1 A nd the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

The Word of the Lord came to me saying,

2 S on of man, there were two women, daughters of one mother.

“Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother.

3 A nd they committed whoredom in Egypt; they committed whoredom in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there were handled the teats of their virginity.

They sold the use of their bodies in Egypt, and did so when they were young. Their breasts were lain upon in that land. Their breasts, which had never before been held by a man, were held.

4 A nd their names were Oholah the elder, and Oholibah her sister; and they were mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names: Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem Oholibah.

The name of the older sister was Oholah, and her younger sister was Oholibah. They became Mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem. The Older Sister—Samaria

5 A nd Oholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she lusted after her lovers, after the Assyrians neighbours,

“Oholah sold the use of her body while she was Mine. She was full of desire for her lovers, the Assyrians who lived near her

6 c lothed with blue, governors and rulers, all of them attractive young men, horsemen riding upon horses.

who were dressed in purple. They were rulers and leaders, all of them good-looking young men who rode on horses.

7 A nd she bestowed her whoredoms upon them, all of them the choice of the children of Asshur; and with all after whom she lusted, with all their idols she defiled herself.

She gave her body to them for sex. They were all the best men of Assyria. And she also sinned by worshiping the false gods of all the men she desired.

8 N either left she her whoredoms from Egypt; for in her youth they had lain with her, and had handled the breasts of her virginity, and poured their fornication upon her.

She did not turn away from her sex sins she had begun in Egypt. Men had lain with her since she was young. They had held her young breasts and used her to fill their desire.

9 T herefore I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the children of Asshur, after whom she lusted.

So I gave her over to her lovers the Assyrians whom she desired.

10 T hese discovered her nakedness, they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword; and she became a name among women; and they executed judgment upon her.

They took off her clothes. They took her sons and daughters. But they killed her with the sword. So she became a saying among women, because she was punished. The Younger Sister—Jerusalem

11 A nd her sister Oholibah saw, and was more corrupt in her passion than she, and in her fornications more than the whoredoms of her sister.

“Her sister Oholibah saw this, but she was more sinful in her desire for sex than Oholah. Her sex sins were worse than those of her sister.

12 S he lusted after the children of Asshur neighbours, governors and rulers, clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them attractive young men.

She wanted to have the Assyrians, rulers and leaders, men who were well dressed, those who rode on horses, all those good looking young men.

13 A nd I saw that she was defiled: both took one way.

And I saw that she was sinful. Both sisters went the same way.

14 A nd she increased her fornications; for she saw men portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,

But she did even more sex sins. She saw pictures of men on the wall, pictures of Babylonians drawn in bright red.

15 g irded with girdles upon their loins, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them captains in appearance, the likeness of the children of Babylon, of Chaldea, the land of their nativity.

They had belts around them, and flowing head-coverings. All of them looked like Babylonian captains who were born in Chaldea.

16 A nd as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she lusted after them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.

And when she saw them, she had a desire for sex with them, and sent word to them in Chaldea.

17 A nd the children of Babylon came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their fornication; she too defiled herself with them, and her soul was alienated from them.

The Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love. They made her sinful with their desire. And after she had had sex with them, she became sick of them.

18 A nd she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness; and my soul was alienated from her, like as my soul was alienated from her sister.

When she let her sins and her body be seen, I turned away from her in anger, as I had turned from her sister.

19 Y et she multiplied her whoredoms, calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she played the harlot in the land of Egypt;

Yet she did even more sex sins. She remembered when she was young, when she sold the use of her body in the land of Egypt.

20 a nd she lusted after their paramours, whose flesh is the flesh of asses, and whose issue is the issue of horses.

She was full of desire for lovers whose flesh was like those of donkeys, and whose flow was like that of horses.

21 A nd thou didst look back to the lewdness of thy youth, in the handling of thy teats by the Egyptians, for the breasts of thy youth.

Oholibah, you were filled with desire for the sex sins you did when you were young, when the Egyptians held your breasts. Jerusalem Is Judged

22 T herefore, Oholibah, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy soul is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side.

“So, Oholibah, the Lord God says, ‘I will bring your lovers against you, those you turned away from. I will bring them against you from every side:

23 T he children of Babylon, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, all the children of Asshur with them; all of them attractive young men, governors and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses.

Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, good looking young men, all of them rulers, leaders, captains, and men who are well-known, all of them riding on horses.

24 A nd they shall come against thee armour, chariots and wheels, and with an assemblage of peoples; they shall set themselves against thee target, and shield, and helmet round about; and I will put judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments.

They will come against you from the north, with war-wagons and an army of people. They will come against you on every side with battlecoverings and head-coverings. And I will let them punish you. They will punish you in their own way.

25 A nd I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee: they shall cut off 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.

Because of My jealous anger, I will let them act toward you in anger. They will cut off your nose and ears, and any people who are left will be killed by the sword. They will take your sons and daughters, and any yet left will be burned in the fire.

