12 “She lusted for the neighboring (A)Assyrians,
(B)Captains and rulers,
Clothed most gorgeously,
Horsemen riding on horses,
All of them desirable young men.
13 Then I saw that she was defiled;
Both took the same way.
14 But she increased her harlotry;
She looked at men portrayed on the wall,
Images of (C)Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,
15 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 (D)As soon as her eyes saw them,
She lusted for them
And sent (E)messengers to them in Chaldea.

17 “Then the [a]Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love,
And they defiled her with their immorality;
So she was defiled by them, (F)and alienated herself from them.
18 She revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness.
Then (G)I (H)alienated Myself from her,
As I had alienated Myself from her sister.

19 “Yet she multiplied her harlotry
In calling to remembrance the days of her youth,
(I)When she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
20 For she lusted for her [b]paramours,
Whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys,
And whose issue is like the issue of horses.
21 Thus you called to remembrance the lewdness of your youth,
When the (J)Egyptians pressed your bosom
Because of your youthful breasts.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 23:17 Lit. sons of Babel
  2. Ezekiel 23:20 Illicit lovers

12 She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen, all handsome young men.(A) 13 I saw that she too defiled herself; both of them went the same way.(B)

14 “But she carried her prostitution still further. She saw men portrayed on a wall,(C) figures of Chaldeans[a] portrayed in red,(D) 15 with belts(E) around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers, natives of Chaldea.[b] 16 As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers(F) to them in Chaldea.(G) 17 Then the Babylonians(H) 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.(I) 18 When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her naked body,(J) I turned away(K) from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister.(L) 19 Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. 20 There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. 21 So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled.[c](M)

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 23:14 Or Babylonians
  2. Ezekiel 23:15 Or Babylonia; also in verse 16
  3. Ezekiel 23:21 Syriac (see also verse 3); Hebrew caressed because of your young breasts