Ezekiel 23

1The word of the Lord came to me again, saying,

1And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, `Son of man,

1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

2Son of man, there were two women, daughters of one mother:

2Two women were daughters of one mother,

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

3They were acting like loose women in Egypt; when they were young their behaviour was loose: there their breasts were crushed, even the points of their young breasts were crushed.

3And they go a-whoring in Egypt, In their youth they have gone a-whoring, There they have bruised their breasts, And there they have dealt with the loves of their virginity.

3And 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.

4Their names were Oholah, the older, and Oholibah, her sister: and they became mine, and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem, Oholibah.

4And their names <FI>are<Fi> Aholah the elder, And Aholibah her sister, And they are Mine, and bear sons and daughters. As to their names--Samaria <FI>is<Fi> Aholah, And Jerusalem <FI>is<Fi> Aholibah.

4And 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.

5And Oholah was untrue to me when she was mine; she was full of desire for her lovers, even for the Assyrians, her neighbours,

5And go a-whoring doth Aholah under Me, And she doteth on her lovers, On the neighbouring Assyrians,

5And Oolla committed fornication against me, and doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians that came to her,

6Who were clothed in blue, captains and rulers, all of them young men to be desired, horsemen seated on horses.

6Clothed with blue--governors and prefects, Desirable young men all of them, Horsemen, riding on horses,

6Who were clothed with blue, princes, and rulers, beautiful youths, all horsemen, mounted upon horses.

7And she gave her unclean love to them, all of them the noblest men of Assyria: and she made herself unclean with the images of all who were desired by her.

7And she giveth her whoredoms on them, The choice of the sons of Asshur, All of them--even all on whom she doted, By all their idols she hath been defiled.

7And 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.

8And she has not given up her loose ways from the time when she was in Egypt; for when she was young they were her lovers, and by them her young breasts were crushed, and they let loose on her their unclean desire.

8And her whoredoms out of Egypt she hath not forsaken, For with her they lay in her youth, And they dealt with the loves of her virginity, And they pour out their whoredoms on her.

8Moreover 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.

9For this cause I gave her up into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the Assyrians on whom her desire was fixed.

9Therefore I have given her into the hand of her lovers, Into the hand of sons of Asshur on whom she doted.

9Therefore have I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the sons of the Assyrians, upon whose lust she doted.

10By these her shame was uncovered: they took her sons and daughters and put her to death with the sword: and she became a cause of wonder to women; for they gave her the punishment which was right.

10They have uncovered her nakedness, Her sons and her daughters they have taken, And her by sword they have slain, And she is a name for women, And judgments they have done with her.

10They 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.

11And her sister Oholibah saw this, but her desire was even more unmeasured, and her loose behaviour was worse than that of her sister.

11And see doth her sister Aholibah, And she maketh her doting love more corrupt than she, And her whoredoms than the whoredoms of her sister.

11And 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.

12She was full of desire for the Assyrians, captains and rulers, her neighbours, clothed in blue, horsemen going on horses, all of them young men to be desired.

12On sons of Asshur she hath doted, Governors and prefects, Neighbouring ones--clothed in perfection, Horsemen, riding on horses, Desirable young men all of them.

12Impudently 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.

13And I saw that she had become unclean; the two of them went the same way.

13And I see that she hath been defiled, One way <FI>is<Fi> to them both.

13And I saw that she was defiled, and that they both took one way.

14And her loose behaviour became worse; for she saw men pictured on a wall, pictures of the Chaldaeans painted in bright red,

14And she doth add unto her whoredoms, And she seeth graved men on the wall, Pictures of Chaldeans, graved with red lead,

14And she increased her fornications: and when she had seen men painted on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans set forth in colours,

15With bands round their bodies and with head-dresses hanging round their heads, all of them looking like rulers, like the Babylonians, the land of whose birth is Chaldaea.

15Girded with a girdle on their loins, Dyed attire spread out on their heads, The appearance of rulers--all of them, The likeness of sons of Babylon, Chaldea is the land of their birth.

15And 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,

16And when she saw them she was full of desire for them, and sent servants to them in Chaldaea.

16And she doteth on them at the sight of her eyes, And sendeth messengers to them, to Chaldea.

16She doted upon them with the lust of her eyes, and she sent messengers to them into Chaldea.

17And the Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love, and made her unclean with their loose desire, and she became unclean with them, and her soul was turned from them.

17And come in unto her do sons of Babylon, To the bed of loves, And they defile her with their whoredoms, And she is defiled with them, And her soul is alienated from them.

17And 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.

18So her loose behaviour was clearly seen and her shame uncovered: then my soul was turned from her as it had been turned from her sister.

18And she revealeth her whoredoms, And she revealeth her nakedness, And alienated is My soul from off her, As alienated was My soul from off her sister.

