Ezekiel 23
1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
A message from the Lord came to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother.
“Son of man, there were once two women. They were daughters of the same mother.
3 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.
They became prostitutes in Egypt. In fact, they were prostitutes from the time they were young. They allowed their virgin breasts to be fondled and their nipples squeezed.
4 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.
The older girl was called Oholah, and her sister Oholibah. I married them both and they had sons and daughters. Oholah represents Samaria, and Oholibah represents Jerusalem.
5 But Oholah acted as a prostitute even when she was mine; she lusted for her lovers, for the Assyrians who were dominant,
Oholah prostituted herself while she was still married to me. She wanted to have sex with her lovers, the Assyrians.
6 the governor who wore blue, and for his officials, who were strong and handsome, all of them men riding on horses.
They were soldiers dressed in blue, leaders and commanders, all of them handsome young men in the cavalry.
7 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.
She gave away herself sexually to all the important men of Assyria. She made herself unclean by her worship of all the idols of those men she wanted to have sex with.
8 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.
She didn't stop her prostitution that she started in Egypt—men sleeping with her when she was young, squeezing her virgin breasts and using her to satisfy their sexual appetite.
9 Therefore I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians for whom she lusted.
So I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians she wanted to have sex with.
10 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.
They stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. She became infamous among women, and they punished her.
11 Her sister Oholibah saw this, but she lusted even more passionately and acted like a prostitute even more than her sister.
Oholibah saw what happened to her sister, but she became even worse than her in her wanting sex and practicing prostitution.
12 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.
She also wanted to have sex with the Assyrians: their leaders and commanders, their splendidly-dressed soldiers—all of them handsome young men in the cavalry.
13 I saw that she had made herself unclean. It was the same for both sisters.
I saw that she had also made herself unclean—both sisters were doing the same thing.
14 Then she increased her prostitution even more. She saw men carved on walls, figures of Chaldeans painted in red,
However, Oholibah's prostitution was even worse. She saw pictures of Babylonian soldiers wearing bright red uniforms painted on the wall.
15 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.
They were wearing belts on their waists and large turbans on their heads. They all looked like Babylonian officers in Chaldea, the country where they were born.
16 As soon as her eyes saw them, she lusted for them, so she sent out messengers to them in Chaldea.
When she saw the paintings of them, she wanted to have sex with them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.
17 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.
The Babylonians came to her and her love bed, and made her unclean with their sexual desire. However, after she had been dishonored by them, she rejected them in disgust.
18 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.
When Oholibah so blatantly prostituted herself, exposing herself naked, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had done to her sister.
19 Then she increased her prostitution as she remembered the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in the land of Egypt.
But she practiced even more prostitution, remembering how she'd been a prostitute in Egypt when she was young.
20 So she lusted for her lovers, whose private parts were like those of donkeys, and whose reproductive emissions were like those of horses.
She wanted to have sex with her lovers who had genitals like donkeys and who ejaculated like stallions.
21 This is how you committed shameful acts of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled your nipples and squeezed your young breasts.
You went back to the indecent acts when you were young, when the Egyptians squeezed your nipples and fondled your young breasts.
22 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:
So Oholibah, this is what the Lord God says: I'm going to encourage your lovers to attack you, those you rejected in disgust. I will bring them to attack you from every direction:
23 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.
the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, the men of Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians along with them—all handsome young men, leaders and commanders, chariot captains and important officers, all riding horses.
24 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.
They will attack you from the north, invading with a great army, chariots, and wagons. They will come with their shields and helmets and surround you. I will hand you over to them for punishment, and they will judge and punish you following their own laws.
25 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.
I feel so strongly about what you've done that I will oppose you, and they will treat you very badly. They will cut off your noses and ears, and they will kill those of you who are left. They will take away your sons and daughters as prisoners, and those of you who are left will be destroyed by fire.
26 They will strip you of your clothes and take away all of your jewelry.
They will tear off your clothes and take your beautiful jewelry.
27 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.'
I'm going to put a stop to your immorality and prostitution, which started in Egypt. You won't think longingly about those times, and you'll forget all about Egypt.
28 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.
For this is what the Lord God says: Believe it when I say that I'm going to hand you over to the people you hate, the ones you rejected in disgust.
29 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.
They will treat you with hatred. They will take away everything you've worked for, leaving you stark naked with nothing, so that so that the indecent acts of your prostitution will be exposed. Your immorality and prostitution
30 These things will be done to you in your acting like a prostitute, lusting after nations by which you became unclean with their idols.
is why all this has happened to you, because you acted as a prostitute with the nations and made yourself unclean by worshiping their idols.
31 You have walked in the way of your sister, so I will put her cup of punishment into your hand.'
Because you did what your sister did, I will give you her cup to drink.
32 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.
This is what the Lord God says: You will drink from your sister's cup—a large, deep cup. You will be laughed at and insulted. You'll have to endure much of this.
33 You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, the cup of horror and devastation; the cup of your sister Samaria.
It will make you drunk and full of grief because it's a cup of that brings horror and destruction, the cup your sister Samaria drank from.
34 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.'
You will drink it all down, smash it to pieces on the ground, and tear at your breasts. This is what I have spoken, declares the Lord God.
35 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.'”
In summary this is what the Lord God says: Because you have forgotten about me and have ignored me, you will have to experience the consequences of your immorality and prostitution.”
36 Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? So present to them their disgusting actions,
Then the Lord said to me: “Son of man, are you going to condemn Oholah and Oholibah? Expose the disgusting things they've done!
37 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.
For they have committed adultery, and they are guilty of murder. They have committed adultery with their idols, and have even offered their children, whom they had for me, as sacrifices to their idols.
38 Then they continue to do this to me: They make my sanctuary unclean, and on the same day they defile my Sabbaths.
They also did this to me: On the very same day they both made my sanctuary unclean and violated my Sabbaths.
39 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.
On very day that they killed their children for their idols, they went my sanctuary and made it unclean. Look at what they did right inside my Temple!
40 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.
They even kept on sending messengers for men to come from far away. When the men arrived, you would get yourselves ready for them by bathing, doing your eye makeup, and putting in your jewelry.
41 There you sat on a beautiful bed and at a table arranged before it where you placed my incense and my oil.
You sat on an expensive couch, with my incense and my oil on a table placed in front of it.
42 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.
The room was full of the noise of people partying. Drunk men were brought in from the desert along with some common people and they put bracelets on your wrists and beautiful crowns on your head.
43 Then I said of her who was worn out by adultery, 'Now they will be sexually immoral with her, and she with them.'
Then I said about the old worn-out woman, ‘Now they can have her as a prostitute because that's what she is!’
44 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.
So they had sex with her like a prostitute. They had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, those immoral women.
45 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.
But men who believe in what's right will judge them and impose the punishment for committing commit adultery and murder, because they are adulterers and murderers.
46 So the Lord Yahweh says this: I will raise up a company against them and give them up to be terrorized and plundered.
This is what the Lord God says: Have a mob attack them! Make them terrified and rob them.
47 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.
The mob will stone them and kill them with their swords, slaughtering their sons and daughters and burning down their houses.
48 For I will remove shameful behavior from the land and discipline all the women so they will no longer act like prostitutes.
This is how I will put an end to immorality in the country, and all the women will be warned not to do what you have done.
49 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.”
They will punish you for your immorality, and you will have to experience the consequences of your idol worship. Then you will know that I am the Lord God.”
