Bible in 90 Days

²¹ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ²² “Son of man, what is this ^(A)proverb you people have concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The ^(B)days are long, and every ^(C)vision fails’? ²³ Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “I will make this proverb cease so that they will no longer use it as a proverb in Israel.” But speak to them, “^(D)The days draw near as well as the ^[a]fulfillment of every vision. ²⁴ For there will no longer be any ^(E)worthless vision or flattering divination in the midst of the house of Israel. ²⁵ For I, Yahweh, will speak, and whatever ^(F)word I speak will be done. It will no longer be delayed, for in ^(G)your days, O ^(H)rebellious house, I will speak the word and do it,” declares Lord Yahweh.’”

²⁶ Furthermore, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ²⁷ “Son of man, behold, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he beholds is for ^(I)many ^[b]years from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’ ²⁸ Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “None of My words will be delayed any longer. Whatever word I speak will be done,”’” declares Lord Yahweh.

Yahweh’s Wrath Against Lying Prophets

13 Then the word of Yahweh came to me saying, ² “Son of man, prophesy against the ^(J)prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own heart, ‘^(K)Hear the word of Yahweh! ³ Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Woe to the ^(L)wickedly foolish prophets who are walking after their own spirit and have ^(M)seen nothing. ⁴ O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among waste places. ⁵ You have not ^(N)gone up into the ^(O)breaches, nor did you build the wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the ^(P)day of Yahweh. ⁶ They behold ^(Q)worthlessness and lying divination who are saying, ‘Yahweh declares,’ when Yahweh has not sent them; ^(R)yet they wait for the establishing of their word. ^7 (S)Did you not see a worthless vision and speak a lying divination when you said, ‘Yahweh declares,’ but it is not I who have spoken?”’”

⁸ Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “Because you have spoken worthlessness and beheld a lie, therefore behold, ^(T)I am against you,” declares Lord Yahweh. ⁹ “So My hand will be against the ^(U)prophets who see worthless visions and utter lying divinations. They will not be in the council of My people, ^(V)nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, ^[c]that you may know that I am Lord Yahweh. ¹⁰ It is definitely because they have ^(W)misled My people by saying, ‘^(X)Peace!’ when there is ^(Y)no peace. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash; ¹¹ so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash that it will fall. A ^(Z)flooding rain will come, and you, O hailstones, will fall; and a stormy wind will break out. ¹² Now behold, the wall will fall. Will it then not be said to you, ‘Where is the plaster with which you plastered it?’” ¹³ Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “I will make a stormy wind break out in My wrath. There will also be in My anger a flooding rain and ^(AA)hailstones to consume it in wrath. ¹⁴ So I will pull down the wall which you plastered over with whitewash and bring it down to the ground, so that its ^(AB)foundation is laid bare; and it will fall, and you will be ^(AC)consumed in its midst. And you will ^(AD)know that I am Yahweh. ¹⁵ Thus I will spend My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it over with whitewash; and I will say to you, ‘The wall ^[d]is gone, and its plasterers are gone— ¹⁶ the prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem and who ^(AE)see visions of peace for her when there is ^(AF)no peace,’ declares Lord Yahweh.

¹⁷ “Now as for you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are ^(AG)prophesying ^(AH)from their own heart. Prophesy against them ¹⁸ and say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Woe to the women who sew magic bands on ^[e]all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature to ^(AI)hunt down ^[f]souls! Will you hunt down My people’s souls, but preserve your own souls? ^19 (AJ)For handfuls of barley and fragments of bread, you have profaned Me to My people to put to death souls who should not die and to ^(AK)keep other souls alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies.”’”

²⁰ Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I am against your magic bands by which you hunt souls there as ^[g]birds, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let their souls go, the very souls whom you hunt as ^[h]birds. ²¹ I will also tear off your veils and ^(AL)deliver My people from your hands, and they will no longer be in your hands to be hunted; and you will know that I am Yahweh. ²² Because you ^(AM)disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him grief, but have ^(AN)strengthened the hands of the wicked not to ^(AO)turn from his evil way and preserve his life, ²³ therefore, you women will no longer see ^(AP)worthless visions or practice divination, and I will ^(AQ)deliver My people out of your hand. Thus you will ^(AR)know that I am Yahweh.”

Idolatrous Elders Punished

14 Then some ^(AS)elders of Israel came to me and ^(AT)sat down before me. ² And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ³ “Son of man, these men have ^(AU)set up their idols in their hearts and have ^(AV)put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be ^(AW)inquired by them at all? ⁴ Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I Yahweh will be brought to give him an answer ^[i]in light of it, ^[j]in light of the ^(AX)multitude of his idols, ⁵ in order to seize the house of Israel by ^(AY)their heart, those who are ^[k](AZ)estranged from Me through all their idols.”’

⁶ “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “^[l](BA)Turn back and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your ^(BB)abominations. ⁷ For anyone of the house of Israel or of the ^(BC)sojourners who sojourn in Israel who separates himself from Me, sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me for himself, ^(BD)I, Yahweh, will be brought to answer him in My own person. ⁸ I will ^(BE)set My face against that man and make him a ^(BF)sign and ^[m]a proverb, and I will cut him off from among My people. So you will know that I am Yahweh.

⁹ “But if the prophet is enticed to speak a word, it is I, Yahweh, who have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and ^(BG)destroy him from among My people Israel. ¹⁰ They will bear the punishment of their iniquity; as the iniquity of the inquirer is, so the iniquity of the prophet will be, ¹¹ in order that the house of Israel may no longer ^(BH)wander from Me and no longer ^(BI)defile themselves with all their transgressions. Thus they will be ^(BJ)My people, and I shall be their God,”’ declares Lord Yahweh.”