18And she discovered her fornications, and discovered her disgrace: and my soul was alienated from her, as my soul was alienated from her sister.

19But still she went on the more with her loose behaviour, keeping in mind the early days when she had been a loose woman in the land of Egypt.

19And she multiplieth her whoredoms, To remember the days of her youth, When she went a-whoring in the land of Egypt.

19For she multiplied her fornications, remembering the days of her youth, in which she played the harlot in the land of Egypt.

20And she was full of desire for her lovers, whose flesh is like the flesh of asses and whose seed is like the seed of horses.

20And she doteth on their paramours, Whose flesh <FI>is<Fi> the flesh of asses, And the issue of horses--their issue.

20And 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.

21And she made the memory of the loose ways of her early years come back to mind, when her young breasts were crushed by the Egyptians.

21Thou lookest after the wickedness of thy youth, In dealing out of Egypt thy loves, For the sake of the breasts of thy youth.

21And thou hast renewed the wickedness of thy youth, when thy breasts were pressed in Egypt, and the paps of thy virginity broken.

22For this cause, O Oholibah, this is what the Lord has said: See, I will make your lovers come up against you, even those from whom your soul is turned away in disgust; and I will make them come up against you on every side;

22Therefore, O Aholibah, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am stirring up thy lovers against thee, From whom thy soul hath been alienated, And have brought them in against thee from round about.

22Therefore, 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.

23The Babylonians and all the Chaldaeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: young men to be desired, captains and rulers all of them, and chiefs, her neighbours, all of them on horseback.

23Sons of Babylon, and of all Chaldea, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, All the sons of Asshur with them, Desirable young men, governors and prefects, All of them--rulers and proclaimed ones, Riding on horses, all of them.

23The 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.

24And they will come against you from the north on horseback, with war-carriages and a great band of peoples; they will put themselves in order against you with breastplate and body-cover and metal head-dress round about you: and I will make them your judges, and they will give their decision against you as seems right to them.

24And they have come in against thee, With arms, rider, and wheel, And with an assembly of peoples; Target, and shield, and helmet, They do set against thee round about, And I have set before them judgment, They have judged thee in their Judgments.

24And 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.

25And my bitter feeling will be working against you, and they will take you in hand with passion; they will take away your nose and your ears, and the rest of you will be put to the sword: they will take your sons and daughters, and the rest of you will be burned up in the fire.

25And I have set My jealousy against thee, And they have dealt with thee in fury, Thy nose and thine ears they turn aside, And thy posterity by sword falleth, They, thy sons and thy daughters do take away, And thy posterity is devoured by fire.

25And 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.

26And they will take all your clothing off you and take away your ornaments.

26And they have stripped thee of thy garments, And have taken thy beauteous jewels.

26And they shall strip thee of thy garments, and take away the instruments of thy glory.

27So I will put an end to your evil ways and your loose behaviour which came from the land of Egypt: and your eyes will never be lifted up to them again, and you will have no more memory of Egypt.

27And I have caused thy wickedness to cease from thee, And thy whoredoms out of the land of Egypt, And thou liftest not up thine eyes unto them, And Egypt thou dost not remember again.

27And 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.

28For this is what the Lord has said: See, I will give you up into the hands of those who are hated by you, into the hands of those from whom your soul is turned away in disgust:

28For thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am giving thee into a hand that thou hast hated, Into a hand from which thou wast alienated.

28For 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.

29And they will take you in hand with hate, and take away all the fruit of your work, and let you be unveiled and without clothing: and the shame of your loose behaviour will be uncovered, your evil designs and your loose ways.

29And they have dealt with thee in hatred, And they have taken all thy labour, And they have left thee naked and bare, And revealed hath been the nakedness of thy whoredoms, And the wickedness of thy whoredoms.

29And 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.

30They will do these things to you because you have been untrue to me, and have gone after the nations, and have become unclean with their images.

30To do these things to thee, In thy going a-whoring after nations, Because thou hast been defiled with their idols,

30They have done these things to thee, because thou hast played the harlot with the nations among which thou wast defiled with their idols.

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

31In the way of thy sister thou hast walked, And I have given her cup into thy hand.

31Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister and I will give her cup into thy hand.

32This is what the Lord has said: You will take a drink from your sister's cup, which is deep and wide: you will be laughed at and looked down on, more than you are able to undergo.

32Thus said the Lord Jehovah: The cup of thy sister thou dost drink, The deep and the wide one, (Thou art for laughter and for scorn,) Abundant to contain.

32Thus 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.

33You will be broken and full of sorrow, with the cup of wonder and destruction, with the cup of your sister Samaria.

33With drunkenness and sorrow thou art filled, A cup of astonishment and desolation, The cup of thy sister Samaria.

33Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness, and sorrow: with the cup of grief and sadness, with the cup of thy sister Samaria.

