Ezekiel 23
1 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying, “Son of man,
Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2 Two women were daughters of one mother,
“Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother,
3 And they go whoring in Egypt, They have gone whoring in their youth, There they have bruised their breasts, And there they have dealt with the loves of their virginity.
and they played in Egypt, prostituting themselves from their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin bosoms caressed.
4 And their names [are] Aholah the older, And Aholibah her sister, And they are Mine, and bear sons and daughters. As for their names—Samaria [is] Aholah, And Jerusalem [is] Aholibah.
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.
5 And Aholah goes whoring under Me, and she lusts on her lovers, on the neighboring Assyrians,
Oholah prostituted herself while she was still Mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors
6 Clothed with blue—governors and prefects, All of them desirable young men, Horsemen, riding on horses,
clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all desirable young men, horsemen mounted on steeds.
7 And she gives her whoredoms on them, The choice of the sons of Asshur, All of them—even all on whom she lusted, She has been defiled by all their idols.
She offered sexual favors to all the elite of Assyria. She defiled herself with all the idols of those for whom she lusted.
8 And she has not forsaken her whoredoms out of Egypt, For with her they lay in her youth, And they dealt with the loves of her virginity, And they pour out their whoredoms on her.
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.
9 Therefore I have given her into the hand of her lovers, Into the hand of sons of Asshur on whom she lusted.
Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she lusted.
10 They have uncovered her nakedness, They have taken her sons and her daughters, And they have slain her by sword, And she is a name for women, And they have done judgments with her.
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.
11 And her sister Aholibah sees, And she makes her unhealthy love more corrupt than she, And her whoredoms than the whoredoms of her sister.
Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister.
12 She has lusted on sons of Asshur, Governors and prefects, Neighboring ones—clothed in perfection, Horsemen, riding on horses, All of them desirable young men.
She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors dressed in splendor, horsemen riding on steeds, all desirable young men.
13 And I see that she has been defiled, One way [is] to them both.
And I saw that she too had defiled herself; both of them had taken the same path.
14 And she adds to her whoredoms, And she sees men carved on the wall, Pictures of Chaldeans, carved with vermillion,
But Oholibah carried her prostitution even further. She saw the men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans, engraved in vermilion,
15 Girded with a girdle on their loins, Dyed attire spread out on their heads, The appearance of rulers—all of them, The likeness of sons of Babylon, Chaldea is the land of their birth.
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.
16 And she lusts on them at the sight of her eyes, And sends messengers to them, to Chaldea.
At the sight of them, she lusted for them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.
17 And sons of Babylon come in to her, To the bed of loves, And they defile her with their whoredoms, And she is defiled with them, And her soul is alienated from them.
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.
18 And she reveals her whoredoms, And she reveals her nakedness, And My soul is alienated from off her, As My soul was alienated from off her sister.
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.
19 And she multiplies her whoredoms, To remember the days of her youth, When she went whoring in the land of Egypt.
Yet she multiplied her promiscuity, remembering the days of her youth, when she had prostituted herself in the land of Egypt
20 And she lusts on their lovers, Whose flesh [is] the flesh of donkeys, And the emission of horses—their emission.
and lusted after their lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions.
21 You look after the wickedness of your youth, In dealing out of Egypt your loves, For the sake of the breasts of your youth.
So you revisited the indecency of your youth, when the Egyptians caressed your bosom and pressed your young breasts.
22 Therefore, O Aholibah, thus said Lord YHWH: Behold, I am stirring up your lovers against you, From whom your soul has been alienated, And have brought them in against you from all around.
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—
23 Sons of Babylon, and of all Chaldea, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, All the sons of Asshur with them, Desirable young men, governors and prefects, All of them—rulers and proclaimed ones, All of them riding on horses.
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.
24 And they have come in against you, With arms, rider, and wheel, And with an assembly of peoples; Buckler, and shield, and helmet, They set against you all around, And I have set judgment before them, They have judged you in their judgments.
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.