Calamitous Judgments of Jerusalem

¹² Then the word of Yahweh came to me saying, ¹³ “Son of man, if a country sins against Me by ^(BK)committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, break its ^(BL)staff of bread, send famine against it, and cut off from it both man and beast, ¹⁴ even ^(BM)though these three men, ^(BN)Noah, ^(BO)Daniel, and ^(BP)Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver ^(BQ)themselves,” declares Lord Yahweh. ¹⁵ “If I were to cause ^(BR)wild beasts to pass through the land and they bereaved it of children and it became desolate so that no one would pass through it because of the beasts, ¹⁶ though these three men were in its midst, as I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “they could not deliver either their sons or their daughters. ^(BS)They alone would be delivered, but the country would become desolate. ¹⁷ Or if I should ^(BT)bring a sword on that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass through the country and ^(BU)cut off man and beast from it,’ ¹⁸ even though these three men were in its midst, as I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “they could not deliver either their sons or their daughters, but they alone would be delivered. ¹⁹ Or if I should send a ^(BV)plague against that country and pour out My wrath in blood on it to cut off man and beast from it, ²⁰ even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, as I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “they could not deliver either their son or their daughter. They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.”

²¹ For thus says Lord Yahweh, “How much more when ^(BW)I send My four calamitous judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague to cut off man and beast from it! ²² Yet, behold, ^[n]survivors will be left in it who will be brought out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they are going to come forth to you, and you will ^(BX)see their way and actions; then you will be ^(BY)comforted for the calamity which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought upon it. ²³ Then they will comfort you when you see their way and actions, so you will know that I have not done ^(BZ)in vain all that I did ^[o]to it,” declares Lord Yahweh.

Is Jerusalem Useful for Anything?

15 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, how is the wood of the ^(CA)vine better than any wood of a branch which is among the trees of the forest? ³ Can wood be taken from it to make ^[p]anything, or can men take a peg from it on which to hang any vessel? ^4 [q]If it has been put into the ^(CB)fire for fuel, and the fire has consumed both of its ends, and its middle part has been charred, is it then useful for ^[r]anything? ⁵ Behold, while it is intact, it is not made into ^[s]anything. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it still be made into ^[t]anything! ⁶ Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘As the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so have I given up the inhabitants of Jerusalem; ⁷ and I will ^(CC)give My face to be against them. Though they have ^(CD)come out of the fire, yet the fire will consume them. Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when I set My face against them. ⁸ Thus I will give over the land to desolation because they have ^(CE)acted unfaithfully,’” declares Lord Yahweh.

Jerusalem Plays the Harlot

16 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, ^(CF)make known to Jerusalem her abominations ³ and say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh to Jerusalem, “Your origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. ⁴ As for your birth, ^(CG)on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing; you were not rubbed with salt or even wrapped in cloths. ⁵ No eye had pity on you to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you. Rather you were thrown out into the ^[u](CH)open field, for your soul was abhorred on the day you were born.

⁶ “Then I passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood. So I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ Indeed I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ ⁷ I ^(CI)made you ^[v]numerous like plants of the field. Then you grew up, became tall, and came into the age for fine ornaments; your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown. Yet you were naked and bare.

⁸ “Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, ^[w]you were at the time for love; so I ^(CJ)spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also ^(CK)swore to you and ^(CL)entered into a covenant with you so that you ^(CM)became Mine,” declares Lord Yahweh. ⁹ “Then I washed you with water, rinsed your blood off from you, and ^(CN)anointed you with oil. ¹⁰ I also clothed you with ^(CO)embroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. ¹¹ I also adorned you with ornaments and put ^(CP)bracelets on your hands and a ^(CQ)necklace around your neck. ¹² I also put a ^(CR)ring in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a ^(CS)splendid crown on your head. ¹³ Thus you were adorned with ^(CT)gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil; so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to ^(CU)royalty. ¹⁴ Then your ^(CV)name went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was ^(CW)perfect because of My majesty which I set on you,” declares Lord Yahweh.

¹⁵ “But you ^(CX)trusted in your beauty and ^(CY)played the harlot because of your name, and you poured out your harlotries on every passer-by ^[x]who might be willing. ¹⁶ You took some of your clothes, made for yourself high places of various colors, and played the harlot on them, ^[y]which should never come about nor happen. ¹⁷ You also took your splendid ^[z](CZ)jewelry made of My gold and of My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images that you might play the harlot with them. ¹⁸ Then you took your embroidered cloth and covered them and gave My oil and My incense before them. ¹⁹ Also ^(DA)My bread which I gave you, fine flour, oil, and honey with which I had you eat, you gave before them for a soothing aroma; so it happened,” declares Lord Yahweh. ²⁰ “Moreover, you took your sons and daughters, whom you had borne to ^(DB)Me, and ^(DC)sacrificed them to ^[aa]idols to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter? ²¹ You slaughtered ^(DD)My children and gave them up to ^[ab]idols by ^(DE)causing them to pass through the fire. ²² Besides all your abominations and harlotries you did not remember the days of ^(DF)your youth, when you were naked and bare—you were squirming in your blood!

