Eze 23 | ABEn | STEP | And [ 3 came 1 the word 2 of the lord ] to me, saying,

‏ Ezekiel 23

CHAPTER 23 The Two Harlot Sisters

1 And [³came ¹the word ²of the lord] to me, saying, 2 O son of man, [²two ³women ¹there were], daughters [²mother ¹of one]. 3 And they fornicated in Egypt; in their youth they committed harlotry. There [²fell ¹their breasts]; there they lost their virginity. 4 And their names -- Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister. And they were born to me, and gave birth to sons and daughters. And their names -- Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem is Aholibah.

Aholah is Samaria

5 And Aholah fornicated from me, and doted upon her lovers, upon the Assyrians being next to her; 6 ones being clothed in blue, leaders and commandants, young men, [²choice ¹all] horsemen riding upon horses. 7 And she offered her harlotry unto them; the choice sons of the Assyrians -- all; and upon all upon whom she doted herself. With all her thoughts she defiled herself. 8 And her harlotry, the one with Egypt she did not abandon, for [²with ³her ¹they went to bed] in her youth, and they caused her loss of virginity, and they poured out their harlotry upon her. 9 On account of this I delivered her up into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the sons of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted. 10 They uncovered her shame. [³sons ⁴and ⁵daughters ²her ¹They took], and [²her ³by ⁴the broadsword ¹they killed]. And she became a discussion for women; and they executed acts of vengeance in her.

Aholibah is Jerusalem

11 And [³saw ¹her sister ²Aholibah], and she corrupted her undertaking above her sister, and her harlotry above the harlotry of her sister. 12 [²upon ³the ⁴sons ⁵of the ⁶Assyrians ¹She doted], the leaders, and commandants near her, ones being clothed elegantly, horsemen riding upon horses, young men, all choice. 13 And I beheld that they were defiled; it was [²way ¹one] for the two of them. 14 And she added unto her harlotry, and she saw men having been portrayed upon the wall, images of Chaldeans having been portrayed with a stylus; 15 having [²tied ¹colored belts] upon their loins; deeply dyed apparel upon their heads; [²with the appearance ³of officials ¹all], a likeness of sons of Babylon of the Chaldeans, of the land of their fatherland. 16 And she doted upon them with the vision of her eyes; and she sent out messengers to them, into the land of the Chaldeans. 17 And [³came ⁴to ⁵her ¹sons ²of Babylon], to her marriage-bed resting up, and they defiled her with their harlotry. And she was defiled by them, and [²separated ¹her soul] unto them. 18 And she uncovered her harlotry, and uncovered her shame. And [²separated ¹my soul] from her in which manner [²separated ¹my soul] from her sister. 19 And you multiplied your harlotry to call to mind the day of your youth in which you committed harlotry in Egypt. 20 And you doted upon the Chaldeans, which their flesh is as flesh of donkeys, and [²as genitals ³of horses ¹their genitals]. 21 And you overlooked the lawlessness of your youth, which you did in Egypt in your lodging, of which place the breasts of your youth fell.

Judgment against Jerusalem

22 On account of this, O Aholibah, thus says Adonai the lord; Behold, I awaken your lovers against you, of whom [²is separated ¹your soul] unto them. And I will bring them against you round about; 23 sons of Babylon and all the Chaldeans -- Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the sons of the Assyrians with them; [²young men ¹choice], governors and commandants, all tribunes, and famous ones riding upon horses. 24 And they shall come upon you all from the north with weapons, and chariots, and wheels, and a multitude of peoples, and chest plates, and shields, and helmets -- they shall be placed around about you, and they shall throw upon you a watch round about. And I will impute [²before ³their face ¹judgment], and they shall punish you in their judgments. 25 And I will put my jealousy against you. And they shall deal with you in an anger of rage. [²your nose ³and ⁴your ears ¹They shall remove]; and [²your remnant ³with ⁴a broadsword ¹they shall throw down]. They [²your sons ³and ⁴your daughters ¹shall take], and your remnant shall be devoured by fire. 26 And they shall strip [²off ³you ¹your clothes], and shall take the items of your boasting. 27 And I will turn your impious deeds from you, and your harlotry from the land of Egypt, and in no way shall you lift up your eyes unto them; and [³Egypt ¹in no way ²shall you remember] any more. 28 For thus says Adonai the lord; Behold, I deliver you into the hands which you detest, from which [²is separated ¹your soul] from them. 29 And they shall deal with you in hatred, and they shall take all the things of your toils, and you will be naked and disgraced. And [⁴shall be uncovered ¹the ²shame ³of your harlotry], even your impiety, and your harlotry. 30 He did to you these things in your fornicating after the nations, and you defiled yourself in their ideas. 31 [²in ³the ⁴way ⁵of your sister ¹You went]; and I will put her cup into your hands. 32 Thus says Adonai the lord; The cup of your sister you shall drink -- deep and spacious; it shall be for laughter and sneering abounding to complete intoxication. 33 And [²of feebleness ¹you shall be filled]; a cup of extinction, and a cup of your sister Samaria. 34 And you shall drink it and strain it out. And his potsherds you shall devour, and [²your breasts ¹you shall pull about]. And your holiday feasts, and your new moons I will pervert, for I have spoken, says Adonai the lord. 35 On account of this, Thus says Adonai the lord; Because you forgot me, and threw me behind your body, then you receive for your impiety and your harlotry!

Judgment against Aholah and Aholibah

36 And the lord said to me, O son of man, Will you judge Aholah and Aholibah? for you shall report to them their lawless deeds. 37 For they committed adultery, and blood is on their hands; even with their thoughts they committed adultery. And their children which they bore to me, [²led them ¹they] through fire. 38 While also they did these things to me, they defiled my holy things in that day, and [²my Sabbaths ¹they profaned]. 39 even in their slaying their children to their idols, and entering into my holy places in that day to profane them. And behold, thus they did in the midst of my house. 40 And they sent forth to the men, to the ones having come from far off, to which [²messengers ¹they sent out] to them. And together in their coming straight you bathed and tinged [²with antimony ¹your eyes], and adorned yourself with ornamentation, 41 and you sat down upon a bed being a spread out, and a table being adorned before it; and my incense and my oil you put before them, and they were glad in them. 42 And a sound of harmony they played music to men from out of a multitude of men having come being drunk from out of the wilderness. And they put bracelets upon their hands, and a crown of boasting upon their heads. 43 And I said, [²not ⁴with ⁵these ¹Do they ³commit adultery]? And works of a harlot also she fornicated? 44 And they entered unto her. In which manner men enter to a woman harlot, so they entered to Aholah, and to Aholibah the [²women ¹lawless], to commit lawlessness. 45 And [³men ²just ¹they are], and they shall punish them in punishment of adulteresses. And in judgment they shed blood, for they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands. 46 Thus says Adonai the lord; Lead [²against ³them ¹a multitude], and put [⁴among ⁵them ¹disturbance ²and ³ravaging]; 47 and let them stone with stones of multitudes, and let them pierce them through with their swords! Their sons and their daughters they shall kill, and their houses they shall burn. 48 And I will return the impiety of the land, and [⁴shall be corrected ¹all ²the ³women], and in no way shall they do according to their impious deeds. 49 And [²shall be imputed ¹your impiety] upon you, and the sins of your ideas you shall bear, and you shall know that I am the lord.