26 T hey shall also strip the of thy garments, and take away thy fair jewels.

They will take away your clothes and take away the beautiful objects you wear.

27 A nd I will make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy whoredom from the land of Egypt; and thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more.

So I will put an end to the sex sins you brought from the land of Egypt. You will never again look at these things with desire or remember Egypt.’

28 F or thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will give thee over into the hand of them whom thou hatest, into the hand of them from whom thy soul is alienated.

For the Lord God says, ‘I will give you over to those you hate, to the men you turned away from.

29 A nd they shall deal with thee in hatred, and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare; so that the nakedness of thy whoredoms shall be discovered, both thy lewdness and thy fornications.

And because they hate you, they will take away everything you own and leave you without clothing. Then your body without clothes will be seen as a sinful woman.

30 T hese things shall be done unto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring after the nations, because thou hast defiled thyself with their idols.

These things will be done to you because you have sold the use of your body to the nations, and because you have made yourself sinful with their false gods.

31 T hou hast walked in the way of thy sister; and I have given her cup into thy hand.

You have followed the way of your sister, so I will give you the same cup of punishment to drink.’

32 T hus saith the Lord Jehovah: Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup deep and large; thou shalt be for a laughing-stock and a derision, it containeth much.

The Lord God says, ‘You will drink your sister’s cup, which is deep and wide. You will be laughed at and made fun of, for it holds much.

33 T hou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, the cup of thy sister Samaria;

You will become drunk and filled with sorrow, with the cup of fear and waste, with the cup of your sister Samaria.

34 t hou shalt even drink it and suck it out, and thou shalt gnaw the sherds thereof, and pluck off thine own breasts: for I have spoken, saith the Lord Jehovah.

You will drink it until it is empty. Then you will chew its pieces and tear your breasts, for I have spoken,’ says the Lord God.

35 T herefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy fornications.

So the Lord God says, ‘Because you have forgotten Me and put Me behind your back, now suffer the punishment of your sex sins.’” Both Sisters Are Judged

36 A nd Jehovah said unto me, Son of man, wilt thou judge Oholah and Oholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations.

The Lord said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Make them know their sinful acts.

37 F or they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands; and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also passed over unto them their children, whom they bore unto me, to be devoured.

For they have not been faithful to Me, and blood is on their hands. They have left Me for their false gods. And they gave their sons to these false gods as burnt gifts, the sons they had given to Me at birth.

38 M oreover this have they done unto me: in the same day have they defiled my sanctuary and profaned my sabbaths.

That is not all they did. At that same time they have not kept My holy place and My Days of Rest holy.

39 F or when they had slaughtered their children unto their idols, they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and behold, thus have they done in the midst of my house.

When they had killed their children for their false gods, they went into My holy place on the same day to make it unclean. This is what they did within My house.

40 A nd furthermore, they sent for men to come from far, unto whom a messenger was sent; and behold, they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thine eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments;

They even sent for men who came from far away. And when they came, you washed yourselves, colored your eyes, and put on beautiful objects for them.

41 a nd satest upon a stately bed, with a table prepared before it, whereupon thou hadst set mine incense and mine oil.

You sat on a beautiful seat with a table made ready in front of it on which you had set My special perfume and My oil.

42 A nd the voice of a multitude living carelessly was with her; and with people of the common sort were brought Sabeans from the wilderness, and they put bracelets upon their hands, and a beautiful crown upon their heads.

The sound of a group free of care was around you. Men who drank too much were brought from the desert with men who were not important. They put beautiful objects on the women’s hands and beautiful crowns on their heads.

43 A nd I said of her that was old in adulteries, Will she now commit her fornications, even she.

Then I said about the one who was worn out by sex sins, ‘Will they now lie with her when she is this way?’

44 A nd they went in unto her, as they go in unto a whorish woman: so went they in unto Oholah and unto Oholibah the lewd women.

But they went in to her as they would go in to a woman who sells the use of her body. So they went in to Oholah and Oholibah, the sinful women.

45 A nd righteous men, they shall judge them with the judgment of adulteresses, and with the judgment of women that shed blood; for they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.

But men who are right and good will punish them as women are punished who do sex sins and kill, because they are sinful women and blood is on their hands.

46 F or thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will bring up an assemblage against them, and will give them to be driven hither and thither and spoiled.

“The Lord God says, ‘Bring up a group against them to fill them with fear and to rob them.

47 A nd the assemblage shall stone them with stones, and despatch them with their swords; they shall kill their sons and their daughters, and burn their houses with fire.

The group will kill them with stones and with swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses.

48 A nd I will cause lewdness to cease out of the land, and all women shall receive instruction and shall not do according to your lewdness.

So I will put an end to sex sins in the land, that all women will learn of the danger and not sin as you have done.

49 A nd they shall recompense your lewdness upon you, and ye shall bear the sins of your idols; and ye shall know that I the Lord Jehovah.

You will suffer the penalty for your sex sins and for worshiping your false gods. Then you will know that I am the Lord God.’”