Ezekiel 23

1 Yahweh said to me,

And the word of Yahweh came unto me saying,

2 “You human, [listen to this parable about Jerusalem and Samaria]. Once there were two women, daughters of the same mother.

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

3 They lived in Egypt. And from the time that they were young women, they became prostitutes. In that land, [men] fondled their breasts and caressed their bosoms [DOU].

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 The older [sister] was Oholah, and her [younger] sister was Oholibah. [It was as though] they became my [wives. Later] they gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah represents Samaria, and Oholibah represents Jerusalem.

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 Oholah acted like a prostitute while she was [still] my wife. She desired to have sex with those she loved—soldiers from Assyria.

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

6 [Some of them] were army officers and commanders. They wore [beautiful] blue [uniforms. They were] all handsome young men. Some of them rode horses.

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

7 She acted like a prostitute toward all the important Assyrian officials, and became unacceptable to me by worshiping all the idols of the men she wanted to have sex with.

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 When she was a young woman in Egypt, she started being a prostitute, and [young] men caressed her breasts and had sex with her; and when she became older, she did not quit acting like a prostitute.

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 So I allowed the Assyrian soldiers, whom she wanted to have sex with, to capture her.

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 stripped all her clothes off her. They took away her sons and daughters. And then they killed her with a sword. [Other] women started talking about what had happened to her, about how she had been punished.

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 [younger] sister Oholibah saw those [that happened to Oholah], but she was a prostitute, and she desired to have sex with men more than [older] sister had desired.

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 Oholibah [also] wanted to have sex with the Assyrian soldiers. [Some of them were] army officers and commanders. [They all] wore beautiful blue uniforms. They were all handsome young men. [Some of] them rode horses.

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 I saw what she did that caused her to became unacceptable to me, just like [older] sister.

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

14 But she did [even] worse things. She saw drawings of men from Babylonia on the walls, painted in red.

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

15 The [in the drawings] had belts around their waists and long turbans on their heads. They all resembled officers from Babylonia [DOU] [who rode in chariots].

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 As soon as she saw those drawings, she wanted to have sex with those men, and she sent messages to them in Babylonia.

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

17 Then the soldiers from Babylonia came to her, they lay in bed with her, and they had sex with her. Then she became disgusted with them and turned away from them.

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 But when she continued to openly/boldly act like a prostitute [DOU], I became disgusted with her, and I rejected her like I had rejected [older] sister.

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 But she became even more immoral, as she remembered when she was a young woman who was a prostitute in Egypt.

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

20 There she wanted to have sex with those who loved her, whose genitals were [very long], like [SIM] those of donkeys, and whose sexual emissions were huge, [like] those of horses.

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

21 So she desired to be immoral like she was when she was young, when men in Egypt caressed her bosom and fondled her breasts.”

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 “[represents you people of Jerusalem]. Therefore, this is what [I], Yahweh the Lord say: ‘I will cause those [soldiers] who loved you but whom you turned away from because you became disgusted with them, to be angry with you. I will cause them to come and attack you from every side—

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 soldiers from Babylon and all the other places in Babylonia, [their allies] from Pekod and Shoa and [regions], and all the army of Assyria. [Yes], all of them are handsome young men, army officers and commanders, officers who ride in chariots, all riding on horses.

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 Their huge army will attack you with weapons, riding in chariots and pulling wagons [that will carry their army supplies]. They will surround you, carrying large and small shields, and wearing helmets. I will allow them to capture you and punish you in the way that they [always] [their enemies].

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 Because I am very angry with you, I will cause them to act [very] furiously toward you. They will cut off your noses and your ears. Then, those who are still alive, they will kill with their swords. They will take away your sons and daughters, and a fire will burn up those who remain alive.

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 They will strip off your clothes and your fine jewelry and take them away.

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

27 In that way, I will stop all the immoral behavior that began when you became a prostitute in Egypt. You will no longer desire to do those things, or think [what you did in] Egypt.’

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 This is what [I], Yahweh the Lord say: ‘I am about to allow those whom you hate, those you became disgusted with and turned away from, to capture you.

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 They will be cruel and take away everything that you have worked hard to acquire. They will leave you completely naked [DOU], and everyone will see that you truly are a prostitute.

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 It is because of what you have done that you will be punished like that; you have been an immoral prostitute; you have had sex with men of other nations, and you have caused yourselves to become unacceptable to me [worshiping] their idols.

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 You have behaved [the people of Samaria, who are like] your [older] sister. So I will cause you to be punished [MET] like they were punished.’

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

32 This is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: ‘[You will suffer like people suffer when they drink from a cup a lot of strong alcoholic drink]: [It will be as though] you will drink from the cup that the people of Samaria drank from; a big and tall cup. Because of your drinking what is in that cup, many people will scorn you and make fun of you because there is a lot of liquid in that cup.

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 When you become very drunk, you will become very sad, [drinking what is in] that cup [MTY] will cause you to become ruined and deserted, like what happened [MET] to [the people of] Samaria, [who are like] [MET] your sister.

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

34 You will drink all the liquid that is in that cup; then you will break that cup into pieces [use those pieces to] gash/cut your [because you will be very sad].’ [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it.

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, this is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: ‘Because you have forgotten me and rejected me [IDM], you must be punished for your immoral behavior and for [like] a prostitute.’”

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 Yahweh said to me, “You human, you must [RHQ] [the people of those two cities represented by] Oholah and Oholibah. You must remind them of their detestable behavior:

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

37 [It is as though the people of those cities] have committed adultery and have murdered [MTY] people. They have been unfaithful to me by [worshiping] idols. They have even sacrificed their own children, who belonged to me, to be food for their idols.

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 They have done [disgraceful things]: They have caused my temple to be an unacceptable place for worship, and have not respected the Sabbath days.

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

39 On the same day that they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my temple, which caused it to be an unacceptable place for worshiping me.

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 They sent messages to men [in countries] far away. And when those men arrived, [the women of those two cities] bathed themselves for them, painted their eyebrows, and put on jewelry.

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 They sat on a beautiful couch, with a table in front of it on which they had put incense and [olive] oil that belonged to me.

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

42 Soon there was a noisy crowd around them. Among the crowd there were men from Sheba who had come from the [of Arabia]. They put bracelets on the arms of the [two] sisters and put beautiful crowns on their heads.

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 I said about the woman who had become exhausted by her having sex with many men, ‘Now allow those men to act toward her as though she is a prostitute, because that is all that she is.’

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

44 So they had sex [EUP] with those two women, Oholah and Oholibah, like men have sex with prostitutes.

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 will condemn them to be punished, like women who commit adultery and who murder others are punished, because those women commit adultery and they murder [MTY] others.

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 So this is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: Bring a mob to attack Samaria and Jerusalem, and allow that mob to cause the people of those cities to be terrified, and to rob them.

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 The mob will throw stones at [to kill them]; they will cut them into pieces with their swords, they will kill their sons and daughters, and burn down their houses.

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 In that way I will cause them to stop their immoral behavior. It will warn other women to not imitate/do what you people of Jerusalem are doing.

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 [people of Jerusalem] will be punished for your immoral behavior and for your worshiping idols. Then you will know that I, Yahweh the Lord, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].”

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.