⁴¹ You sat on an elegant couch,^(A) with a table^(B) spread before it on which you had placed the incense^(C) and olive oil that belonged to me.^(D)

² “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother.^{(A) 3} They became prostitutes in Egypt,^(B) engaging in prostitution^(C) from their youth.^(D) In that land their breasts were fondled and their virgin bosoms caressed.^{(E) 4} 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.^(F)

⁵ “Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was still mine; and she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians^(G)—warriors^{(H) 6} clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men, and mounted horsemen. ⁷ She gave herself as a prostitute to all the elite of the Assyrians and defiled herself with all the idols of everyone she lusted after.^{(I) 8} She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt,^(J) when during her youth men slept with her, caressed her virgin bosom and poured out their lust on her.^(K)

⁹ “Therefore I delivered her into the hands^(L) of her lovers,^(M) the Assyrians, for whom she lusted.^{(N) 10} They stripped^(O) her naked, took away her sons and daughters and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women,^(P) and punishment was inflicted^(Q) on her.^(R)

¹¹ “Her sister Oholibah saw this,^(S) yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister.^{(T) 12} She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen, all handsome young men.^{(U) 13} I saw that she too defiled herself; both of them went the same way.^(V)

¹⁴ “But she carried her prostitution still further. She saw men portrayed on a wall,^(W) figures of Chaldeans^[a] portrayed in red,^{(X) 15} with belts^(Y) 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^(Z) to them in Chaldea.^{(AA) 17} Then the Babylonians^(AB) 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.^{(AC) 18} When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her naked body,^(AD) I turned away^(AE) from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister.^{(AF) 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.

³² “‘You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband!

²⁵ At every street corner^(A) you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty, spreading your legs with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed by.^{(B) 26} You engaged in prostitution^(C) with the Egyptians,^(D) your neighbors with large genitals, and aroused my anger^(E) with your increasing promiscuity.^{(F) 27} So I stretched out my hand^(G) against you and reduced your territory; I gave you over^(H) to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines,^(I) who were shocked by your lewd conduct. ²⁸ You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians^(J) too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied.^(K)

⁸ He said to me, “Son of man, now dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there.

⁹ And he said to me, “Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here.” ¹⁰ So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls^(A) all kinds of crawling things and unclean^(B) animals and all the idols of Israel.^{(C) 11} In front of them stood seventy elders^(D) of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had a censer^(E) in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense^(F) was rising.^(G)

¹² He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in the darkness,^(H) each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The Lord does not see^(I) us; the Lord has forsaken the land.’”