Ezekiel 23

₁The LORD said:

₂Ezekiel, son of man, listen to this story about two sisters. ₃While they were young and living in Egypt, they became prostitutes. ₄The elder 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.

₅Even though Oholah was my wife, she continued to be a prostitute and chased after Assyrian lovers. ₆She offered herself to soldiers in purple uniforms, to every handsome, high-ranking officer, and to cavalry troops. ₇She had sex with all the important Assyrian officials and even worshipped their disgusting idols. ₈Once she started doing these things in Egypt, she never stopped. Men slept with her, and she was always ready for sex.

₉So I gave Oholah to the Assyrian lovers she wanted so badly. ₁₀They ripped off her clothes, then captured her children and killed her. Women everywhere talked about what had happened to Oholah.

₁₁Oholibah saw all this, but she was more sinful and wanted sex more than her sister Oholah ever did. ₁₂Oholibah also chased after good-looking Assyrian officers, uniformed soldiers, and cavalry troops. ₁₃Just like her sister, she did vulgar things.

₁₄But Oholibah behaved worse than her sister. Oholibah saw images of Babylonian men carved into walls and painted red. ₁₅They had belts around their waists and large turbans on their heads, and they reminded her of Babylonian cavalry officers. ₁₆As soon as she looked at them, she wanted to have sex with them. And so, she sent messengers to bring them to her. ₁₇Men from Babylonia came and had sex with her so many times that she got disgusted with them. 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 elder sister.

₁₉Oholibah didn't stop there, but became even more immoral and acted as she had back in Egypt. ₂₀She eagerly wanted to go to bed with Egyptian men, who were famous for their sexual powers. ₂₁And she longed for the days when she was a young prostitute, when men enjoyed having sex with her.

₂₂The LORD God said:

Oholibah, though you no longer want to be with your lovers, they will surround you like enemies, when I turn them against you. 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. 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. 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 put to death anyone in your family who is still alive. ₂₆Your clothes and jewellery will be torn off. ₂₇I will stop your wickedness and the prostitution you started back in Egypt. You will never want to think about those days again.

₂₈I, the LORD God, am ready to hand you over to those hateful enemies that you find so disgusting. 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 sins ₃₀have led to this. You were the one determined to have sex with men from other nations and to worship their idols. ₃₁You have turned out no better than your elder sister, and now you must drink from the cup filled with my anger.

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. ₃₃You will end up drunk and devastated, because that cup is filled with horror and ruin. ₃₄But you must drink every drop! Then smash the cup to pieces and use them to cut your breasts in sorrow. I, the LORD God, have spoken.

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

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! ₃₇They have been unfaithful by worshipping idols, and they have committed murder by sacrificing my own children as offerings to idols. _38-39They 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.

₄₀They sent messengers to attract men from far away. When those men arrived, the two sisters took baths and put on eye shadow and jewellery. ₄₁They sat on a fine couch, and in front of them was a table for the olive oil and incense that had belonged to me. 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, ₄₃and I noticed that the men were eager to have sex with these women, though they were exhausted from being prostitutes. ₄₄In fact, the men had sex over and over with Oholah and Oholibah, the two sinful sisters. ₄₅But good men will some day accuse those two of murder and of being unfaithful, because they are certainly guilty.

₄₆So I, the LORD God, now say to these sisters: