Ezekiel 23-24

New International Version

Two Adulterous Sisters

23 The word of the Lord came to me: ²“Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother.^(A) ³They 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) ⁴The 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) ⁶clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men, and mounted horsemen. ⁷She 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) ⁸She 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) ¹⁰They 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) ¹²She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen, all handsome young men.^(U) ¹³I 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) ¹⁵with belts^(Y) around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers, natives of Chaldea.^[b] ¹⁶As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers^(Z) to them in Chaldea.^(AA) ¹⁷Then 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) ¹⁸When 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) ¹⁹Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. ²⁰There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. ²¹So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled.^[c]^(AG)

²²“Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will stir up your lovers^(AH) against you, those you turned away from in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side^(AI)— ²³the Babylonians^(AJ) and all the Chaldeans,^(AK) the men of Pekod^(AL) and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, all of them governors and commanders, chariot officers and men of high rank, all mounted on horses.^(AM) ²⁴They will come against you with weapons,^[d] chariots and wagons^(AN) and with a throng of people; they will take up positions against you on every side with large and small shields and with helmets. I will turn you over to them for punishment,^(AO) and they will punish you according to their standards. ²⁵I will direct my jealous anger^(AP) against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and your ears, and those of you who are left will fall by the sword. They will take away your sons and daughters,^(AQ) and those of you who are left will be consumed by fire.^(AR) ²⁶They will also strip^(AS) you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry.^(AT) ²⁷So I will put a stop^(AU) to the lewdness and prostitution you began in Egypt. You will not look on these things with longing or remember Egypt anymore.

²⁸“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to deliver you into the hands^(AV) of those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust. ²⁹They will deal with you in hatred and take away everything you have worked for. They will leave you stark naked,^(AW) and the shame of your prostitution will be exposed.^(AX) Your lewdness^(AY) and promiscuity^(AZ) ³⁰have brought this on you, because you lusted after the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.^(BA) ³¹You have gone the way of your sister; so I will put her cup^(BB) into your hand.^(BC)

³²“This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“You will drink your sister’s cup,
    a cup large and deep;
it will bring scorn and derision,^(BD)
    for it holds so much.^(BE)
³³You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,
    the cup of ruin and desolation,
    the cup of your sister Samaria.^(BF)
³⁴You will drink it^(BG) and drain it dry
    and chew on its pieces—
    and you will tear your breasts.

I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(BH)

³⁵“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Since you have forgotten^(BI) me and turned your back on me,^(BJ) you must bear^(BK) the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.”

³⁶The Lord said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront^(BL) them with their detestable practices,^(BM) ³⁷for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them.^(BN) ³⁸They have also done this to me: At that same time they defiled my sanctuary^(BO) and desecrated my Sabbaths.^(BP) ³⁹On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated^(BQ) it. That is what they did in my house.^(BR)

⁴⁰“They even sent messengers for men who came from far away,^(BS) and when they arrived you bathed yourself for them, applied eye makeup^(BT) and put on your jewelry.^(BU) ⁴¹You sat on an elegant couch,^(BV) with a table^(BW) spread before it on which you had placed the incense^(BX) and olive oil that belonged to me.^(BY)

⁴²“The noise of a carefree^(BZ) crowd was around her; drunkards^(CA) were brought from the desert along with men from the rabble, and they put bracelets^(CB) on the wrists of the woman and her sister and beautiful crowns on their heads.^(CC) ⁴³Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute,^(CD) for that is all she is.’ ⁴⁴And they slept with her. As men sleep with a prostitute, so they slept with those lewd women, Oholah and Oholibah. ⁴⁵But righteous judges will sentence them to the punishment of women who commit adultery and shed blood,^(CE) because they are adulterous and blood is on their hands.^(CF)

⁴⁶“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Bring a mob^(CG) against them and give them over to terror and plunder.^(CH) ⁴⁷The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters^(CI) and burn^(CJ) down their houses.^(CK)

⁴⁸“So I will put an end^(CL) to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you.^(CM) ⁴⁹You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry.^(CN) Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.^(CO)”

Jerusalem as a Cooking Pot

24 In the ninth year, in the tenth month on the tenth day, the word of the Lord came to me:^(CP) ²“Son of man, record^(CQ) this date, this very date, because the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.^(CR) ³Tell this rebellious people^(CS) a parable^(CT) and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Put on the cooking pot;^(CU) put it on
    and pour water into it.
⁴Put into it the pieces of meat,
    all the choice pieces—the leg and the shoulder.
Fill it with the best of these bones;^(CV)
⁵    take the pick of the flock.^(CW)
Pile wood beneath it for the bones;
    bring it to a boil
    and cook the bones in it.^(CX)

⁶“‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Woe^(CY) to the city of bloodshed,^(CZ)
    to the pot now encrusted,
    whose deposit will not go away!
Take the meat out piece by piece
    in whatever order^(DA) it comes.^(DB)

⁷“‘For the blood she shed is in her midst:
    She poured it on the bare rock;
she did not pour it on the ground,
    where the dust would cover it.^(DC)
⁸To stir up wrath and take revenge
    I put her blood on the bare rock,
    so that it would not be covered.

⁹“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Woe to the city of bloodshed!
    I, too, will pile the wood high.
¹⁰So heap on the wood
    and kindle the fire.
Cook the meat well,
    mixing in the spices;
    and let the bones be charred.
¹¹Then set the empty pot on the coals
    till it becomes hot and its copper glows,
so that its impurities may be melted
    and its deposit burned away.^(DD)
¹²It has frustrated all efforts;
    its heavy deposit has not been removed,
    not even by fire.

¹³“‘Now your impurity is lewdness. Because I tried to cleanse you but you would not be cleansed^(DE) from your impurity, you will not be clean again until my wrath against you has subsided.^(DF)

¹⁴“‘I the Lord have spoken.^(DG) The time has come for me to act.^(DH) I will not hold back; I will not have pity,^(DI) nor will I relent.^(DJ) You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions,^(DK) declares the Sovereign Lord.^(DL)’”

Ezekiel’s Wife Dies

¹⁵The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁶“Son of man, with one blow^(DM) I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes.^(DN) Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears.^(DO) ¹⁷Groan quietly;^(DP) do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban^(DQ) fastened and your sandals^(DR) on your feet; do not cover your mustache and beard^(DS) or eat the customary food of mourners.^(DT)”

¹⁸So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.^(DU)

¹⁹Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things have to do with us?^(DV) Why are you acting like this?”

²⁰So I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me: ²¹Say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary^(DW)—the stronghold in which you take pride,^(DX) the delight of your eyes,^(DY) the object of your affection. The sons and daughters^(DZ) you left behind will fall by the sword.^(EA) ²²And you will do as I have done. You will not cover your mustache and beard^(EB) or eat the customary food of mourners.^(EC) ²³You will keep your turbans^(ED) on your heads and your sandals^(EE) on your feet. You will not mourn^(EF) or weep but will waste away^(EG) because of^[e] your sins and groan among yourselves.^(EH) ²⁴Ezekiel^(EI) will be a sign^(EJ) to you; you will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’

²⁵“And you, son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes,^(EK) their heart’s desire,^(EL) and their sons and daughters^(EM) as well— ²⁶on that day a fugitive will come to tell you^(EN) the news. ²⁷At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent.^(EO) So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.^(EP)”

Footnotes

Ezekiel 23:14 Or Babylonians
Ezekiel 23:15 Or Babylonia; also in verse 16
Ezekiel 23:21 Syriac (see also verse 3); Hebrew caressed because of your young breasts
Ezekiel 23:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Ezekiel 24:23 Or away in