23Ezekiel 23

Two Sinful Sisters

1The Lord said:Select Ezekiel 23:1

2Ezekiel, son of man, listen to this story about two sisters.Select Ezekiel 23:2

3While they were young and living in Egypt, they became prostitutes.Select Ezekiel 23:3

4The older one was named Oholah, which stands for Samaria; the younger one was Oholibah, which stands for Jerusalem. They became my wives and gave birth to my children.Select Ezekiel 23:4

5Even though Oholah was my wife, she continued to be a prostitute and chased after Assyrian lovers.Select Ezekiel 23:5

6She offered herself to soldiers in purple uniforms: handsome, high-ranking officers and cavalry troops.Select Ezekiel 23:6

7She had sex with all the important Assyrian officials and even worshiped their disgusting idols.Select Ezekiel 23:7

8Once she started doing these things in Egypt, she never stopped. Men slept with her, and she was always ready for sex.Select Ezekiel 23:8

9So I gave Oholah to the Assyrian lovers she wanted so badly.Select Ezekiel 23:9

10They ripped off her clothes, then captured her children and killed her. Women everywhere talked about what had happened to Oholah.Select Ezekiel 23:10

11Oholibah saw all this, but she was more sinful and wanted sex more than her sister Oholah ever did.Select Ezekiel 23:11

12Oholibah also chased after good-looking Assyrian officers, uniformed soldiers, and cavalry troops.Select Ezekiel 23:12

13Just like her sister, she did vulgar things.Select Ezekiel 23:13

14But Oholibah behaved worse than her sister. Oholibah saw images of Babylonian men carved into walls and painted red.Select Ezekiel 23:14

15They had belts around their waists and large turbans on their heads, and they reminded her of Babylonian cavalry officers.Select Ezekiel 23:15

16As soon as she looked at them, she wanted to have sex with them. And so, she sent messengers to bring them to her.Select Ezekiel 23:16

17Men from Babylonia came and had sex with her so many times that she got disgusted with them.Select Ezekiel 23:17

18She let everyone see her naked body and didn't care if they knew she was a prostitute. That's why I turned my back on her, just as I had done with her older sister.Select Ezekiel 23:18

19Oholibah didn't stop there, but became even more immoral and acted as she had back in Egypt.Select Ezekiel 23:19

20She eagerly wanted to go to bed with Egyptian men, who were famous for their sexual powers.Select Ezekiel 23:20

21And she longed for the days when she was a young prostitute, when men enjoyed caressing her body.Select Ezekiel 23:21

The Will Punish Oholibah

22The Lord God said: Oholibah, though you no longer want to be around your lovers, they will surround you like enemies, when I turn them against you.Select Ezekiel 23:22

23I will gather all the handsome young officials and the high-ranking cavalry officers from Babylonia and Assyria, as well as from the Chaldean tribes of Pekod, Shoa, and Koa.Select Ezekiel 23:23

24Their large armies will come from the north with chariots and wagons carrying weapons. They will wear shields and helmets and will surround you, and I will let them judge and sentence you according to their own laws.Select Ezekiel 23:24

25I am angry with you, so I will let them be very cruel. They will cut off your nose and ears; they will kill your children and burn alive anyone in your family who survives.Select Ezekiel 23:25

26Your clothes and jewelry will be torn off.Select Ezekiel 23:26

27I will stop your wickedness and the prostitution you started back in Egypt. You will never want to think about those days again.Select Ezekiel 23:27

28I, the Lord God, am ready to hand you over to those hateful enemies that you find so disgusting.Select Ezekiel 23:28

29They will cruelly take away everything you have worked for and strip you naked. Then everyone will see you for the prostitute you really are. Your own vulgar sinsSelect Ezekiel 23:29

30have led to this. You were the one determined to have sex with men from other nations and to worship their idols.Select Ezekiel 23:30

31You have turned out no better than your older sister, and now you must drink from the cup filled with my anger.Select Ezekiel 23:31

32I, the Lord God, gave your sister a large, deep cup filled with my anger. And when you drink from that cup, you will be mocked and insulted.Select Ezekiel 23:32

33You will end up drunk and devastated, because that cup is filled with horror and ruin.Select Ezekiel 23:33

34But you must drink every drop! Then smash the cup and chew on its broken pieces. Use them to cut your breasts in sorrow. I, the Lord God, have spoken.Select Ezekiel 23:34

35You have completely rejected me, and so I promise that you will be punished for the disgusting things you did as a prostitute.Select Ezekiel 23:35

The Two Sisters Are Condemned

36The Lord said: Ezekiel, son of man, it's time for you to tell Oholah and Oholibah that they are guilty. Remind them of their evil ways!Select Ezekiel 23:36

37They have been unfaithful by worshiping idols, and they have committed murder by sacrificing my own children as offerings to idols.Select Ezekiel 23:37

39They came into my temple that same day, and that made it unfit as a place to worship me. They have even stopped respecting the Sabbath.Select Ezekiel 23:39

40They sent messengers to attract men from far away. When those men arrived, the two sisters bathed themselves and put on eye shadow and jewelry.Select Ezekiel 23:40

41They sat on a fancy couch, and in front of them was a table for the olive oil and incense that had belonged to me.Select Ezekiel 23:41

42Their room was always filled with a noisy crowd of drunkards brought in from the desert. These men gave the women bracelets and beautiful crowns,Select Ezekiel 23:42

43and I noticed that the men were eager to have sex with these women, though they were exhausted from being prostitutes.Select Ezekiel 23:43

44In fact, the men had sex over and over with Oholah and Oholibah, the two sinful sisters.Select Ezekiel 23:44

45But honest judges will someday accuse those two of murder and of being unfaithful, because they are certainly guilty.Select Ezekiel 23:45

46So I, the Lord God, now say to these sisters: I will call together an angry mob that will abuse and rob you.Select Ezekiel 23:46

47They will stone you to death and cut you to pieces; they will kill your children and burn down your houses.Select Ezekiel 23:47

48I will get rid of sinful prostitution in this country, so that women everywhere will be warned not to act as you have.Select Ezekiel 23:48

49You will be punished for becoming prostitutes and for worshiping idols. Then you will know that I am the Lord God.Select Ezekiel 23:49