1 A nd there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, `Son of man,

The Word of the Lord came to me saying,

2 T wo women were daughters of one mother,

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

3 A nd they go a-whoring in Egypt, In their youth they have gone a-whoring, There they have bruised their breasts, And there they have dealt with the loves 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 Aholah the elder, And Aholibah her sister, And they are Mine, and bear sons and daughters. As to their names -- Samaria Aholah, And Jerusalem Aholibah.

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 go a-whoring doth Aholah under Me, And she doteth on her lovers, On the neighbouring Assyrians,

“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 prefects, Desirable young men all of them, Horsemen, riding on 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 giveth her whoredoms on them, The choice of the sons of Asshur, All of them -- even all on whom she doted, By all their idols she hath been defiled.

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 A nd her whoredoms out of Egypt she hath not forsaken, For with her they lay in her youth, And they dealt with the loves of her virginity, And they pour out their whoredoms on 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 have given her into the hand of her lovers, Into the hand of sons of Asshur on whom she doted.

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

10 T hey have uncovered her nakedness, Her sons and her daughters they have taken, And her by sword they have slain, And she is a name for women, And judgments they have done with 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 see doth her sister Aholibah, And she maketh her doting love more corrupt than she, And her whoredoms 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 O n sons of Asshur she hath doted, Governors and prefects, Neighbouring ones -- clothed in perfection, Horsemen, riding on horses, Desirable young men all of them.

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 see that she hath been defiled, One way to them both.

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

14 A nd she doth add unto her whoredoms, And she seeth graved men on the wall, Pictures of Chaldeans, graved with red lead,

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 a girdle on their loins, Dyed attire spread out on their heads, The appearance of rulers -- all of them, The likeness of sons of Babylon, Chaldea is the land of their birth.

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

16 A nd she doteth on them at the sight of her eyes, And sendeth messengers to them, to Chaldea.

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

17 A nd come in unto her do sons of Babylon, To the bed of loves, And they defile her with their whoredoms, And she is defiled with them, And her soul is 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 revealeth her whoredoms, And she revealeth her nakedness, And alienated is My soul from off her, As alienated was My soul from off 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 A nd she multiplieth her whoredoms, To remember the days of her youth, When she went a-whoring 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 doteth on their paramours, Whose flesh the flesh of asses, And the issue of horses -- their issue.

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

21 T hou lookest after the wickedness of thy youth, In dealing out of Egypt thy loves, For the sake of 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, O Aholibah, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am stirring up thy lovers against thee, From whom thy soul hath been alienated, And have brought them in against thee from round about.

“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 S ons of Babylon, and of all Chaldea, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, All the sons of Asshur with them, Desirable young men, governors and prefects, All of them -- rulers and proclaimed ones, Riding on horses, all of them.

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 have come in against thee, With arms, rider, and wheel, And with an assembly of peoples; Target, and shield, and helmet, They do set against thee round about, And I have set before them judgment, They have judged thee in 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 have set My jealousy against thee, And they have dealt with thee in fury, Thy nose and thine ears they turn aside, And thy posterity by sword falleth, They, thy sons and thy daughters do take away, And thy posterity is devoured by 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 A nd they have stripped thee of thy garments, And have taken thy beauteous jewels.

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

27 A nd I have caused thy wickedness to cease from thee, And thy whoredoms out of the land of Egypt, And thou liftest not up thine eyes unto them, And Egypt thou dost not remember again.

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 said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am giving thee into a hand that thou hast hated, Into a hand from which thou wast 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 have dealt with thee in hatred, And they have taken all thy labour, And they have left thee naked and bare, And revealed hath been the nakedness of thy whoredoms, And the wickedness of thy whoredoms.

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 o do these things to thee, In thy going a-whoring after nations, Because thou hast been defiled 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 I n the way of thy sister thou hast walked, 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 said the Lord Jehovah: The cup of thy sister thou dost drink, The deep and the wide one, (Thou art for laughter and for scorn,) Abundant to contain.

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 W ith drunkenness and sorrow thou art filled, A 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 A nd thou hast drunk it, and hast drained, And its earthen ware thou dost gnaw, And thine own breasts thou pluckest off, For I have spoken, An affirmation of 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 said the Lord Jehovah: Because thou hast forgotten Me, And thou dost cast Me behind thy back, Even thou also bear thy wickedness and thy whoredoms.'

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 saith unto me, `Son of man, Dost thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? Declare then to 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 in their hands, With their idols they committed adultery, And also their sons whom they bore to Me, They caused to pass over to them for food.

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 A gain, this they have done to Me, They defiled My sanctuary in that day, And My sabbaths they have polluted.

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

39 A nd in their slaughtering their sons to their idols They also come in unto My sanctuary in that day to pollute it, And lo, thus they have 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 also that they send to men coming from afar, Unto whom a messenger is sent, And lo, they have come in for whom thou hast washed, Painted thine eyes, and put on adornment.

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 thou hast sat on a couch of honour, And a table arrayed before it, And My perfume and My oil placed on it.

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 at ease with her, And unto men of the common people are brought in Sabeans from the wilderness, And they put bracelets on their hands, And a beauteous crown on 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 say of the worn-out one in adulteries, Now they commit her whoredoms -- she also!

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 come in unto her, As the coming in unto a whorish woman, So they have come in unto Aholah, And unto Aholibah -- the wicked 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 s to righteous men, they judge them with the judgment of adulteresses, And the judgment of women shedding blood, For they adulteresses, And blood 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 said the Lord Jehovah: Bring up against them an assembly, And give them to trembling and to spoiling.

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

47 A nd they have cast at them the stone of the assembly, And cut them with their swords, Their sons and their daughters they do slay, And their houses with fire they burn.

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 have caused wickedness to cease from the land, And instructed have been all the women, And they do not according to your wickedness.

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 have put your wickedness on you, And the sins of your idols ye bear, And ye have known 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.’”