Ezekiel 23

Modern

Literal

The Two Adulterous Sisters

¹Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

¹And the word came of YHWH to me, saying:

²“Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother,

²“Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother.

³and they played in Egypt, prostituting themselves from their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin bosoms caressed.

³And they acted as prostitutes in Egypt; in their youth they were prostitutes; there were squeezed their breasts, and there were pressed the nipples of their virginity.

⁴The older was named Oholah,^a and her sister was named Oholibah.^b They became Mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their identities, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

⁴And their names were Oholah the elder, and Oholibah her sister. And they were unto Me, and they gave birth to sons and daughters. And their names—Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.

⁵Oholah prostituted herself while she was still Mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors

⁵And Oholah prostituted herself under Me, and she lusted over her lovers, toward Assyria, warriors

⁶clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all desirable young men, horsemen mounted on steeds.

⁶clothed in purple, governors and commanders, young men of desire all of them, horsemen riding on horses.

⁷She offered sexual favors to all the elite of Assyria. She defiled herself with all the idols of those for whom she lusted.

⁷And she gave her prostitutions with them, choice men of Assyria, all of them; and with all for whom she lusted, with all their idols she defiled herself.

⁸She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when men slept with her in her youth, caressed her virgin bosom, and poured out their lust upon her.

⁸And her prostitutions from Egypt she has not left behind; for they had lain with her in her youth, and they pressed the nipples of her virginity, and poured out their lust upon her.

⁹Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she lusted.

⁹Therefore I have given her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the sons of Assyria, for whom she lusted.

¹⁰They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and put her to the sword. Thus she became a byword among women, and they executed judgment against her.

¹⁰They have uncovered her nakedness; her sons and daughters they took away, and with the sword they slew her. And she has become a byword among the women, and they executed when judgment against her.

¹¹Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister.

¹¹And her sister Oholibah saw this, and in her lust she became corrupt above her, and her prostitutions were more than the prostitution of her sister.

¹²She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors dressed in splendor, horsemen riding on steeds, all desirable young men.

¹²She lusted after the sons of Assyria—governors and commanders, warriors clothed in perfection, horsemen riding on horses, young men of desire all of them.

¹³And I saw that she too had defiled herself; both of them had taken the same path.

¹³And I saw that she was defiled; one way is unto the two of them,

¹⁴But Oholibah carried her prostitution even further. She saw the men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans,^a engraved in vermilion,

¹⁴and she had added to her prostitutions, and she looked at men portrayed on the wall, images of Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,

¹⁵wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like officers of the Babylonians in Chaldea,^a the land of their birth.

¹⁵girded with belts around their loins, turbans flowing on their heads, with the appearance of officers all of them, in the likeness of the sons of Babylon, Chaldea the land of their origin.

¹⁶At the sight of them, she lusted for them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

¹⁶And she lusted for them at the seeing of her eyes, and she sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

¹⁷Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. But after she had been defiled by them, she turned away in disgust.

¹⁷And the sons of Babylon came to her, into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their lust; and she was defiled by them, and she dislocated her soul from them.

¹⁸When Oholibah openly prostituted herself and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister.

¹⁸And she uncovered her prostitutions, and she uncovered her nakedness, and I dislocated My soul from her, as I had dislocated My soul from her sister.

¹⁹Yet she multiplied her promiscuity, remembering the days of her youth, when she had prostituted herself in the land of Egypt

¹⁹And she multiplied her prostitutions, to remember the days of her youth, when she had prostituted herself in the land of Egypt,

²⁰and lusted after their lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions.

²⁰and lusted after their lovers, for whom the flesh of donkeys is the flesh, and the emission of stallions was their emission.

²¹So you revisited the indecency of your youth, when the Egyptians caressed your bosom and pressed your young breasts.

²¹And you revisited the wickedness of your youth, in the pressing by the Egyptians of your nipples, on account of the breasts of your youth.

Oholibah to Be Plagued

²²Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will incite your lovers against you, those from whom you turned away in disgust. And I will bring them against you from every side—

²²Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘Behold, I am stirring up your lovers against you, from whom you have dislocated your soul, and I will bring them against you from all around:

²³the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, the men of Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them—all desirable young men, governors and commanders, officers and men of renown, mounted on horses.

²³The sons of Babylon and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, all the sons of Assyria with them—young men of desire, governors and commanders all of them, officers and renowned ones, all of them riding on horses.

²⁴They will come against you with a host of peoples,^a with weapons, chariots, and wagons. They will array themselves against you on every side with buckler and shield and helmet. I will delegate judgment to them, and they will punish you according to their own standards.

²⁴And they will come against you with weapons, chariots, and wagons, and with a horde of people; buckler and shield and helmet they will array against you all around; and I will give to them judgment, and they will judge you by their own judgments.

²⁵And I will set My jealous rage against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and ears, and your survivors will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your remnant will be consumed by fire.

²⁵And I will set My jealousy against you, and they will deal with you in anger; your nose and your ears they will turn aside, and your survivors will fall by the sword; they will take your sons and your daughters, and your remnant will be devoured by the fire!

²⁶They will strip off your clothes and take your fine jewelry.

