Ezekiel 23

1 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, 'Son of man,

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:

2 Two women were daughters of one mother,

'Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother;

3 And they go a-whoring in Egypt, In their youth they have gone a-whoring, There they have bruised their breasts, And there they have dealt with the loves of their virginity.

and they committed harlotries in Egypt; they committed harlotries in their youth; there were their bosoms pressed, and there their virgin breasts were bruised.

4 And their names [are] Aholah the elder, And Aholibah her sister, And they are Mine, and bear sons and daughters. As to their names — Samaria [is] Aholah, And Jerusalem [is] Aholibah.

And the names of them were Oholah the elder, and Oholibah her sister; and they became Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. And as for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem Oholibah.

5 And go a-whoring doth Aholah under Me, And she doteth on her lovers, On the neighbouring Assyrians,

And Oholah played the harlot when she was Mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians, warriors,

6 Clothed with blue — governors and prefects, Desirable young men all of them, Horsemen, riding on horses,

clothed with blue, governors and rulers, handsome young men all of them, horsemen riding upon horses.

7 And she giveth her whoredoms on them, The choice of the sons of Asshur, All of them — even all on whom she doted, By all their idols she hath been defiled.

And she bestowed her harlotries upon them, the choicest men of Assyria all of them; and on whomsoever she doted, with all their idols she defiled herself.

8 And her whoredoms out of Egypt she hath not forsaken, For with her they lay in her youth, And they dealt with the loves of her virginity, And they pour out their whoredoms on her.

Neither hath she left her harlotries brought from Egypt; for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised her virgin breasts; and they poured out their lust upon her.

9 Therefore I have given her into the hand of her lovers, Into the hand of sons of Asshur on whom she doted.

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

10 They have uncovered her nakedness, Her sons and her daughters they have taken, And her by sword they have slain, And she is a name for women, And judgments they have done with her.

These uncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and her daughters, and her they slew with the sword; and she became a byword among women, for judgments were executed upon her.

11 And see doth her sister Aholibah, And she maketh her doting love more corrupt than she, And her whoredoms than the whoredoms of her sister.

And her sister Oholibah saw this, yet was she more corrupt in her doting than she, and in her harlotries more than her sister in her harlotries.

12 On sons of Asshur she hath doted, Governors and prefects, Neighbouring ones — clothed in perfection, Horsemen, riding on horses, Desirable young men all of them.

She doted upon the Assyrians, governors and rulers, warriors, clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them handsome young men.

13 And I see that she hath been defiled, One way [is] to them both.

And I saw that she was defiled; they both took one way.

14 And she doth add unto her whoredoms, And she seeth graved men on the wall, Pictures of Chaldeans, graved with red lead,

And she increased her harlotries; for she saw men portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,

15 Girded with a girdle on their loins, Dyed attire spread out on their heads, The appearance of rulers — all of them, The likeness of sons of Babylon, Chaldea is the land of their birth.

girded with girdles upon their loins, with pendant turbans upon their heads, all of them captains to look upon, the likeness of the sons of Babylon, even of Chaldea, the land of their nativity.

16 And she doteth on them at the sight of her eyes, And sendeth messengers to them, to Chaldea.

And as soon as she saw them she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.

17 And come in unto her do sons of Babylon, To the bed of loves, And they defile her with their whoredoms, And she is defiled with them, And her soul is alienated from them.

And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their lust; and she was polluted with them, and her soul was alienated from them.

18 And she revealeth her whoredoms, And she revealeth her nakedness, And alienated is My soul from off her, As alienated was My soul from off her sister.

So she uncovered her harlotries, and uncovered her nakedness; then My soul was alienated from her, like as My soul was alienated from her sister.

19 And she multiplieth her whoredoms, To remember the days of her youth, When she went a-whoring in the land of Egypt.

Yet she multiplied her harlotries, remembering the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.

20 And she doteth on their paramours, Whose flesh [is] the flesh of asses, And the issue of horses — their issue.

And she doted upon concubinage with them, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.

21 Thou lookest after the wickedness of thy youth, In dealing out of Egypt thy loves, For the sake of the breasts of thy youth.

Thus thou didst call to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, when they from Egypt bruised thy breasts for the bosom of thy youth.

22 Therefore, O Aholibah, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am stirring up thy lovers against thee, From whom thy soul hath been alienated, And have brought them in against thee from round about.

Therefore, O Oholibah, thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy soul is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side:

23 Sons of Babylon, and of all Chaldea, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, All the sons of Asshur with them, Desirable young men, governors and prefects, All of them — rulers and proclaimed ones, Riding on horses, all of them.

the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, governors and rulers all of them, captains and councillors, all of them riding upon horses.

24 And they have come in against thee, With arms, rider, and wheel, And with an assembly of peoples; Target, and shield, and helmet, They do set against thee round about, And I have set before them judgment, They have judged thee in their Judgments.

And they shall come against thee with hosts, chariots, and wheels, and with an assembly of peoples; they shall set themselves in array against thee with buckler and shield and helmet round about; and I will commit the judgment unto them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments.

25 And I have set My jealousy against thee, And they have dealt with thee in fury, Thy nose and thine ears they turn aside, And thy posterity by sword falleth, They, thy sons and thy daughters do take away, And thy posterity is devoured by fire.