²³ “Now it happened after all your evil—‘Woe, woe to you!’ declares Lord Yahweh— ²⁴ that you built yourself a ^(DG)shrine and made yourself a ^(DH)high place in every square. ²⁵ You built yourself a high place at the head of ^(DI)every street and made your beauty abominable, and you spread your legs to every passer-by to multiply your harlotry. ²⁶ You also played the harlot with the Egyptians, your ^[ac]lustful neighbors, and you multiplied your harlotry to ^(DJ)provoke Me to anger. ²⁷ Behold now, I have stretched out My hand against you and cut off your rations. And I gave you up to the desire of those who hate you, the ^(DK)daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your lewd way. ²⁸ Moreover, you played the harlot with the ^(DL)Assyrians because you were not satisfied; you played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied. ²⁹ You also multiplied your harlotry with the land of merchants, Chaldea, yet even with this you were not satisfied.”’”

³⁰ “How ^(DM)languishing is your heart,” declares Lord Yahweh, “while you do all these things, the actions of a ^[ad](DN)bold-faced harlot. ³¹ When you built your shrine at the head of every way and made your high place in every square, in ^(DO)disdaining your earnings, you were not like a harlot. ³² You adulteress wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband! ^33 [ae]Men give gifts to all harlots, but you ^(DP)give your gifts to all your lovers to bribe them to come to you from all around for your harlotries. ³⁴ Thus you are the opposite of those women in your harlotries, in that no one plays the harlot ^[af]as you do, because you give away your earnings and no earnings are given to you; thus you are the opposite.”

³⁵ Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of Yahweh. ³⁶ Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Because your lewdness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered through your harlotries with your lovers and with all your abominable ^(DQ)idols, and because of the blood of your sons which you gave to ^[ag]idols, ³⁷ therefore, behold, I will ^(DR)gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, even all those whom you loved and all those whom you ^(DS)hated. So I will gather them against you from all around and ^(DT)uncover your nakedness to them that they may see all your nakedness. ³⁸ Thus I will ^(DU)judge you like women who commit adultery or shed blood are judged; and I will bring on you the blood of ^(DV)wrath and jealousy. ³⁹ I will also give you into ^[ah]the hands of your lovers, and they will pull down your shrines, tear down your high places, ^(DW)strip you of your clothing, take away your ^[ai]splendid jewelry, and will leave you naked and bare. ⁴⁰ They will bring up an ^(DX)assembly against you, and they will stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. ⁴¹ They will ^(DY)burn your houses with fire and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women. Then I will ^(DZ)make you cease from playing the harlot, and you will also no longer give ^[aj]your earnings to your lovers. ⁴² So I ^(EA)will ^[ak]cause My wrath against you to be at rest, and My jealousy will depart from you, and I will be quiet, and I will ^(EB)not be provoked anymore. ⁴³ Because you have ^(EC)not remembered the days of your youth but ^[al]have ^(ED)enraged Me by all these things, behold, I in turn will ^(EE)bring your way down on your own head,” declares Lord Yahweh, “so that you will not commit this lewdness on top of all your other abominations.

⁴⁴ “Behold, everyone who quotes ^(EF)proverbs will quote this proverb concerning you, saying, ‘^[am]Like mother, ^[an]like daughter.’ ⁴⁵ You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and children. You are also the ^(EG)sister of your sisters, who ^(EH)loathed their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. ⁴⁶ Now your ^(EI)older sister is Samaria, who lives ^[ao]north of you with her ^[ap]daughters; and your younger sister, who lives ^[aq]south of you, is ^(EJ)Sodom with her daughters. ⁴⁷ Yet you have not merely walked in their ways or done according to their abominations; but, as if that were ^(EK)too little, you acted ^(EL)more corruptly in all your ways than they. ⁴⁸ As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “Sodom your sister and her daughters have ^(EM)not done as you and your daughters have done. ⁴⁹ Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had ^(EN)lofty pride, ^(EO)abundant food, and ^(EP)quiet ease, but she did not strengthen the hand of the ^(EQ)afflicted and needy. ⁵⁰ Then they were haughty and committed ^(ER)abominations before Me. So I ^(ES)removed them ^[ar]when I saw it. ⁵¹ Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half of your sins, for you have multiplied your abominations more than they. Thus you have made your sisters appear ^(ET)righteous by all your abominations which you have done. ⁵² Also bear your dishonor in that you have ^[as]made judgment favorable for your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted ^(EU)more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. Yes, be also ashamed and bear your dishonor, in that you made your sisters appear righteous.

⁵³ “Nevertheless, I will ^[at]return their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, and ^[au]along with them ^[av]your own captivity, ⁵⁴ in order that you may bear your dishonor and feel ^(EV)dishonor for all that you have done when you become ^(EW)a comfort to them. ⁵⁵ Your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, ^[aw]will return to their former state, and you with your daughters will also return to your former state. ⁵⁶ As the name of your sister Sodom was not heard in your mouth in your day of lofty pride, ⁵⁷ before your ^(EX)wickedness was uncovered, ^[ax]so now you have become the ^(EY)reproach of the daughters of ^[ay]Edom and of all who are around her, of the daughters of the Philistines—those all around you who despise you. ⁵⁸ You have ^(EZ)borne the penalty of your lewdness and abominations,” declares Yahweh. ⁵⁹ For thus says Lord Yahweh, “I will also do with you as you have done, you who have ^(FA)despised the oath by breaking the covenant.

Yahweh’s Everlasting Covenant

⁶⁰ “Nevertheless, I Myself will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an ^(FB)everlasting covenant with you. ⁶¹ Then you will ^(FC)remember your ways and feel dishonor when you receive your sisters, both your older and your younger; and I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant. ⁶² Thus I will ^(FD)establish My covenant with you, and you shall ^(FE)know that I am Yahweh, ⁶³ so that you may ^(FF)remember and be ashamed and ^(FG)never open your mouth anymore because of your dishonor, when I have ^(FH)atoned for you for all that you have done,” declares Lord Yahweh.

Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

17 Now the word of Yahweh came to me saying, ² “Son of man, propound a riddle and speak a ^(FI)parable to the house of Israel, ³ and you will say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “A great ^(FJ)eagle with ^(FK)great wings, long pinions, and a full plumage of ^[az]many colors came to ^(FL)Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar. ⁴ He plucked off the topmost of its young twigs and brought it to a land of merchants; he set it in a city of traders. ⁵ He also took some of the seed of the land and planted it in a ^(FM)field fit for seed. He ^[ba]placed it beside abundant waters; he set it like a ^(FN)willow. ⁶ Then it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine with its foliage turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and yielded shoots and sent out branches.

⁷ “But there was ^[bb]another great eagle with great wings and much plumage; and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and sent out its foliage toward him from the beds where it was ^(FO)planted, that he might water it. ⁸ It was planted in a good field beside abundant waters, that it might yield branches and bear fruit and become a majestic vine.”’ ⁹ Say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Will it succeed? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it dries up—so that all its sprouting leaves dry up? And neither by great ^[bc]strength nor by many people can it be raised from its roots again. ¹⁰ And behold, though it is planted, will it succeed? Will it not ^(FP)completely dry up as soon as the east wind strikes it—dry up on the beds where it sprouted?”’”

The King Shall Die in Babylon

¹¹ Moreover, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹² “Say now to the ^(FQ)rebellious house, ‘Do you not ^(FR)know what these things mean?’ Say, ‘Behold, the ^(FS)king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and princes, and brought them to him in Babylon. ¹³ He took one of the royal ^(FT)seed and cut a covenant with him and brought him under ^(FU)oath. He also took away the ^(FV)dominant one of the land, ¹⁴ that the kingdom might ^[bd](FW)become lowly, not lifting itself up, but keeping his covenant that it might continue. ¹⁵ But he ^(FX)rebelled against him by sending his messengers to Egypt that they might give him horses and many ^[be]troops. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things ^(FY)escape? Can he indeed break the covenant and escape? ¹⁶ As I live,’ declares Lord Yahweh, ‘Surely in the ^[bf]country of the king who made him king, whose oath he ^(FZ)despised and whose covenant he broke, ^[bg](GA)in Babylon he shall die. ^17 (GB)And Pharaoh with his mighty military force and great assembly will not ^[bh]help him in the war, when they cast up ramps and build siege walls to cut off many lives. ¹⁸ Now he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and behold, he ^[bi](GC)pledged his allegiance, yet did all these things; he shall not escape.’” ¹⁹ Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “As I live, surely My oath which he despised and My covenant which he broke, I will ^[bj]put on his head. ²⁰ I will spread My ^(GD)net over him, and he will be ^(GE)caught in My snare. Then I will bring him to Babylon and ^(GF)enter into judgment with him there regarding the unfaithful act which he has committed against Me. ²¹ All the ^[bk](GG)choice men in all his troops will fall by the sword, and the remnant will be scattered to every wind; and you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken.”

²² Thus says Lord Yahweh, “I will also take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and set it out; I will pluck from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on an ^(GH)exalted and lofty mountain. ²³ On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it, that it may lift up ^[bl]boughs and yield fruit and become a majestic ^(GI)cedar. And birds of every ^[bm]kind will dwell under it; they will dwell in the shade of its ^[bn]branches. ²⁴ And all the ^(GJ)trees of the field will know that I am Yahweh; I bring down the exalted tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree ^(GK)flourish. I am Yahweh; I have spoken, and I will do it.”

The Soul Who Sins Will Die

18 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “^(GL)What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying,

³ As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. ⁴ Behold, ^(GN)all ^[bp]souls are Mine; the ^[bq]soul of the father as well as the ^[br]soul of the son is Mine. The ^[bs]soul who ^(GO)sins will die.

⁵ “But if a man is righteous and does justice and righteousness, ⁶ and does not ^(GP)eat at the mountain shrines or ^(GQ)lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or ^(GR)defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period— ⁷ if a man does not mistreat anyone, but ^(GS)returns to the debtor his pledge, ^(GT)does not commit robbery, but ^(GU)gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, ⁸ if he does not lend money on ^(GV)interest or take ^(GW)increase, if he turns his hand from injustice and ^(GX)does true justice between man and man, ⁹ if he walks in ^(GY)My statutes and My judgments and is careful to do the truth—^(GZ)he is righteous and will surely ^(HA)live,” declares Lord Yahweh.

¹⁰ “Then he may ^[bt]have a violent son who sheds blood and who does any of these things to a brother ¹¹ (though he himself did not do any of these things), that is, he even eats at the mountain shrines and ^(HB)defiles his neighbor’s wife; ¹² he mistreats the ^(HC)afflicted and needy, ^(HD)commits robbery, does not return a pledge, but lifts up his eyes to the idols and ^(HE)does abominations; ¹³ he ^(HF)lends money on interest and takes increase; will he live? He will not live! He has done all these abominations; he will surely be put to death; his ^(HG)blood will be on himself.

¹⁴ “Now behold, he ^[bu]has a son who has seen all his father’s sins which he has done. And he ^(HH)saw this but does not do likewise. ¹⁵ He does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife ¹⁶ or mistreat anyone, or retain a pledge or commit robbery, but he ^(HI)gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing; ¹⁷ he turns his hand away from ^[bv]the afflicted, does not take interest or increase, but does My judgments and walks in My statutes; ^(HJ)he will not die for his father’s iniquity; he will surely live. ¹⁸ As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what was not good among his people, behold, he will die for his iniquity.

