The Prophet Ezekiel

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 23 -

Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother,

and they played in Egypt, prostituting themselves from their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin bosoms caressed.

The older was named Oholah,(a) and her sister was named Oholibah.(b) They became Mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their identities, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

Oholah prostituted herself while she was still Mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors

clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all desirable young men, horsemen mounted on steeds.

She offered sexual favors to all the elite of Assyria. She defiled herself with all the idols of those for whom she lusted.

She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when men slept with her in her youth, caressed her virgin bosom, and poured out their lust upon her.

Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she lusted.

They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and put her to the sword. Thus she became a byword among women, and they executed judgment against her.

Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister.

She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors dressed in splendor, horsemen riding on steeds, all desirable young men.

And I saw that she too had defiled herself; both of them had taken the same path.

But Oholibah carried her prostitution even further. She saw the men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans,(c) engraved in vermilion,

wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like officers of the Babylonians in Chaldea,(d) the land of their birth.

At the sight of them, she lusted for them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. But after she had been defiled by them, she turned away in disgust.

When Oholibah openly prostituted herself and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister.

Yet she multiplied her promiscuity, remembering the days of her youth, when she had prostituted herself in the land of Egypt

and lusted after their lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions.

So you revisited the indecency of your youth, when the Egyptians caressed your bosom and pressed your young breasts.

Oholibah to Be Plagued

Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will incite your lovers against you, those from whom you turned away in disgust. And I will bring them against you from every side—

the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, the men of Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them—all desirable young men, governors and commanders, officers and men of renown, mounted on horses.

They will come against you with a host of peoples,(e) with weapons, chariots, and wagons. They will array themselves against you on every side with buckler and shield and helmet. I will delegate judgment to them, and they will punish you according to their own standards.

And I will set My jealous rage against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and ears, and your survivors will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your remnant will be consumed by fire.

They will strip off your clothes and take your fine jewelry.

So I will put an end to your indecency and prostitution, which began in the land of Egypt, and you will not lift your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.’

For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hands of those you hate, from whom you turned away in disgust.

They will treat you with hatred, take all for which you have worked, and leave you naked and bare, so that the shame of your prostitution will be exposed. Your indecency and promiscuity

have brought these things upon you, because you have prostituted yourself with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.

Because you have followed the path of your sister, I will put her cup into your hand.’

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You will drink your sister’s cup, a cup deep and wide. It will bring scorn and derision, for it holds so much.

You will be filled with drunkenness and grief, with a cup of devastation and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria.

You will drink it and drain it; you will dash it to pieces, and tear your breasts. For I have spoken,’

declares the Lord GOD. Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you have forgotten Me and have cast Me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your indecency and prostitution.’”

Judgment on Both Sisters

Then the LORD said to me: “Son of man, will you pass judgment against Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.

For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols. They have even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to Me, in the fire (f) as food for their idols.

They have also done this to Me: On that very same day, they defiled My sanctuary and profaned My Sabbaths.

On the very day they slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My sanctuary to profane it. Yes, they did this inside My house.

Furthermore, you sisters sent

(g)

messengers for men who came from afar; and behold, when they arrived, you bathed for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewelry.

You sat on a couch of luxury with a table spread before it, on which you had set My incense and My oil,

accompanied by the sound of a carefree crowd. Drunkards

(h)

were brought in from the desert along with men from the rabble, who put bracelets on your wrists and beautiful crowns on your head.

Then I said of her who had grown old in adulteries: ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is!’

And they slept with her as with a prostitute; they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, those lewd women.

But righteous men will sentence them to the punishment of those who commit adultery and bloodshed, because they are adulteresses with blood on their hands.

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Bring a mob against them and consign them to terror and plunder.

The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses.

So I will put an end to indecency in the land, and all the women will be admonished not to imitate your behavior.

They will repay you for your indecency, and you will bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’”

Footnotes

(a)23:4 Oholah means her own tent or she worships at a tent shrine, a metaphor for Samaria as an adulteress with Assyria.

(b)23:4 Oholibah means the tent is in her or she is a tent shrine, a metaphor for Jerusalem as an adulterous wife.

(d)23:15 Or Babylonia; also in verse 16

(e)23:24 LXX They will all come against you from the north

(f)23:37 Literally passed their children, whom they bore to Me, through the fire

(g)23:40 Hebrew they sent

(h)23:42 Or Sabeans

The LORD’s word came again to me, saying,

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

They played the prostitute in Egypt. They played the prostitute in their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their youthful nipples were caressed there.

