Ezekiel 23

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,	1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, there were two women, daughters of one mother.
2 'Son of man, there were once two women, daughters of the same mother.	2 dummy verses inserted by amos
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.	3 And they committed fornication in Egypt, in their youth they committed fornication: there were their breasts pressed down, and the teats of their virginity were bruised.
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.	4 And their names were Oolla the elder, and Ooliba her younger sister: and I took them, and they bore sons and daughters. Now for their names, Samaria is Oolla, and Jerusalem is Ooliba.
5 Now Oholah played the whore, although she belonged to me; she lusted after her lovers, herneighbours the Assyrians,	5 And Oolla committed fornication against me, and doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians that came to her,
6 dressed in purple, governors and magistrates, all of them young and desirable, and skilful horsemen.	6 Who were clothed with blue, princes, and rulers, beautiful youths, all horsemen, mounted upon horses.
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,	7 And she committed her fornications with those chosen men, all sons of the Assyrians: and she defiled herself with the uncleanness of all them 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 Moreover also she did not forsake her fornications which she had committed in Egypt: for they also lay with her in her youth, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured out their fornication 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 have I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the sons of the Assyrians, upon whose lust she doted.
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.	10 They discovered her disgrace, took away her sons and daughters, and slew her with the sword: and they became infamous women, and they executed judgments in her.
11 'Her sister Oholibah saw al this, but she was even more depraved, and her whorings were worsethan her sister's.	11 And when her sister Ooliba saw this, she was mad with lust more than she: and she carried her fornication beyond the fornication of her sister.
12 She fel in love with her neighbours the Assyrians, governors and magistrates, dressed in sumptuousclothes, skilful horsemen, al young and desirable.	12 Impudently prostituting herself to the children of the Assyrians, the princes, and rulers that came to her, clothed with divers colours, to the horsemen that rode upon horses, and to young men all of great beauty.
13 Then I saw that she had defiled herself, that both sisters were equally bad.	13 And I saw that she was defiled, and that they both took one way.
14 She began whoring worse than ever; no sooner had she seen wal -carvings of men, pictures ofChaldaeans coloured vermilion,	14 And she increased her fornications: and when she had seen men painted on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans set forth in colours,
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 And girded with girdles about their reins, and with dyed turbans on their heads, the resemblance of all the captains, the likeness of the sons of Babylon, and of the land of the Chaldeans wherein they were born,
16 than she fell in love with them at first sight and sent messengers to them in Chaldaea.	16 She doted upon them with the lust of her eyes, and she sent messengers to them into Chaldea.
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.	17 And when the sons of Babylon were come to her to the bed of love, they defiled her with their fornications, and she was polluted by them, and her soul was glutted with them.
18 Thus she flaunted her whoring, exposing her body, until I withdrew my affection from her as I hadwithdrawn it from her sister.	18 And she discovered her fornications, and discovered her disgrace: and my soul was alienated from her, as my soul was alienated from her sister.
19 But she began whoring worse than ever, remembering her girlhood, when she had played the whorein Egypt,	19 For she multiplied her fornications, remembering the days of her youth, in which 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 violentlyas stal ions.	20 And she was mad with lust after lying with them whose flesh is as the flesh of asses: and whose issue as the issue of horses.
21 'You were hankering for the debauchery of your girlhood, when they used to handle your nipples inEgypt and fondle your young breasts.	21 And thou hast renewed the wickedness of thy youth, when thy breasts were pressed in Egypt, and the papa of thy virginity broken.
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:	22 Therefore, Ooliba, thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will raise up against thee all thy lovers with whom thy soul hath been glutted: and I will gather them together against thee round about.
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.	23 The children of Babylon, and all the Chaldeans, the nobles, and the kings, and princes, all the sons of the Assyrians, beautiful young men, all the captains, and rulers, the princes of princes, and the renowned 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.	24 And they shall come upon thee well appointed with chariot and wheel, a multitude of people: they shall be armed against thee on every side with breastplate, and buckler, and helmet: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee by their judgments.
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.	25 And I will set my jealousy against thee, which they shall execute upon thee with fury: they shall cut off thy nose and thy ears: and what remains shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons, and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by fire.
