Ezekiel 23

1 And the word of Yahweh came unto me saying,

2 Son of man, Two women, daughters of one mother, there were;

3 And they became unchaste in Egypt, In their youth, became they unchaste, There, were handled their breasts, And there, were pressed their virgin bosoms.

4 And their names were Oholah the elder And Oholibah—her sister, And they became mine and bare sons and daughters, - And as for their names, Samaria was Oholah, And Jerusalem, was Oholibah.

5 Then became Oholah unchaste after she had become mine- And lusted after her lovers, For Assyrians, so warlike,

6 Clothed in blue Governors and deputies, Attractive young men all of them, -Horsemen riding on horses.

7 So she bestowed her unchastities upon them, The choicest men of Assyria all of them, - And, with whomsoever she lusted after-with all their manufactured gods, she defiled herself.

8 And, her unchaste doings from the time she was in Egypt, had she not forsaken, For with her, had they lain in her youth, Yea they had pressed her virgin bosoms, - and had poured out their unchastity upon her.

9 therefore, did I deliver her into the hand of her lovers, - into the hand of the sons of Assyria, after whom she lusted:

10 They disclosed her shame, Her sons and her daughters: , took they away, And herself—with the sword, they slew, — Thus became she a by-word among women, when judgments, they had executed upon her.

11 And though her sister Oholibah saw, Yet became she more corrupt in her lust than the other, - And her unchaste doings exceeded the unchaste doings of her sister.

12 After the sons of Assyria: , she lusted Governors and deputies so warlike. Clothed in splendid array, Horsemen, riding on horses, Attractive young men, all of them.

13 So I saw that she defiled herself, — One way, had they both.

14 Yet did she add, unto her unchaste doings, when she saw men portrayed upon the wall, likenesses of Chaldeans, Portrayed with vermilion:

15 Girded with waistcloths upon their loins With overhanging high turbans upon their heads, In appearance, knights all of them, -The likeness of the sons of Babylon of Chaldea, the land of their birth.

16 Then lusted she after them, as soon as her eyes beheld them, — And she sent messengers unto them to Chaldea.

17 Then came in unto her the sons of Babylon into the bed of endearments, and defiled her with their unchaste doings, - And she defiled herself with them, And then was her soul torn from them.

18 Thus disclosed she her unchaste desires, And disclosed her shame, - So my soul was torn from her, Just as my soul had been torn from her sister.

19 Yea she multiplied her unchaste desires, -calling to mind the days of her youth, when she was unchaste in the land of Egypt; -

20 So she lusted after their courtiers, - Whose flesh was the flesh of asses, and Whose issue was the issue of horses.

21 Yea thou didst look about for the lewdness of thy youth, - When were pressed by the Egyptians. thy bosoms, When they handled thy youthful breasts.

22 Therefore, O Oholibah, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, Behold me! rousing up thy lovers against thee, Even them from whom thy soul hath been torn, - And I will bring them against thee from every side:

23 The sons of Babylon and all Chaldeans Pekod and Shoa and Koa, All the sons of Assyria with them, — Attractive young men Governors and deputies, all of them. Knights and men of renown, Riders on horses all of them;

24 And they shall come upon thee— With battle-axe, chariot and wheel And with a gathered host of peoples: Shield and buckler and helmet, will they array against thee on every side, - And I will put before them judgment, And they shall judge thee with their judgments;

25 When I set forth my jealousy against thee, Then will they deal with thee in indignation: Thy nose and thine ears, will they remove, And that which is left of thee, by the sword, shall fall, — They, will take away thy sons and thy daughters, And that which is left of thee, shall be devoured by the fire;

26 And they shall strip off thy raiment, - And take away thine adorning jewels!

27 Thus will I cause thy lewdness to cease, from thee Even thine unchastity brought from the land of Egypt, - So that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, And Egypt, shalt thou not call to mind any more.

28 For thus saith My Lord, Yahweh, Behold me! delivering thee up, into the hand of them whom thou hatest, Into the hand of them from whom thy soul hath been torn;

29 And they shall deal with thee in hatred And take away all thy labour, And leave thee utterly naked, - And thine unchaste shame, shall be disclosed, with thy lewdness and unchastities,

30 These things shall be done to thee, In that thou hast gone unchastely after the nations, Because thou hast defiled thyself with their manufactured gods.

31 In the way of thy sister, hast thou walked, Therefore will I put her cup into thy hand.

32 Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh, The cup of thy sister, shalt thou drink, The cup deep and large, Thou shalt become a laughingstock and a derision, much doth it contain!

33 With drunkenness and grief, shalt thou be filled, - The cup of astonishment and desolation, The cup of thy sister Samaria;

34 Yea thou shalt drink it and drain it out And the sherds thereof, shalt thou gnaw And thy breasts, shalt thou tear out, - For, I, have spoken, Declareth My Lord. Yahweh.

35 Therefore, Thus, saith My Lord. Yahweh, Because thou hast forgotten me, and has cast me behind thy back, Thou also thyself, bear thou thy lewdness and thine unchaste doings.

36 And Yahweh said unto me, Son of man Wilt thou judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare thou unto them their abominations.

37 For they have committed adultery. And blood, is one their hands, Yea with their manufactured gods, have they committed adultery. And even their own children whom they bare unto me, have they set apart for them to be devoured.

38 Yet more, this, have they done to me, They have defiled my sanctuary, on the same day, And my sabbaths, have they profaned.

39 Yea when they had slaughtered their children to their manufactured gods, then entered they into my sanctuary, on the same day, to profane it, - And lo! thus have they done in the midst of mine own house.

40 Yea verily, that ye must needs send for men, ready to come in from afar, in that, a messenger, was sent unto them and lo! they came, For whom thou didst bathe thyself Paint thine eyes And deck thyself with ornaments.

41 Then satest thou upon a glorious couch With a table prepared before it, — And mine incense and mine oil, didst thou set thereon.

42 The noise of careless throng also, was with her, And besides men out of the mass of mankind, there were brought in drunkards, out of the desert; And they put bracelets upon the hands of both women, And crowns of adorning upon their heads.

43 Then said I of her that was worn out with adulteries, Will they now join in her unchaste doings even hers?

44 Yet came they in unto her, as men go in unto a woman that is a harlot, — So, came they in unto Oholah, and unto Oholibah—the lewd women!

45 But righteous men, they, shall judge them, With the judgment of adulteresses, and With the judgment of women that shed blood, — Because adulteresses, they are And blood, is on their hands.

46 For thus, saith My Lord. Yahweh, - There shall be brought up against them a gathered host, Then shall they be delivered up. for a terror and for a prey,

47 Yea a gathered host shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords, Their sons and their daughters, shall they slay, And their houses—in the fire, shall they consume.

48 So will I make an end of lewdness out of the land, - And all women shall be disciplined, and shall not do according to your lewdness.

49 Yea the judges Shall set your lewdness upon you, And your sins with manufactured gods, shall ye bear; So shall ye know that, I, am The Lord Yahweh.