Ezekiel 23
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1This message came to me from the LORD:1This message came to me from the LORD:
2“Son of man, once there were two sisters who were daughters of the same mother.2"Son of Man, here are two sisters who are daughters from the same mother.
3They became prostitutes in Egypt. Even as young girls, they allowed men to fondle their breasts.3They committed sexual immorality in Egypt. They did this in their youth. There, their breasts were caressed. Their virgin breasts were fondled.
4The older girl was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. I married them, and they bore me sons and daughters. I am speaking of Samaria and Jerusalem, for Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.4The older one was named Oholah and her sister was named Oholibah. They belonged to me and gave birth to sons and daughters. Now as to their real identities, Oholah refers to Samaria and Oholibah to Jerusalem."
5“Then Oholah lusted after other lovers instead of me, and she gave her love to the Assyrian officers.5"Oholah committed sexual immorality while she belonged to me. She lusted for Assyria's warriors,
6They were all attractive young men, captains and commanders dressed in handsome blue, charioteers driving their horses.6who were clothed in blue—including governors and commanders. All of them were desirable young men—horsemen mounted on horses.
7And so she prostituted herself with the most desirable men of Assyria, worshiping their idols and defiling herself.7She bestowed her sexual favors on them—all of them, the best of the Assyrians—and with whomever she lusted for. "She defiled herself with all their idols.
8For when she left Egypt, she did not leave her spirit of prostitution behind. She was still as lewd as in her youth, when the Egyptians slept with her, fondled her breasts, and used her as a prostitute.8She never abandoned the immorality that she practiced in Egypt during her youth, where they laid down with her and fondled her virgin breasts, lavishing her with all kinds of favors.
9“And so I handed her over to her Assyrian lovers, whom she desired so much.9Therefore, I turned her over to the control of her lovers, that is, into the control of the Assyrians for whom she lusted.
10They stripped her, took away her children as their slaves, and then killed her. After she received her punishment, her reputation was known to every woman in the land.10They stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters, and executed her with a sword. She became an object of ridicule among other nations when they punished her."
11“Yet even though Oholibah saw what had happened to Oholah, her sister, she followed right in her footsteps. And she was even more depraved, abandoning herself to her lust and prostitution.11"Her sister Oholibah saw this, but she was more corrupt in her lust and sexual immorality than her sister had been in her own sexual immorality.
12She fawned over all the Assyrian officers—those captains and commanders in handsome uniforms, those charioteers driving their horses—all of them attractive young men.12She lusted after the Assyrians—governors, commanders, warriors clothed in gorgeous attire, cavalry mounted on their horses—all of them desirable young men.
13I saw the way she was going, defiling herself just like her older sister.13I saw that she was defiled, because the two of them both were on the same path.
14“Then she carried her prostitution even further. She fell in love with pictures that were painted on a wall—pictures of Babylonian military officers, outfitted in striking red uniforms.14"She became even more sexually immoral when she saw the images of the Chaldean men who had been carved in red on their walls.
15Handsome belts encircled their waists, and flowing turbans crowned their heads. They were dressed like chariot officers from the land of Babylonia.15Girded with waistbands around their loins, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looked like chariot officers, similar to the Babylonians from Chaldea, where they had been born.
16When she saw these paintings, she longed to give herself to them, so she sent messengers to Babylonia to invite them to come to her.16"She lusted after them when she saw them, so she sent messengers to summon them from Chaldea.
17So they came and committed adultery with her, defiling her in the bed of love. After being defiled, however, she rejected them in disgust.17The Babylonians came to her love nest and defiled her with their sexual immorality. As a result, she was defiled by them. Even so, she turned away from them in disgust.
18“In the same way, I became disgusted with Oholibah and rejected her, just as I had rejected her sister, because she flaunted herself before them and gave herself to satisfy their lusts.18She displayed her immorality publicly and stripped herself naked, so I turned away in disgust from her, just as I had turned away in disgust from her sister.
19Yet she turned to even greater prostitution, remembering her youth when she was a prostitute in Egypt.19"Nevertheless, she became even more sexually immoral, even reminiscing about when she was young, when she kept on practicing sexual immorality in the land of Egypt.
20She lusted after lovers with genitals as large as a donkey’s and emissions like those of a horse.20She lusted after her paramours, whose genitals are like those of donkeys, and whose emissions are like those of horses.
21And so, Oholibah, you relived your former days as a young girl in Egypt, when you first allowed your breasts to be fondled. The LORD’s Judgment of Oholibah21Think about the wickedness that you practiced when you were young, when the Egyptians fondled your breasts, the breasts of your youth."
22“Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will send your lovers against you from every direction—those very nations from which you turned away in disgust.22"Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Look! I'm about to stir up your lovers against you, the ones from whom you've turned away in disgust. I'm going to bring them against you from every direction—
23For the Babylonians will come with all the Chaldeans from Pekod and Shoa and Koa. And all the Assyrians will come with them—handsome young captains, commanders, chariot officers, and other high-ranking officers, all riding their horses.23the Babylonians, all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, Koa, and all of the Assyrians with them. They're all desirable young men, governors, commanders, chariot officers, and famous men, all of them mounted on horses.
24They will all come against you from the north with chariots, wagons, and a great army prepared for attack. They will take up positions on every side, surrounding you with men armed with shields and helmets. And I will hand you over to them for punishment so they can do with you as they please.24"'They'll invade you with weapons, chariots, wagons, and a vast army. They'll set themselves in place to attack you from every direction with large shields, small shields, and helmets. I'll turn over judgment to them, and they'll punish you according to their own standards.