Their names were Oholah the elder, and Oholibah her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem Oholibah.

“Oholah played the prostitute when she was mine. She doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbors,

who were clothed with blue—governors and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses.

She gave herself as a prostitute to them, all of them the choicest men of Assyria. She defiled herself with the idols of whoever she lusted after.

She hasn’t left her prostitution since leaving Egypt; for in her youth they lay with her. They caressed her youthful nipples and they poured out their prostitution on her.

“Therefore I delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians on whom she doted.

These uncovered her nakedness. They took her sons and her daughters, and they killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women; for they executed judgments on her.

“Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was more corrupt in her lusting than she, and in her prostitution which was more depraved than the prostitution of her sister.

She lusted after the Assyrians, governors and rulers—her neighbors, clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men.

I saw that she was defiled. They both went the same way.

“She increased her prostitution; for she saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with red,

dressed with belts on their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like princes, after the likeness of the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth.

As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them into Chaldea.

The Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their prostitution. She was polluted with them, and her soul was alienated from them.

So she uncovered her prostitution and uncovered her nakedness. Then my soul was alienated from her, just like my soul was alienated from her sister.

Yet she multiplied her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth, in which she had played the prostitute in the land of Egypt.

She lusted after their lovers, whose flesh is as the flesh of donkeys, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.

Thus you called to memory the lewdness of your youth, in the caressing of your nipples by the Egyptians because of your youthful breasts.

Oholibah to Be Plagued

“Therefore, Oholibah, the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I will raise up your lovers against you, from whom your soul is alienated, and I will bring them against you on every side:

the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, Koa, and all the Assyrians with them; all of them desirable young men, governors and rulers, princes and men of renown, all of them riding on horses.

They will come against you with weapons, chariots, and wagons, and with a company of peoples. They will set themselves against you with buckler, shield, and helmet all around. I will commit the judgment to them, and they will judge you according to their judgments.

I will set my jealousy against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will take away your nose and your ears. Your remnant will fall by the sword. They will take your sons and your daughters; and the rest of you will be devoured by the fire.

They will also strip you of your clothes and take away your beautiful jewels.

Thus I will make your lewdness to cease from you, and remove your prostitution from the land of Egypt, so that you will not lift up your eyes to them, nor remember Egypt any more.’

“For the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I will deliver you into the hand of them whom you hate, into the hand of them from whom your soul is alienated.

They will deal with you in hatred, and will take away all your labor, and will leave you naked and bare. The nakedness of your prostitution will be uncovered, both your lewdness and your prostitution.

These things will be done to you because you have played the prostitute after the nations, and because you are polluted with their idols.

You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will give her cup into your hand.’

“The Lord GOD says: ‘You will drink of your sister’s cup, which is deep and large. You will be ridiculed and held in derision. It contains much.

You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of your sister Samaria.

You will even drink it and drain it out. You will gnaw the broken pieces of it, and will tear your breasts; for I have spoken it,’ says the Lord GOD.

“Therefore the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, therefore you also bear your lewdness and your prostitution.’”

Judgment on Both Sisters

The LORD said moreover to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.

For they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols. They have also caused their sons, whom they bore to me, to pass through the fire to them to be devoured.

Moreover this they have done to me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my Sabbaths.

For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and behold, they have done this in the middle of my house.

“Furthermore you sisters have sent for men who come from far away, to whom a messenger was sent, and behold, they came; for whom you washed yourself, painted your eyes, decorated yourself with ornaments,

and sat on a stately bed, with a table prepared before it, whereupon you set my incense and my oil.

“The voice of a multitude being at ease was with her. With men of the common sort were brought drunkards from the wilderness; and they put bracelets on their hands, and beautiful crowns on their heads.

Then I said of her who was old in adulteries, ‘Now they will play the prostitute with her, and she with them.’

They went in to her, as they go in to a prostitute. So they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, the lewd women.

Righteous men will judge them with the judgment of adulteresses and with the judgment of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.

“For the Lord GOD says: ‘I will bring up a mob against them, and will give them to be tossed back and forth and robbed.

The company will stone them with stones and dispatch them with their swords. They will kill their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire.

“‘Thus I will cause lewdness to cease out of the land, that all women may be taught not to be lewd like you.

They will recompense your lewdness on you, and you will bear the sins of your idols. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’”