Ezekiel 23

1 The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,

The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

2 "Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:

“Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother.

3 and they played the prostitute in Egypt; they played the prostitute in their youth; there were their breasts pressed, and there was handled the bosom of their virginity.

They acted as prostitutes in Egypt in the time of their youth. They acted as prostitutes there. Their breasts were squeezed and their virgin nipples were fondled there.

4 Their names were Oholah the elder, and Oholibah her sister: and they became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem Oholibah.

Their names were Oholah—the older sister—and Oholibah—her younger sister. Then they became mine and bore sons and daughters. Their names mean this: Oholah means Samaria, and Oholibah means Jerusalem.

5 "Oholah played the prostitute when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbors,

But Oholah acted as a prostitute even when she was mine; she lusted for her lovers, for the Assyrians who were dominant,

6 who were clothed with blue, governors and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses.

the governor who wore blue, and for his officials, who were strong and handsome, all of them men riding on horses.

7 She bestowed her prostitution on them, the choicest men of Assyria all of them; and on whoever she doted, with all their idols she defiled herself.

So she gave herself as a prostitute to them, to all the best of Assyria's men, and she made herself unclean with everyone she lusted for—and with all their idols.

8 Neither has she left her prostitution since the days of Egypt; for in her youth they lay with her, and they handled the bosom of her virginity; and they poured out their prostitution on her.

For she had not left her prostitute behavior behind in Egypt, when they had slept with her when she had been a young girl, when they first began to fondle her virgin breasts, when they first began to pour out their promiscuous behavior on her.

9 Therefore I delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, on whom she doted.

Therefore I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians for whom she lusted.

10 These uncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and her daughters; and her they killed with the sword: and she became a byword among women; for they executed judgments on her.

They uncovered her nakedness, took her sons and daughters, killed her with the sword, and she became notorious among other women, so they executed judgment on her.

11 "Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet was she more corrupt in her doting than she, and in her prostitution which were more than the prostitution of her sister.

Her sister Oholibah saw this, but she lusted even more passionately and acted like a prostitute even more than her sister.

12 She doted on the Assyrians, governors and rulers, her neighbors, clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men.

She lusted for the Assyrians, the governors and the dominating officials who dressed impressively, who were men riding horses. All of them were strong, handsome men.

13 I saw that she was defiled; they both took one way.

I saw that she had made herself unclean. It was the same for both sisters.

14 She increased her prostitution; for she saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,

Then she increased her prostitution even more. She saw men carved on walls, figures of Chaldeans painted in red,

15 wearing belts on their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, after the likeness of the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth.

wearing belts around their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads. All of them had the appearance of officers of chariot troops, the likeness of sons of Babylonia, whose native land is Chaldea.

16 As soon as she saw them she doted on them, and sent messengers to them into Chaldea.

As soon as her eyes saw them, she lusted for them, so she sent out messengers to them in Chaldea.

17 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 soul was alienated from them.

Then the Babylonians came to her and to her bed of lust, and they made her unclean with their promiscuousness. By what she had done she was made unclean, so she turned herself away from them in disgust.

18 So she uncovered her prostitution, and uncovered her nakedness: then my soul was alienated from her, like as my soul was alienated from her sister.

When she displayed her acts of prostitution and uncovered her nakedness, I turned away from her, just as I had turned away in disgust from her sister.

19 Yet she multiplied her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth, in which she had played the prostitute in the land of Egypt.

Then she increased her prostitution as she remembered the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in the land of Egypt.

20 She doted on their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of donkeys, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.

So she lusted for her lovers, whose private parts were like those of donkeys, and whose reproductive emissions were like those of horses.

21 Thus you called to memory the lewdness of your youth, in the handling of your bosom by the Egyptians for the breasts of your youth.

This is how you committed shameful acts of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled your nipples and squeezed your young breasts.

22 "Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the LORD: 'Look, I will raise up your lovers against you, from whom your soul is alienated, and I will bring them against you on every side:

Therefore, Oholibah, the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold! I will turn your lovers against you. Those from whom you turned away, I will bring them against you from every side:

23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them; desirable young men, all of them governors and officials, officers and men of renown, all of them riding on horses.

the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, strong, handsome men, governors and commanders, all of them are officers and men of reputation, all of them riding on horses.

24 And they shall come against you armed with chariots, and wagons, and with a huge army; they shall come against you on every side with large shields and small shields and helmet; and I will commit the judgment to them, and they will judge you by their own standards.

They will come against you with weapons, and with chariots and wagons, and with a great crowd of people. They will set large shields, small shields, and helmets against you all around. I will give them the opportunity to punish you, and they will punish you with their actions.

25 I will set my jealousy against you, and they shall deal with you in fury; they shall take away your nose and your ears; and your residue shall fall by the sword: they shall take your sons and your daughters; and your residue shall be devoured by the fire.

