Ezekiel 23

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

The word of the Lord came to me again, 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 committed lewd deeds in Egypt; they committed lewd deeds in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they were first corrupted.

They were acting like loose women in Egypt; when they were young their behaviour was loose: there their breasts were crushed, even the points of their young breasts were crushed.

4 And the names of them [were] Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bore sons and daughters. Thus [were] their names; Samaria [is] Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.

Their names were Oholah, the older, and Oholibah, her sister: and they became mine, and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem, Oholibah.

5 And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians [her] neighbors.

And Oholah was untrue to me when she was mine; she was full of desire for her lovers, even for the Assyrians, her neighbours,

6 [Who were] clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.

Who were clothed in blue, captains and rulers, all of them young men to be desired, horsemen seated on horses.

7 Thus she committed her lewd deeds with them, with all them [that were] the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.

And she gave her unclean love to them, all of them the noblest men of Assyria: and she made herself unclean with the images of all who were desired by her.

8 Neither left she her lewd deeds [brought] from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they first corrupted her, and poured their impurities upon her.

And she has not given up her loose ways from the time when she was in Egypt; for when she was young they were her lovers, and by them her young breasts were crushed, and they let loose on her their unclean desire.

9 Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.

For this cause I gave her up into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the Assyrians on whom her desire was fixed.

10 These uncovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her.

By these her shame was uncovered: they took her sons and daughters and put her to death with the sword: and she became a cause of wonder to women; for they gave her the punishment which was right.

11 And when her sister Aholibah saw [this], she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her prostitutions more than her sister in [her] prostitutions.

And her sister Oholibah saw this, but her desire was even more unmeasured, and her loose behaviour was worse than that of her sister.

12 She doted upon the Assyrians [her] neighbors, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men.

She was full of desire for the Assyrians, captains and rulers, her neighbours, clothed in blue, horsemen going on horses, all of them young men to be desired.

13 Then I saw that she was defiled, [that] they [took] both one way.

And I saw that she had become unclean; the two of them went the same way.

14 And [that] she increased her prostitutions: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion.

And her loose behaviour became worse; for she saw men pictured on a wall, pictures of the Chaldaeans painted in bright red,

15 Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity:

With bands round their bodies and with head-dresses hanging round their heads, all of them looking like rulers, like the Babylonians, the land of whose birth is Chaldaea.

16 And as soon as she saw them with her eyes she doted upon them, and sent messengers to them into Chaldea.

And when she saw them she was full of desire for them, and sent servants to them in Chaldaea.

17 And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their lewdness, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.

And the Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love, and made her unclean with their loose desire, and she became unclean with them, and her soul was turned from them.

18 So she disclosed her lewd deeds, and exposed her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, as my mind was alienated from her sister.

So her loose behaviour was clearly seen and her shame uncovered: then my soul was turned from her as it had been turned from her sister.

19 Yet she multiplied her prostitutions, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, in which she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.

But still she went on the more with her loose behaviour, keeping in mind the early days when she had been a loose woman in the land of Egypt.

20 For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh [is as] the flesh of asses, and whose issue [is like] the issue of horses.

And she was full of desire for her lovers, whose flesh is like the flesh of asses and whose seed is like the seed of horses.

21 Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, by being corrupted by the Egyptians in thy youth.

And she made the memory of the loose ways of her early years come back to mind, when her young breasts were crushed by the Egyptians.

22 Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side;

For this cause, O Oholibah, this is what the Lord has said: See, I will make your lovers come up against you, even those from whom your soul is turned away in disgust; and I will make them come up against you on every side;

23 The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, [and] all the Assyrians with them: all of them desirable young men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses.

The Babylonians and all the Chaldaeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: young men to be desired, captains and rulers all of them, and chiefs, her neighbours, all of them on horseback.

24 And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, [which] shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet on every side: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments.

And they will come against you from the north on horseback, with war-carriages and a great band of peoples; they will put themselves in order against you with breastplate and body-cover and metal head-dress round about you: and I will make them your judges, and they will give their decision against you as seems right to them.

25 And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee: they shall take away thy nose and thy ears; and thy remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons and thy daughters; and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire.

And my bitter feeling will be working against you, and they will take you in hand with passion; they will take away your nose and your ears, and the rest of you will be put to the sword: they will take your sons and daughters, and the rest of you will be burned up in the fire.

26 They shall also strip thee of thy clothes, and take away thy fair jewels.

And they will take all your clothing off you and take away your ornaments.

27 Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy adultery [brought] from the land of Egypt: so that thou shalt not lift up thy eyes to them, nor remember Egypt any more.

