Ezekiel 23
The LORD tells the allegory of two sisters, Aholah and Aholibah — Samaria and Jerusalem. Both played the harlot with the nations around them, lusting after Assyria and Babylon. Aholah fell first; yet Aholibah did not learn but surpassed her sister's whoredoms, and judgment comes upon her.
| v | King James Version | Modern English |
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| 1 | The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, | The word of the LORD came to me: |
| 2 | Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother: | "Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother." |
| 3 | And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity. | "They committed whoredoms in Egypt — whoredoms from their youth. Their breasts were pressed there, and the teats of their virginity were handled there." |
| 4 | And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah. | "The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were Mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem." |
| 5 | And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours, | "Oholah engaged in whoredom while she was still Mine. She lusted after her lovers — the Assyrians, her neighbors." |
| 6 | Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses. | "They were officers dressed in blue, governors and commanders — all handsome young men, mounted horsemen." |
| 7 | Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself. | "She gave herself as a harlot to all the elite men of Assyria, and she defiled herself with all their idols." |
| 8 | Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her. | "She did not give up the whoredom she had begun in Egypt, where men had slept with her in her youth and fondled her virgin breasts and poured out their lust on her." |
| 9 | Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted. | "Therefore I handed her over to her lovers — the Assyrians, after whom she lusted." |
| 10 | These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her. | "They stripped her naked, took her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women, for judgment was executed on her." |
| 11 | And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms. | "Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and whoredom she was more depraved than her sister." |
| 12 | She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men. | "She too lusted after the Assyrians — governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen — all handsome young men." |
| 13 | Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way, | "I saw that she too had defiled herself. Both of them had gone the same way." |
| 14 | And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion, | "But she carried her whoredom still further. She saw men carved on a wall — figures of Chaldeans drawn in red," |
| 15 | Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity: | "dressed with belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads — all of them looked like Babylonian commanders, like men of Chaldea, the land of their birth." |
| 16 | And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea. | "At the sight of them she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea." |
| 17 | And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them. | "Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. After she had been defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust." |
| 18 | So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister. | "When she carried on her whoredom openly and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister." |
| 19 | Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt. | "Yet she multiplied her whoredom, remembering the days of her youth when she had been a harlot in Egypt." |
| 20 | For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses. | "She lusted after their lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses." |
| 21 | So thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth. | "So You longed for the lewdness of Your youth, when in Egypt Your bosom was caressed and Your young breasts fondled." |
| 22 | Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side; | "Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord GOD says: I will stir up Your lovers against You — those You turned away from in disgust — and I will bring them against You from every side." |
| 23 | The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: all of them desirable young men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses. | "The Babylonians and all the Chaldeans — the men of Pekod and Shoa and Koa — and all the Assyrians with them, all of them handsome young men, governors and commanders — great lords and renowned warriors — all of them riding horses." |
| 24 | And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, which shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments. | "They will come against You with weapons, chariots, and wagons, and with a crowd of people. They will take up positions against You on every side with armor and shields and helmets. I will commit the judgment to them, and they will judge You by their own standards." |
| 25 | And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee: they shall take away 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. | "I will direct My jealous anger against You, and they will deal with You in fury. They will cut off Your nose and Your ears, and those who are left will fall by the sword. They will take away Your sons and daughters, and Your survivors will be consumed by fire." |
| 26 | They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes, and take away thy fair jewels. | "They will also strip off Your clothes and take away Your fine jewelry." |
| 27 | Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy whoredom brought from the land of Egypt: so that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more. | "So I will put an end to Your lewdness and the whoredom You began in Egypt. You will not look on these things with longing or remember Egypt anymore." |
| 28 | For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will deliver thee into the hand of them whom thou hatest, into the hand of them from whom thy mind is alienated: | "For this is what the Lord GOD says: I am about to hand You over to those You hate — to those You turned away from in disgust." |
| 29 | And they shall deal with thee hatefully, and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare: and the nakedness of thy whoredoms shall be discovered, both thy lewdness and thy whoredoms. | "They will deal with You in hatred and take everything You have worked for, leaving You naked and bare. The shame of Your whoredom will be exposed — your lewdness and Your whoredoms." |
| 30 | I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their idols. | "These things will be done to You because You have pursued the heathen with lust and defiled yourself with their idols." |
| 31 | Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore will I give her cup into thine hand. | "You have followed in the path of Your sister, so I will put her cup into Your hand." |
| 32 | Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup deep and large: thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision; it containeth much. | "This is what the Lord GOD says: You will drink Your sister's cup — a cup large and deep. You will be laughed at and mocked. The cup holds so much." |
| 33 | Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria. | "You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow — the cup of ruin and desolation, the cup of Your sister Samaria." |
| 34 | Thou shalt even drink it and suck it out, and thou shalt break the sherds thereof, and pluck off thine own breasts: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. | "You will drink it and drain it dry and chew its pieces — and You will tear out Your own breasts. For I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD." |
| 35 | Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms. | "Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Because You have forgotten Me and thrust Me behind Your back, You must bear the consequences of Your lewdness and whoredom." |
| 36 | The LORD said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations; | The LORD said to me, "Son of man, will You judge Oholah and Oholibah? Confront them with their abominations." |
| 37 | That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them. | "For they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols and even sacrificed their children — whom they bore to Me — as food for idols." |
| 38 | Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths. | "They have also done this to Me: At that same time they defiled My sanctuary and desecrated My Sabbaths." |
| 39 | For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house. | "On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered My sanctuary and desecrated it. That is what they did in My house." |
| 40 | And furthermore, that ye have sent for men to come from far, unto whom a messenger was sent; and, lo, they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy face, and deckedst thyself with ornaments, | "They even sent messengers for men who came from far away — when a messenger was sent to them, they came. For their sake You bathed Yourself, painted Your eyes, and put on Your jewelry." |
| 41 | And satest upon a stately bed, and a table prepared before it, whereupon thou hast set mine incense and mine oil. | "You sat on an elegant couch with a table spread before it. On it You placed My incense and My oil." |
| 42 | And a voice of a multitude being at ease was with her: and with the men of the common sort were brought Sabeans from the wilderness, which put bracelets upon their hands, and beautiful crowns upon their heads. | "The noise of a carefree crowd was around her. Drunkards were brought from the desert along with men of the common sort, and they put bracelets on the wrists of Oholah and Oholibah and beautiful crowns on their heads." |
| 43 | Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries, Will they now commit whoredoms with her, and she with them? | "Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, 'Now let them use her as a harlot, for that is all she is.'" |
| 44 | Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that playeth the harlot: so went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, the lewd women. | "And they slept with her as men sleep with a harlot. So they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, these shameless women." |
| 45 | And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands. | "But righteous men will sentence them to the punishment due adulteresses and women who shed blood — because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands." |
| 46 | For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will bring up a company upon them, and will give them to be removed and spoiled. | "This is what the Lord GOD says: Bring a mob against them and hand them over to terror and plunder." |
| 47 | And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire. | "The mob will stone them and cut them down with swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses." |
| 48 | Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out of the land, that all women may be taught not to do after your lewdness. | "So I will put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate Your lewdness." |
| 49 | And they shall recompense your lewdness upon you, and ye shall bear the sins of your idols: and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD. | "You will suffer the penalty for Your lewdness and bear the consequences of Your idol worship. Then You will know that I am the Lord GOD." |