Ezekiel 23

Two Harlot Sisters

1The word of the Lord came again to me, saying:

2“Son of man, there were #Jer. 3:7, 8; Ezek. 16:44–46two women,

The daughters of one mother.

3#Lev. 17:7; Josh. 24:14; Jer. 3:9They committed harlotry in Egypt,

They committed harlotry in #Ezek. 16:22their youth;

Their breasts were there embraced,

Their virgin bosom was there pressed.

4Their names: Oholah the elder and Oholibah #Jer. 3:6, 7her sister;

#Ezek. 16:8, 20They 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 #2 Kin. 15:19; 16:7; 17:3; Ezek. 16:28; Hos. 5:13; 8:9, 10Assyrians,

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 #Ex. 32:4; 1 Kin. 12:28; 2 Kin. 10:29; 17:16; Ezek. 23:3, 19from 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 #2 Kin. 17:3Assyrians,

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 #Jer. 3:8although her sister Oholibah saw this, #Jer. 3:8–11; Ezek. 16:51, 52she 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 #2 Kin. 16:7, 8; Ezek. 16:28Assyrians,

#Ezek. 23:6, 23Captains 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 #Jer. 50:2; Ezek. 8:10; 16:29Chaldeans 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#2 Kin. 24:1As soon as her eyes saw them,

She lusted for them

And sent #Is. 57:9messengers to them in Chaldea.

17“Then the Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love,

And they defiled her with their immorality;

So she was defiled by them, #Ezek. 23:22, 28and alienated herself from them.

18She revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness.

Then #Jer. 6:8I #Ps. 78:59; 106:40; Jer. 12:8alienated 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,

#Lev. 18:3; Ezek. 23:2When she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.

20For she lusted for her 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 #Ezek. 16:26Egyptians pressed your bosom

Because of your youthful breasts.

Judgment on Jerusalem

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

#Ezek. 16:37–41; 23:28‘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,

#Jer. 50:21Pekod, Shoa, Koa,

#Ezek. 23:12All 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 #Ex. 34:14; Ezek. 5:13; 8:17, 18; Zeph. 1:18jealousy 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#Is. 3:18–23; Ezek. 16:39They shall also strip you of your clothes

And take away your beautiful jewelry.

27‘Thus #Ezek. 16:41; 22:15I will make you cease your lewdness and your #Ezek. 23:3, 19harlotry

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 #Jer. 21:7–10; Ezek. 16:37–41those you hate, into the hand of those #Ezek. 23:17from whom you alienated yourself. 29#Deut. 28:48; Ezek. 23:25, 26, 45–47They will deal hatefully with you, take away all you have worked for, and #Ezek. 16:39leave 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 #Ezek. 6:9gone 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 #2 Kin. 21:13; Jer. 7:14, 15; 25:15; Ezek. 23:33cup in your hand.’

32“Thus says the Lord God:

‘You shall drink of your sister’s cup,

The deep and wide one;

#Ezek. 22:4, 5You 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 #Ps. 75:8; Is. 51:17drink and drain it,

You shall break its shards,

And tear at your own breasts;

For I have spoken,’

Says the Lord God.

35“Therefore thus says the Lord God:

‘Because you #Is. 17:10; Jer. 3:21; Ezek. 22:12; Hos. 8:14; 13:6have forgotten Me and #1 Kin. 14:9; Jer. 2:27; 32:33; Neh. 9:26cast 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 #Jer. 1:10; Ezek. 20:4; 22:2judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then #Is. 58:1; Ezek. 16:2; Mic. 3:8declare to them their abominations. 37For they have committed adultery, and #Ezek. 16:38blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons #Ezek. 16:20, 21, 36, 45; 20:26, 31whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them. 38Moreover they have done this to Me: They have #2 Kin. 21:4, 7; Ezek. 5:11; 7:20defiled My sanctuary on the same day and #Ezek. 22:8profaned 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 #2 Kin. 21:2–8thus they have done in the midst of My house.

40“Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, #Is. 57:9to whom a messenger was sent; and there they came. And you #Ruth 3:3washed yourself for them, #2 Kin. 9:30; Jer. 4:30painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments. 41You sat on a stately #Esth. 1:6; Is. 57:7; Amos 2:8; 6:4couch, with a table prepared before it, #Prov. 7:17; Ezek. 16:18, 19; Hos. 2:8on which you had set My incense and My oil. 42The sound of a carefree multitude was with her, and Sabeans were brought from the wilderness with men of the common sort, who put bracelets on their 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 #Ezek. 16:38judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and #Ezek. 23:37blood is on their hands.

46“For thus says the Lord God: #Ezek. 16:40‘Bring up an assembly against them, give them up to trouble and plunder. 47#Lev. 20:10; Ezek. 16:40The assembly shall stone them with stones and execute them with their swords; #2 Chr. 36:17, 19; Ezek. 24:21they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn their houses with fire. 48Thus #Ezek. 22:15I will cause lewdness to cease from the land, #Deut. 13:11; Ezek. 22:15; 2 Pet. 2:6that all women may be taught not to practice your lewdness. 49They shall repay you for your lewdness, and you shall #Is. 59:18; Ezek. 23:35pay for your idolatrous sins. #Ezek. 20:38, 42, 44; 25:5Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.’ ”

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Ezekiel 23: NKJV

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