25I will turn my jealous anger against you, and they will deal harshly with you. They will cut off your nose and ears, and any survivors will then be slaughtered by the sword. Your children will be taken away as captives, and everything that is left will be burned.25I'll expend my jealousy on you so they'll deal with you in anger. They'll cut off your noses and your ears. Your survivors will die violently. They'll take your sons and daughters away from you, but your survivors will be incinerated.
26They will strip you of your beautiful clothes and jewels.26They'll strip off your clothes and confiscate your jewelry.
27In this way, I will put a stop to the lewdness and prostitution you brought from Egypt. You will never again cast longing eyes on those things or fondly remember your time in Egypt.27That's how I'll put an end to your obscene conduct and sexual immorality that you kept on practicing since the day you left the land of Egypt so that you won't look in Egypt's direction or even remember it anymore.'
28“For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will surely hand you over to your enemies, to those you loathe, those you rejected.28"This is what the Lord GOD says, 'I'm about to turn you over to the control of those you hate, to the control of those from whom you turned away in disgust.
29They will treat you with hatred and rob you of all you own, leaving you stark naked. The shame of your prostitution will be exposed to all the world.29They'll deal with you with hatred. They'll take away your productivity, leaving you naked and defenseless, so that the nakedness of your sexual immorality will be uncovered—your licentious sexual immorality.
30You brought all this on yourself by prostituting yourself to other nations, defiling yourself with all their idols.30These things will happen to you because of your sexual immorality that was patterned after what the nations do. You've been defiled by their idols.
31Because you have followed in your sister’s footsteps, I will force you to drink the same cup of terror she drank.31You took the path of your sister, so I'll place her cup in your hand.'
32“Yes, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “You will drink from your sister’s cup of terror, a cup that is large and deep. It is filled to the brim with scorn and derision.32"This is what the Lord GOD says: 'You'll drink from your sister's cup, which is both large and deep. You'll become a laughing stock and an object of derision, since the cup is so full!
33Drunkenness and anguish will fill you, for your cup is filled to the brim with distress and desolation, the same cup your sister Samaria drank.33You'll be filled with drunkenness and grief. The cup that belongs to your sister Samaria is filled with horror and devastation,
34You will drain that cup of terror to the very bottom. Then you will smash it to pieces and beat your breast in anguish. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!34but you'll drink from it and drain it completely. As for the vessel, you'll break it to pieces and you'll tear at your breasts, for I've spoken,' declares the Lord GOD.
35“And because you have forgotten me and turned your back on me, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: You must bear the consequences of all your lewdness and prostitution.” The LORD’s Judgment on Both Sisters35"Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Because you abandoned me and threw me behind your back, you will bear the consequences of your obscene conduct and sexual immorality.'"
36The LORD said to me, “Son of man, you must accuse Oholah and Oholibah of all their detestable sins.36Then the LORD spoke to me. "Son of Man, speak out in judgment of both Oholah and Oholibah. Make their detestable practices widely known,
37They have committed both adultery and murder—adultery by worshiping idols and murder by burning as sacrifices the children they bore to me.37because they've committed adultery, and blood covers their hands. They've also committed adultery with their idols, making their sons born to me to pass through the fire as an offering to them.
38Furthermore, they have defiled my Temple and violated my Sabbath day!38"They've also done this to me: They defiled my sanctuary and profaned my Sabbaths, all at the same time!
39On the very day that they sacrificed their children to their idols, they boldly came into my Temple to worship! They came in and defiled my house.39When they killed their sons as offerings to their idols, they brought them to my sanctuary and defiled it. Look what they've done with my Temple!
40“You sisters sent messengers to distant lands to get men. Then when they arrived, you bathed yourselves, painted your eyelids, and put on your finest jewels for them.40"In addition, they sent messengers for men to come from afar. When they arrived, you bathed yourself for them, painted your eyes, adorned yourself with jewelry,
41You sat with them on a beautifully embroidered couch and put my incense and my special oil on a table that was spread before you.41then sat down on an elegant bed. A table was arranged in front of it, on which you set out my incense and oil.
42From your room came the sound of many men carousing. They were lustful men and drunkards from the wilderness, who put bracelets on your wrists and beautiful crowns on your heads.42The sound of a carefree multitude accompanied her. Men from a multitude of peoples were coming—including Sabeans from the wilderness, adorned with bracelets on their hands and beautiful crowns on their heads.
43Then I said, ‘If they really want to have sex with old worn-out prostitutes like these, let them!’43"After she had worn herself out by her adulterous behavior, I asked her, 'Will they continue with their sexual immorality and with their prostitution?'
44And that is what they did. They had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, these shameless prostitutes.44They've gone to her, like men do, to have sex with a prostitute. They had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, those licentious women.
45But righteous people will judge these sister cities for what they really are—adulterers and murderers.45Righteous men will judge them with punishments fit for adulterers and for those who shed blood, because they're adulterers with blood on their hands."
46“Now this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Bring an army against them and hand them over to be terrorized and plundered.46This is what the Lord GOD says: "Bring an army against them and deliver them over to terror and plunder.
47For their enemies will stone them and kill them with swords. They will butcher their sons and daughters and burn their homes.47Then the army will stone them with stones and cut them to pieces with their swords. They'll kill their sons and daughters and incinerate their houses.
48In this way, I will put an end to lewdness and idolatry in the land, and my judgment will be a warning to all women not to follow your wicked example.48I'll cause obscene conduct to stop throughout the land, because all the women will be admonished not to practice their obscene conduct.
49You will be fully repaid for all your prostitution—your worship of idols. Yes, you will suffer the full penalty. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.”49You'll receive the consequences for your obscene conduct and bear the punishment for your sins of idolatry. Then you'll know that I am the Lord GOD."
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.
Ezekiel 22
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