¹⁹ “Yet you say, ‘^(HK)Why should the son not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity?’ But the son has done ^(HL)justice and righteousness and has kept all My statutes and done them. He shall surely live. ²⁰ The soul who ^(HM)sins will die. The ^(HN)son will not bear the iniquity of the father, nor will the father bear the iniquity of the son; the ^(HO)righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.

²¹ “But if the ^(HP)wicked man turns from all his sins which he has done and keeps all My statutes and does justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ^22 (HQ)All his transgressions which he has done will not be remembered against him; because of his ^(HR)righteousness which he has done, he will live. ^23 (HS)Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares Lord Yahweh, “is it not that he should ^(HT)turn from his ways and live?

²⁴ “But when a righteous man ^(HU)turns away from his righteousness, does injustice, and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? ^(HV)All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his ^(HW)unfaithfulness which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die. ²⁵ Yet you say, ‘^(HX)The way of the Lord is not right.’ Hear now, O house of Israel! Is ^(HY)My way not right? Is it not your ways that are not right? ²⁶ When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, does injustice, and dies because of it, for his injustice which he has done he will die. ²⁷ Again, when a wicked man turns away ^(HZ)from his wickedness which he has done and does justice and righteousness, he will preserve his life. ²⁸ Again, he considered and turned away from all his transgressions which he had done; he shall surely live; he shall not die. ²⁹ But the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not right.’ Are My ways not right, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not right?

³⁰ “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his way,” declares Lord Yahweh. “^[bw](IA)Turn back and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. ^31 (IB)Cast away from yourselves all your transgressions which you have committed and ^[bx]make yourselves a ^(IC)new heart and a new spirit! Now why will you die, O house of Israel? ³² For I have ^(ID)no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares Lord Yahweh. “Therefore, ^[by]turn back and live.”

A Lament for the Princes of Israel

19 “As for you, take up a ^(IE)lamentation for the ^(IF)princes of Israel ² and say,

This is a lamentation and has become a lamentation.

The Abominations of the Fathers of Israel

20 Now it happened in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, that ^[cj]some of the ^(IU)elders of Israel came to inquire of Yahweh and sat before me. ² And the word of Yahweh came to me saying, ³ “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Do you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “^(IV)I will not be inquired of by you.”’ ⁴ Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? ^(IW)Make them know the abominations of their fathers ⁵ and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “On the day when I ^(IX)chose Israel and ^[ck]swore to the seed of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, ^(IY)I am Yahweh your God, ⁶ on that day I swore to them, ^(IZ)to bring them out from the land of Egypt into a land that I had ^[cl]selected for them, ^(JA)flowing with milk and honey, which is ^(JB)the glory of all lands. ⁷ I said to them, ‘^(JC)Cast away, each of you, the detestable things of his eyes, and ^(JD)do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; ^(JE)I am Yahweh your God.’ ⁸ But they ^(JF)rebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me; each one did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, nor did they forsake the ^(JG)idols of Egypt.

Then I said I would ^(JH)pour out My wrath on them, to ^[cm]spend My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. ⁹ But I acted ^(JI)for the sake of My name, that it should ^(JJ)not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made Myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁰ So I took them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the ^(JK)wilderness. ¹¹ I gave them My ^(JL)statutes and made them know My judgments, ^(JM)which, if a man does them, he will live by them. ¹² And I also gave them My sabbaths to be a ^(JN)sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies them. ¹³ But the house of Israel ^(JO)rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes, and they rejected My judgments, ^(JP)which, if a man does them, he will live by them; and My ^(JQ)sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I said I would ^(JR)pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to completely destroy them. ¹⁴ But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, before whose sight I had brought them out. ¹⁵ Also ^(JS)I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands, ¹⁶ because they rejected My judgments, and as for My statutes, they did not walk in them; they even profaned My sabbaths, for their ^(JT)heart continually walked after their idols. ¹⁷ Yet My eye had pity on them rather than bringing them to ruin, and I did not make of them a ^(JU)complete destruction in the wilderness.

¹⁸ “I said to their ^[cn](JV)children in the wilderness, ‘^(JW)Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers and do not keep their judgments and do not defile yourselves with their idols. ^19 (JX)I am Yahweh your God; ^(JY)walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them. ^20 (JZ)Keep My sabbaths holy; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am Yahweh your God.’ ²¹ But the ^(KA)children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to do My judgments, which, if a man does them, he will live by them; they profaned My sabbaths. So I said I would pour out My wrath on them, to spend My anger against them in the wilderness. ²² But I ^(KB)turned back My hand and acted ^(KC)for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. ²³ Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would ^(KD)scatter them among the nations and ^[co]disperse them among the lands ²⁴ because they had not done My judgments, but had rejected My statutes and had profaned My sabbaths, and ^(KE)their eyes were going after the idols of their fathers. ²⁵ And I also gave them statutes that were ^(KF)not good and judgments by which they could not live; ²⁶ and I pronounced them ^(KG)unclean because of their gifts, in that they ^(KH)caused all ^[cp]their firstborn to pass through the fire so that I might make them desolate, in order that they might ^(KI)know that I am Yahweh.”’

