1 The word of the Loʀᴅ came to me again, saying, 2 “Son of man, there were AEzek 16:46two women, the daughters of one mother; 3 and they played the harlot in Egypt. They ALev 17:7; Jer 3:9played the harlot in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and there their virgin bosom was handled. 4  “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 played the harlot 1Lit under Mewhile she was Mine; and she lusted after her lovers, after the A2 Kin 15:19; 16:7; 17:3; Ezek 16:28; Hos 5:13; 8:9, 10Assyrians, her neighbors, 6 who were clothed in purple, AEzek 23:12, 13governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. 7  “She bestowed her harlotries on them, all of whom were the choicest 1Lit sons of Asshurmen of Assyria; and with all whom she lusted after, with all their idols she AEzek 20:7; 22:3, 4; Hos 5:3; 6:10defiled herself. 8  “She did not forsake her harlotries AEx 32:4; 1 Kin 12:28; 2 Kin 10:29; 17:16; Ezek 23:3, 19from the time in Egypt; for in her youth 1Lit theymen had lain with her, and they handled her virgin bosom and poured out their 2Lit harlotrylust on her. 9  “Therefore, I gave her into the hand of her AEzek 16:37; 23:22lovers, into the hand of the 1Lit sons of AsshurAssyrians, after whom she lusted. 10  “They AEzek 16:37, 41uncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and her daughters, but they slew her with the sword. Thus she became a 1Lit namebyword among women, and they executed judgments on her.

11 “Now her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was AJer 3:8-11; Ezek 16:51more corrupt in her lust than she, and her harlotries were more than the harlotries of her sister. 12  “She lusted after the 1Lit sons of AsshurA2 Kin 16:7Assyrians, governors and officials, the ones near, magnificently dressed, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. 13  “I saw that she had defiled herself; they both took 1Lit onethe same way. 14  “So she increased her harlotries. And she saw men AEzek 8:10portrayed on the wall, images of the BEzek 16:29Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion, 15 girded with belts on their loins, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, 1Lit the likeness oflike the 2Lit sons of BabelBabylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth. 16  “1Lit At the sight of her eyesWhen she saw them she AEzek 23:20; Matt 5:28lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. 17  “The 1Lit sons of BabelA2 Kin 24:17Babylonians came to her to the bed of love and defiled her with their harlotry. And when she had been defiled by them, 2Lit her soulshe became disgusted with them. 18  “She AJer 8:12; Ezek 21:24; 23:10uncovered her harlotries and uncovered her nakedness; then 1Lit My soulI became BPs 78:59; 106:40; Jer 12:8disgusted with her, as 1Lit My soulI had become disgusted with her CEzek 23:9; Amos 5:21sister. 19  “Yet she multiplied her harlotries, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the harlot in the land of Egypt. 20  “She AEzek 16:26; 17:15lusted after their paramours, whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys and whose issue is like the issue of horses. 21  “Thus you longed for the AJer 3:9; Ezek 23:3lewdness of your youth, when 1So two mss; M.T. from Egyptthe Egyptians handled your bosom because of the breasts of your youth.