25 And I have set My jealousy against you, And they have dealt with you in fury, They turn aside your nose and your ears, And your posterity falls by sword, They take away your sons and your daughters, And your posterity is devoured by fire.
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.
26 And they have stripped you of your garments, And have taken your beautiful jewels.
They will strip off your clothes and take your fine jewelry.
27 And I have caused your wickedness to cease from you, And your whoredoms out of the land of Egypt, And you do not lift up your eyes to them, And you do not remember Egypt again.
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.’
28 For thus said Lord YHWH: Behold, I am giving you into a hand that you have hated, Into a hand from which you were alienated.
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.
29 And they have dealt with you in hatred, And they have taken all your labor, And they have left you naked and bare, And the nakedness of your whoredoms has been revealed, And the wickedness of your whoredoms.
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
30 To do these things to you, In your going whoring after nations, Because you have been defiled with their idols,
have brought these things upon you, because you have prostituted yourself with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.
31 You have walked in the way of your sister, And I have given her cup into your hand.
Because you have followed the path of your sister, I will put her cup into your hand.’
32 Thus said Lord YHWH: You drink the cup of your sister, The deep and the wide one (You are for laughter and for scorn), Abundant to contain.
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.
33 You are filled with drunkenness and sorrow, A cup of astonishment and desolation, The cup of your sister Samaria.
You will be filled with drunkenness and grief, with a cup of devastation and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria.
34 And you have drunk it, and have drained [it], And you gnaw its earthen ware, And you pluck off your own breasts, For I have spoken, A declaration of Lord YHWH,
You will drink it and drain it; you will dash it to pieces, and tear your breasts. For I have spoken,’
35 Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: Because you have forgotten Me, And you cast Me behind your back, Even you also bear your wickedness and your whoredoms.”
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.’”
36 And YHWH says to me, “Son of man, Do you judge Aholah and Aholibah? Then declare their abominations to them.
Then the LORD said to me: “Son of man, will you pass judgment against Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.
37 For they have committed adultery, And blood [is] in their hands, They committed adultery with their idols, And also their sons whom they bore to Me, They caused to pass over to them for food.
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.
38 Again, they have done this to Me, They defiled My sanctuary in that day, And they have defiled My Sabbaths.
They have also done this to Me: On that very same day, they defiled My sanctuary and profaned My Sabbaths.
39 And in their slaughtering their sons to their idols They also come into My sanctuary in that day to defile it, And behold, thus they have done in the midst of My house,
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.
40 And also that they send to men coming from afar, To whom a messenger is sent, And behold, they have come in for whom you have washed, Painted your eyes, and put on adornment.
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.
41 And you have sat on a couch of honor, And a table arrayed before it, And placed My incense and My oil on it.
You sat on a couch of luxury with a table spread before it, on which you had set My incense and My oil,
42 And the voice of a multitude at ease [is] with her, And Sabeans from the wilderness are brought in to men of the common people, And they put bracelets on their hands, And a beautiful crown on their heads.
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.
43 And I say of the worn-out one in adulteries, Now they commit her whoredoms—she also!
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!’
44 And they come in to her, As the coming in to a whorish woman, So they have come in to Aholah, And to Aholibah—the wicked women.
And they slept with her as with a prostitute; they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, those lewd women.
45 As for righteous men, they judge them with the judgment of adulteresses, And the judgment of women shedding blood, For they [are] adulteresses, And blood [is] in their hands.
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.
46 For thus said Lord YHWH: Bring up an assembly against them, And give them to trembling and to spoiling.
This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Bring a mob against them and consign them to terror and plunder.
47 And they have cast the stone of the assembly at them, And cut them with their swords, They slay their sons and their daughters, And they burn their houses with fire.
The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses.
48 And I have caused wickedness to cease from the land, And all the women have been instructed, And they do not do according to your wickedness.
So I will put an end to indecency in the land, and all the women will be admonished not to imitate your behavior.
49 And they have put your wickedness on you, And you bear the sins of your idols, And you have known that I [am] Lord YHWH!”
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.’”