And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal with thee in fury; they shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy residue shall fall by the sword; they shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire.

26 And they have stripped thee of thy garments, And have taken thy beauteous jewels.

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

27 And I have caused thy wickedness to cease from thee, And thy whoredoms out of the land of Egypt, And thou liftest not up thine eyes unto them, And Egypt thou dost not remember again.

Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy harlotry brought from the land of Egypt, so that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more.

28 For thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am giving thee into a hand that thou hast hated, Into a hand from which thou wast alienated.

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 soul is alienated;

29 And they have dealt with thee in hatred, And they have taken all thy labour, And they have left thee naked and bare, And revealed hath been the nakedness of thy whoredoms, And the wickedness of thy whoredoms.

and they shall deal with thee in hatred, and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare; and the nakedness of thy harlotries shall be uncovered, both thy lewdness and thy harlotries.

30 To do these things to thee, In thy going a-whoring after nations, Because thou hast been defiled with their idols,

These things shall be done unto thee, for that thou hast gone astray after the nations, and because thou art polluted with their idols.

31 In the way of thy sister thou hast walked, And I have given her cup into thy hand.

In the way of thy sister hast thou walked; therefore will I give her cup into thy hand.

32 Thus said the Lord Jehovah: The cup of thy sister thou dost drink, The deep and the wide one, (Thou art for laughter and for scorn, ) Abundant to contain.

Thus saith the Lord GOD: Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup, which is deep and large; thou shalt be for a scorn and a derision; it is full to the uttermost.

33 With drunkenness and sorrow thou art filled, A cup of astonishment and desolation, The cup of thy sister Samaria.

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

34 And thou hast drunk it, and hast drained [it], And its earthen ware thou dost gnaw, And thine own breasts thou pluckest off, For I have spoken, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah,

Thou shalt even drink it and drain it, and thou shalt craunch the sherds thereof, and shalt tear thy breasts; for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.

35 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because thou hast forgotten Me, And thou dost cast Me behind thy back, Even thou also bear thy wickedness and thy whoredoms.'

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 harlotries.'

36 And Jehovah saith unto me, 'Son of man, Dost thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? Declare then to them their abominations.

The LORD said moreover unto me: 'Son of man, wilt thou judge Oholah and Oholibah? then declare unto them their abominations.

37 For they have committed adultery, And blood [is] in their hands, With their idols they committed adultery, And also their sons whom they bore to Me, They caused to pass over to them for food.

For they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery; and their sons, whom they bore unto Me, they have also set apart unto them to be devoured.

38 Again, this they have done to Me, They defiled My sanctuary in that day, And My sabbaths they have polluted.

Moreover this they have done unto Me: they have defiled My sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned My sabbaths.

39 And in their slaughtering their sons to their idols They also come in unto My sanctuary in that day to pollute it, And lo, thus they have done in the midst of My house,

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.

40 And also that they send to men coming from afar, Unto whom a messenger is sent, And lo, they have come in for whom thou hast washed, Painted thine eyes, and put on adornment.

And furthermore ye have sent for men that come from far; unto whom a messenger was sent, and, lo, they came; for whom thou didst wash thyself, paint thine eyes, and deck thyself with ornaments;

41 And thou hast sat on a couch of honour, And a table arrayed before it, And My perfume and My oil placed on it.

and sattest upon a stately bed, with a table prepared before it, whereupon thou didst set Mine incense and Mine oil.

42 And the voice of a multitude at ease [is] with her, And unto men of the common people are brought in Sabeans from the wilderness, And they put bracelets on their hands, And a beauteous crown on their heads.

And the voice of a multitude being at ease was therein; and for the sake of men, they were so many, brought drunken from the wilderness, they put bracelets upon their hands, and beautiful crowns upon their heads.

43 And I say of the worn-out one in adulteries, Now they commit her whoredoms — she also!

Then said I of her that was worn out by adulteries: Still they commit harlotries with her, even her.

44 And they come in unto her, As the coming in unto a whorish woman, So they have come in unto Aholah, And unto Aholibah — the wicked women.

For every one went in unto her, as men go in unto a harlot; so went they in unto Oholah and unto Oholibah, the lewd women.

45 As to righteous men, they judge them with the judgment of adulteresses, And the judgment of women shedding blood, For they [are] adulteresses, And blood [is] in their hands.

But righteous men, they shall judge them as adulteresses are judged, and as women that shed blood are judged; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.

46 For thus said the Lord Jehovah: Bring up against them an assembly, And give them to trembling and to spoiling.

For thus saith the Lord GOD: An assembly shall be brought up against them, and they shall be made a horror and a spoil.

47 And they have cast at them the stone of the assembly, And cut them with their swords, Their sons and their daughters they do slay, And their houses with fire they burn.

And the assembly shall stone them with stones, and despatch them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire.

48 And I have caused wickedness to cease from the land, And instructed have been all the women, And they do not according to your wickedness.

Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out of the land, that all women may be taught not to do after your lewdness.

49 And they have put your wickedness on you, And the sins of your idols ye bear, And ye have known that I [am] the Lord Jehovah!

And your lewdness shall be recompensed upon you, and ye shall bear the sins of your idols; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.'