Ezekiel, 23

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

1. The word of the LORD came to me:

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

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

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.

3. they played the harlot in Egypt; they played the harlot in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and their virgin bosoms handled.

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.

4. Oho'lah was the name of the elder and Ohol'ibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oho'lah is Sama'ria, and Ohol'ibah is Jerusalem.

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

5. "Oho'lah played the harlot while she was mine; and she doted on her lovers the Assyrians,

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

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

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,

7. She bestowed her harlotries upon them, the choicest men of Assyria all of them; and she defiled herself with all the idols of every one on whom she doted.

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.

8. She did not give up her harlotry which she had practiced since her days in Egypt; for in her youth men had lain with her and handled her virgin bosom and poured out their lust upon her.

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

9. Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.

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.

10. These uncovered her nakedness; they seized her sons and her daughters; and her they slew with the sword; and she became a byword among women, when judgment had been executed upon her.

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

11. "Her sister Ohol'ibah saw this, yet she was more corrupt than she in her doting and in her harlotry, which was worse than that of her sister.

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

12. She doted upon the Assyrians, governors and commanders, warriors clothed in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men.

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

13. And I saw that she was defiled; they both took the same way.

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

14. But she carried her harlotry further; she saw men portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chalde'ans portrayed in vermilion,

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

15. girded with belts on their loins, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, a picture of Babylonians whose native land was Chalde'a.

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

16. When she saw them she doted upon them, and sent messengers to them in Chalde'a.

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.

17. And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their lust; and after she was polluted by them, she turned from them in disgust.

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

18. When she carried on her harlotry so openly and flaunted her nakedness, I turned in disgust from her, as I had turned from her sister.

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

19. Yet she increased her harlotry, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the harlot in the land of Egypt

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

20. and doted upon her paramours there, whose members were like those of asses, and whose issue was like that of horses.

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

21. Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom and pressed your young breasts."

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:

22. Therefore, O Ohol'ibah, thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I will rouse against you your lovers from whom you turned in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side:

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.

23. the Babylonians and all the Chalde'ans, Pekod and Sho'a and Ko'a, and all the Assyrians with them, desirable young men, governors and commanders all of them, officers and warriors, all of them riding on horses.

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.

24. And they shall come against you from the north with chariots and wagons and a host of peoples; they shall set themselves against you on every side with buckler, shield, and helmet, and I will commit the judgment to them, and they shall judge you according to their judgments.

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.

25. And I will direct my indignation against you, that they may deal with you in fury. They shall cut off your nose and your ears, and your survivors shall fall by the sword. They shall seize your sons and your daughters, and your survivors shall be devoured by fire.

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

26. They shall also strip you of your clothes and take away your fine jewels.

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.

27. Thus I will put an end to your lewdness and your harlotry brought from the land of Egypt; so that you shall not lift up your eyes to the Egyptians or remember them any more.

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.

28. For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will deliver you into the hands of those whom you hate, into the hands of those from whom you turned in disgust;

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.

29. and they shall deal with you in hatred, and take away all the fruit of your labor, and leave you naked and bare, and the nakedness of your harlotry shall be uncovered. Your lewdness and your harlotry

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

30. have brought this upon you, because you played the harlot with the nations, and polluted yourself with their idols.

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

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

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.

32. Thus says the Lord GOD: "You shall drink your sister's cup which is deep and large; you shall be laughed at and held in derision, for it contains much;

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

33. you will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow. A cup of horror and desolation, is the cup of your sister Sama'ria;

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.

34. you shall drink it and drain it out, and pluck out your hair, and tear your breasts; for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD.

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." '

35. Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, therefore bear the consequences of your lewdness and harlotry."

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

36. The LORD said to me: "Son of man, will you judge Oho'lah and Ohol'ibah? Then declare to them their abominable deeds.

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.

37. For they have committed adultery, and blood is upon their hands; with their idols they have committed adultery; and they have even offered up to them for food the sons whom they had borne to me.

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

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

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.

39. For when they had slaughtered their children in sacrifice to their idols, on the same day they came into my sanctuary to profane it. And lo, this is what they did in my house.

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

40. They even sent for men to come from far, to whom a messenger was sent, and lo, they came. For them you bathed yourself, painted your eyes, and decked yourself with ornaments;

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

41. you sat upon a stately couch, with a table spread before it on which you had placed my incense and my oil.

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.

42. The sound of a carefree multitude was with her; and with men of the common sort drunkards were brought from the wilderness; and they put bracelets upon the hands of the women, and beautiful crowns upon their heads.

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

43. "Then I said, Do not men now commit adultery when they practice harlotry with her?

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

44. For they have gone in to her, as men go in to a harlot. Thus they went in to Oho'lah and to Ohol'ibah to commit lewdness.

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."

45. But righteous men shall pass judgment on them with the sentence of adulteresses, and with the sentence of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is upon their hands."

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

46. For thus says the Lord GOD: "Bring up a host against them, and make them an object of terror and a spoil.

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.

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

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.

48. Thus will I put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not commit lewdness as you have done.

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." '

49. And your lewdness shall be requited upon you, and you shall bear the penalty for your sinful idolatry; and you shall know that I am the Lord GOD."