Ezekiel, 23

1. Thus the word of the LORD came to me:

1. The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,

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

2. 'Son of man, there were once two women, daughters of the same mother.

3. who even as young girls played the harlot in Egypt. There the Egyptians caressed their bosoms and fondled their virginal breasts.

3. They played the whore in Egypt; they played the whore when they were still girls. There their nipples were handled, there their virgin breasts were first fondled.

4. Oholah was the name of the elder, and the name of her sister was Oholibah. They became mine and bore sons and daughters. (As for their names: Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.)

4. Their names were: Oholah the elder, Oholibah her sister. They belonged to me and bore sons and daughters. As regards their names, Samaria is Oholah, Jerusalem Oholibah.

5. Oholah became a harlot faithless to me; she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians, warriors

5. Now Oholah played the whore, although she belonged to me; she lusted after her lovers, her neighbours the Assyrians,

6. dressed in purple, governors and officers, all of them attractive young men, knights mounted on horses.

6. dressed in purple, governors and magistrates, all of them young and desirable, and skilful horsemen.

7. Thus she gave herself as a harlot to them, to all the elite of the Assyrians, and she defiled herself with all those for whom she lusted (with all their idols).

7. She played the whore with all of them, the pick of Assyria, and defiled herself with all the foul idols of all those with whom she was in love,

8. She did not give up the harlotry which she had begun in Egypt, when they had lain with her as a young girl, fondling her virginal breasts and pouring out their impurities on her.

8. nor did she give up the whoring begun in Egypt, where men had slept with her from her girlhood, fondling her virgin breasts, debauching her over and over again.

9. Therefore I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she had lusted.

9. 'That is why I have handed her over to her lovers, to the Assyrians with whom she was in love.

10. They exposed her nakedness, her sons and daughters they took away, and herself they slew with the sword. Thus she became a byword for women, for they punished her grievously.

10. They stripped her naked, seized her sons and daughters and put her to the sword. She became notorious among women for the justice done on her.

11. Though her sister Oholibah saw all this, her lust was more depraved than her sister's, and she outdid her in harlotry.

11. 'Her sister Oholibah saw all this, but she was even more depraved, and her whorings were worse than her sister's.

12. She too lusted after the Assyrians, governors and officers, warriors impeccably clothed, knights mounted on horses, all of them attractive young men.

12. She fell in love with her neighbours the Assyrians, governors and magistrates, dressed in sumptuous clothes, skilful horsemen, all young and desirable.

13. I saw that she had defiled herself. Both had gone down the same path,

13. Then I saw that she had defiled herself, that both sisters were equally bad.

14. yet she went further in her harlotry. When she saw men drawn on the wall, the images of Chaldeans drawn with vermillion,

14. She began whoring worse than ever; no sooner had she seen wall-carvings of men, pictures of Chaldaeans coloured vermilion,

15. with sashes girded about their waists, flowing turbans on their heads, all looking like chariot warriors, the portraits of Babylonians, natives of Chaldea,

15. men with sashes round their waists and elaborate turbans on their heads, all so lordly of bearing, depicting the Babylonians, natives of Chaldaea,

16. she lusted for them; no sooner had she set eyes on them than she sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

16. than she fell in love with them at first sight and sent messengers to them in Chaldaea.

17. Then the Babylonians came to her, to the love couch, and defiled her with their intercourse. As soon as she was defiled by them, she became disgusted with them.

17. The Babylonians came to her, shared her love-bed and defiled her with their whoring. Once defiled by them, she withdrew her affection from them.

18. Her harlotry was discovered and her shame was revealed, and I became disgusted with her as I had become disgusted with her sister.

18. Thus she flaunted her whoring, exposing her body, until I withdrew my affection from her as I had withdrawn it from her sister.

19. But she played the harlot all the more, recalling the days of her girlhood, when she had been a harlot in the land of Egypt.

19. But she began whoring worse than ever, remembering her girlhood, when she had played the whore in Egypt,

20. She lusted for the lechers of Egypt, whose members are like that of an ass, and whose heat is like that of stallions.

20. when she had been in love with their profligates, big-membered as donkeys, ejaculating as violently as stallions.

21. You yearned for the lewdness of your girlhood, when the Egyptians fondled your breasts, caressing your bosom.

21. 'You were hankering for the debauchery of your girlhood, when they used to handle your nipples in Egypt and fondle your young breasts.

22. Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord GOD: I will now stir up your lovers against you, those with whom you are disgusted, and I will bring them against you from every side:

22. And so, Oholibah, Lord Yahweh says this, "I shall set all your lovers against you, from whom you have withdrawn your affection, and bring them to assault you from all directions:

23. the men of Babylon and all of Chaldea, Pekod, Shoa and Koa, along with all those of Assyria, attractive young men, all of them governors and officers, charioteers and warriors, all of them horsemen.

23. the Babylonians and all the Chaldaeans, the men of Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, young and desirable, all governors and magistrates, all famous lords and skilful horsemen.

24. They shall come against you from the north with chariots and wagons and many peoples. Shields, bucklers, and helmets they shall array against you everywhere.

24. From the north, they will advance on you with chariots and wagons and an international army and beset you with shield, buckler and helmet on all sides. I shall charge them to pass sentence on you and they will pass sentence on you as they think fit.

25. I will leave it to them to judge, and they will judge you by their own ordinances. I will let loose my jealousy against you, so that they shall deal with you in fury, cutting off your nose and ears; and what is left of you shall fall by the sword. They shall take away your sons and daughters, and what is left of you shall be devoured by fire.

