Beginning
Chapter 23[a]
The Sins of Two Sisters. 1 This word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, there once were two women, the daughters of the same mother. 3 Even as young girls they became prostitutes in Egypt. There the Egyptians caressed their bosoms and fondled their virginal breasts. 4 The older was named Oholah,[b] and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
5 Oholah became a whore even though she belonged to me. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians— 6 warriors dressed in purple, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men and skilled horsemen. 7 She offered herself as a prostitute to all the elite of the Assyrians, and she defiled herself with the idols of all those for whom she lusted. 8 Nor did she discontinue the harlotry she had begun in Egypt, where men had slept with her as a young girl, fondling her virginal breasts and pouring out their lust upon her.
9 Therefore, I abandoned her to her lovers, the Assyrians, for whom she had lusted. 10 They stripped her naked, and after they took away her sons and her daughters, they slew her with the sword. She became a byword among women for the justice that was inflicted upon her.
11 Her sister Oholibah saw all this, but she was even more depraved in her lust than her sister, and she surpassed her in harlotry. 12 She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors arrayed in full armor, skilled horsemen, all of them handsome young men. 13 Then I realized that she, too, had been defiled. Both she and her sister had traveled the same path.
14 However, this younger sister went even further in her harlotry. When she saw male figures carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion, 15 with belts around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like Babylonian officers, natives of Chaldea; 16 as soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers[c] to them in Chaldea. 17 Then the Babylonians came to her, shared her bed of love, and defiled her with their lust. And after she had defiled herself with them, she turned away from them in disgust.
18 After she had flaunted her harlotry so openly and her nakedness was revealed, I turned from her in disgust as I had withdrawn from her sister. 19 Yet she became even more promiscuous, remembering the days of her youth when she had played the whore in Egypt 20 and lusted for her lecherous paramours there, whose members were like those of donkeys and whose ejaculations were like those of stallions.
21 You longed for the lewdness of your youth when the Egyptians fondled your bosom and caressed your breasts. 22 Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord God: I will now stir up against you your lovers from whom you turned away in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side: 23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, the men of Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, all of them governors and commanders, officers and warriors, and all of them mounted on horses. 24 They shall come against you from the north with chariots and wagons and a host of people, and they will position themselves against you on every side with bucklers, shields, and helmets. I shall authorize them to pass judgment upon you, and they will judge you according to their own ordinances.
25 I will direct my jealous wrath against you so that they will vent their fury against you. They will cut off your nose and your ears, and your survivors will perish by the sword. They will seize your sons and your daughters, and what remains of your family will be consumed by fire.[d] 26 They shall also strip off your clothes and rob you of your jewels. 27 Thus, I will put an end to the debauchery and lewdness you instituted in Egypt. You will not look back in fond remembrance on the wicked acts you committed or think of Egypt ever again.
28 For thus says the Lord God: I intend to hand you over to those whom you hate, to those whom you regard with disgust. 29 They shall treat you with hatred and seize all the fruit of your labors and leave you stark naked. Your lewdness and your promiscuity 30 have brought this upon you because you played the whore with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.
31 Because you have followed in the path of your sister, I will place her cup into your hand. 32 Thus says the Lord God:
You shall drink your sister’s cup,
a cup both wide and deep.
You shall be scorned and mocked
since it holds so much.
33 You shall be filled with drunkenness and sorrow
from this cup of ruin and devastation,
the cup of your sister Samaria.
34 You shall drink from it and completely drain it;
then you shall dash it to pieces
and tear out your breasts.
Thus I have spoken, says the Lord God.
35 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and your harlotry.
36 Then the Lord said to me: Son of man, are you willing to pass judgment on Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront them with their abominable deeds. 37 For they have committed adultery, and their hands are stained with blood. They have committed adultery with their idols and offered to them as food the children whom they bore to me.
38 Furthermore, they have also done this to me: At that same time, they defiled my sanctuary and profaned my Sabbaths. 39 For when they had slaughtered my children for their idols, they entered my sanctuary on the same day to desecrate it. That is what they did in my house.
