Ezekiel 20-23

New King James Version

The Rebellions of Israel

20 It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that ^(A)certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me. ²Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ³“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” says the Lord God, ^(B)“I will not be inquired of by you.” ’ ⁴Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then ^(C)make known to them the abominations of their fathers.

⁵“Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day when ^(D)I chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself ^(E)known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, ^(F)‘I am the Lord your God.’ ⁶On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, ^(G)to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, ^(H)‘flowing with milk and honey,’ ^(I)the glory of all lands. ⁷Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, ^(J)throw away ^(K)the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with ^(L)the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ ⁸But they rebelled against Me and would not ^[a]obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will ^(M)pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’ ⁹^(N)But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself ^(O)known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁰“Therefore I ^(P)made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. ¹¹^(Q)And I gave them My statutes and ^[b]showed them My judgments, ^(R)‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’ ¹²Moreover I also gave them My ^(S)Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. ¹³Yet the house of Israel ^(T)rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they ^(U)despised My judgments, ^(V)‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; and they greatly ^(W)defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the ^(X)wilderness, to consume them. ¹⁴^(Y)But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. ¹⁵So ^(Z)I also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, ^(AA)‘flowing with milk and honey,’ ^(AB)the glory of all lands, ¹⁶^(AC)because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for ^(AD)their heart went after their idols. ¹⁷^(AE)Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

¹⁸“But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. ¹⁹I am the Lord your God: ^(AF)Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; ²⁰^(AG)hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’

²¹“Notwithstanding, ^(AH)the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, ^(AI)‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness. ²²Nevertheless I ^[c]withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. ²³Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that ^(AJ)I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries, ²⁴^(AK)because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and ^(AL)their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.

²⁵“Therefore ^(AM)I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live; ²⁶and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all ^[d]their firstborn to pass ^(AN)through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they ^(AO)might know that I am the Lord.” ’

²⁷“Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “In this too your fathers have ^(AP)blasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me. ²⁸When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and ^(AQ)they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their ^(AR)sweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings. ²⁹Then I said to them, ‘What is this ^[e]high place to which you go?’ So its name is called ^[f]Bamah to this day.” ’ ³⁰Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Are you defiling yourselves in the manner of your ^(AS)fathers, and committing harlotry according to their ^(AT)abominations? ³¹For when you offer ^(AU)your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” says the Lord God, “I will ^(AV)not be inquired of by you. ³²^(AW)What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone.’

God Will Restore Israel

³³“As I live,” says the Lord God, “surely with a mighty hand, ^(AX)with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. ³⁴I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. ³⁵And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there ^(AY)I will plead My case with you face to face. ³⁶^(AZ)Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord God.

³⁷“I will make you ^(BA)pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the ^(BB)covenant; ³⁸^(BC)I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but ^(BD)they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

³⁹“As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord God: ^(BE)“Go, serve every one of you his idols—and hereafter—if you will not obey Me; ^(BF)but profane My holy name no more with your gifts and your idols. ⁴⁰For ^(BG)on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel,” says the Lord God, “there ^(BH)all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there ^(BI)I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your ^[g]sacrifices, together with all your holy things. ⁴¹I will accept you as a ^(BJ)sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles. ⁴²^(BK)Then you shall know that I am the Lord, ^(BL)when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers. ⁴³And ^(BM)there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and ^(BN)you shall ^[h]loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed. ⁴⁴^(BO)Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you ^(BP)for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord God.’ ”

Fire in the Forest

⁴⁵Furthermore the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁴⁶^(BQ)“Son of man, set your face toward the south; ^[i]preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the ^[j]South, ⁴⁷and say to the forest of the South, ‘Hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, ^(BR)I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour ^(BS)every green tree and every dry tree in you; the blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces ^(BT)from the south to the north shall be scorched by it. ⁴⁸All flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.” ’ ”

⁴⁹Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! They say of me, ‘Does he not speak ^(BU)parables?’ ”

Babylon, the Sword of God

21 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²^(BV)“Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, ^(BW)preach^[k] against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel; ³and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am ^(BX)against you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both ^(BY)righteous and wicked from you. ⁴Because I will cut off both righteous and wicked from you, therefore My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh ^(BZ)from south to north, ⁵that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword out of its sheath; it ^(CA)shall not return anymore.” ’ ⁶^(CB)Sigh therefore, son of man, with ^[l]a breaking heart, and sigh with bitterness before their eyes. ⁷And it shall be when they say to you, ‘Why are you sighing?’ that you shall answer, ‘Because of the news; when it comes, every heart will melt, ^(CC)all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming and shall be brought to pass,’ says the Lord God.”

