Through the Bible – Day 327

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:

₁Nine years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, the LORD spoke to me on the tenth day of the tenth month. He said:

₂Ezekiel, son of man, write down today's date, because the king of Babylonia has just begun attacking the city of Jerusalem. ₃Then tell my rebellious people:

₆These words mean that Jerusalem is doomed! The city is filled with murderers and is like an old, rusty pot. The meat is taken out piece by piece, and no one cares what happens to it. ₇The people of Jerusalem murdered innocent people in the city and didn't even try to cover-up the blood that flowed out on the hard ground. ₈But I have seen that blood, and it cries out for me to take revenge.

₉I, the LORD God, will punish that city of violence! I will make a huge pile of firewood, ₁₀so bring more wood and light it. Cook the meat and boil away the broth to let the bones scorch. ₁₁Then set the empty pot over the hot coals until it is red-hot. That will clean the pot and burn off the rust. ₁₂I've tried everything else. Now the rust must be burnt away.

₁₃Jerusalem is so full of sin and evil that I can't get it clean, even though I have tried. It will stay filthy until I let loose my fierce anger against it. ₁₄That time will certainly come! And when it does, I won't show the people of Jerusalem any pity or change my mind. They must be punished for the evil they have done. I, the LORD God, have spoken.

₁₅The LORD said, ₁₆“Ezekiel, son of man, I will suddenly take the life of the person you love most. But I don't want you to complain or cry. ₁₇Mourn in silence and don't show that you are grieving. Don't remove your turban or take off your sandals; don't cover your face to show your sorrow, or eat the food that mourners eat.”

₁₈One morning, I was talking with the people as usual, and by sunset my wife was dead. The next day I did what the LORD told me, ₁₉and when people saw me, they asked, “Why aren't you mourning for your wife?”

₂₀I answered:

₂₅The LORD said, “Ezekiel, I will soon destroy the temple that makes everyone feel proud and safe, and I will take away their children as well. ₂₆On that same day, someone will escape from the city and come to tell you what has happened. ₂₇Then you will be able to speak again, and the two of you will talk. You will be a warning sign to the people, and they will know that I am the LORD.”

₁₁Dear friends, you are foreigners and strangers on this earth. So I beg you not to surrender to those desires that fight against you. ₁₂Always let others see you behaving properly, even though they may still accuse you of doing wrong. Then on the day of judgment, they will honour God by telling the good things they saw you do.

₁₃The Lord wants you to obey all human authorities, especially the Emperor, who rules over everyone. ₁₄You must also obey governors, because they are sent by the Emperor to punish criminals and to praise good citizens. ₁₅God wants you to silence stupid and ignorant people by doing right. ₁₆You are free, but still you are God's servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong. ₁₇Respect everyone and show special love for God's people. Honour God and respect the Emperor.

₁₈Servants, you must obey your masters and always show respect to them. Do this, not only to those who are kind and thoughtful, but also to those who are cruel. ₁₉God will bless you, even if others treat you unfairly for being loyal to him. ₂₀You don't gain anything by being punished for some wrong you have done. But God will bless you, if you have to suffer for doing something good. ₂₁After all, God chose you to suffer as you follow in the footsteps of Christ, who set an example by suffering for you.