Ezekiel 23
Coverdale Bible of 1535 Par ▾ 

The Two Adulterous Sisters

1The worde off the LORDE came vnto me, sayenge: 2Thou sonne of man, there were two wome, that had one mother: 3These (when they were yonge) beganne to playe the harlottes in Egipte. There were their brestes brussed, and the pappes off their maydenheade destroyed. 4The eldest of them was called Oola, and hir yongest sister Ooliba. These two were myne, and bare sonnes and doughters. Their names were, Samaria, and that was Oola: and Ierusalem, that was Ooliba.

5As for Oola, she beganne to go a whorynge, when I had take her to me. She was set on fyre vpon hir louers the Assirians, 6which had to do with her: euen the prynces and lordes, that were deckte in costly araye: fayre yonge men, lusty ryders of horses. 7Thus thorow hir whordome, she cleued vnto all the yonge men off Assiria: Yee she was madde vpon them, and defyled herselff with all their Idols. 8Nether ceassed she fro the fornicacio, that she vsed with the Egipcians: for in hir youth they laye wt her, they brussed the brestes of hir maydenheade, and poured their wordome vpon her. 9Wherfore, I delyuered her in to ye hodes of hir louers, euen the Assirians, whom she so loued. 10These discouered hir shame, toke hir sonnes and doughters, and slewe her with the swearde: An euell name gat she of all people, ad they punyshed her.

11Hir sister Ooliba sawe this, ad destroyed herself wt inordinate loue, more then she, & exceaded hir sister in whordome: 12she loued ye Assirians (which also laye wt her) namely, the prynces & greate lordes, that were clothed wt all maner of gorgious apparell, all lusty horsmen and fayre yonge personnes. 13Then I sawe, that they both were defyled a like. 14But she increased still in whordome: for when she sawe men paynted vpon the wall, the ymages off the Caldees set forth with fresh colours, 15with fayre gyrdles aboute them, and goodly bonettes vpon their heades, lokynge all like prynces (after ye maner of the Babilonias and Caldees in their owne londe, where they be borne). 16Inmediatly, as soone as she sawe them, she brent in loue vpon them, and sent messaugers for them in to the londe of the Caldees. 17Now when the Babilonias came to her, they laye with her, and defyled her with their whordome, and so was she poluted with with them. And when hir lust was abated from them, 18hir whordome and shame was discouered & sene: then my herte forsoke her, like as my herte was gone from hir sister also. 19Neuertheles she vsed hir whordome euer the longer the more, and remembred the dayes off hir youth, wherin she had played the harlot in the londe off Egipte: 20she brent in lust vpon them, whose flesh was like ye flesh of Asses, and their sede like the sede off horses. 21Thus thou hast renued the fylthynesse of thy youth, when thy louers bressed yi pappes, and marred thy brestes in Egipte.

Oholibah to Be Plagued

22Therfore (o Ooliba) thus saieth ye LORDE God. I will rayse vp thy louers (with whom thou hast satisfied thy lust) agaynst the, and gather them together rounde aboute the: 23Namely, the Babilonians, and all the Caldees: Pecod, Schoa and Coa, with all the Assirians: all yonge and fayre louers: prynces and lordes, knyghtes and gentlemen, which be all good horsmen: 24These shall come vpon the with horses, charettes, & a greate multitude of people: which shal be harnessed aboute the on euery syde, wt brestplates, sheldes and helmettes. I will punysh ye before them, yee they the selues shal punysh the, acordinge to their owne iudgmet. 25I will put my gelousy vpon the, so that they shall deale cruelly with the. They shal cut of thy nose and thine eares, and the remnaunt shall fall thorow the swearde. They shall cary awaye thy sonnes and doughters, & the resydue shalbe brent in the fyre. 26Thy shal strype the out of thy clothes, & cary thy costly Iewels awaye with them. 27Thus will I make an ende off thy fylthynesse & whordome, which thou hast brought out of the lode of Egipte: so that thou shalt turne thine eyes nomore after them, & cast thy mynde nomore vpon Egipte. 28For thus saieth the LORDE: Beholde, I will delyuer ye in to the hodes of them, whom thou hatest: yee euen in to the hondes of them, with who thou hast fulfylled thy lust, 29which shall deale cruelly with ye: All thy laboure shal they take with them, and leaue the naked and bare, and thus the shame of thy filthy whordome shal come to light. 30All these thinges shal happen vnto the, because of thy whordome, which thou hast vsed amonge the Gentiles, with whose Idols thou hast defyled yi self. 31Thou hast walked in the waye of thy sister, therfore will I geue the hir cuppe in thy honde.

32Thus saieth the LORDE God: Thou shalt drynke off thy sisters cuppe, how depe & farre so euer it be to the botome. Thou shalt be laughed to scorne, and had as greatly in derision, as is possible.

33Thou shalt be full off dronckennes and sorowe, for the cuppe of yi sister Samaria is a cuppe of destruccion & waistinge:

34the same shalt thou drynke, and suppe it out eue to ye dregges, yee thou shalt eate vp the broken peces off it, and so teare thine owne brestes: For euen I haue spoken it, saieth the LORDE God.

35Therfore thus saieth ye LORDE God: For so moch as thou hast forgotte me, & cast me asyde, so beare now thine owne fylthinesse & whordome.

Judgment on Both Sisters

36The LORDE sayde morouer vnto me: Thou sonne of ma, wilt thou not reproue Oola & Ooliba? Shewe the their abhominacios: 37namely, yt they haue broke their wedlocke, & stayned their hodes wt bloude: yee euen wt their Idols haue they committed aduoutry, & offred them their owne children (to be deuoured) who they had borne vnto me. 38Yee & this haue they done vnto me also: they haue defyled my Sactuary in that same daye, & haue vnhalowed my Sabbath. 39For when they had slayne their childre for their Idols, they came the same daye in to my Sanctuary, to defyle it. Lo, this haue they done in my house.

40Besyde all this, thou hast sent yi messaungers for men out of farre coutrees: and whe they came, thou hast bathed, trymmed and set forth thy selff off the best fashion: 41thou sattest vpo a goodly bed, & a table spred before the: whervpon thou hast set myne incense and myne oyle. 42Then was there greate cheare wt her, & the men yt were sent fro farre coutrees ouer the deserte: vnto these they gaue bracelettes vpon their hondes, & set glorious crownes vpon their heades.

43Then thought I: no doute, these wil vse their harlotry also wt yoder olde whore. 44And they wente in to her, as vnto a comon harlot: Euen so wente they also to Oola & Ooliba, those filthy women. 45O ye all that loue vertue and rightuousnes, iudge the, punysh them: as aduoutrers and murtherers ought to be iudged and punyshed. For they are breakers off wedlocke, and the bloude is in their hondes.

46Wherfore thus saieth the LORDE God: bringe a greate multitude off people vpon them, and make them be scatred and spoyled: 47these shal stone them, and gorre them with their sweardes. They shal slaye their sonnes and doughters and burne vp their houses with fyre. 48Thus will I destroye all soch fylthynes out off the londe: that all women may lerne, not to do after youre vnclenesse. 49And so they shall laye youre fylthinesse vpon youre owne selues, and ye shalbe punyshed for the synnes, that ye haue committed with youre Idols: & ye shall knowe, that I am the LORDE.


Coverdale Bible of 1535

Section Headings Courtesy Berean Bible

Ezekiel 22
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