⁸Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁹“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ Say:

^(CD)‘A sword, a sword is sharpened
And also polished!
¹⁰Sharpened to make a dreadful slaughter,
Polished to flash like lightning!
Should we then make mirth?
It despises the scepter of My son,
As it does all wood.
¹¹And He has given it to be polished,
That it may be handled;
This sword is sharpened, and it is polished
To be given into the hand of ^(CE)the slayer.’

¹²“Cry and wail, son of man;
For it will be against My people,
Against all the princes of Israel.
Terrors including the sword will be against My people;
Therefore ^(CF)strike your thigh.

¹³“Because it is ^(CG)a testing,
And what if the sword despises even the scepter?
^(CH)The scepter shall be no more,”

says the Lord God.

¹⁴“You therefore, son of man, prophesy,
And ^(CI)strike your hands together.
The third time let the sword do double damage.
It is the sword that slays,
The sword that slays the great men,
That enters their ^(CJ)private chambers.
¹⁵I have set the point of the sword against all their gates,
That the heart may melt and many may stumble.
Ah! ^(CK)It is made bright;
It is grasped for slaughter:

¹⁶“Swords^(CL)^[m] at the ready!
Thrust right!
Set your blade!
Thrust left—
Wherever your ^[n]edge is ordered!

¹⁷“I also will ^(CM)beat My fists together,
And ^(CN)I will cause My fury to rest;
I, the Lord, have spoken.”

¹⁸The word of the Lord came to me again, saying: ¹⁹“And son of man, appoint for yourself two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to go; both of them shall go from the same land. Make a sign; put it at the head of the road to the city. ²⁰Appoint a road for the sword to go to ^(CO)Rabbah of the Ammonites, and to Judah, into fortified Jerusalem. ²¹For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the road, at the fork of the two roads, to use divination: he shakes the arrows, he consults the ^[o]images, he looks at the liver. ²²In his right hand is the divination for Jerusalem: to set up battering rams, to call for a slaughter, to ^(CP)lift the voice with shouting, ^(CQ)to set battering rams against the gates, to heap up a siege mound, and to build a wall. ²³And it will be to them like a false divination in the eyes of those who ^(CR)have sworn oaths with them; but he will bring their iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken.

²⁴“Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear—because you have come to remembrance, you shall be taken in hand.

²⁵‘Now to you, O ^(CS)profane, wicked prince of Israel, ^(CT)whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end, ²⁶thus says the Lord God:

“Remove the turban, and take off the crown;
Nothing shall remain the same.
^(CU)Exalt the humble, and humble the exalted.
²⁷^[p]Overthrown, overthrown,
I will make it overthrown!
^(CV)It shall be no longer,
Until He comes whose right it is,
And I will give it to ^(CW)Him.” ’

A Sword Against the Ammonites

²⁸“And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God ^(CX)concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach,’ and say:

‘A sword, a sword is drawn,
Polished for slaughter,
For consuming, for flashing—
²⁹While they ^(CY)see false visions for you,
While they divine a lie to you,
To bring you on the necks of the wicked, the slain
^(CZ)Whose day has come,
Whose iniquity shall end.

³⁰‘Return^(DA) it to its sheath.
^(DB)I will judge you
In the place where you were created,
^(DC)In the land of your ^[q]nativity.
³¹I will ^(DD)pour out My indignation on you;
I will ^(DE)blow against you with the fire of My wrath,
And deliver you into the hands of brutal men who are skillful to ^(DF)destroy.
³²You shall be fuel for the fire;
Your blood shall be in the midst of the land.
^(DG)You shall not be remembered,
For I the Lord have spoken.’ ”

Sins of Jerusalem

22 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²“Now, son of man, ^(DH)will you judge, will you judge ^(DI)the bloody city? Yes, show her all her abominations! ³Then say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “The city sheds ^(DJ)blood in her own midst, that her time may come; and she makes idols within herself to defile herself. ⁴You have become guilty by the blood which you have ^(DK)shed, and have defiled yourself with the idols which you have made. You have caused your days to draw near, and have come to the end of your years; ^(DL)therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all countries. ⁵Those near and those far from you will mock you as ^[r]infamous and full of tumult.

