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word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother. 3 They became prostitutes in Egypt; they became prostitutes in their youth. Their breasts were caressed there, and their virgin nipples were fondled. 4 The name of the older one was Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were Mine, and they gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
5 “Oholah engaged in prostitution even though she was Mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians, warriors 6 clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men, horsemen riding on steeds. 7 She gave herself over to prostitution with them, the chosen men of Assyria. She defiled herself with all whom she lusted after and with their idols. 8 She did not give up her prostitution that began in Egypt, for in her youth men had lain with her, fondling her virgin nipples, and pouring out their lust upon her.
9 “Therefore I have delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, for whom she lusted. 10 They uncovered her nakedness, took away her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women, for judgment had been executed on her.
11 “Now her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust she became more depraved than her sister, and in her prostitution more vile than her sister’s prostitution. 12 She lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors in full uniform, and horsemen mounted on steeds, all of them desirable young men. 13 I saw that she too defiled herself; both of them went the same way.
14 “But she carried her promiscuity still further. She looked upon male figures carved on the wall, images of Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion, 15 with belts around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like officers, a depiction of Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their birth. 16 As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.
17 “Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and they defiled her with their lust. But after she had been defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust. 18 When she openly flaunted her prostitution and uncovered her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister. 19 Yet she only became more and more promiscuous, remembering the days of her youth when she had lived like a prostitute in the land of Egypt. 20 For she had lusted after her lovers there, whose fleshly members were like those of donkeys, and whose emission was like that of stallions. 21 Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled your nipples and caressed your youthful breasts.
22 “Therefore Oholibah, this is what the Lord God says: ‘Behold, I will stir up your lovers against you, those from whom you turned away in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side— 23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans; the men of Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, all of them governors and commanders, officers and warriors, and all of them riding on horses. 24 They will come against you with weapons, chariots, and wagons, and with hordes of people. They will set themselves against you on every side with bucklers, shields, and helmets. I will delegate judgment to them, and they will judge you according to their own standards. 25 I will send My jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in wrath. They will cut off your nose and your ears, and those of you who are left will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and your daughters, and your remnant will be devoured by fire. 26 They will also strip you of your clothes and take away your fine jewellery. 27 So I will bring to an end your lewdness and promiscuity which you began in the land of Egypt. You will not look back at them longingly or remember Egypt anymore’.
28 “For therefore this is what the Lord God says: ‘Behold, I am about to deliver you into the hands of those who you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust. 29 They will deal with you hatefully, take away everything you have worked for, and leave you naked and bare. The shame of your prostitution will be exposed, both your lewdness and your promiscuity. 30 All this will come down on you because you have prostituted yourself to the nations, and because you have defiled yourself with their idols. 31 You have walked in the path of your sister, so I will put her cup in your hand’.
32 “This is what the Lord God says:
‘You will drink your sister’s cup,
so deep and wide;
You will be laughed to scorn
and held in derision,
for it holds so much.
33 You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,
the cup of horror and desolation,
the cup of your sister Samaria.
34 You will drink it and drain it out;
you will dash it to pieces
and tear off your own breasts’.
‘For I have spoken’, says the Lord God.
35 “Therefore this is what the Lord God says: ‘Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and your prostitution’.”
36 Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations. 37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; and they even made their children, whom they bore to Me, to pass through the fire as food for the idols. 38 They also did this to Me: They defiled My sanctuary on that same day and profaned My Sabbaths. 39 On the same day they had slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My sanctuary to profane it. That is what they did in the midst of My house.
40 “What is more, they sent for men to come from far away, to whom a messenger was sent. Then when they came, you bathed yourself for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewellery. 41 You sat on a luxurious couch with a table spread before it, on which you set out My incense and My oil.
42 “The noise of a carefree crowd was there. Drunkards were brought in from the desert, along with men from among the rabble; and they put bracelets on the arms of the woman and her sister, and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43 Then I said about this woman who was worn out by adultery, ‘Will they now engage her services as a prostitute, and she with them?’ 44 For they had gone in to her, as one goes in to a prostitute. This was how they went in to Oholah and Oholibah, those lewd women. 45 But righteous men will judge them the way adulteresses and those who shed blood are judged, because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.
46 “This is what the Lord God says: ‘Bring a mob against them, and give them over to terror and plunder. 47 The mob will stone them and dispatch them with their swords; they will kill their sons and their daughters and burn down their houses with fire.
48 “So I will put an end to lewdness in the land, so that all women may take warning and not imitate your lewdness. 49 They will repay you for your lewdness, and you will bear the penalty for your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Lord God’.”