Ezekiel 23

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

¹² She fel in love with her neighbours the Assyrians, governors and magistrates, dressed in sumptuousclothes, skilful horsemen, al young and desirable.

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

¹⁴ She began whoring worse than ever; no sooner had she seen wal -carvings of men, pictures ofChaldaeans coloured 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,

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

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

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

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

²⁰ when she had been in love with their profligates, big-membered as donkeys, ejaculating as violentlyas stal ions.

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

²² And so, Oholibah, Lord Yahweh says this, "I shal set al your lovers against you, from whom youhave withdrawn your affection, and bring them to assault you from al directions:

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

²⁴ From the north, they wil advance on you with chariots and wagons and an international army andbeset you with shield, buckler and helmet on al sides. I shal charge them to pass sentence on you and they wil pass sentence on you as they think fit.

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

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

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

²⁸ For the Lord Yahweh says this: Now, I shal hand you over to those you hate, to those for whom youno longer feel affection.

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

³⁰ This wil happen to you because you have played the whore with the nations and have defiledyourself with their foul idols.

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

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

³³ You wil be fil ed with drunkenness and sorrow. Cup of affliction and devastation, the cup of yoursister Samaria,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

⁴⁶ 'The Lord Yahweh says this, "Summon an assembly to deal with them, and hand them over to terrorand pil age;

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

⁴⁸ This is how I shall purge the country of debauchery, so that al women will be taught the lesson neverto ape your debauchery again.

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