⁶“Look, ^(DM)the princes of Israel: each one has used his ^[s]power to shed blood in you. ⁷In you they have ^(DN)made light of father and mother; in your midst they have ^(DO)oppressed the stranger; in you they have mistreated the ^[t]fatherless and the widow. ⁸You have despised My holy things and ^(DP)profaned My Sabbaths. ⁹In you are ^(DQ)men who slander to cause bloodshed; ^(DR)in you are those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness. ¹⁰In you men ^(DS)uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are ^(DT)set apart during their impurity. ¹¹One commits abomination ^(DU)with his neighbor’s wife; ^(DV)another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; and another in you violates his sister, his father’s ^(DW)daughter. ¹²In you ^(DX)they take bribes to shed blood; ^(DY)you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and ^(DZ)have forgotten Me,” says the Lord God.

¹³“Behold, therefore, I ^(EA)beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst. ¹⁴^(EB)Can your heart endure, or can your hands remain strong, in the days when I shall deal with you? ^(EC)I, the Lord, have spoken, and will do it. ¹⁵^(ED)I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and ^(EE)remove your filthiness completely from you. ¹⁶You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then ^(EF)you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

Israel in the Furnace

¹⁷The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁸“Son of man, ^(EG)the house of Israel has become dross to Me; they are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead, in the midst of a ^(EH)furnace; they have become dross from silver. ¹⁹Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have all become dross, therefore behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. ²⁰As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to ^(EI)melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you. ²¹Yes, I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst. ²²As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be melted in its midst; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have ^(EJ)poured out My fury on you.’ ”

Israel’s Wicked Leaders

²³And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²⁴“Son of man, say to her: ‘You are a land that is ^(EK)not ^[u]cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation.’ ²⁵^(EL)The conspiracy of her ^[v]prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they ^(EM)have devoured ^[w]people; ^(EN)they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. ²⁶^(EO)Her priests have ^[x]violated My law and ^(EP)profaned My holy things; they have not ^(EQ)distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. ²⁷Her ^(ER)princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy ^[y]people, and to get dishonest gain. ²⁸^(ES)Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, ^(ET)seeing false visions, and divining ^(EU)lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord had not spoken. ²⁹The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully ^(EV)oppress the stranger. ³⁰^(EW)So I sought for a man among them who would ^(EX)make a wall, and ^(EY)stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. ³¹Therefore I have ^(EZ)poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed ^(FA)their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God.

Two Harlot Sisters

23 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying:

²“Son of man, there were ^(FB)two women,
The daughters of one mother.
³^(FC)They committed harlotry in Egypt,
They committed harlotry in ^(FD)their youth;
Their breasts were there embraced,
Their virgin bosom was there pressed.
⁴Their names: ^[z]Oholah the elder and ^[aa]Oholibah ^(FE)her sister;
^(FF)They were Mine,
And they bore sons and daughters.
As for their names,
Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.

The Older Sister, Samaria

⁵“Oholah played the harlot even though she was Mine;
And she lusted for her lovers, the neighboring ^(FG)Assyrians,
⁶Who were clothed in purple,
Captains and rulers,
All of them desirable young men,
Horsemen riding on horses.
⁷Thus she committed her harlotry with them,
All of them choice men of Assyria;
And with all for whom she lusted,
With all their idols, she defiled herself.
⁸She has never given up her harlotry brought ^(FH)from Egypt,
For in her youth they had lain with her,
Pressed her virgin bosom,
And poured out their immorality upon her.

⁹“Therefore I have delivered her
Into the hand of her lovers,
Into the hand of the ^(FI)Assyrians,
For whom she lusted.
¹⁰They uncovered her nakedness,
Took away her sons and daughters,
And slew her with the sword;
She became a byword among women,
For they had executed judgment on her.

The Younger Sister, Jerusalem

¹¹“Now ^(FJ)although her sister Oholibah saw this, ^(FK)she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister’s harlotry.

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

¹⁷“Then the ^[ab]Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love,
And they defiled her with their immorality;
So she was defiled by them, ^(FQ)and alienated herself from them.
¹⁸She revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness.
Then ^(FR)I ^(FS)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,
^(FT)When she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
²⁰For she lusted for her ^[ac]paramours,
Whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys,
And whose issue is like the issue of horses.
²¹Thus you called to remembrance the lewdness of your youth,
When the ^(FU)Egyptians pressed your bosom
Because of your youthful breasts.

