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

The word of the Lord came again to me, 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.

They committed harlotry in Egypt, They committed harlotry in their youth; Their breasts were there embraced, Their virgin bosom was there pressed.

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: Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister; They were Mine, And they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah. The Older Sister, Samaria

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 even though she was Mine; And she lusted for her lovers, the neighboring Assyrians,

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, Captains and rulers, 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.

Thus she committed her harlotry with them, All of them choice men of Assyria; And with all for whom she lusted, 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 has never given up her harlotry brought from Egypt, For in her youth they had lain with her, Pressed her virgin bosom, And poured out their immorality upon her.

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

“Therefore I have delivered her Into the hand of her lovers, Into the hand of the Assyrians, For 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, Took away her sons and daughters, And slew her with the sword; She became a byword among women, For they had executed judgment on her. The Younger Sister, Jerusalem

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 although her sister Oholibah saw this, she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister’s harlotry.

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 for the neighboring Assyrians, Captains and rulers, Clothed most gorgeously, 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.

Then I saw that she was defiled; 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.

But she increased her harlotry; She looked at men portrayed on the wall, Images of Chaldeans portrayed in 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 around their waists, Flowing turbans on their heads, All of them looking like captains, In the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, The land of their nativity.

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

As soon as her eyes saw them, She lusted for 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.

“Then the Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love, And they defiled her with their immorality; So she was defiled by them, and alienated herself from 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 revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness. Then I alienated Myself from her, As I had alienated Myself from 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 harlotry In calling to remembrance the days of her youth, When she had 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.

For she lusted for her 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 called to remembrance the lewdness of your youth, When the Egyptians pressed your bosom Because of your youthful breasts. Judgment on Jerusalem

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, Oholibah, thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I will stir up your lovers against you, From whom you have alienated yourself, 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, All the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, Koa, All the Assyrians with them, All of them desirable young men, Governors and rulers, Captains 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.

And they shall come against you With chariots, wagons, and war-horses, With a horde of people. They shall array against you Buckler, shield, and helmet all around. ‘I will delegate judgment to them, And they shall judge you according to their judgments.

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, And they shall deal furiously with you; They shall remove your nose and your ears, And your remnant shall fall by the sword; They shall take your sons and your daughters, And your remnant shall be devoured by fire.

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

They shall also strip you of your clothes And take away your beautiful jewelry.

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 you cease your lewdness and your harlotry Brought from the land of Egypt, So that you will not lift your eyes to them, Nor 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: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hand of those you hate, into the hand of those from whom you alienated yourself.

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 hatefully with you, take away all you have worked for, and leave you naked and bare. The nakedness of your harlotry shall be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotry.

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.

I will do these things to you because you have gone as a harlot after the Gentiles, because you have become defiled by 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 put her cup in 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 shall drink of your sister’s cup, The deep and wide one; You shall be laughed to scorn 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 shall drink and drain it, You shall break its shards, And tear at your own breasts; For I have spoken,’ Says 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, Therefore you shall bear the penalty Of your lewdness and your harlotry.’” Both Sisters Judged

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

The Lord also 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. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them.

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.

Moreover they have done this to Me: They have defiled My sanctuary on the same day and 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 after they had slain their children for their idols, on the same day they came into My sanctuary to profane it; and indeed thus they have done in the midst of 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 you sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and there they came. And you washed yourself for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself 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.

You sat on a stately couch, with a table prepared 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 Sabeans were brought from the wilderness with men of the common sort, who put bracelets on their wrists 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 had grown old in adulteries, ‘Will they commit harlotry with her now, and she with them? ’

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.

Yet they went in to her, as men go in to a woman who plays the harlot; thus they went in to Oholah and 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 righteous men will judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner 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 an assembly against them, give them up to trouble 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 assembly shall stone them with stones and execute them with their swords; they shall 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 cause lewdness to cease from the land, that all women may be taught not to practice your lewdness.

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.’”

They shall repay you for your lewdness, and you shall pay for your idolatrous sins. Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.’”