²⁷ “Therefore, son of man, ^(KJ)speak to the house of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Yet in this your fathers have ^(KK)blasphemed Me by ^(KL)acting unfaithfully against Me. ²⁸ Indeed, I ^(KM)brought them into the land which I swore to give to them, and they saw every ^(KN)high hill and every leafy tree, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they gave the provocation of their offering. There also they made their soothing aroma, and there they poured out their drink offerings. ²⁹ Then I said to them, ‘What is the high place to which you are going?’ So its name is called ^[cq]Bamah to this day.”’ ³⁰ Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Will you defile yourselves in the way of your ^(KO)fathers and play the harlot after their detestable things? ^31 [cr]And when you offer your gifts, when you ^(KP)cause your sons to pass through the fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “I will not be inquired of by you. ³² And what ^(KQ)comes upon your spirit will not happen, when you say: ‘We will be like the nations, like the families of the lands, ^(KR)to minister to wood and stone.’

Yahweh Judges His People

³³ “As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “surely with a strong hand and with an ^(KS)outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be ^(KT)king over you. ³⁴ And I will ^(KU)bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with ^(KV)wrath poured out; ³⁵ and I will bring you into the ^(KW)wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. ³⁶ As I ^(KX)entered into judgment with your fathers in the ^(KY)wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares Lord Yahweh. ³⁷ “And I will make you ^(KZ)pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; ³⁸ and I will ^(LA)purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will ^(LB)not enter the ^[cs]land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am Yahweh.

³⁹ “As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says Lord Yahweh, “^(LC)Go, serve everyone his idols; ^[ct]but after this you will surely listen to Me, and My holy name you will ^(LD)profane no longer with your gifts and with your idols. ⁴⁰ For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel,” declares Lord Yahweh, “there the whole house of Israel, ^(LE)all of them, will serve Me in the land; there I will ^(LF)accept them, and there I will ^[cu]seek your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your holy things. ^41 [cv]As a soothing aroma I will accept you when I ^(LG)bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered; and I will prove Myself ^(LH)holy among you in the sight of the nations. ⁴² And ^(LI)you will know that I am Yahweh, ^(LJ)when I bring you onto the ground of Israel, into the ^(LK)land which I swore to give to your fathers. ⁴³ And there you will ^(LL)remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves; and you will ^(LM)loathe yourselves to your own faces for all the evil things that you have done. ⁴⁴ Then ^(LN)you will know that I am Yahweh when I have dealt with you ^(LO)for My name’s sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel,” declares Lord Yahweh.’”

^45 [cw]Now the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ⁴⁶ “Son of man, set your face toward ^[cx]Teman and speak, dripping out words, against the ^(LP)south and ^(LQ)prophesy against the ^(LR)forest ^[cy]land of the Negev ⁴⁷ and say to the forest of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh: thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I am about to ^(LS)kindle a fire in you, and it will consume every ^[cz]green tree in you, as well as every dry tree; the blazing flame will not be quenched, and ^[da](LT)the whole surface from south to north will be scorched by it. ⁴⁸ And all flesh will see that I, Yahweh, have made it burn; it shall ^(LU)not be quenched.”’” ⁴⁹ Then I said, “Ah Lord Yahweh! They are saying of me, ‘Is he not just speaking ^(LV)parables?’”

The Prophecy of Yahweh’s Sword

21 ^[db]And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, ^(LW)set your face toward Jerusalem and ^(LX)speak, dripping out words against the sanctuaries and prophesy against the land of Israel ³ and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Behold, ^(LY)I am against you; and I will bring out My sword from its sheath and cut off from you the ^(LZ)righteous and the wicked. ⁴ Because I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore My sword will go out from its sheath against ^(MA)all flesh from south to north. ⁵ Thus all flesh will know that I, Yahweh, have brought out My sword from its sheath. It will ^(MB)not return to its sheath again.”’ ⁶ Now as for you, son of man, groan with breaking ^[dc]heart and bitter grief, groan in their sight. ⁷ And it will be that when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the ^(MC)report that is coming; and ^(MD)every heart will melt, all hands will fall limp, every spirit will ^[dd]faint, and all knees will ^[de]be weak as water. Behold, it is coming, and it will happen,’ declares Lord Yahweh.”

⁸ Again the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ⁹ “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says ^[df]the Lord.’ Say,

Or shall we ^[dh]rejoice in the ^[di]scepter of My son? The sword ^(MG)despises every tree. ¹¹ It is given to be polished, that it may be seized by the ^[dj]hand; the sword is sharpened and polished, to give it into the hand of the one who kills. ^12 (MH)Cry out and wail, son of man; for it is against My people; it is against all the ^(MI)princes of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with My people; therefore slap your thigh. ¹³ For there is a testing; and what if even the ^[dk]scepter ^[dl]which the sword despises will be no more?” declares Lord Yahweh.

¹⁴ “You therefore, son of man, prophesy and strike your hands together; and let the sword be ^(MJ)doubled the third time, the sword for the slain. It is the sword for the great one slain, which surrounds them, ¹⁵ that their ^(MK)hearts may melt, and many will be ^(ML)stumbling blocks at all their ^(MM)gates. I have given the glittering sword. Ah! It is made for striking like lightning, it is wrapped up in readiness for slaughter. ^16 [dm]Show yourself sharp, go to the right; set yourself; go to the left, wherever your ^[dn]edge is appointed. ¹⁷ And I will also strike My hands together, and I will ^[do](MN)cause My wrath to be at rest; I, Yahweh, have spoken.”