So I will put an end to your evil ways and your loose behaviour which came from the land of Egypt: and your eyes will never be lifted up to them again, and you will have no more memory of Egypt.

28 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will deliver thee into the hand [of them] whom thou hatest, into the hand [of them] from whom thy mind is alienated:

For this is what the Lord has said: See, I will give you up into the hands of those who are hated by you, into the hands of those from whom your soul is turned away in disgust:

29 And they shall treat thee with hatred, and shall take away all thy labor, and shall leave thee naked and bare: and the nakedness of thy prostitutions shall be disclosed, both thy lewdness and thy prostitutions.

And they will take you in hand with hate, and take away all the fruit of your work, and let you be unveiled and without clothing: and the shame of your loose behaviour will be uncovered, your evil designs and your loose ways.

30 I will do these [things] to thee, because thou hast gone astray after the heathen, [and] because thou art polluted with their idols.

They will do these things to you because you have been untrue to me, and have gone after the nations, and have become unclean with their images.

31 Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore will I give her cup into thy hand.

You have gone in the way of your sister; and I will give her cup into your hand.

32 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup deep and large: thou shalt be treated with scorn and had in derision; it containeth much.

This is what the Lord has said: You will take a drink from your sister's cup, which is deep and wide: you will be laughed at and looked down on, more than you are able to undergo.

33 Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria.

You will be broken and full of sorrow, with the cup of wonder and destruction, with the cup of your sister Samaria.

34 Thou shalt even drink it, and empty it to the dregs, and thou shalt break its pieces, and pluck off thy own breasts: for I have spoken [it], saith the Lord GOD.

And after drinking it and draining it out, you will take the last drops of it to the end, pulling off your breasts: for I have said it, says the Lord.

35 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy prostitutions.

So this is what the Lord has said: Because you have not kept me in your memory, and because your back has been turned to me, you will even undergo the punishment of your evil designs and your loose ways.

36 The LORD said moreover to me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yes, declare to them their abominations;

Then the Lord said to me: Son of man, will you be the judge of Oholibah? then make clear to her the disgusting things she has done.

37 That they have committed adultery, and blood [is] in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bore to me, to pass for them through [the fire], to devour [them].

For she has been false to me, and blood is on her hands, and with her images she has been untrue; and more than this, she made her sons, whom she had by me, go through the fire to them to be burned up.

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

Further, this is what she has done to me: she has made my holy place unclean and has made my Sabbaths unclean.

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

For when she had made an offering of her children to her images, she came into my holy place to make it unclean; see, this is what she has done inside my house.

40 And furthermore, that ye have sent for men to come from far, to whom a messenger [was] sent; and lo, they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, paint thy eyes, and deck thyself with ornaments,

And she even sent for men to come from far away, to whom a servant was sent, and they came: for whom she was washing her body and painting her eyes and making herself fair with ornaments.

41 And sattest upon a stately bed and a table prepared before it, upon which thou hast set my incense and my oil.

And she took her seat on a great bed, with a table put ready before it on which she put my perfume and my oil.

42 And a voice of a multitude being at ease [was] with her: and with the men of the common sort [were] brought Sabeans from the wilderness, who put bracelets upon their hands, and beautiful crowns upon their heads.

... and they put jewels on her hands and beautiful crowns on her head.

43 Then said I to [her that was] old in adulteries, Will they now commit lewd deeds with her, and she [with them]?

Then I said ... now she will go on with her loose ways.

44 Yet they went in to her, as they go in to a woman that playeth the harlot: so they went in to Aholah and to Aholibah, the lewd women.

And they went in to her, as men go to a loose woman: so they went in to Oholibah, the loose woman.

45 And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they [are] adulteresses, and blood [is] in their hands.

And upright men will be her judges, judging her as false wives and women who take lives are judged; because she has been untrue to me and blood is on her hands.

46 For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will bring up a company upon them, and will give them to be removed and plundered.

For this is what the Lord has said: I will make a great meeting of the people come together against her, and will send on her shaking fear and take everything from her.

47 And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn their houses with fire.

And the meeting, after stoning her with stones, will put an end to her with their swords; they will put her sons and daughters to death and have her house burned up with fire.

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 put an end to evil in all the land, teaching all women not to do as you have done.

49 And they shall recompense your lewdness upon you, and ye shall bear the sins of your idols: and ye shall know that I [am] the Lord GOD.

And I will send on you the punishment of your evil ways, and you will be rewarded for your sins with your images: and you will be certain that I am the Lord.