Ezekiel 23

1The word of the LORD came to me: 2Son of man, there were two women who were daughters of one mother. 3They prostituted themselves in Egypt; even in their youth they prostituted themselves. There their breasts were fondled, and there men caressed them while they were still virgins. 4The older was named Oholah, and her sister Oholibah. They became mine and bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem. 5While she was still mine, Oholah prostituted herself. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians, warriors 6clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men, horsemen mounted on horses. 7She gave herself as a prostitute to them, to all the elite of Assyria, and she defiled herself with all the idols of everyone she lusted after. 8She did not give up the prostitution she had begun in Egypt, for in her youth men lay with her, fondled her breasts while she was still a virgin and poured out their lust on her. 9So I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians she lusted after. 10They stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women, because of the judgments carried out on her.

11Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was even more depraved in her lust than Oholah, and her prostitution was worse than her sister’s. 12She lusted after the Assyrians, governors and commanders, warriors in splendid dress, horsemen mounted on horses, all of them handsome young men. 13I saw that she had defiled herself; both of them went the same way. 14But she carried her prostitution further. She saw men pictured on a wall, figures of Chaldeans drawn in red, 15with belts around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, like the Babylonians whose native land is Chaldea. 16The moment her eyes fell on them, she lusted after them, and she sent messengers to them in Chaldea. 17The Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and defiled her with their lust. After she had been defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust. 18When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust, as I had turned away from her sister. 19Yet she prostituted herself more and more, remembering the days of her youth when she prostituted herself in the land of Egypt. 20She lusted after her lovers there, men with genitals like a donkey’s and emissions like a stallion’s. 21So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled your nipples and your young breasts.

22Therefore, Oholibah, the Lord GOD says this: I am about to stir up your lovers against you, the ones you turned away from in disgust, and I will bring them upon you from all sides: 23the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa and Koa, together with all the Assyrians, handsome young men, all of them governors and commanders, officers and men of renown, all mounted on horses. 24They will come against you with weapons, chariots and wagons and a horde of peoples. They will take up positions against you on every side with large shields, small shields and helmets. I will hand over judgment to them, and they will judge you by their own standards. 25I will direct my jealous anger against you, and they will treat you with wrath. They will cut off your nose and your ears, and those of you who are left will fall by the sword. They will take your sons and daughters, and what is left of you will be consumed by fire. 26They will strip off your clothes and take away your fine jewelry. 27So I will put an end to your lewdness and to the prostitution you began in the land of Egypt. You will not look to the Egyptians with longing or remember Egypt any more.

28For the Lord GOD says this: I am about to hand you over to those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust. 29They will deal with you in hatred, take away everything you have worked for and leave you naked and bare. The shame of your prostitution will be exposed, your lewdness and your prostitution. 30This will be done to you because you prostituted yourself with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. 31You have walked in your sister’s way, so I will put her cup into your hand.

32The Lord GOD says this: Your sister’s cup you will drink, deep and wide. It will bring you scorn and mockery, for it holds so much. 33You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow. It is a cup of horror and ruin, the cup of your sister Samaria. 34You will drink it and drain it dry; you will chew on its broken pieces and tear at your breasts. For I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.

35Therefore the Lord GOD says this: Because you have forgotten me and thrown me behind your back, you must bear the punishment for your lewdness and your prostitution.

36The LORD said to me: Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? If so, confront them with their detestable practices. 37For they have committed adultery, and there is blood on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and they have even offered up to them as food the children they bore to me. 38They have also done this to me: on that same day they defiled my sanctuary and dishonored my Sabbaths. 39After they had slaughtered their children for their idols, they came into my sanctuary that same day and profaned it. That is what they did inside my house! 40They even sent for men to come from far away; a messenger was sent to them, and they came. For them you bathed, painted your eyes and put on your jewelry. 41You sat on a splendid couch with a table laid out in front of it, where you had placed my incense and my oil. 42The noise of a carefree crowd was around her. Along with men from the common people, drunkards were brought in from the desert, and they put bracelets on the women’s arms and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43Then I said of the woman worn out by adulteries, “Even now men will commit prostitution with her!” 44Men went to bed with her as they would with a prostitute; in the same way they went to Oholah and Oholibah, those lewd women. 45But righteous men will sentence them as adulteresses and as women who shed blood are sentenced, because they are adulteresses and there is blood on their hands.

46For the Lord GOD says this: Bring up a crowd against them, and hand them over to terror and plunder. 47The crowd will stone them and hack them down with their swords; their sons and daughters they will kill, and their houses they will set on fire. 48So I will put an end to lewdness in the land, and all women will take warning and not act as lewdly as you did. 49Your lewdness will be repaid on you, and you will bear the penalty for your sins with idols. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.