！簡直像快捷的小雌駝，在路上亂闖；

你怎能說：「我沒有被沾污，我沒有隨從眾巴力」呢？看你的路在平谷中，就知道你所作的是甚麼——嘿，一隻迅速輕快的獨峰駝！狂奔亂闖，跑道交錯！

爾安得曰、我未染污衊、未從巴力乎、觀爾在谷之途、則知爾之所為、爾若捷足孤峯之駝、馳行其路、

爾豈得曰、不染污衊、未從巴力乎。爾於谷中所行、爾自知之、如牝駱駝、相誘以風、馳逐遠去。

爾豈可曰、我不染污穢、未從巴力、惟觀爾於谷中所行、當自知所為、爾若足疾之牝駝、狂奔亂馳、

“ How can you say,‘ I am not defiled; I have not run after the Baals’? See how you behaved in the valley; consider what you have done. You are a swift she-camel running here and there,

“ You say,‘ I am“ clean.” I haven’t followed the gods that are named Baal.’ How can you say that? Remember how you acted in the valley. Consider what you have done. You are like a female camel running quickly here and there.

How can you say,‘ I am not unclean, I have not gone after the Baals’? Look at your way in the valley; know what you have done— a restless young camel running here and there,

“ You say,‘ That’s not true! I haven’t worshiped the images of Baal!’ But how can you say that? Go and look in any valley in the land! Face the awful sins you have done. You are like a restless female camel desperately searching for a mate.

How can you protest,“ I am not defiled; I have not followed the Baals”? Look at your behavior in the valley; acknowledge what you have done. You are a swift young camel twisting and turning on her way,

“ How can you say,‘ I am not defiled, I have not gone after the Baals’? Look at your way in the valley! Know what you have done! You are a swift young camel running about senselessly on her ways,

How canst thou say, I am not defiled, I have not gone after the Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways;

How can you protest,“ I am not defiled; I have not followed the Baals”? Look at your behavior in the valley; acknowledge what you have done. You are a swift young camel twisting and turning on her way,

How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done:[ thou art] a swift dromedary traversing her ways;

“ How can you say,‘ I have not made myself unclean. I have not paid allegiance to the gods called Baal.’ Just look at the way you have behaved in the Valley of Hinnom! Think about the things you have done there! You are like a flighty, young female camel that rushes here and there, crisscrossing its path.

“ How can you say,‘ I am not defiled. I have not gone after the Baals’? See your way in the valley. Know what you have done. You are a swift dromedary traversing her ways,

And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart.

There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from its filthiness.

but they have walked according to the dictates of their own hearts and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them,”

Then the man said,“ The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”And the Lord God said to the woman,“ What is this you have done?” The woman said,“ The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

“ Why do you beautify your way to seek love? Therefore you have also taught The wicked women your ways.Also on your skirts is found The blood of the lives of the poor innocents. I have not found it by secret search, But plainly on all these things.Yet you say,‘ Because I am innocent, Surely His anger shall turn from me.’ Behold, I will plead My case against you, Because you say,‘ I have not sinned.’

But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus,“ And who is my neighbor?”

“ Lift up your eyes to the desolate heights and see: Where have you not lain with men? By the road you have sat for them Like an Arabian in the wilderness; And you have polluted the land With your harlotries and your wickedness.

Because you say,‘ I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’— and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him,“ Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord.”But Samuel said,“ What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”

