1 T he Word of the Lord came to me saying,

The word of the Lord came to me again, saying,

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

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

3 T hey 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.

and they played the harlot in Egypt. They played the harlot in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and there their virgin bosom was handled.

4 T he 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

Their names were Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister. And they became Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. And as for their names, Samaria is Oholah and Jerusalem is Oholibah.

5 “ 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

“Oholah played the harlot while she was Mine; and she lusted after her lovers, after the Assyrians, her neighbors,

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

who were clothed in purple, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses.

7 S he 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.

She bestowed her harlotries on them, all of whom were the choicest men of Assyria; and with all whom she lusted after, with all their idols she defiled herself.

8 S he 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.

She did not forsake her harlotries from the time in Egypt; for in her youth men had lain with her, and they handled her virgin bosom and poured out their lust on her.

9 S o I gave her over to her lovers the Assyrians whom she desired.

Therefore, I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, after whom she lusted.

10 T hey 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

They uncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and her daughters, but they slew her with the sword. Thus she became a byword among women, and they executed judgments on her.

11 “ 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.

“Now her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was more corrupt in her lust than she, and her harlotries were more than the harlotries of her sister.

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

She lusted after the Assyrians, governors and officials, the ones near, magnificently dressed, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men.

13 A nd I saw that she was sinful. Both sisters went the same way.

I saw that she had defiled herself; they both took the same way.

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

So she increased her harlotries. And she saw men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,

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

girded with belts on their loins, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, like the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth.

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

When she saw them she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

17 T he 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.

The Babylonians came to her to the bed of love and defiled her with their harlotry. And when she had been defiled by them, she became disgusted with them.

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

She uncovered her harlotries and uncovered her nakedness; then I became disgusted with her, as I had become disgusted with her sister.

19 Y et 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.

Yet she multiplied her harlotries, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the harlot in the land of Egypt.

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

She lusted after their paramours, whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys and whose issue is like the issue of horses.

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

Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom because of the breasts of your youth.

22 “ 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:

“Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold I will arouse your lovers against you, from whom you were alienated, and I will bring them against you from every side:

23 B abylonians 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.

the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them; desirable young men, governors and officials all of them, officers and men of renown, all of them riding on horses.

24 T hey 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.

They will come against you with weapons, chariots and wagons, and with a company of peoples. They will set themselves against you on every side with buckler and shield and helmet; and I will commit the judgment to them, and they will judge you according to their customs.

25 B ecause 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.

I will set My jealousy against you, that they may deal with you in wrath. They will remove your nose and your ears; and your survivors will fall by the sword. They will take your sons and your daughters; and your survivors will be consumed by the fire.

26 T hey will take away your clothes and take away the beautiful objects you wear.

They will also strip you of your clothes and take away your beautiful jewels.

27 S o 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.’

Thus I will make your lewdness and your harlotry brought from the land of Egypt to cease from you, so that you will not lift up your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.’

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

For thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I will give you into the hand of those whom you hate, into the hand of those from whom you were alienated.

29 A nd 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.

They will deal with you in hatred, take all your property, and leave you naked and bare. And the nakedness of your harlotries will be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotries.

30 T hese 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.

These things will be done to you because you have played the harlot with the nations, because you have defiled yourself with their idols.

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

You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will give her cup into your hand.’

32 T he 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.

Thus says the Lord God, ‘You will drink your sister’s cup, Which is deep and wide. You will be laughed at and held in derision; It contains much.

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

‘You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, The cup of horror and desolation, The cup of your sister Samaria.

34 Y ou 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.

‘You will drink it and drain it. Then you will gnaw its fragments And tear your breasts; for I have spoken,’ declares the Lord God.

35 S o 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

Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, bear now the punishment of your lewdness and your harlotries.’”

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

Moreover, the Lord said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.

37 F or 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.

For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. Thus they have committed adultery with their idols and even caused their sons, whom they bore to Me, to pass through the fire to them as food.

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

Again, they have done this to Me: they have defiled My sanctuary on the same day and have profaned My sabbaths.

39 W hen 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.

For when they had slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My sanctuary on the same day to profane it; and lo, thus they did within My house.

40 T hey 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.

“Furthermore, they have even sent for men who come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and lo, they came—for whom you bathed, painted your eyes and decorated yourselves with ornaments;

41 Y ou 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.

and you sat on a splendid couch with a table arranged before it on which you had set My incense and My oil.

42 T he 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.

The sound of a carefree multitude was with her; and drunkards were brought from the wilderness with men of the common sort. And they put bracelets on the hands of the women and beautiful crowns on their heads.

43 T hen I said about the one who was worn out by sex sins, ‘Will they now lie with her when she is this way?’

“Then I said concerning her who was worn out by adulteries, ‘ Will they now commit adultery with her when she is thus ?’

44 B ut 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.

But they went in to her as they would go in to a harlot. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, the lewd women.

45 B ut 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.

But they, righteous men, will judge them with the judgment of adulteresses and with the judgment of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.

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

“For thus says the Lord God, ‘Bring up a company against them and give them over to terror and plunder.

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

The company will stone them with stones and cut them down with their swords; they will slay their sons and their daughters and burn their houses with fire.

48 S o 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.

Thus I will make lewdness cease from the land, that all women may be admonished and not commit lewdness as you have done.

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

Your lewdness will be requited upon you, and you will bear the penalty of worshiping your idols; thus you will know that I am the Lord God.’”