Ezekiel 23
1 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother,
Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:
3 and they played in Egypt, prostituting themselves from their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin bosoms caressed.
And they committed prostitutions in Egypt; they committed prostitutions in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.
4 The older was named Oholah, and her sister was named Oholibah. They became Mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their identities, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bore sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.
5 Oholah prostituted herself while she was still Mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors
And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbors,
6 clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all desirable young men, horsemen mounted on steeds.
Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses.
7 She offered sexual favors to all the elite of Assyria. She defiled herself with all the idols of those for whom she lusted.
Thus she committed her prostitutions with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.
8 She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when men slept with her in her youth, caressed her virgin bosom, and poured out their lust upon her.
Neither left she her prostitutions brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their prostitution on her.
9 Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she lusted.
Why I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, on whom she doted.
10 They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and put her to the sword. Thus she became a byword among women, and they executed judgment against her.
These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment on her.
11 Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister.
And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her prostitutions more than her sister in her prostitutions.
12 She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors dressed in splendor, horsemen riding on steeds, all desirable young men.
She doted on the Assyrians her neighbors, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men.
13 And I saw that she too had defiled herself; both of them had taken the same path.
Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way,
14 But Oholibah carried her prostitution even further. She saw the men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans, engraved in vermilion,
And that she increased her prostitutions: for when she saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,
15 wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like officers of the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth.
Girded with girdles on their loins, exceeding in dyed attire on their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity:
16 At the sight of them, she lusted for them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.
And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted on them, and sent messengers to them into Chaldea.
17 Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. But after she had been defiled by them, she turned away in disgust.
And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their prostitution, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.
18 When Oholibah openly prostituted herself and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister.
So she discovered her prostitutions, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister.
19 Yet she multiplied her promiscuity, remembering the days of her youth, when she had prostituted herself in the land of Egypt
Yet she multiplied her prostitutions, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
20 and lusted after their lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions.
For she doted on their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.
21 So you revisited the indecency of your youth, when the Egyptians caressed your bosom and pressed your young breasts.
Thus you called to remembrance the lewdness of your youth, in bruising your teats by the Egyptians for the breasts of your youth.
22 Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will incite your lovers against you, those from whom you turned away in disgust. And I will bring them against you from every side—
Therefore, O Aholibah, thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I will raise up your lovers against you, from whom your mind is alienated, and I will bring them against you on every side;
23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, the men of Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them—all desirable young men, governors and commanders, officers and men of renown, mounted on horses.
The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: all of them desirable young men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding on horses.
24 They will come against you with a host of peoples, with weapons, chariots, and wagons. They will array themselves against you on every side with buckler and shield and helmet. I will delegate judgment to them, and they will punish you according to their own standards.
And they shall come against you with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, which shall set against you buckler and shield and helmet round about: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge you according to their judgments.
25 And I will set My jealous rage against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and ears, and your survivors will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your remnant will be consumed by fire.
And I will set my jealousy against you, and they shall deal furiously with you: they shall take away your nose and your ears; and your remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take your sons and your daughters; and your residue shall be devoured by the fire.
26 They will strip off your clothes and take your fine jewelry.
They shall also strip you out of your clothes, and take away your fair jewels.
27 So I will put an end to your indecency and prostitution, which began in the land of Egypt, and you will not lift your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.’
Thus will I make your lewdness to cease from you, and your prostitution brought from the land of Egypt: so that you shall not lift up your eyes to them, nor remember Egypt any more.
28 For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hands of those you hate, from whom you turned away in disgust.
For thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I will deliver you into the hand of them whom you hate, into the hand of them from whom your mind is alienated:
29 They will treat you with hatred, take all for which you have worked, and leave you naked and bare, so that the shame of your prostitution will be exposed. Your indecency and promiscuity
And they shall deal with you hatefully, and shall take away all your labor, and shall leave you naked and bore: and the nakedness of your prostitutions shall be discovered, both your lewdness and your prostitutions.
30 have brought these things upon you, because you have prostituted yourself with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.
I will do these things to you, because you have gone a whoring after the heathen, and because you are polluted with their idols.
31 Because you have followed the path of your sister, I will put her cup into your hand.’
You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore will I give her cup into your hand.
32 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You will drink your sister’s cup, a cup deep and wide. It will bring scorn and derision, for it holds so much.
Thus says the Lord GOD; You shall drink of your sister’s cup deep and large: you shall be laughed to scorn and had in derision; it contains much.
33 You will be filled with drunkenness and grief, with a cup of devastation and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria.
You shall be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of your sister Samaria.
34 You will drink it and drain it; you will dash it to pieces, and tear your breasts. For I have spoken,’
You shall even drink it and suck it out, and you shall break the shards thereof, and pluck off your own breasts: for I have spoken it, says the Lord GOD.
35 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you have forgotten Me and have cast Me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your indecency and prostitution.’”
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD; Because you have forgotten me, and cast me behind your back, therefore bear you also your lewdness and your prostitutions.
36 Then the LORD said to me: “Son of man, will you pass judgment against Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.
The LORD said moreover to me; Son of man, will you judge Aholah and Aholibah? yes, declare to them their abominations;
37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols. They have even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to Me, in the fire as food for their idols.
That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bore to me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them.
38 They have also done this to Me: On that very same day, they defiled My sanctuary and profaned My Sabbaths.
Moreover this they have done to me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths.
39 On the very day they slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My sanctuary to profane it. Yes, they did this inside My house.
For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, see, thus have they done in the middle of my house.
40 Furthermore, you sisters sent messengers for men who came from afar; and behold, when they arrived, you bathed for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewelry.
And furthermore, that you have sent for men to come from far, to whom a messenger was sent; and, see, they came: for whom you did wash yourself, painted your eyes, and decked yourself with ornaments,
41 You sat on a couch of luxury with a table spread before it, on which you had set My incense and My oil,
And sat on a stately bed, and a table prepared before it, whereupon you have set my incense and my oil.
42 accompanied by the sound of a carefree crowd. Drunkards were brought in from the desert along with men from the rabble, who put bracelets on your wrists and beautiful crowns on your head.
And a voice of a multitude being at ease was with her: and with the men of the common sort were brought Sabeans from the wilderness, which put bracelets on their hands, and beautiful crowns on their heads.
43 Then I said of her who had grown old in adulteries: ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is!’
Then said I to her that was old in adulteries, Will they now commit prostitutions with her, and she with them?
44 And they slept with her as with a prostitute; they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, those lewd women.
Yet they went in to her, as they go in to a woman that plays the harlot: so went they in to Aholah and to Aholibah, the lewd women.
45 But righteous men will sentence them to the punishment of those who commit adultery and bloodshed, because they are adulteresses with blood on their hands.
And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
46 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Bring a mob against them and consign them to terror and plunder.
For thus says the Lord GOD; I will bring up a company on them, and will give them to be removed and spoiled.
47 The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses.
And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire.
48 So I will put an end to indecency in the land, and all the women will be admonished not to imitate your behavior.
Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out of the land, that all women may be taught not to do after your lewdness.
49 They will repay you for your indecency, and you will bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’”
And they shall recompense your lewdness on you, and you shall bear the sins of your idols: and you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