34And after drinking it and draining it out, you will take the last drops of it to the end, pulling off your breasts: for I have said it, says the Lord.

34And thou hast drunk it, and hast drained <FI>it<Fi> , And its earthen ware thou dost gnaw, And thine own breasts thou pluckest off, For I have spoken, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah,

34And 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.

35So this is what the Lord has said: Because you have not kept me in your memory, and because your back has been turned to me, you will even undergo the punishment of your evil designs and your loose ways.

35Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because thou hast forgotten Me, And thou dost cast Me behind thy back, Even thou also bear thy wickedness and thy whoredoms.'

35Therefore 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.

36Then the Lord said to me: Son of man, will you be the judge of Oholibah? then make clear to her the disgusting things she has done.

36And Jehovah saith unto me, `Son of man, Dost thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? Declare then to them their abominations.

36And the Lord spoke to me, saying: Son of man, dost thou judge Oolla, and Ooliba, and dost thou declare to them their wicked deeds?

37For she has been false to me, and blood is on her hands, and with her images she has been untrue; and more than this, she made her sons, whom she had by me, go through the fire to them to be burned up.

37For they have committed adultery, And blood <FI>is<Fi> in their hands, With their idols they committed adultery, And also their sons whom they bore to Me, They caused to pass over to them for food.

37Because 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.

38Further, this is what she has done to me: she has made my holy place unclean and has made my Sabbaths unclean.

38Again, this they have done to Me, They defiled My sanctuary in that day, And My sabbaths they have polluted.

38Yea, and they have done this to me. They polluted my sanctuary on the same day, and profaned my sabbaths.

39For when she had made an offering of her children to her images, she came into my holy place to make it unclean; see, this is what she has done inside my house.

39And in their slaughtering their sons to their idols They also come in unto My sanctuary in that day to pollute it, And lo, thus they have done in the midst of My house,

39And 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.

40And she even sent for men to come from far away, to whom a servant was sent, and they came: for whom she was washing her body and painting her eyes and making herself fair with ornaments.

40And also that they send to men coming from afar, Unto whom a messenger is sent, And lo, they have come in for whom thou hast washed, Painted thine eyes, and put on adornment.

40They 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.

41And she took her seat on a great bed, with a table put ready before it on which she put my perfume and my oil.

41And thou hast sat on a couch of honour, And a table arrayed before it, And My perfume and My oil placed on it.

41Thou sattest on a very fine bed, and a table was decked before thee: whereupon thou didst set my incense, and my ointment.

42... and they put jewels on her hands and beautiful crowns on her head.

42And the voice of a multitude at ease <FI>is<Fi> with her, And unto men of the common people are brought in Sabeans from the wilderness, And they put bracelets on their hands, And a beauteous crown on their heads.

42And 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.

43Then I said ... now she will go on with her loose ways.

43And I say of the worn-out one in adulteries, Now they commit her whoredoms--she also!

43And I said to her that was worn out in her adulteries: Now will this woman still continue in her fornication.

44And they went in to her, as men go to a loose woman: so they went in to Oholibah, the loose woman.

44And they come in unto her, As the coming in unto a whorish woman, So they have come in unto Aholah, And unto Aholibah--the wicked women.

44And they went in to her, as to a harlot: so went they in unto Oolla, and Ooliba, wicked women.

45And upright men will be her judges, judging her as false wives and women who take lives are judged; because she has been untrue to me and blood is on her hands.

45As to righteous men, they judge them with the judgment of adulteresses, And the judgment of women shedding blood, For they <FI>are<Fi> adulteresses, And blood <FI>is<Fi> in their hands.

45They therefore are 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.

46For this is what the Lord has said: I will make a great meeting of the people come together against her, and will send on her shaking fear and take everything from her.

46For thus said the Lord Jehovah: Bring up against them an assembly, And give them to trembling and to spoiling.

46For thus saith the Lord God: Bring a multitude upon them, and deliver them over to tumult and rapine:

47And the meeting, after stoning her with stones, will put an end to her with their swords; they will put her sons and daughters to death and have her house burned up with fire.

47And they have cast at them the stone of the assembly, And cut them with their swords, Their sons and their daughters they do slay, And their houses with fire they burn.

47And let the people stone them with stone, and let them be stabbed with their swords: they shall kill their sons and daughters, and their houses they shall burn with fire.

48And I will put an end to evil in all the land, teaching all women not to do as you have done.

48And I have caused wickedness to cease from the land, And instructed have been all the women, And they do not according to your wickedness.

48And I will take away wickedness out of the land: and all women shall learn, not to do according to the wickedness of them.

49And I will send on you the punishment of your evil ways, and you will be rewarded for your sins with your images: and you will be certain that I am the Lord.

49And they have put your wickedness on you, And the sins of your idols ye bear, And ye have known that I <FI>am<Fi> the Lord Jehovah!

49And 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.