The Skeptics Annotated Bible (632 page)

4 Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for any work?

5 Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned?

(15.6-7) God will burn the inhabitants of Jerusalem to show everyone that he is the Lord.

6 Therefore
thus saith the Lord GOD; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

(15.6)
“Thus saith the Lord GOD; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”

7 And
I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the LORD
, when I set my face against them.

(15.7)
“I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.”

8 And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord GOD.

16
Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,

3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.

4 And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.

5 None eye 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.

(16.6-7) God dresses up Jerusalem, cleans off the blood that she was wallowing in, and compliments her on her nice hair and breasts.

6 And
when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted 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.

(16.6)
“When I passed by thee
[Jerusalem]
, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.”

7
I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field
, and thou hast increased and waxen great,
and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.

(16.7)
“I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field … and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.”

8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold,
thy 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.

(16:8)
“Thy time was the time of love; I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness.”
Seeing that it is the time for love, God spreads his skirt over Jerusalem to cover her nakedness.

9 Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.

10 I clothed 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.

11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.

12 And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.

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: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.

14 And thy 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.

(16:15-17) Jerusalem was a harlot who had sex with everyone that passed by. If no one was available, she “committed whoredom” with “images of men.”

15 But thou 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.

(16:15)
“Thou … playedst the harlot … and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by.
”

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.

(16:17) “Thou hast … madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them.”

17
Thou hast
also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and
madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

18 And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.

19 My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.