22 “Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says the Lord 1Heb YHWH, usually rendered Loʀᴅ, and so throughout the chGoᴅ, ‘Behold I will arouse your lovers against you, from whom 2Lit your soul was alienatedyou were alienated, and I will bring them against you from every side: 23 the 1Lit sons of BabylonA2 Kin 20:14-17; Ezek 21:19; 23:14-17Babylonians and all the B2 Kin 24:2; Job 1:17; Is 23:13Chaldeans, CJer 50:21Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the 2Lit sons of AssyriaDGen 2:14; 25:18; Ezra 6:22Assyrians with them; desirable young men, governors and officials all of them, officers and 3Lit the called onesmen of renown, all of them riding on horses. 24  ‘They will come against you with weapons, AJer 47:3; Ezek 26:10; Nah 2:3, 4chariots and 1Lit wheelswagons, 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 BJer 39:5, 6; Ezek 16:38; 23:45judgment to them, and they will judge you according to their customs. 25  ‘I will set My AEx 34:14; Ezek 5:13; 8:17, 18; Zeph 1:18jealousy against you, that they may deal with you in wrath. They will remove your nose and your ears; and your 1Lit remaindersurvivors will fall by the sword. They will take your BEzek 23:47; Hos 2:4sons and your daughters; and your 1Lit remaindersurvivors will be consumed by the fire. 26  ‘They will also AJer 13:22; Ezek 16:39; 23:29strip you of your clothes and take away your BIs 3:18-23beautiful jewels. 27  ‘Thus AEzek 16:41I 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  “For thus says the Lord Goᴅ, ‘Behold, I will give you into the hand of those whom you AJer 21:7-10; 34:20; Ezek 16:37; 23:17, 22hate, into the hand of those from whom 1Lit your soul was alienatedyou were alienated. 29  ‘They will ADeut 28:48; Ezek 23:25, 26, 45-47deal 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  ‘These things will be done to you because you have AEzek 6:9played the harlot with the nations, because you have defiled yourself with their idols. 31  ‘You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will give A2 Kin 21:13; Jer 7:14, 15; Ezek 23:33her cup into your hand.’ 32  “Thus says the Lord Goᴅ,

for I have spoken,’ declares the Lord Goᴅ. 35  “Therefore, thus says the Lord Goᴅ, ‘Because you have AIs 17:10; Jer 3:21; Ezek 22:12; Hos 8:14; 13:6forgotten Me and B1 Kin 14:9; Jer 2:27; 32:33cast Me behind your back, bear now the punishment of your lewdness and your harlotries.’ ”

36 Moreover, the Loʀᴅ said to me, “Son of man, will you AJer 1:10; Ezek 20:4; 22:2judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then BIs 58:1; Ezek 16:2; Mic 3:8declare to them their abominations. 37  “For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. Thus they have committed adultery with their idols and even caused their sons, AEzek 16:20; 20:26whom they bore to Me, to pass through the fire to 1I.e. idolsthem as food. 38  “Again, they have done this to Me: they have A2 Kin 21:4, 7; Ezek 5:11; 7:20defiled My sanctuary on the same day and have BJer 17:27; Ezek 20:13, 24profaned My sabbaths. 39  “For when they had slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My AJer 7:9-11sanctuary on the same day to profane it; and lo, thus they did within My house.

40 “Furthermore, 1Or you (women)they have even sent for men who come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and lo, they came—for whom you bathed, A2 Kin 9:30; Jer 4:30painted your eyes and BIs 3:18-23; Ezek 16:13-16decorated yourselves with ornaments; 41 and you sat on a splendid AEsth 1:6; Is 57:7; Amos 6:4couch with a BIs 65:11; Ezek 44:16table arranged before it on which you had set My CJer 44:17; Hos 2:8incense and My CJer 44:17; Hos 2:8oil. 42  “The sound of a 1Lit at easeAEzek 16:49; Amos 6:3-6carefree multitude was with her; and BJer 51:7drunkards were brought from the wilderness with men of the 2Lit multitude of mankindcommon sort. And they put CGen 24:30; Ezek 16:11, 12bracelets on 3Lit their handsthe hands of the women and beautiful crowns on their heads.

43 “Then I said concerning her who was AEzek 23:3worn out by adulteries, ‘1Or Now they will commit adultery with her, and she with themWill they now commit adultery with her when she is thus?’ 44  “1Or AndBut 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  “But they, righteous men, will AEzek 16:38judge 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 “For thus says the Lord Goᴅ, ‘Bring up a company against them and give them over to AJer 15:4; 24:9; 29:18terror and plunder. 47  ‘The company will ALev 20:10; Ezek 16:40stone them with stones and cut them down with their swords; they will slay their sons and their daughters and BJer 39:8burn their houses with fire. 48  ‘Thus I will make lewdness cease from the land, that all women may be admonished and not commit 1Lit according to your lewdnesslewdness as you have done. 49  ‘Your lewdness 1Lit they will givewill be AIs 59:18; Ezek 7:4, 9; 9:10; 23:35requited upon you, and you will bear the penalty of worshiping your idols; thus you will know that I am the Lord Goᴅ.’ ”