Ezekiel 23
1 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
The word of Jehovah came to me again, saying:
2 “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother,
Son of man, there were two women, 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 fornication in Egypt; in their youth they committed fornication. There they allowed their breasts to be pressed, and their virgin teats to be handled.
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.
Their names were Aholah, the elder, and Aholibah, her sister; and they became mine, and bore sons and daughters; as to their names, moreover, Aholah is Samaria, and Aholibah, Jerusalem.
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.
who 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 fornication with them, with all the choice young 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 forsook she her whoredoms brought from Egypt; for they lay with her in her youth, and handled the breasts of her virginity, and poured their fornication upon her.
9 Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she lusted.
Wherefore I delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon 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 uncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword; and she became famous among women, when they had executed judgment upon her.
11 Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister.
And her sister, Aholibah, saw this, but she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms.
12 She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors dressed in splendor, horsemen riding on steeds, all desirable young men.
She doted upon the Assyrians, her neighbors, prefects and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon 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 both took 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,
But she added to her whoredoms; for she saw men portrayed upon the wall, images of Chaldaeans 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 upon their loins, and having long mitres hanging down from their heads, in their appearance all of them princes, after the manner of the sons of Babylon, of Chaldaea, 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 cast her eyes upon them, she doted on them, and sent messengers to them into Chaldaea.
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 sons of Babylon came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredoms, and she was polluted with them. She then became 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 fornications, and discovered her nakedness. Then my mind was alienated from her, as it had been 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
For she multiplied her whoredoms in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she 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 members were as the members of asses, and whose issue was as 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 thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, when thy teats were handled by the Egyptians, on account of the paps of thy 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 saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will raise up against thee thy lovers, from whom thou art alienated, and I will bring them against thee 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 Chaldaeans, prefects, rich men, and nobles, and all the Assyrians with them, all of them desirable young men, prefects and rulers, captains and men of renown, all of them riding upon 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 thee with arms, chariots and wheels, and with hosts of people; with buckler and shield and helmet shall they set themselves against thee on every side. And I will commit to them judgment, and they shall punish thee according to their punishments.
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 thee, and they shall deal with thee in fury; they shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy posterity shall fall by the sword. They shall take away thy sons and thy daughters, and thy posterity shall be consumed with fire.
26 They will strip off your clothes and take your fine jewelry.
They shall also strip thee of thy garments, and take away thy 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 thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy whoredom brought from the land of Egypt, so that thou shalt not lift thine 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 saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will deliver thee into the hand of them whom thou hatest, into the hand of them from whom thou art 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 thee in hatred, and take away all the fruits of thy labor from thee, and shall leave thee naked and bare; and thy nakedness shall be uncovered, with which thou hast committed lewdness and fornication and foul whoredom.
30 have brought these things upon you, because you have prostituted yourself with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.
These things will I do to thee, because thou hast committed whoredom with the nations, and hast been polluted with their idols.
31 Because you have followed the path of your sister, I will put her cup into your hand.’
Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister, therefore will I give her cup into thy 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 saith the Lord Jehovah: Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup, which is deep and large; it shall make thee a laughing-stock and a derision, for it containeth much.
33 You will be filled with drunkenness and grief, with a cup of devastation and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria.
Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow. A cup of astonishment and amazement is the cup of thy sister Samaria.
34 You will drink it and drain it; you will dash it to pieces, and tear your breasts. For I have spoken,’
Thou shalt even drink it and suck it out, and lick the sherds, and thou shalt tear thy breasts. For I have spoken it, saith the Lord Jehovah.
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 saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.
36 Then the LORD said to me: “Son of man, will you pass judgment against Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.
Moreover, Jehovah said to me, Son of man, punish Aholah and Aholibah; yea, 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 upon their hands, and that with their idols they have committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bore to me, to pass through the fire to them for food.
38 They have also done this to Me: On that very same day, they defiled My sanctuary and profaned My Sabbaths.
This also have they 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 into my sanctuary the same day to profane it; behold, thus have they done in 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.
Yea, ye sent for men to come from afar; messengers were sent to them, and behold, they came; for them didst thou wash thyself, and paint thine eyes, and deck thyself 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 thou didst seat thyself upon a stately bed before which a table was prepared, and thereon didst thou 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.
Also the voice of a multitude at ease was with her; and together with men from the common multitude were brought deep-drinkers from the desert, who put bracelets upon their hands, and beautiful crowns upon 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 concerning her that was worn out with adulteries, Will they now commit whoredoms with her, even with her?
44 And they slept with her as with a prostitute; they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, those lewd women.
They went in to her, as men go to a 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.
But righteous men shall judge them, as adulteresses are judged, and as women that shed blood are judged; for they are adulteresses, and blood is upon their hands.
46 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Bring a mob against them and consign them to terror and plunder.
For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will bring a great company against them, and will give them up to be harassed 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 cut them in pieces with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn 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 take warning, and not follow them in their 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 upon you, and ye shall bear the sins of your idols; that ye may know that I am the Lord Jehovah.
