Ezekiel 23
1 The word of YHWH came again to me, saying,
And the word of the Lord 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 one 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.
and they went a-whoring in Egypt in their youth: there their breasts fell, there they lost their virginity.
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.
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 played the prostitute when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbors,
And Oola went a-whoring from me, and doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians that were her neighbors,
6 who were clothed with blue, governors and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses.
clothed with purple, princes and captains; [they were] young men and choice, all horseman 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.
And she bestowed her fornication upon them; all were choice sons of the Assyrians: and on whomsoever she doted herself, with them she defiled herself in all [their] devices.
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.
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 Therefore I delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, on whom she doted.
Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the children of the Assyrians, on whom she doted.
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 shame: they took her sons and daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became a byword among women: and they wrought vengeance in her for the sake of the daughters.
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.
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 doted on the Assyrians, governors and rulers, her neighbors, clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men.
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 was defiled; they both took one way.
And I saw that they were defiled, [that] the two [had] one way.
14 She increased her prostitution; for she saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,
And she increased her fornication, and she saw men painted on the wall, likenesses of the Chaldeans painted with a pencil,
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.
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 As soon as she saw them she doted on them, and sent messengers to them into 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 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.
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 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.
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 Yet she multiplied her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth, in which she had played the prostitute in the land of Egypt.
And thou didst multiply thy fornication, so as to call to remembrance the days of thy youth, wherein thou didst commit whoredom in Egypt,
20 She doted on their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of donkeys, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.
and thou didst dote upon the Chaldeans, whose flesh is as the flesh of the asses, and their members [as] the members 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.
And thou didst look upon the iniquity of thy youth, [the things] which thou wroughtest in Egypt in thy lodgings, where were the breasts of thy youth.
22 "Therefore, Oholibah, thus says YHWH: '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, Ooliba, thus saith the Lord; Behold, I [will] stir up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy soul is alienated, and I will bring them upon thee round about,
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 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 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.
And they all shall come upon thee from the north, chariots and wheels, with a multitude of nations, shields and targets; and [the enemy] shall set a watch against thee round about: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall take vengeance on thee with their judgments.
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.
And I will bring upon thee my jealousy, and they shall deal with thee in great wrath: they shall take away thy nose and thine ears; and shall cast down thy remnant with the sword: they shall take thy sons and thy daughters; and thy remnant fire shall devour.
26 They shall also strip you of your clothes, and take away your beautiful jewels.
And they shall strip thee of thy raiment, and take [away] thine ornaments.
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 turn back thine ungodliness from thee, and thy fornication from the land of Egypt: and thou shalt not lift up thine eyes upon them, and shalt no more remember Egypt.
28 "'For thus says YHWH: Look, I will deliver you into the hand of them whom you hate, into the hand of them from whom your soul is alienated;
Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I [will] deliver thee into the hands of those whom thou hatest, from whom thy soul is alienated.
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.
And they shall deal with thee in hatred, and shall take all [the fruits] of thy labours and thy toils, and thou shalt be naked and bare: and the shame of thy fornication shall be exposed: and thy ungodliness and thy fornication
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.
brought this upon thee, in that thou wentest a-whoring after the nations, and didst defile thyself with their devices.
31 You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will give her cup into your hand.'
Thou didst walk in the way of thy sister; and I will put her cup into thine hands.
32 "Thus says YHWH: 'You will drink of your sister's cup, which is deep and large; you will be ridiculed and held in derision; it contains much.
Thus saith the Lord; Drink thy sister's cup, deep and large, and full, to cause complete drunkenness.
33 You shall be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of your sister Samaria.
And thou shalt be thoroughly weakened; and the cup of destruction, the cup of thy 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 YHWH.
drink thou it, and I will take away her feasts and her new moons: for I have spoken [it], saith the Lord.
35 "Therefore thus says YHWH: 'Because you have forgotten me, and cast me behind your back, therefore you also bear your lewdness and your prostitution.'"
Therefore thus saith the Lord; Because thou has forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore receive thou [the reward] of thine ungodliness and thy fornication.
36 YHWH said moreover to me: "Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.
And the Lord said to me, Son of man, wilt thou not judge Oola and Ooliba? and declare to them their iniquities?
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.
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 Moreover this they have done to me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my Sabbaths.
So long too as they did these things to me, they defiled my sanctuary, and profaned 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.
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 "'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,
and whereas they did thus to the men that came from afar, to whom they sent messengers, and as soon as they came, immediately thou didst wash thyself, and didst paint thine eyes and adorn thyself with ornaments,
41 and sit on a stately bed, with a table prepared before it, whereupon you set my incense and my oil.'
and satest 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 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.
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 of her who was old in adulteries, 'Now will they play the prostitute with her, and she with them.'
Therefore I said, Do they not commit adultery with these? and has she also gone a-whoring [after] the manner of a harlot?
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.
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 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.
And they are just men, and shall take vengeance on them with the judgment of an adulteress and the judgment of blood: for they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
46 "For thus says YHWH: 'I will bring up a company against them, and will give them to be tossed back and forth and robbed.
Thus saith the Lord God, Bring up a multitude upon them, and send trouble and plunder into the midst of them.
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.
And stone them with the stones of a multitude, and pierce them with their swords: they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and shall burn up 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.
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 shall recompense your lewdness on you, and you shall bear the sins of your idols; and you shall know that I am YHWH.'"
And your ungodliness shall be recompensed upon you, and ye shall bear the guilt of your devices: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
