Ezekiel 23

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,	1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
2 'Son of man, there were once two women, daughters of the same mother.	2 “Son of man, two women were daughters of one 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.	3 and they fornicated in Egypt; they committed fornication in their youth. In that place, their breasts were conquered; the breasts of their adolescence were subdued.
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 Now their names were Oholah, the elder, and Oholibah, her younger sister. And I held them, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names: Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
5 Now Oholah played the whore, although she belonged to me; she lusted after her lovers, herneighbours the Assyrians,	5 And then, Oholah committed fornication against me, and she acted madly with her lovers, with the Assyrians who approached her,
6 dressed in purple, governors and magistrates, all of them young and desirable, and skilful horsemen.	6 who were clothed with hyacinth: rulers and magistrates, passionate youths and all of the horsemen, mounted on 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 distributed her fornications to those chosen men, all of them sons of the Assyrians. And she defiled herself with the uncleanness of all those whom she madly desired.
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, she also did not abandon her fornications, which she had done in Egypt. For they also slept with her in her youth, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and they 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 Because of this, I have delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the sons of the Assur, whom she has lustfully desired.
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 uncovered her shame; they took away her sons and daughters; and they slew her with the sword. And they became infamous women. And they carried out 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, Oholibah, had seen this, she was even more mad with lust than the other. And her fornication was 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 She shamelessly offered herself to the sons of the Assyrians, to the rulers and magistrates who brought themselves to her clothed with colorful garments, to the horsemen who were carried by horses, and to the youths, all of them exceptional in appearance.
13 Then I saw that she had defiled herself, that both sisters were equally bad.	13 And I saw that she had been defiled, and that they both took the same path.
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 depicted on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans, expressed in colors,
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 with belts wrapped around the waist, and with dyed headdresses on their heads, having seen the appearance of all the rulers, the likenesses of the sons of Babylon and of the land of the Chaldeans in which they were born,
16 than she fell in love with them at first sight and sent messengers to them in Chaldaea.	16 she became mad for them with the desire of her eyes, and she sent messengers to them in 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 had gone to her, to the bed of breasts, they defiled her with their fornications, and she was polluted by them, and her soul was gorged by 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 Also, her fornications were uncovered, and her shame was revealed. And my soul withdrew from her, as my soul had withdrawn 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 fornicated 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 like the flesh of donkeys, and whose flow is like the flow 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 you have revisited the crimes of your youth, when your breasts were conquered in Egypt, and the breasts of your adolescence were subdued.
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 Because of this, Oholibah, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will raise up against you all of your lovers, with whom your soul has been gorged. And I will gather them together against you all around:
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 sons of Babylon, and all the Chaldeans, the nobles, the sovereigns and princes, all the sons of the Assyrians, youths of exceptional form, all the rulers and magistrates, the leaders among leaders, and the renowned riders of horses.
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 will overwhelm you, well-equipped with chariot and wheel, a multitude of peoples. They will be armed against you on every side with armor and shield and helmet. And I will give judgment to their eyes, and they will judge you with 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 against you, I will set my zeal, which they will execute upon you with fury. They will cut off your nose and your ears. And what remains will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and your daughters, and your youngest will be devoured by fire.
26 They will strip off your garments and rob you of your jewels.	26 And they will strip you of your vestments, and take away the articles of your 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 cause your wickedness to cease from you, and your fornication to cease from the land of Egypt. Neither shall you lift up your eyes toward them, and you shall no longer remember Egypt.
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 says the Lord God: Behold, I will deliver you into the hands of those whom you have hated, into the hands by which your soul has been gorged.
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 will act toward you with hatred, and they will take away all your labors, and they will send you away naked and filled with disgrace. And the shame of your fornication will be revealed: your crimes and your 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 you, because you have fornicated after the Gentiles, among whom you were defiled by their idols.
31 Since you have copied your sister's behaviour, I shal put her cup in your hand."	31 You have walked in the way of your sister, and so I will give her chalice into 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.	32 Thus says the Lord God: You will drink the chalice of your sister, deep and wide. You will be held in derision and in ridicule, to a very great extent.
33 You wil be fil ed with drunkenness and sorrow. Cup of affliction and devastation, the cup of yoursister Samaria,	33 You will be filled with inebriation and sorrow, by the chalice of grief and sadness, by the chalice of your 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 you will drink it, and you will empty it, even to the dregs. And you will consume even its particles. And you will wound your own 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 Because of this, thus says the Lord God: Since you have forgotten me, and you have cast me behind your body, so also will you bear your wickedness and your 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, should you not judge Oholah and Oholibah, and announce to them their crimes?
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 For they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands, and they have fornicated with their idols. Moreover, they have offered even their children, whom they bore for me, 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 But they have done even this to me: They have defiled my sanctuary on the same day, and they have 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 immolated their children to their idols, they also entered my sanctuary on the same day, so that they defiled it. They have done 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 who were coming from far away, to whom they had sent a messenger. And so, behold, they arrived, those for whom you washed yourself, and smeared cosmetics around your eyes, and were adorned with feminine 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 You sat upon a very beautiful bed, and a table was adorned before you, on which you placed 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 the voice of a multitude was exulting within her. And concerning certain men, who were being led out of a multitude of persons, and who were arriving from the desert, they placed 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 about her, as she was being worn away by her adulteries, ‘Even now, she continues in her fornication!’
44 Yet they visit her like any common prostitute, just as they visited those profligate women Oholah andOholibah.	44 And they entered to her, as if to a kept woman. So did they enter to Oholah and Oholibah, nefarious 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 But there are just men; these shall judge them with the judgment of adulteresses and with the judgment of those who shed blood. For they are adulteresses, and blood is on 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 says the Lord God: Lead upon them a multitude, and hand them over to tumult and to pillaging.
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 may they be stoned with the stones of the peoples, and may they be pierced with their own swords. They will put to death their sons and daughters, and they will burn their houses 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 from the land. And all women shall learn not to act according to their wickedness.
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 will set your own crimes upon you, and you will bear the sins of your idols. And you shall know that I am the Lord God.”