26 They will strip off your garments and rob you of your jewels.	26 And they shall strip thee of thy garments, and take away the instruments of thy glory.
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.	27 And I will put an end to thy wickedness in thee, and thy fornication brought out of the land of Egypt: neither shalt thou lift up thy eyes to them, nor remember Egypt any more.
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.	28 For thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will deliver thee into the hands of them whom thou hatest, into their hands with whom thy soul hath been glutted.
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.	29 And they shall deal with thee in hatred, and they shall take away all thy labours, and shall let thee go naked, and full of disgrace, and the disgrace of thy fornication shall be discovered, thy wickedness, and thy fornications.
30 This wil happen to you because you have played the whore with the nations and have defiledyourself with their foul idols.	30 They have done these things to thee, because thou hast played the harlot with the nations among which thou wast defiled with their idols.
31 Since you have copied your sister's behaviour, I shal put her cup in your hand."	31 Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister, and I will give her cup into thy 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.	32 Thus saith the Lord God: Thou shalt drink thy sister's cup, deep, and wide: thou shalt be had in derision and scorn, which containeth very much.
33 You wil be fil ed with drunkenness and sorrow. Cup of affliction and devastation, the cup of yoursister Samaria,	33 Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness, and sorrow: with the cup of grief, and sadness, with the cup of thy sister 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.	34 And thou shalt drink it, and shalt drink it up even to the dregs, and thou shalt devour the fragments thereof, thou shalt rend thy breasts: because I have spoken it, saith 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 saith the Lord God: Because thou hast forgotten me, and hast cast me off behind thy back, bear thou also thy wickedness, and thy fornications.
36 And Yahweh said to me, 'Son of man, are you ready to judge Oholah and Oholibah and charge themwith their loathsome practices?	36 And the Lord spoke to me, saying: Son of man, dost thou judge Oolla, and Ooliba, and dost thou declare to them their wicked deeds?
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.	37 Because they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and they have committed fornication with their idols: moreover also their children, whom they bore to me, they have offered to them to be devoured.
38 And here is something else they have done to me: they have defiled my sanctuary today and haveprofaned my Sabbaths.	38 Yea, and they have done this to me. They polluted 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 andprofaned it. Yes, this is what they have done in my own house.	39 And when they sacrificed their children to their idols, and went into my sanctuary the same day to profane it: they did these things even in the midst of my 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	40 They sent for men coming from afar, to whom they had sent a messenger: and behold they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, and didst paint thy eyes, and wast adorned with women's ornaments.
41 and sat on a sumptuous bed, by which a table was laid out. On this you had put my incense and myoil.	41 Thou sattest on a very fine bed, and a table was decked before thee: whereupon thou didst set my incense, and my ointment.
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 And there was in her the voice of a multitude rejoicing: and to some that were brought of the multitude of men, and that came from the desert, they put bracelets on their hands, and beautiful crowns on their heads.
43 I thought, "That woman, worn out with adultery! Are they going to fornicate with her too?"	43 And I said to her that was worn out in her adulteries: Now will this woman still continue in her fornication.
44 Yet they visit her like any common prostitute, just as they visited those profligate women Oholah andOholibah.	44 And they went in to her, as to a harlot: so went they in unto Oolla, and Ooliba, wicked women.
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."	45 They therefore are k just men: these shall judge them as adulteresses are judged, and as shedders of blood are judged: because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
46 'The Lord Yahweh says this, "Summon an assembly to deal with them, and hand them over to terrorand pil age;	46 For thus saith the Lord God: Bring a multitude upon them, and deliver them over to tumult and rapine:
47 let the assembly stone them and dispatch them with their swords; let their sons and daughters beslaughtered and their houses set on fire.	47 And lee the people stone them with stones, and let them be stabbed with their swords: they shall kill their sons and daughters, and their houses they shall burn with 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.	48 And I will take away wickedness out of the land: and all women shall learn, not to do according to the wickedness of them.
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." '	49 And they shall render your wickedness upon you, and you shall bear the sins of your idols: and you shall know that I am the Lord God.