A Sword for Slaughter

¹⁸ And the word of Yahweh came to me saying, ¹⁹ “Now as for you, son of man, ^[dp](MO)make two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to come; both of them will go out of one land. And ^[dq]make a signpost; ^[dr]make it at the head of the way to the city. ²⁰ You shall ^[ds]mark a way for the sword to come to ^(MP)Rabbah of the sons of Ammon and to Judah into ^(MQ)fortified Jerusalem. ²¹ For the king of Babylon stands at the ^[dt]parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use ^(MR)divination; he ^(MS)shakes the arrows; he asks the ^[du](MT)household idols; he looks at the liver. ²² Into his right hand came the divination, ‘Jerusalem,’ to ^(MU)set battering rams, to open the mouth ^[dv]for killing, to lift up the voice with a shout of war, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up ramps, to build a siege wall. ²³ And it will be to them like a worthless divination in their eyes; ^(MV)they have sworn solemn oaths. But he ^(MW)brings iniquity to remembrance, that they may be seized.

²⁴ “Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your deeds your sins appear—because you have come to remembrance, you will be seized with the hand. ²⁵ And you, O slain, wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose ^(MX)day has come, in the time of the iniquity of the end,’ ²⁶ thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Remove the turban and take off the ^(MY)crown; this will ^[dw]no longer be the same. ^(MZ)Make high that which is low and make low that which is high. ^27 (NA)A ruin, a ruin, a ruin, I will make it. This also will be no more until ^(NB)He comes to whom the legal judgment belongs, and I will give it to Him.’

²⁸ “Now as for you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh concerning the sons of Ammon and concerning their ^(NC)reproach,’ and say: ‘A sword, a sword is drawn, polished for the slaughter, to cause it ^[dx]to ^(ND)consume, that it may be like lightning— ²⁹ while they behold for you ^(NE)worthless visions, while they divine lies for you—to place you on the necks of the wicked who are slain, whose day has come, in the ^(NF)time of the iniquity of the end. ^30 (NG)Return it to its sheath. In the ^(NH)place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I will judge you. ³¹ And I will ^(NI)pour out My indignation on you; I will ^(NJ)blow on you with the fire of My fury, and I will give you into the hand of brutal men, ^(NK)craftsmen of destruction. ³² You will be ^[dy](NL)fuel for the fire; your blood will be in the midst of the land. You will ^(NM)not be remembered, for I, Yahweh, have spoken.’”

The Abominations of Israel

22 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Now as for you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the city of blood? Then you shall cause her to know all her abominations. ³ And you shall say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “A city ^(NN)shedding blood in her midst, so that her time will come; and she makes idols against herself for defilement! ⁴ You have become ^(NO)guilty by ^[dz]the blood which you have shed, and defiled by your idols which you have made. Thus you have brought your ^[ea]day near and have come to your years; therefore I have made you a ^(NP)reproach to the nations and a mocking to all the lands. ⁵ Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you, you of unclean name, full of ^(NQ)turmoil.

⁶ “Behold, the ^(NR)princes of Israel, each according to his ^[eb]power, have been in you for the purpose of shedding blood. ⁷ They have ^(NS)treated father and mother with contempt within you. The ^(NT)sojourner they have oppressed in your midst; the ^(NU)fatherless and the widow they have mistreated in you. ⁸ You have ^(NV)despised My holy things and ^(NW)profaned My sabbaths. ⁹ Slanderous men have been in you for the purpose of shedding blood, and in you they have eaten at the mountain shrines. In your midst they have ^(NX)done acts of lewdness. ¹⁰ In you ^[ec]they have ^(NY)uncovered their fathers’ nakedness; in you they have humbled her who was ^(NZ)unclean in her menstrual impurity. ¹¹ One has also done what is an abomination with his ^(OA)neighbor’s wife, and another has lewdly defiled his ^(OB)daughter-in-law. And another in you has ^(OC)violated his sister, his father’s daughter. ¹² In you they have ^(OD)taken bribes for the purpose of shedding blood; you have taken ^(OE)interest and profits, and you have injured your neighbors for gain by ^(OF)oppression, and you have ^(OG)forgotten Me,” declares Lord Yahweh.

¹³ “Now behold, I have struck My hand at your ^(OH)greedy gain which you have acquired and at ^[ed]the bloodshed which is among you. ¹⁴ Can ^(OI)your heart stand, or can your hands be strong in the days that I will act against you? ^(OJ)I, Yahweh, have spoken and will act. ¹⁵ I will ^(OK)scatter you among the nations, and I will disperse you through the lands, and I will ^(OL)put an end to your uncleanness from you. ¹⁶ You will profane yourself in the sight of the nations, and you will ^(OM)know that I am Yahweh.”’”

¹⁷ And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹⁸ “Son of man, the house of Israel has become ^(ON)dross to Me; all of them are ^(OO)bronze and tin and iron and lead in the ^(OP)furnace; they are the dross of silver. ¹⁹ Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Because all of you have become dross, therefore, behold, I am going to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. ²⁰ As they gather silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into the ^(OQ)furnace to blow fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger and in My wrath, and I will lay you there and melt you. ²¹ And I will collect you together and blow on you with the fire of My fury, and you will be melted in the midst of it. ²² As silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted in the midst of it; and you will know that I, Yahweh, have ^(OR)poured out My wrath on you.’”