²⁶And they will strip you of your clothes, and they will take away the articles of your beauty.

²⁷So I will put an end to your indecency and prostitution, which began in the land of Egypt, and you will not lift your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.’

²⁷And your wickedness I will make cease from you, and your prostitution from the land of Egypt, and you will not lift up your eyes to them, and Egypt you will not remember anymore.’

²⁸For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hands of those you hate, from whom you turned away in disgust.

²⁸For thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘Behold, I am giving you into the hand of those whom you hate, into the hand of those whom you had alienated your soul from.

²⁹They will treat you with hatred, take all for which you have worked, and leave you naked and bare, so that the shame of your prostitution will be exposed. Your indecency and promiscuity

²⁹And they will deal with you in hate, and they will take away all your labor, and they will leave you naked and bare, and the nakedness of your prostitutions will be uncovered, and your wickedness, and your prostitutions!

³⁰have brought these things upon you, because you have prostituted yourself with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.

³⁰I will do these things to you upon your prostituting yourself after the nations, upon that you have defiled yourself with their idols.

³¹Because you have followed the path of your sister, I will put her cup into your hand.’

³¹You have walked in the way of your sister, and I have given her cup into your hand.’

³²This is what the Lord GOD says:

‘You will drink your sister’s cup,

a cup deep and wide.

It will bring scorn and derision,

for it holds so much.

³²Thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘The cup of your sister you will drink, deep and wide; it will be for laughter and derision, in its containing a great amount.

³³You will be filled with drunkenness and grief,

with a cup of devastation and desolation,

the cup of your sister Samaria.

³³With drunkenness and sorrow you will be filled—the cup of horror and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria—

³⁴You will drink it and drain it;

you will dash it to pieces,

and tear your breasts.

For I have spoken,’

declares the Lord GOD.

³⁴and you will drink it and drain it, and its shards you will dash and tear at your breasts! For I have spoken,’ a declaration of the Lord YHWH.

³⁵Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you have forgotten Me and have cast Me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your indecency and prostitution.’”

³⁵Therefore, thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘Because you have forgotten Me, and you have cast Me behind your back, you also will bear your wickedness and your prostitutions.’”

Judgment on Both Sisters

³⁶Then the LORD said to me: “Son of man, will you pass judgment against Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.

³⁶And YHWH said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? You must make known to them their abominations.

³⁷For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols. They have even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to Me, in the fire^a as food for their idols.

³⁷For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands; with their idols they have committed adultery, and even their sons whom they bore to Me, they made pass through the fire for them as food.

³⁸They have also done this to Me: On that very same day, they defiled My sanctuary and profaned My Sabbaths.

³⁸Moreover this they have done to Me: They have defiled My sanctuary on that day, and My Sabbaths have profaned.

³⁹On the very day they slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My sanctuary to profane it. Yes, they did this inside My house.

³⁹For in their slaughtering their children to their idols, they came into My sanctuary on that day to profane it; and behold, thus they have done in the midst of My house,

⁴⁰Furthermore, you sisters sent^a messengers for men who came from afar; and behold, when they arrived, you bathed for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewelry.

⁴⁰and also that they sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent, and behold—they came, those for whom you washed yourself and painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments.

⁴¹You sat on a couch of luxury with a table spread before it, on which you had set My incense and My oil,

⁴¹And you sat on a glorious couch, with a table arranged before it, and My incense and My oil you had set on it.

⁴²accompanied by the sound of a carefree crowd. Drunkards^a were brought in from the desert along with men from the rabble, who put bracelets on your wrists and beautiful crowns on your head.

⁴²And the voice of a crowd at ease was with her, and to men from the multitude of mankind were brought drunkards from the wilderness, and they gave bracelets to their wrists and crowns of beauty upon their heads.

⁴³Then I said of her who had grown old in adulteries: ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is!’

⁴³And I said of her who was worn out in adulteries, ‘Now will they commit prostitutions with her—and she also!’

⁴⁴And they slept with her as with a prostitute; they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, those lewd women.

⁴⁴And they have come in to her as the coming in to a woman, a prostitute. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, women of wickedness!

⁴⁵But righteous men will sentence them to the punishment of those who commit adultery and bloodshed, because they are adulteresses with blood on their hands.

⁴⁵And righteous men, they will pass judgment on them with the judgment of adulteresses, and with the judgment of those shedding blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands!

⁴⁶This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Bring a mob against them and consign them to terror and plunder.

⁴⁶For thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘Bring up against them an assembly, and give them to terror and plunder!

⁴⁷The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses.

⁴⁷And the assembly will stone them with stones and will cut down them with their swords; their sons and their daughters they will slay, they will burn and their houses with the fire.

⁴⁸So I will put an end to indecency in the land, and all the women will be admonished not to imitate your behavior.

⁴⁸And this wickedness I will make cease from the land, and all the women will be admonished and they will not act according to your wickedness.

⁴⁹They will repay you for your indecency, and you will bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’”

⁴⁹And they will put your wickedness upon you, and the sins of your idols you will bear. And you will know that I am the Lord YHWH.’”