יחזקאל 23
| ויהי דבר יהוה אלי לאמר | 1 |
Yahweh said to me,
| בן אדם--שתים נשים בנות אם אחת היו | 2 |
“You human, [listen to this parable about Jerusalem and Samaria]. Once there were two women, daughters of the same mother.
| ותזנינה במצרים בנעוריהן זנו שמה מעכו שדיהן ושם עשו דדי בתוליהן | 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].
| ושמותן אהלה הגדולה ואהליבה אחותה ותהיינה לי ותלדנה בנים ובנות ושמותן--שמרון אהלה וירושלם אהליבה | 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.
| ותזן אהלה תחתי ותעגב על מאהביה אל אשור קרובים | 5 |
Oholah acted like a prostitute while she was [still] my wife. She desired to have sex with those she loved—soldiers from Assyria.
| לבשי תכלת פחות וסגנים בחורי חמד כלם פרשים רכבי סוסים | 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.
| ותתן תזנותיה עליהם מבחר בני אשור כלם ובכל אשר עגבה בכל גלוליהם נטמאה | 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.
| ואת תזנותיה ממצרים לא עזבה--כי אותה שכבו בנעוריה והמה עשו דדי בתוליה וישפכו תזנותם עליה | 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.
| לכן נתתיה ביד מאהביה--ביד בני אשור אשר עגבה עליהם | 9 |
So I allowed the Assyrian soldiers, whom she wanted to have sex with, to capture her.
| המה גלו ערותה--בניה ובנותיה לקחו ואותה בחרב הרגו ותהי שם לנשים ושפוטים עשו בה | 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.
| ותרא אחותה אהליבה ותשחת עגבתה ממנה ואת תזנותיה--מזנוני אחותה | 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.
| אל בני אשור עגבה פחות וסגנים קרבים לבשי מכלול פרשים רכבי סוסים--בחורי חמד כלם | 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.
| וארא כי נטמאה דרך אחד לשתיהן | 13 |
I saw what she did that caused her to became unacceptable to me, just like [older] sister.
| ותוסף אל תזנותיה ותרא אנשי מחקה על הקיר צלמי כשדיים (כשדים) חקקים בששר | 14 |
But she did [even] worse things. She saw drawings of men from Babylonia on the walls, painted in red.
| חגורי אזור במתניהם סרוחי טבולים בראשיהם--מראה שלשים כלם דמות בני בבל כשדים ארץ מולדתם | 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].
| ותעגב (ותעגבה) עליהם למראה עיניה ותשלח מלאכים אליהם כשדימה | 16 |
As soon as she saw those drawings, she wanted to have sex with those men, and she sent messages to them in Babylonia.
| ויבאו אליה בני בבל למשכב דדים ויטמאו אותה בתזנותם ותטמא בם--ותקע נפשה מהם | 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.
| ותגל תזנותיה ותגל את ערותה ותקע נפשי מעליה כאשר נקעה נפשי מעל אחותה | 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.
| ותרבה את תזנותיה לזכר את ימי נעוריה אשר זנתה בארץ מצרים | 19 |
But she became even more immoral, as she remembered when she was a young woman who was a prostitute in Egypt.
| ותעגבה על פלגשיהם אשר בשר חמורים בשרם וזרמת סוסים זרמתם | 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.
| ותפקדי את זמת נעוריך בעשות ממצרים דדיך למען שדי נעוריך | 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.”
| לכן אהליבה כה אמר אדני יהוה הנני מעיר את מאהביך עליך את אשר נקעה נפשך מהם והבאתים עליך מסביב | 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—
| בני בבל וכל כשדים פקוד ושוע וקוע כל בני אשור אותם בחורי חמד פחות וסגנים כלם--שלשים וקרואים רכבי סוסים כלם | 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.
| ובאו עליך הצן רכב וגלגל ובקהל עמים--צנה ומגן וקובע ישימו עליך סביב ונתתי לפניהם משפט ושפטוך במשפטיהם | 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].
| ונתתי קנאתי בך ועשו אותך בחמה--אפך ואזניך יסירו ואחריתך בחרב תפול המה בניך ובנותיך יקחו ואחריתך תאכל באש | 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.
| והפשיטוך את בגדיך ולקחו כלי תפארתך | 26 |
They will strip off your clothes and your fine jewelry and take them away.
| והשבתי זמתך ממך ואת זנותך מארץ מצרים ולא תשאי עיניך אליהם ומצרים לא תזכרי עוד | 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.’
| כי כה אמר אדני יהוה הנני נתנך ביד אשר שנאת--ביד אשר נקעה נפשך מהם | 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.
| ועשו אותך בשנאה ולקחו כל יגיעך ועזבוך עירם ועריה ונגלה ערות זנוניך וזמתך ותזנותיך | 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.
| עשה אלה לך בזנותך אחרי גוים על אשר נטמאת בגלוליהם | 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.
| בדרך אחותך הלכת ונתתי כוסה בידך | 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.’
| כה אמר אדני יהוה כוס אחותך תשתי העמקה והרחבה תהיה לצחק וללעג מרבה להכיל | 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.
| שכרון ויגון תמלאי כוס שמה ושממה כוס אחותך שמרון | 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.
| ושתית אותה ומצית ואת חרשיה תגרמי--ושדיך תנתקי כי אני דברתי נאם אדני יהוה | 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.
| לכן כה אמר אדני יהוה יען שכחת אותי ותשליכי אותי אחרי גוך וגם את שאי זמתך ואת תזנותיך | 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.’”
| ויאמר יהוה אלי בן אדם התשפוט את אהלה ואת אהליבה והגד להן את תועבותיהן | 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:
| כי נאפו ודם בידיהן ואת גלוליהן נאפו וגם את בניהן אשר ילדו לי העבירו להם לאכלה | 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.
| עוד זאת עשו לי טמאו את מקדשי ביום ההוא ואת שבתותי חללו | 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.
| ובשחטם את בניהם לגלוליהם ויבאו אל מקדשי ביום ההוא לחללו והנה כה עשו בתוך ביתי | 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.
| ואף כי תשלחנה לאנשים באים ממרחק--אשר מלאך שלוח אליהם והנה באו לאשר רחצת כחלת עיניך ועדית עדי | 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.
| וישבת על מטה כבודה ושלחן ערוך לפניה וקטרתי ושמני שמת עליה | 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.
| וקול המון שלו בה ואל אנשים מרב אדם מובאים סובאים (סבאים) ממדבר ויתנו צמידים אל ידיהן ועטרת תפארת על ראשיהן | 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.
| ואמר לבלה נאופים עת (עתה) יזנה (יזנו) תזנותה והיא | 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.’
| ויבוא אליה כבוא אל אשה זונה כן באו אל אהלה ואל אהליבה--אשת הזמה | 44 |
So they had sex [EUP] with those two women, Oholah and Oholibah, like men have sex with prostitutes.
| ואנשים צדיקם המה ישפטו אותהם--משפט נאפות ומשפט שפכות דם כי נאפת הנה ודם בידיהן | 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.
| כי כה אמר אדני יהוה העלה עליהם קהל ונתן אתהן לזעוה ולבז | 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.
| ורגמו עליהן אבן קהל וברא אותהן בחרבותם בניהם ובנותיהם יהרגו ובתיהן באש ישרפו | 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.
| והשבתי זמה מן הארץ ונוסרו כל הנשים ולא תעשינה כזמתכנה | 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.
| ונתנו זמתכנה עליכן וחטאי גלוליכן תשאינה וידעתם כי אני אדני יהוה | 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].”
