Ezekiel 23
1 A message from the Lord came to me, saying,
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, there were once two women. They were daughters of the same mother.
Son of man, there were two women, daughters of one mother:
3 They became prostitutes in Egypt. In fact, they were prostitutes from the time they were young. They allowed their virgin breasts to be fondled and their nipples squeezed.
and they went a-whoring in Egypt in their youth: there their breasts fell, there they lost their virginity.
4 The older girl was called Oholah, and her sister Oholibah. I married them both and they had sons and daughters. Oholah represents Samaria, and Oholibah represents Jerusalem.
And their names were Oola the elder, and Ooliba her sister: and they were mine, and bore sons and daughters: and [as for] their names, Samaria was Oola, and Jerusalem was Ooliba.
5 Oholah prostituted herself while she was still married to me. She wanted to have sex with her lovers, the Assyrians.
And Oola went a-whoring from me, and doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians that were her neighbours,
6 They were soldiers dressed in blue, leaders and commanders, all of them handsome young men in the cavalry.
clothed with purple, princes and captains; [they were] young men and choice, all horseman riding on horses.
7 She gave away herself sexually to all the important men of Assyria. She made herself unclean by her worship of all the idols of those men she wanted to have sex with.
And she bestowed her fornication upon them; all were choice sons of the Assyrians: and on whoever she doted herself, with them she defiled herself in all [their] devices.
8 She didn't stop her prostitution that she started in Egypt—men sleeping with her when she was young, squeezing her virgin breasts and using her to satisfy their sexual appetite.
And she forsook not her fornication with the Egyptians: for in her youth they committed fornication with her, and they deflowered her, and poured out their fornication upon her.
9 So I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians she wanted to have sex with.
Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the children of the Assyrians, on whom she doted.
10 They stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. She became infamous among women, and they punished her.
They uncovered her shame: they took her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword: and she became a byword amongst women: and they wrought vengeance in her for the sake of the daughters.
11 Oholibah saw what happened to her sister, but she became even worse than her in her wanting sex and practicing prostitution.
And her sister Ooliba saw [it], and she indulged in her fondness more corruptly than she, and in her fornication more than the fornication of her sister.
12 She also wanted to have sex with the Assyrians: their leaders and commanders, their splendidly-dressed soldiers—all of them handsome young men in the cavalry.
She doted upon the sons of the Assyrian, princes and captains, her neighbours, clothed with fine linen, horsemen riding on horses; [they were] all choice young men.
13 I saw that she had also made herself unclean—both sisters were doing the same thing.
And I saw that they were defiled, [that] the two [had] one way.
14 However, Oholibah's prostitution was even worse. She saw pictures of Babylonian soldiers wearing bright red uniforms painted on the wall.
And she increased her fornication, and she saw men painted on the wall, likenesses of the Chaldeans painted with a pencil,
15 They were wearing belts on their waists and large turbans on their heads. They all looked like Babylonian officers in Chaldea, the country where they were born.
having variegated girdles on their loins, having also richly dyed [attire] upon their heads; all had a princely appearance, the likeness of the children of the Chaldeans, of their native land.
16 When she saw the paintings of them, she wanted to have sex with them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.
And she doted upon them as soon as she saw them, and sent forth messengers to them into the land of the Chaldeans.
17 The Babylonians came to her and her love bed, and made her unclean with their sexual desire. However, after she had been dishonored by them, she rejected them in disgust.
And the sons of Babylon came to her, into the bed of rest, and they defiled her in her fornication, and she was defiled by them, and her soul was alienated from them.
18 When Oholibah so blatantly prostituted herself, exposing herself naked, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had done to her sister.
And she exposed her fornication, and exposed her shame: and my soul was alienated from her, even as my soul was alienated from her sister.
19 But she practiced even more prostitution, remembering how she'd been a prostitute in Egypt when she was young.
And you did multiply your fornication, so as to call to remembrance the days of your youth, wherein you did commit whoredom in Egypt,
20 She wanted to have sex with her lovers who had genitals like donkeys and who ejaculated like stallions.
and you did dote upon the Chaldeans, whose flesh is as the flesh of the asses, and their members [as] the members of horses.
21 You went back to the indecent acts when you were young, when the Egyptians squeezed your nipples and fondled your young breasts.
And you did look upon the iniquity of your youth, [the things] which you wrought in Egypt in your lodgings, where were the breasts of your youth.
22 So Oholibah, this is what the Lord God says: I'm going to encourage your lovers to attack you, those you rejected in disgust. I will bring them to attack you from every direction:
Therefore, Ooliba, thus says the Lord; Behold, I [will] stir up your lovers against you, from whom your soul is alienated, and I will bring them upon you round about,
23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, the men of Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians along with them—all handsome young men, leaders and commanders, chariot captains and important officers, all riding horses.
the children of Babylon, and all the Chaldeans, Phacuc, and Sue, and Hychue, and all the sons of the Assyrians with them; choice young men, governors and captains, all princes and renowned, riding on horses.
24 They will attack you from the north, invading with a great army, chariots, and wagons. They will come with their shields and helmets and surround you. I will hand you over to them for punishment, and they will judge and punish you following their own laws.
And they all shall come upon you from the north, chariots and wheels, with a multitude of nations, shields and targets; and [the enemy] shall set a watch against you round about: and I will set judgement before them, and they shall take vengeance on you with their judgements.
25 I feel so strongly about what you've done that I will oppose you, and they will treat you very badly. They will cut off your noses and ears, and they will kill those of you who are left. They will take away your sons and daughters as prisoners, and those of you who are left will be destroyed by fire.