40 They even sent messengers to invite men to come from distant lands. And when they arrived, you bathed yourself for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewels. 41 Then you reclined on an elegant couch, with a table spread before it upon which you had placed my incense and my oil. 42 Meanwhile, the shouts of a raucous mob were heard in the city, and they were brought in together with many of the rabble who had arrived from the wilderness in a drunken stupor. They put bracelets on the arms of the women and beautiful crowns on their heads.
43 Then I thought: This woman is worn out with endless acts of adultery, but nevertheless they carry on relentlessly their sexual acts with her. 44 For they came to her as men come to a prostitute. Thus, they came to Oholah and Oholibah, those wanton women. 45 However, righteous judges will declare them guilty of adultery and of bloodshed, because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.
46 Thus says the Lord God: Convoke an assembly against them and deliver them over to terror and plunder. 47 The assembly shall stone them and slay them with their swords. They shall kill their sons and daughters and set their houses afire. 48 Thus will I put an end to lewdness in the land, so that all women will be solemnly warned not to commit any lewd acts as you have done. 49 They will inflict upon you the penalty for your lewdness, and you will suffer the consequences for your sins of idolatry. Thus, you will know that I am the Lord God.
Chapter 24[e]
Allegory of the Boiling Pot. 1 In the ninth year, on the tenth day of the tenth month, this word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, write down the date of this day. For the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. 3 Therefore, propose this parable to this tribe of rebels and say to them: Thus says the Lord God:
Set up the cooking pot on the fire
and pour in some water.
4 Put pieces of meat into it,
all the choice pieces, the leg and the shoulder;
fill it with choice bones.
5 Take the choicest animal from the flock,
and pile the wood beneath it.
Cook it thoroughly
and boil the bones in it.
6 Therefore, thus says the Lord God:
Woe to the bloody city,
the pot whose rust is in it,
the rust that cannot be removed.
Empty it piece by piece,
and do not bother casting lots.
7 For the blood she shed is in her midst;
she has poured it on a bare rock.
She did not pour it on the ground
where the soil would cover it.[f]
8 To stir up anger and take revenge,
I placed her blood on the bare rock
so that it would not be covered.
9 Therefore, thus says the Lord God:
Woe to the city running with blood.
I plan to build a great fire.
10 Heap on the wood,
and kindle the fire.
Mix in the spices,
and let the bones be thoroughly burned.
11 Stand the empty pot on the coals
so that it may become red-hot,
until the copper glows
and the filth inside it melts,
and its rust is consumed.
12 Yet not even with fire
will its rust disappear.
13 And when I expended my efforts
to cleanse you of your filthy lewdness,
you did not allow yourself
to be purged of your filth.
Now you shall not again be cleansed
until I have exhausted my anger upon you.
14 I, the Lord, have spoken. The time is coming, and I will take action. I will not refrain, nor will I spare, nor will I relent. You will be judged by your conduct and by what you have done, says the Lord God.
15 Death of Ezekiel’s Wife. This word of the Lord was addressed to me: 16 Son of man, with a single blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. However, you are not to lament or weep or shed any tears. 17 Groan in silence, and do not mourn for the dead. Wrap your turban around your head, and put sandals on your feet. Do not cover your beard or eat the bread of mourners.
18 Therefore, I spoke to the people in the morning; in the evening my wife died. And on the following morning I did as I had been commanded. 19 Thereupon, the people said to me, “Will you not explain to us what all these things you are doing mean for us?”
20 Then I said to them: This is what the Lord God said to me, 21 “Say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: I am prepared to desecrate my sanctuary, the stronghold in which you take such pride, the delight of your eyes, and the desire of your heart. Your sons and your daughters whom you have left behind will fall by the sword.
22 “Then you shall do as I have done. You shall not cover your upper lip or eat the bread of mourners. 23 Your turbans shall remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You shall not mourn or weep. Further, you will waste away because of your iniquities and groan to one another. 24 Thus, Ezekiel will be a sign for you; you shall do just as he has done. When this occurs, then you will know that I am the Lord God.”
25 End of Ezekiel’s Muteness.[g] As for you, son of man, on the day when I take from them their stronghold, their crowning joy, the delight of their eyes, the joy of their hearts, as well as their sons and daughters, 26 on that day, a fugitive will come and report this news to you. 27 On that day, your mouth will be opened and you shall no longer be mute. Thus, you shall be a sign for them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.
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