²³ And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ²⁴ “Son of man, say to her, ‘You are a land that is ^(OS)not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation.’ ²⁵ There is a ^(OT)conspiracy of her prophets in her midst like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have ^(OU)devoured lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many ^(OV)widows in the midst of her. ²⁶ Her ^(OW)priests have done violence to My law and have ^(OX)profaned My holy things; they have made no ^(OY)separation between the holy and the profane, and they have not made known the difference between the ^(OZ)unclean and the clean; and they hide their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. ²⁷ Her princes within her are like wolves tearing the prey by shedding blood and ^(PA)destroying lives in order to get ^(PB)greedy gain. ²⁸ And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, beholding ^(PC)worthless visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh,’ when Yahweh has not spoken. ²⁹ The people of the land have practiced ^(PD)oppression and committed robbery, and they have mistreated the afflicted and needy and have ^(PE)oppressed the sojourner without justice. ³⁰ And I ^(PF)searched for a man among them who would ^(PG)build up the wall and ^(PH)stand in the breach before Me for the land, so that I would not bring it to ruin; but I found ^[ee]no one. ³¹ Thus I have poured out My ^(PI)indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My fury; ^(PJ)their way I have brought upon their heads,” declares Lord Yahweh.

The Harlotries of Oholah and Oholibah

23 The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying, ² “Son of man, there were ^(PK)two women, the daughters of one mother; ³ and they played the harlot in Egypt. They ^(PL)played the harlot in their youth; there their breasts were pressed, and there their virgin bosom was handled. ⁴ Their names were Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister. And they became Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. And as for their names, Samaria is Oholah and Jerusalem is Oholibah.

⁵ “Oholah played the harlot ^[ef]while she was Mine; and she lusted after her lovers, after the ^(PM)Assyrians, her neighbors, ⁶ who were clothed in purple, ^(PN)governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. ⁷ She gave her harlotries to them, all of them the choicest ^[eg]men of Assyria; and with all whom she lusted after, with all their idols she ^(PO)defiled herself. ⁸ She did not forsake her harlotries ^(PP)from the time in Egypt; for in her youth ^[eh]men had lain with her, and they handled her virgin bosom and poured out their harlotry on her. ⁹ Therefore, I gave her into the hand of her ^(PQ)lovers, into the hand of the ^[ei]Assyrians, after whom she lusted. ¹⁰ They ^(PR)uncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and her daughters, but they killed her with the sword. Thus she became a despised name among women, and they executed judgments on her.

¹¹ “Now her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was ^(PS)more corrupt in her lust than she, and her harlotries were more than the harlotries of her sister. ¹² She lusted after the ^[ej](PT)Assyrians, governors and officials, the ones near, magnificently dressed, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable choice men. ¹³ And I saw that she had defiled herself; they both took ^[ek]the same way. ¹⁴ So she increased her harlotries. And she saw men ^(PU)portrayed on the wall, images of the ^(PV)Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion, ¹⁵ girded with belts on their loins, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, in the likeness of the ^[el]Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth. ^16 [em]And she saw them and ^(PW)lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. ¹⁷ So the ^[en](PX)Babylonians came to her to the bed of love and defiled her with their harlotry. Then she became defiled by them, and her soul became disgusted with them. ¹⁸ And she ^(PY)uncovered her harlotries and uncovered her nakedness; then My soul became ^(PZ)disgusted with her, as My soul had become disgusted with her ^(QA)sister. ¹⁹ Yet she multiplied her harlotries, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the harlot in the land of Egypt. ²⁰ She ^(QB)lusted after their paramours, whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys and whose issue is like the issue of horses. ²¹ Thus you ^[eo]longed for the ^(QC)lewdness of your youth, when ^[ep]the Egyptians handled your bosom because of the breasts of your youth.

²² “Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Behold, I will arouse your lovers against you, those with whom your soul was disgusted, and I will bring them against you from every side: ²³ the ^[eq](QD)Babylonians and all the ^(QE)Chaldeans, ^(QF)Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the ^[er](QG)Assyrians with them; desirable choice men, governors and officials, all of them, officers and ^[es]men of renown, all of them riding on horses. ²⁴ They will come against you with weapons, ^(QH)chariots and ^[et]wagons, and with an assembly of peoples. They will set themselves against you on every side with large shield and shield and helmet; and I will give the ^(QI)judgment to them, and they will judge you according to their judgments. ²⁵ And I will set My ^(QJ)jealousy against you, that they may deal with you in wrath. They will remove your nose and your ears; and your ^[eu]survivors will fall by the sword. They will take your ^(QK)sons and your daughters; and your ^[ev]survivors will be consumed by the fire. ²⁶ They will also ^(QL)strip you of your clothes and take away your ^(QM)beautiful jewelry. ²⁷ Thus ^(QN)I will make your lewdness and your harlotry brought from the land of Egypt to cease from you, so that you will not lift up your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.’ ²⁸ For thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Behold, I will give you into the hand of those whom you ^(QO)hate, into the hand of those with whom your soul was disgusted. ²⁹ They will ^(QP)deal with you in hatred, take all the fruit of your labor, and leave you naked and bare. And the nakedness of your harlotries will be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotries. ³⁰ These things will be done to you because you have ^(QQ)played the harlot with the nations, because you have defiled yourself with their idols. ³¹ You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will give ^(QR)her cup into your hand.’ ³² Thus says Lord Yahweh,

for I have spoken,’ declares Lord Yahweh. ³⁵ Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Because you have ^(QW)forgotten Me and ^(QX)cast Me behind your back, bear now the punishment of your lewdness and your harlotries.’”

³⁶ Moreover, Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, will you ^(QY)judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then ^(QZ)declare to them their abominations. ³⁷ For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. Thus they have committed adultery with their idols and even caused their sons, ^(RA)whom they bore to Me, to pass through the fire to ^[ex]them as food. ³⁸ Again, they have done this to Me: they have ^(RB)defiled My sanctuary on the same day and have ^(RC)profaned My sabbaths. ³⁹ For when they had slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My ^(RD)sanctuary on the same day to profane it; and behold, thus they did within My house.