25. I shall direct my jealousy against you; they will treat you with fury; they will cut off your nose and ears, and what is left of your family will fall by the sword; they will seize your sons and daughters, and what is left will be burnt.

26. They shall strip off your clothes and seize your splendid ornaments.

26. They will strip off your garments and rob you of your jewels.

27. I will put an end to your lewdness and to the harlotry you began in Egypt; you shall no longer look toward it, nor shall you remember Egypt again.

27. I shall put an end to your debauchery and to the whorings you began in Egypt; you will not look to the Egyptians any more, you will never think of them again.

28. For thus says the Lord GOD: I am now handing you over to those whom you hate, to those who fill you with disgust.

28. For the Lord Yahweh says this: Now, I shall hand you over to those you hate, to those for whom you no longer feel affection.

29. They shall deal with you in hatred, seizing all that you have worked for and leaving you stark naked, so that your indecent nakedness is exposed. Your lewdness and harlotry

29. They will treat you with hatred, they will rob you of the entire fruit of your labours and leave you stark naked. And thus your shameful whorings will be exposed, your debauchery and your whorings.

30. have brought these things upon you, because you played the harlot with the nations by defiling yourself with their idols.

30. This will happen to you because you have played the whore with the nations and have defiled yourself with their foul idols.

31. Because you followed in the path of your sister, I will hand you her cup.

31. Since you have copied your sister's behaviour, I shall put her cup in your hand."

32. Thus says the Lord GOD: The cup of your sister you shall drink, so wide and deep, which holds so much,

32. The Lord Yahweh says this: You will drink your sister's cup, a cup both deep and wide, leading to laughter and mockery, so ample the draught it holds.

33. Filled with destruction and grief, a cup of dismay, the cup of your sister.

33. You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow. Cup of affliction and devastation, the cup of your sister Samaria,

34. You shall drain it dry, and gnaw at the very sherds of the cup, and you shall tear out your breasts; for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD.

34. you will drink it, you will drain it; then you will break it in pieces and lacerate your own breasts. For I have spoken -- declared the Lord Yahweh.

35. Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, it is for you to bear the penalty of your lewdness and harlotry.

35. "And so, the Lord Yahweh says this: Since you have forgotten me and have turned your back on me, you too will have to bear the weight of your debauchery and whorings." '

36. Then the LORD said to me: Son of man, would you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then make known to them their abominations.

36. And Yahweh said to me, 'Son of man, are you ready to judge Oholah and Oholibah and charge them with their loathsome practices?

37. For they committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; to feed them they immolated the children they had borne me.

37. They have been adulteresses, their hands are dripping with blood, they have committed adultery with their foul idols. As for the children they had borne me, they have offered them as burnt sacrifices to feed them.

38. (This, too, they did to me: they defiled my sanctuary and desecrated my sabbaths.

38. And here is something else they have done to me: they have defiled my sanctuary today and have profaned my Sabbaths.

39. On the very day they slew their children for their idols, they entered my sanctuary to desecrate it. Thus they acted within my house.)

39. The same day as sacrificing their children to their idols, they have been to my sanctuary and profaned it. Yes, this is what they have done in my own house.

40. Moreover, they sent for men who had to come from afar, to whom messengers were sent. And so they came--and for them you bathed yourself, painted your eyes, and put on ornaments.

40. 'Worse still, they summoned men from far away, invited by messenger, and they came. For them you bathed, you painted your eyes, put on your jewels

41. You sat on a couch prepared for them, with a table spread before it, on which you had set my incense and oil.

41. and sat on a sumptuous bed, by which a table was laid out. On this you had put my incense and my oil.

42. Then was heard the shout of a carefree mob in the city, and these were men brought in from the desert, who put bracelets on the women's arms and splendid diadems on their heads.

42. The noise of the carefree company resounded, made by the crowd of men brought in from the desert; they put bracelets on the women's arms and magnificent crowns on their heads.

43. So I said: "Oh, this woman jaded with adulteries! Now they will commit whoredom with her, and as for her. . . ."

43. I thought, "That woman, worn out with adultery! Are they going to fornicate with her too?"

44. And indeed they did come to her as men come to a harlot. Thus they came to Oholah and Oholibah, the lewd women.

44. Yet they visit her like any common prostitute, just as they visited those profligate women Oholah and Oholibah.

45. But just men shall punish them with the sentence meted out to adulteresses and murderesses, for they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands.

45. All the same, there are upright men who will judge them as adulteresses and murderesses are judged, since they are adulteresses and their hands are dripping with blood."

46. Thus says the Lord GOD: Summon an assembly against them, and deliver them over to terror and plunder.

46. 'The Lord Yahweh says this, "Summon an assembly to deal with them, and hand them over to terror and pillage;

47. The assembly shall stone them and hack them to pieces with their swords. They shall slay their sons and daughters, and burn their houses with fire.

47. let the assembly stone them and dispatch them with their swords; let their sons and daughters be slaughtered and their houses set on fire.

48. Thus I will put an end to lewdness in the land, and all the women will be warned not to imitate your lewdness.

48. This is how I shall purge the country of debauchery, so that all women will be taught the lesson never to ape your debauchery again.

49. They shall inflict on you the penalty of your lewdness, and you shall pay for your sins of idolatry. Thus you shall know that I am the LORD.

49. Your debauchery will recoil on yourselves, and you will bear the weight of the sins committed with your foul idols and you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh." '