Ezekiel 23

The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

Once more, I felt the divine whisper of the Lord speaking to me, saying,

Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:

Once upon a time, two sisters, born of the same loving mother, walked the earth.

And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.

They prostituted themselves in Egypt, from a young age. There men fondled their breasts and caressed their virgin bosoms.

And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.

The elder sister was named Aholah, now known as Samaria, and her younger sister was Aholibah, who we call Jerusalem. They were dear to me, blessed with sons and daughters.

And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,

Aholah prostituted herself while she was still mine; she lusted after her lovers, her Assyrian neighbors.

Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.

Adorned in blue, leaders and commanders, all of them handsome young men, gallantly riding their horses.

Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.

She gave herself freely to them, to all the chosen men of Assyria, and to those she adored. She tainted herself with their idols.

Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.

She never abandoned the prostitution she began in Egypt, where men slept with her in her youth, caressed her virgin breasts, and poured out their lust on her.

Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.

So, I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians, whom she adored.

These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her.

They stripped her naked, took her children, and ended her life with the sword. Her story became well-known among women, for they had carried out judgment on her.

And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms.

When Aholibah saw her sister's actions, she was consumed by a deeper, more destructive passion. Her actions surpassed her sister's in their immorality.

She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men.

She was infatuated with her Assyrian neighbors, the leaders and commanders dressed in stunning attire, horsemen atop their steeds, all of them attractive young men.

Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way,

I realized she had been tainted, and they both followed the same path.

And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,

She gave in to her desires even more when she saw the images of men painted on the wall, the vibrant depictions of the Chaldeans in bright red.

Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity:

Wrapped in belts around their waists, their heads adorned with vibrant attire, they all appeared as noble as princes. Their style mirrored the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their birth.

And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.

The moment she laid eyes on them, her heart was captivated. Overwhelmed with desire, she quickly sent her messengers to Chaldea.

And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.

The Babylonians came to her bed of love and defiled her with their lust. She was left tainted by them, and then her heart turned away from them in disgust.

So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister.

She flaunted her unfaithfulness and exposed her nakedness. Then I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister.

Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.

Yet she multiplied her prostitution, longing for her youthful days in Egypt, where she had played the prostitute.

For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.

She was infatuated with her lovers, who were as robust as donkeys and as virile as stallions.

Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth.

You remembered the wild days of your youth, when you were seduced by the Egyptians, your innocence exploited.

Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side;

So, Aholibah, this is what the Lord says: I will turn those you love, but have pushed away, against you. They will surround you from all sides.

The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: all of them desirable young men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses.

The Babylonians, along with all the Chaldeans, including Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and the Assyrians joined them. They were all attractive young men, leaders and rulers, esteemed lords, all of them gallantly riding on horses.

And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, which shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments.

They will attack you with chariots, wagons and crowds of people, surrounding you with shields and helmets. I will hand you over to them for judgment, and they will punish you by their own standards.

And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee: they shall take away thy nose and thine ears; and thy remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons and thy daughters; and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire.

I will turn my jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will disfigure you, cutting off your nose and ears. Those of you who are left will fall by the sword. Your children will be taken from you, and whatever remains will be consumed by fire.

They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes, and take away thy fair jewels.

They will forcefully remove your clothes and steal your beautiful treasures.

Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy whoredom brought from the land of Egypt: so that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more.

This is how I will put an end to your immoral ways and to the prostitution you began in Egypt. You will no longer yearn for them, nor will Egypt haunt your memories.

For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will deliver thee into the hand of them whom thou hatest, into the hand of them from whom thy mind is alienated:

The Lord God declares, "I will hand you over to those you despise, to those you feel disconnected from."

And they shall deal with thee hatefully, and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare: and the nakedness of thy whoredoms shall be discovered, both thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.

They will treat you with hatred, stripping away all your hard work, leaving you exposed and vulnerable. Your shameful actions and indiscretions will be brought to light.

I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their idols.

I will do these things to you because you have prostituted yourself with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.

Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore will I give her cup into thine hand.

You followed your sister's path, so now you must face her consequences.

Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou shalt drink of thy sister’s cup deep and large: thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision; it containeth much.

The Lord declares, "You will experience your sister's vast and profound struggles. You will be mocked and ridiculed; her cup is filled with much hardship."

Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria.

You will be overwhelmed with confusion and sadness, like drinking from a cup of shock and emptiness, just like your sibling, Samaria.

Thou shalt even drink it and suck it out, and thou shalt break the sherds thereof, and pluck off thine own breasts: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.

You will consume it fully, even to the last drop, and you'll shatter its remains. You will harm yourself in your desperation, because this is what I, the Lord God, have declared.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.

The Lord God says, "Since you've ignored me and pushed me aside, you must now face the consequences of your immoral actions."

The LORD said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations;

The LORD asked me, "Will you, a mere mortal, pass judgment on Aholah and Aholibah? Yes, reveal to them their wrongdoings."

That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them.

They've committed adultery, and their hands are stained with blood. They've been unfaithful, worshipping false idols. Heartbreakingly, they've even sacrificed their own children, whom they bore to me, burning them in the fire as food for their idols.

Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths.

They've deeply hurt me: they've tainted my sacred place and disrespected my holy days.

For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house.

When they heartlessly sacrificed their children to false gods, they dared to enter my sacred space on the same day, defiling it. This is the shocking disrespect they've shown within my own home.

And furthermore, that ye have sent for men to come from far, unto whom a messenger was sent; and, lo, they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments,

You've called for men from distant lands, sending them an invitation. And indeed, they arrived. For them, you've cleaned yourself, applied makeup, and adorned yourself with jewelry.

And satest upon a stately bed, and a table prepared before it, whereupon thou hast set mine incense and mine oil.

You reclined on a grand bed, with a table set before it, where you placed my incense and oil.

And a voice of a multitude being at ease was with her: and with the men of the common sort were brought Sabeans from the wilderness, which put bracelets upon their hands, and beautiful crowns upon their heads.

A chorus of contented voices surrounded her, ordinary men accompanying her, brought exotic Sabeans from the wild. They adorned their hands with bracelets and their heads with stunning crowns.

Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries, Will they now commit whoredoms with her, and she with them?

I asked the woman, worn by her many affairs, "Will they continue to be unfaithful with her, and she with them?"

Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that playeth the harlot: so went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, the lewd women.

And they slept with her, just as men sleep with a prostitute. In the same way, they slept with Aholah and Aholibah, women known for their promiscuity.

And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.

The virtuous will sentence them as adulteresses and murderers are sentenced, for they have committed adultery and have blood on their hands.

For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will bring up a company upon them, and will give them to be removed and spoiled.

The Lord God declares, "I will send a group against them, causing them to be uprooted and devastated."

And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire.

The group will passionately unleash their fury, pelting them with stones and ending their lives with their swords. They will tragically take the lives of their children and, in their wrath, reduce their homes to ashes.

Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out of the land, that all women may be taught not to do after your lewdness.

I will end all indecency in this land, teaching every woman not to follow your immoral ways.

And they shall recompense your lewdness upon you, and ye shall bear the sins of your idols: and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

Your wrongdoings will come back to haunt you, and you'll carry the burden of your false idols' sins. You'll realize then, that I am the true Lord God.