For I will set my jealous anger on you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and your ears, and your survivors will fall by the sword. They will take away your sons and your daughters, and your survivors will be devoured by fire.

26 They shall also strip you of your clothes, and take away your beautiful jewels.

They will strip you of your clothes and take away all of your jewelry.

27 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.

So I will remove your shameful behavior from you and your acts of prostitution from the land of Egypt. You will not lift up your eyes toward them with longing, and you will think of Egypt no longer.'

28 "'For thus says the LORD: Look, I will deliver you into the hand of them whom you hate, into the hand of them from whom your soul is alienated;

For the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold! I will give you into the hand of the ones you hate, back into the hand of the ones from whom you had turned away.

29 and they shall deal with you in hatred, and shall take away all your labor, and shall leave you naked and bare; and the nakedness of your prostitution shall be uncovered, both your lewdness and your prostitution.

They will deal with you hatefully; they will take all your possessions and abandon you naked and bare, and your nakedness will be uncovered just as when you engaged in promiscuity and prostitutions.

30 These things shall be done to you, because you have played the prostitute after the nations, and because you are polluted with their idols.

These things will be done to you in your acting like a prostitute, lusting after nations by which you became unclean with their idols.

31 You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will give her cup into your hand.'

You have walked in the way of your sister, so I will put her cup of punishment into your hand.'

32 "Thus says the LORD: 'You will drink of your sister's cup, which is deep and large; you will be ridiculed and held in derision; it contains much.

The Lord Yahweh says this, 'You will drink your sister's cup that is deep and large. You will become a laughingstock and a subject for derision—this cup contains a great amount.

33 You shall be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of your sister Samaria.

You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, the cup of horror and devastation; the cup of your sister Samaria.

34 You shall even drink it and drain it out, and you shall gnaw the broken pieces of it, and shall tear your breasts; for I have spoken it,' says the LORD.

You will drink it and drain it empty; then you will shatter it and tear your breasts with the pieces. For I have declared it—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'

35 "Therefore thus says the LORD: 'Because you have forgotten me, and cast me behind your back, therefore you also bear your lewdness and your prostitution.'"

Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Because you have forgotten me and thrown me away behind your back, so also you will bear the consequences of your shameful behavior and acts of sexual immorality.'”

36 The LORD said moreover to me: "Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.

Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? So present to them their disgusting actions,

37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands; and with their idols have they committed adultery; and they have also caused their sons, whom they bore to me, to pass through the fire to them to be devoured.

since they have committed adultery, and since there is blood on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and they have even caused their sons to pass through the fire, as food for their idols.

38 Moreover this they have done to me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my Sabbaths.

Then they continue to do this to me: They make my sanctuary unclean, and on the same day they defile my Sabbaths.

39 For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and look, thus have they done in the midst of my house.

For when they had slaughtered their children for their idols, then they came to my sanctuary on the same day to defile it! So behold! This is what they have done in the middle of my house.

40 "'Furthermore you have sent for men who come from far, to whom a messenger was sent, and look, they came; for whom you did wash yourself, paint your eyes, and decorate yourself with ornaments,

You sent out for men who came from far away, to whom messengers had been sent—now behold. They indeed came, those for whom you bathed, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewelry.

41 and sit on a stately bed, with a table prepared before it, whereupon you set my incense and my oil.'

There you sat on a beautiful bed and at a table arranged before it where you placed my incense and my oil.

42 The voice of a multitude being at ease was with her: and with men of the common sort were brought drunkards from the wilderness; and they put bracelets on their hands twain, and beautiful crowns on their heads.

So the sound of a noisy crowd was around her; including all kinds of men, even Sabeans were brought in from the wilderness, and they put bracelets on their hands and beautiful crowns on their heads.

43 Then I said of her who was old in adulteries, 'Now will they play the prostitute with her, and she with them.'

Then I said of her who was worn out by adultery, 'Now they will be sexually immoral with her, and she with them.'

44 They went in to her, as they go in to a prostitute: so went they in to Oholah and to Oholibah, the lewd women.

They went in to her and slept with her as men go in to be with a prostitute. In this way they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, who were immoral women.

45 Righteous men, they shall judge them with the judgment of adulteresses, and with the judgment of women who shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.

But righteous men will pass judgment and punish them as adulteresses, and they will punish them with the sentence for those who shed blood, because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.

46 "For thus says the LORD: 'I will bring up a company against them, and will give them to be tossed back and forth and robbed.

So the Lord Yahweh says this: I will raise up a company against them and give them up to be terrorized and plundered.

47 The company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords; they shall kill their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire.

Then that company will stone them with stones and cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses.

48 'Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out of the land, that all women may be taught not to do after your lewdness.

For I will remove shameful behavior from the land and discipline all the women so they will no longer act like prostitutes.

49 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.'"

So they will set your shameful behavior against you. You will bear the guilt of your sins with your idols, and in this way you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.”