The word of the Lord came again to me, saying:“ Son of man, there were two women, The daughters of one mother.They committed harlotry in Egypt, They committed harlotry in their youth; Their breasts were there embraced, Their virgin bosom was there pressed.Their names: Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister; They were Mine, And they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.“ Oholah played the harlot even though she was Mine; And she lusted for her lovers, the neighboring Assyrians,Who were clothed in purple, Captains and rulers, All of them desirable young men, Horsemen riding on horses.Thus she committed her harlotry with them, All of them choice men of Assyria; And with all for whom she lusted, With all their idols, she defiled herself.She has never given up her harlotry brought from Egypt, For in her youth they had lain with her, Pressed her virgin bosom, And poured out their immorality upon her.“ Therefore I have delivered her Into the hand of her lovers, Into the hand of the Assyrians, For whom she lusted.They uncovered her nakedness, Took away her sons and daughters, And slew her with the sword; She became a byword among women, For they had executed judgment on her.“ Now although her sister Oholibah saw this, she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister’s harlotry.“ She lusted for the neighboring Assyrians, Captains and rulers, Clothed most gorgeously, Horsemen riding on horses, All of them desirable young men.Then I saw that she was defiled; Both took the same way.But she increased her harlotry; She looked at men portrayed on the wall, Images of Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,Girded with belts around their waists, Flowing turbans on their heads, All of them looking like captains, In the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, The land of their nativity.As soon as her eyes saw them, She lusted for them And sent messengers to them in Chaldea.“ Then the Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love, And they defiled her with their immorality; So she was defiled by them, and alienated herself from them.She revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness. Then I alienated Myself from her, As I had alienated Myself from her sister.“ Yet she multiplied her harlotry In calling to remembrance the days of her youth, When she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.For she lusted for her paramours, Whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys, And whose issue is like the issue of horses.Thus you called to remembrance the lewdness of your youth, When the Egyptians pressed your bosom Because of your youthful breasts.“ Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord GOD:‘ Behold, I will stir up your lovers against you, From whom you have alienated yourself, And I will bring them against you from every side:The Babylonians, All the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, Koa, All the Assyrians with them, All of them desirable young men, Governors and rulers, Captains and men of renown, All of them riding on horses.And they shall come against you With chariots, wagons, and war-horses, With a horde of people. They shall array against you Buckler, shield, and helmet all around.‘ I will delegate judgment to them, And they shall judge you according to their judgments.I will set My jealousy against you, And they shall deal furiously with you; They shall remove your nose and your ears, And your remnant shall fall by the sword; They shall take your sons and your daughters, And your remnant shall be devoured by fire.They shall also strip you of your clothes And take away your beautiful jewelry.‘ Thus I will make you cease your lewdness and your harlotry Brought from the land of Egypt, So that you will not lift your eyes to them, Nor remember Egypt anymore.’“ For thus says the Lord God:‘ surely I will deliver you into the hand of those you hate, into the hand of those from whom you alienated yourself.They will deal hatefully with you, take away all you have worked for, and leave you naked and bare. The nakedness of your harlotry shall be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotry.I will do these things to you because you have gone as a harlot after the Gentiles, because you have become defiled by their idols.You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will put her cup in your hand.’“ Thus says the Lord GOD:‘ You shall drink of your sister’s cup, The deep and wide one; You shall be laughed to scorn And held in derision; It contains much.You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, The cup of horror and desolation, The cup of your sister Samaria.You shall drink and drain it, You shall break its shards, And tear at your own breasts; For I have spoken,’ Says the Lord GOD.“ Therefore thus says the Lord God:‘ Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, Therefore you shall bear the penalty Of your lewdness and your harlotry.’”The Lord also said to me:“ Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them.Moreover they have done this to Me: They have defiled My sanctuary on the same day and profaned My Sabbaths.For after they had slain their children for their idols, on the same day they came into My sanctuary to profane it; and indeed thus they have done in the midst of My house.“ Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and there they came. And you washed yourself for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments.You sat on a stately couch, with a table prepared before it, on which you had set My incense and My oil.The sound of a carefree multitude was with her, and Sabeans were brought from the wilderness with men of the common sort, who put bracelets on their wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads.Then I said concerning her who had grown old in adulteries,‘ Will they commit harlotry with her now, and she with them?’Yet they went in to her, as men go in to a woman who plays the harlot; thus they went in to Oholah and Oholibah, the lewd women.But righteous men will judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.“ For thus says the Lord GOD:‘ Bring up an assembly against them, give them up to trouble and plunder.The assembly shall stone them with stones and execute them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn their houses with fire.Thus I will cause lewdness to cease from the land, that all women may be taught not to practice your lewdness.They shall repay you for your lewdness, and you shall pay for your idolatrous sins. Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.’”

For he flatters himself in his own eyes, When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.

Inflaming yourselves with gods under every green tree, Slaying the children in the valleys, Under the clefts of the rocks?Among the smooth stones of the stream Is your portion; They, they, are your lot! Even to them you have poured a drink offering, You have offered a grain offering. Should I receive comfort in these?

He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

How long will you gad about, O you backsliding daughter? For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth— A woman shall encompass a man.”

These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes.

Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,“ Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,and say,‘ Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem:“ Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born.“ And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood,‘ Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood,‘ Live!’I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare.“ When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord God.“ Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil.I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk.I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck.And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty.Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you,” says the Lord GOD.“ But you trusted in your own beauty, played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it.You took some of your garments and adorned multicolored high places for yourself, and played the harlot on them. Such things should not happen, nor be.You have also taken your beautiful jewelry from My gold and My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images and played the harlot with them.You took your embroidered garments and covered them, and you set My oil and My incense before them.Also My food which I gave you— the pastry of fine flour, oil, and honey which I fed you— you set it before them as sweet incense; and so it was,” says the Lord GOD.“ Moreover you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your acts of harlotry a small matter,that you have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?And in all your abominations and acts of harlotry you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, struggling in your blood.“ Then it was so, after all your wickedness—‘ Woe, woe to you!’ says the Lord GOD—that you also built for yourself a shrine, and made a high place for yourself in every street.You built your high places at the head of every road, and made your beauty to be abhorred. You offered yourself to everyone who passed by, and multiplied your acts of harlotry.You also committed harlotry with the Egyptians, your very fleshly neighbors, and increased your acts of harlotry to provoke Me to anger.“ Behold, therefore, I stretched out My hand against you, diminished your allotment, and gave you up to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior.You also played the harlot with the Assyrians, because you were insatiable; indeed you played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied.Moreover you multiplied your acts of harlotry as far as the land of the trader, Chaldea; and even then you were not satisfied.“ How degenerate is your heart!” says the Lord God,“ seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot.“ You erected your shrine at the head of every road, and built your high place in every street. Yet you were not like a harlot, because you scorned payment.You are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband.Men make payment to all harlots, but you made your payments to all your lovers, and hired them to come to you from all around for your harlotry.You are the opposite of other women in your harlotry, because no one solicited you to be a harlot. In that you gave payment but no payment was given you, therefore you are the opposite.”‘ Now then, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord!Thus says the Lord GOD:“ Because your filthiness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your harlotry with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them,surely, therefore, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved, and all those you hated; I will gather them from all around against you and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness.And I will judge you as women who break wedlock or shed blood are judged; I will bring blood upon you in fury and jealousy.I will also give you into their hand, and they shall throw down your shrines and break down your high places. They shall also strip you of your clothes, take your beautiful jewelry, and leave you naked and bare.“ They shall also bring up an assembly against you, and they shall stone you with stones and thrust you through with their swords.They shall burn your houses with fire, and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women; and I will make you cease playing the harlot, and you shall no longer hire lovers.So I will lay to rest My fury toward you, and My jealousy shall depart from you. I will be quiet, and be angry no more.Because you did not remember the days of your youth, but agitated Me with all these things, surely I will also recompense your deeds on your own head,” says the Lord GOD.“ And you shall not commit lewdness in addition to all your abominations.“ Indeed everyone who quotes proverbs will use this proverb against you:‘ Like mother, like daughter!’You are your mother’s daughter, loathing husband and children; and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children; your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.“ Your elder sister is Samaria, who dwells with her daughters to the north of you; and your younger sister, who dwells to the south of you, is Sodom and her daughters.You did not walk in their ways nor act according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you became more corrupt than they in all your ways.“ As I live,” says the Lord God,“ neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done.Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.“ Samaria did not commit half of your sins; but you have multiplied your abominations more than they, and have justified your sisters by all the abominations which you have done.You who judged your sisters, bear your own shame also, because the sins which you committed were more abominable than theirs; they are more righteous than you. Yes, be disgraced also, and bear your own shame, because you justified your sisters.“ When I bring back their captives, the captives of Sodom and her daughters, and the captives of Samaria and her daughters, then I will also bring back the captives of your captivity among them,that you may bear your own shame and be disgraced by all that you did when you comforted them.When your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters return to their former state, then you and your daughters will return to your former state.For your sister Sodom was not a byword in your mouth in the days of your pride,before your wickedness was uncovered. It was like the time of the reproach of the daughters of Syria and all those around her, and of the daughters of the Philistines, who despise you everywhere.You have paid for your lewdness and your abominations,” says the Lord.For thus says the Lord GOD:“ I will deal with you as you have done, who despised the oath by breaking the covenant.“ Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed, when you receive your older and your younger sisters; for I will give them to you for daughters, but not because of My covenant with you.And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the Lord,that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord God.’”

This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says,“ I have done no wickedness.”

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor.