Ezekiel 23

Two sisters

1The word of the LORD came to me: 2“Son of man, there were two women, daughters of one mother. 3They prostituted themselves in Egypt, prostituted themselves in their youth. There their breasts were squeezed, there their virgin breasts were handled. 4Their names were Oholah, the older, and her sister Oholibah. They became mine and bore sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem. 5“Oholah prostituted herself while she was mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians nearby, 6clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all desirable young men, horsemen riding horses. 7She gave herself in prostitution to them, all the choicest men of Assyria. With everyone she lusted after, with all their idols, she defiled herself. 8She did not abandon the prostitution she began in Egypt. They had lain with her in her youth, handled her virgin breasts, and poured out their lust upon her. 9So I handed her over to her lovers, to the Assyrians she lusted after. 10They exposed her nakedness, took her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women as they carried out judgments against her.

Oholibah’s path

11“Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet became more corrupt in her lust and prostitution than her sister. 12She lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders nearby, splendidly dressed horsemen riding horses, all desirable young men. 13I saw that she had defiled herself. Both followed the same path. 14She added to her prostitution. She saw men portrayed on a wall, images of Chaldeans drawn in red, 15with belts around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads. All looked like officers, resembling Babylonians whose native land was Chaldea. 16As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent envoys to them in Chaldea. 17The Babylonians came to her bed of love and defiled her with their prostitution. After she was defiled by them, she turned from them in disgust. 18When she openly displayed her prostitution and exposed her nakedness, I turned from her in disgust, just as I had turned from her sister. 19Yet she multiplied her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth when she prostituted herself in Egypt. 20She lusted after their lovers, whose sexual organs were like those of donkeys and whose emissions were like those of horses. 21You longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your breasts, your youthful breasts.

The lovers return

22“Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord GOD says: I am stirring up against you the lovers from whom you turned in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side: 23the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, with all the Assyrians—desirable young men, governors and commanders, officers and men of rank, all riding horses. 24They will come against you with weapons, chariots, and wagons, with a multitude of peoples. They will surround you with large shields, small shields, and helmets. I will entrust judgment to them, and they will judge you by their own judgments. 25I will direct my jealousy against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your nose and ears, and your survivors will fall by the sword. They will take your sons and daughters, and what remains of you will be consumed by fire. 26They will strip off your clothes and take your splendid ornaments. 27I will put an end to your lewdness and the prostitution you began in Egypt. You will no longer lift your eyes to them or remember Egypt. 28For this is what the Lord GOD says: I am handing you over to those you hate, to those from whom you turned in disgust. 29They will deal with you hatefully, take everything you worked for, and leave you naked and bare. Your naked prostitution will be exposed, your lewdness and prostitution. 30These things will be done to you because you prostituted yourself with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. 31You followed your sister’s path, so I will put her cup into your hand.

The sister’s cup

32“This is what the Lord GOD says:
You will drink your sister’s cup,
deep and wide.
You will become an object of laughter and ridicule;
the cup holds much. 33You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,
with a cup of horror and desolation,
the cup of your sister Samaria. 34You will drink it and drain it,
gnaw its shards
and tear your breasts.
For I have spoken,
declares the Lord GOD. 35“Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you forgot me and cast me behind your back, you must bear your lewdness and prostitution.”

Judgment on both sisters

36The LORD said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Tell them their abominations. 37They have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols and made the children they bore to me pass through the fire as food for those idols. 38They have also done this to me: on that same day they defiled my sanctuary and profaned my Sabbaths. 39On the very day they slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered my sanctuary to profane it. That is what they did inside my house. 40“They even sent for men from far away. A messenger was sent to them, and they came. For them you bathed, painted your eyes, and put on ornaments. 41You sat on a splendid couch, with a table set before it, and on it you placed my incense and my oil. 42The sound of a carefree crowd was there. Along with men from the common multitude, drinkers were brought from the wilderness. They put bracelets on the women’s wrists and splendid crowns on their heads. 43Then I said of the woman worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will prostitute themselves with her, and she with them.’ 44They went in to her as men go in to a prostitute. So they went in to Oholah and Oholibah, those lewd women. 45But righteous men will judge them as adulterous women and women who shed blood are judged, for they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands. 46“For this is what the Lord GOD says: Bring a mob against them and hand them over to terror and plunder. 47The mob will stone them and cut them down with swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses. 48I will put an end to lewdness in the land, and all women will take warning and not practice your lewdness. 49They will bring your lewdness back upon you, and you will bear the sins of your idols. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.”