Judgment on Jerusalem

²²“Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord God:

^(FV)‘Behold, I will stir up your lovers against you,
From whom you have alienated yourself,
And I will bring them against you from every side:
²³The Babylonians,
All the Chaldeans,
^(FW)Pekod, Shoa, Koa,
^(FX)All the Assyrians with them,
All of them desirable young men,
Governors and rulers,
Captains and men of renown,
All of them riding on horses.
²⁴And they shall come against you
With chariots, wagons, and war-horses,
With a horde of people.
They shall array against you
Buckler, shield, and helmet all around.

‘I will delegate judgment to them,
And they shall judge you according to their judgments.
²⁵I will set My ^(FY)jealousy against you,
And they shall deal furiously with you;
They shall remove your nose and your ears,
And your remnant shall fall by the sword;
They shall take your sons and your daughters,
And your remnant shall be devoured by fire.
²⁶^(FZ)They shall also strip you of your clothes
And take away your beautiful jewelry.

²⁷‘Thus ^(GA)I will make you cease your lewdness and your ^(GB)harlotry
Brought from the land of Egypt,
So that you will not lift your eyes to them,
Nor remember Egypt anymore.’

²⁸“For thus says the Lord God: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hand of ^(GC)those you hate, into the hand of those ^(GD)from whom you alienated yourself. ²⁹^(GE)They will deal hatefully with you, take away all you have worked for, and ^(GF)leave you naked and bare. The nakedness of your harlotry shall be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotry. ³⁰I will do these things to you because you have ^(GG)gone as a harlot after the Gentiles, because you have become defiled by their idols. ³¹You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will put her ^(GH)cup in your hand.’

³²“Thus says the Lord God:

‘You shall drink of your sister’s cup,
The deep and wide one;
^(GI)You shall be laughed to scorn
And held in derision;
It contains much.
³³You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,
The cup of horror and desolation,
The cup of your sister Samaria.
³⁴You shall ^(GJ)drink and drain it,
You shall break its ^[ad]shards,
And tear at your own breasts;
For I have spoken,’
Says the Lord God.

³⁵“Therefore thus says the Lord God:

‘Because you ^(GK)have forgotten Me and ^(GL)cast Me behind your back,
Therefore you shall bear the penalty
Of your lewdness and your harlotry.’ ”

Both Sisters Judged

³⁶The Lord also said to me: “Son of man, will you ^(GM)judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then ^(GN)declare to them their abominations. ³⁷For they have committed adultery, and ^(GO)blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons ^(GP)whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them. ³⁸Moreover they have done this to Me: They have ^(GQ)defiled My sanctuary on the same day and ^(GR)profaned My Sabbaths. ³⁹For after they had slain their children for their idols, on the same day they came into My sanctuary to profane it; and indeed ^(GS)thus they have done in the midst of My house.

⁴⁰“Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, ^(GT)to whom a messenger was sent; and there they came. And you ^(GU)washed yourself for them, ^(GV)painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments. ⁴¹You sat on a stately ^(GW)couch, with a table prepared before it, ^(GX)on which you had set My incense and My oil. ⁴²The sound of a carefree multitude was with her, and ^[ae]Sabeans were brought from the wilderness with men of the common sort, who put bracelets on their ^[af]wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads. ⁴³Then I said concerning her who had grown old in adulteries, ‘Will they commit harlotry with her now, and she with them?’ ⁴⁴Yet they went in to her, as men go in to a woman who plays the harlot; thus they went in to Oholah and Oholibah, the lewd women. ⁴⁵But righteous men will ^(GY)judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and ^(GZ)blood is on their hands.

⁴⁶“For thus says the Lord God: ^(HA)‘Bring up an assembly against them, give them up to trouble and plunder. ⁴⁷^(HB)The assembly shall stone them with stones and ^[ag]execute them with their swords; ^(HC)they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn their houses with fire. ⁴⁸Thus ^(HD)I will cause lewdness to cease from the land, ^(HE)that all women may be taught not to practice your lewdness. ⁴⁹They shall repay you for your lewdness, and you shall ^(HF)pay for your idolatrous sins. ^(HG)Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.’ ”