And I will bring upon you my jealousy, and they shall deal with you in great wrath: they shall take away your nose and your ears; and shall cast down your remnant with the sword: they shall take your sons and your daughters; and your remnant fire shall devour.
26 They will tear off your clothes and take your beautiful jewelry.
And they shall strip you of your raiment, and take [away] your ornaments.
27 I'm going to put a stop to your immorality and prostitution, which started in Egypt. You won't think longingly about those times, and you'll forget all about Egypt.
So I will turn back your ungodliness from you, and your fornication from the land of Egypt: and you shall not lift up your eyes upon them, and shall no more remember Egypt.
28 For this is what the Lord God says: Believe it when I say that I'm going to hand you over to the people you hate, the ones you rejected in disgust.
Therefore thus says the Lord God; Behold, I [will] deliver you into the hands of those whom you hate, from whom your soul is alienated.
29 They will treat you with hatred. They will take away everything you've worked for, leaving you stark naked with nothing, so that so that the indecent acts of your prostitution will be exposed. Your immorality and prostitution
And they shall deal with you in hatred, and shall take all [the fruits] of your labours and your toils, and you shall be naked and bare: and the shame of your fornication shall be exposed: and your ungodliness and your fornication
30 is why all this has happened to you, because you acted as a prostitute with the nations and made yourself unclean by worshiping their idols.
brought this upon you, in that you went a-whoring after the nations, and did defile yourself with their devices.
31 Because you did what your sister did, I will give you her cup to drink.
You did walk in the way of your sister; and I will put her cup into your hands.
32 This is what the Lord God says: You will drink from your sister's cup—a large, deep cup. You will be laughed at and insulted. You'll have to endure much of this.
Thus says the Lord; Drink your sister's cup, deep and large, and full, to cause complete drunkenness.
33 It will make you drunk and full of grief because it's a cup of that brings horror and destruction, the cup your sister Samaria drank from.
And you shall be thoroughly weakened; and the cup of destruction, the cup of your sister Samaria,
34 You will drink it all down, smash it to pieces on the ground, and tear at your breasts. This is what I have spoken, declares the Lord God.
drink you it, and I will take away her feasts and her new moons: for I have spoken [it], says the Lord.
35 In summary this is what the Lord God says: Because you have forgotten about me and have ignored me, you will have to experience the consequences of your immorality and prostitution.”
Therefore thus says the Lord; Because you has forgotten me, and cast me behind your back, therefore receive you [the reward] of your ungodliness and your fornication.
36 Then the Lord said to me: “Son of man, are you going to condemn Oholah and Oholibah? Expose the disgusting things they've done!
And the Lord said to me, Son of man, will you not judge Oola and Ooliba? and declare to them their iniquities?
37 For they have committed adultery, and they are guilty of murder. They have committed adultery with their idols, and have even offered their children, whom they had for me, as sacrifices to their idols.
For they have committed adultery, and blood was in their hands, they committed adultery with their devices, and they passed through the fire to them their children which they bore to me.
38 They also did this to me: On the very same day they both made my sanctuary unclean and violated my Sabbaths.
So long too as they did these things to me, they defiled my sanctuary, and profaned my sabbaths.
39 On very day that they killed their children for their idols, they went my sanctuary and made it unclean. Look at what they did right inside my Temple!
And when they sacrificed their children to their idols, they also went into my sanctuary to profane it: and whereas they did thus in the midst of my house;
40 They even kept on sending messengers for men to come from far away. When the men arrived, you would get yourselves ready for them by bathing, doing your eye makeup, and putting in your jewelry.
and whereas they did thus to the men that came from afar, to whom they sent messengers, and as soon as they came, immediately you did wash yourself, and did paint your eyes and adorn yourself with ornaments,
41 You sat on an expensive couch, with my incense and my oil on a table placed in front of it.
and sat on a prepared bed, and before it [there was] a table set out, and [as for] mine incense and mine oil, they rejoiced in them,
42 The room was full of the noise of people partying. Drunk men were brought in from the desert along with some common people and they put bracelets on your wrists and beautiful crowns on your head.
and they raised a sound of music, and [that] with men coming from the wilderness out of a multitude of men, and they put bracelets on their hands, and a crown of glory on their heads;
43 Then I said about the old worn-out woman, ‘Now they can have her as a prostitute because that's what she is!’
Therefore I said, Do they not commit adultery with these? and has she also gone a-whoring [after] the manner of a harlot?
44 So they had sex with her like a prostitute. They had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, those immoral women.
And they went in to her, as [men] go in to a harlot; so they went in to Oola and to Ooliba to work iniquity.
45 But men who believe in what's right will judge them and impose the punishment for committing commit adultery and murder, because they are adulterers and murderers.
And they are just men, and shall take vengeance on them with the judgement of an adulteress and the judgement of blood: for they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
46 This is what the Lord God says: Have a mob attack them! Make them terrified and rob them.
Thus says the Lord God, Bring up a multitude upon them, and send trouble and plunder into the midst of them.
47 The mob will stone them and kill them with their swords, slaughtering their sons and daughters and burning down their houses.
And stone them with the stones of a multitude, and pierce them with their swords: they shall kill their sons and their daughters, and shall burn up their houses.
48 This is how I will put an end to immorality in the country, and all the women will be warned not to do what you have done.
And I will remove ungodliness out of the land, and all the women shall be instructed, and shall not do according to their ungodliness.
49 They will punish you for your immorality, and you will have to experience the consequences of your idol worship. Then you will know that I am the Lord God.”
And your ungodliness shall be recompensed upon you, and you shall bear the guilt of your devices: and you shall know that I am the Lord.
