Yechezkel 23 יחזקאל כ״ג

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

Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:

And they committed harlotry in Miżrayim; they committed harlotry in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there their virgin teats were handled.

And the names of them were Ohola the elder, and Oholiva her sister: and they were mine, and they bore sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Shomeron is Ohola, and Yerushalayim is Oholiva.

And Ohola played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on those of Ashshur her neighbours,

who were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them charming young men, horsemen riding upon horses.

Thus she committed her lewd practices with them, with all them that were the choice men of Ashshur, and with all on whom she doted, with all their idols she defiled herself.

Neither did she give up her lewd practices brought from Miżrayim: for in her youth they lay with her, and they handled her virgin breasts, and poured out their lust upon her.

Therefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the children of Ashshur, upon whom she doted.

These uncovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became notorious among women; for they had executed judgment upon her.

And her sister Oholiva saw this, yet she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her harlotries more than her sister in her harlotries.

She doted upon the children of Ashshur her neighbours, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of the charming young men.

Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both of them the same way,

and that she increased her harlotries: for when she saw men portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Kasdim portrayed with vermilion,

girded with girdles upon their loins, with flowing turbans upon their heads, all of them looking like captains, after the manner of the children of Bavel in Kasdim, the land of their nativity:

and as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers to them to Kasdim.

And the children of Bavel came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their lust, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.

So she uncovered her harlotries, and uncovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, just as my mind was alienated from her sister.

Yet she multiplied her harlotries, recalling the days of her youth, when she had played the harlot in the land of Miżrayim.

For she doted upon her paramours there, whose members were like those of asses, and whose issue was like that of horses.

Thus thou didst call to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, when those of Miżrayim handled thy teats, for the breasts of thy youth.

Therefore, O Oholiva, thus says the Lord God; Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side;

the children of Bavel, and all Kasdim, Peqod, and Shoa, and Qoa, all the children of Ashshur with them: all of them charming young men, captains, and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses.

And they shall come against thee, a multitude of wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, who shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about: and I will put the case before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments.

And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee: they shall take away thy nose and thy ears; and thy remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons and thy daughters; and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire.

They shall also strip thee of thy clothes, and take away thy fair jewels.

Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy harlotry brought from the land of Miżrayim: so that thou shalt not lift up thy eyes to them, nor remember Miżrayim any more.

For thus says the Lord God; Behold, I will deliver thee into the hand of them whom thou hatest, into the hand of them from whom thy mind is alienated:

and they shall deal with thee in hatred, and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare: and the nakedness of thy harlotries shall be uncovered, both thy lewdness and thy harlotries.

I will do these things to thee, because thou hast gone astray after the nations, and because thou are polluted with their idols.

Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore will I give her cup into thy hand.

Thus says the Lord God; Thou shalt drink of thy sister’s cup which is deep and large: thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision; for it contains much.

Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and appalment, with the cup of thy sister Shomeron.

Thou shalt drink it and drain it out, and thou shalt break its fragments in pieces, and tear thy own breasts, for I have spoken it, says the Lord God.

Therefore thus says the Lord God; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy harlotries.

And the Lord said to me, Son of man, wilt thou judge Ohola and Oholiva? then proclaim their disgusting deeds;

that they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands, for with their idols they have committed adultery, and they have also caused their sons, whom they bore to me, to pass (through the fire,) to them to be devoured.

Moreover this they did to me: they defiled my sanctuary on that day, and profaned my sabbaths.

For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus they did in the midst of my house.

And furthermore, you sent for men to come from far, to whom a messenger was sent; and, lo, they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, didst paint thy eyes, and didst deck thyself with ornaments,

and didst sit upon a stately bed, and a table prepared before it, whereupon thou didst set my incense and my oil.

And a voice of a carefree multitude was with her: and with the men of many sorts were brought Sava᾽im from the wilderness, who put bracelets on their hands, and beautiful crowns on their heads.

Then I said to her that was worn out in adulteries, will they now still commit harlotries with her, and she with them?

Yet they went in to her, as they go in to a woman that plays the harlot: so went they in to Ohola and to Oholiva, the lewd women.

And righteous men, they shall judge them after the judgment due to adulteresses, and after the judgment due to women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.

For thus says the Lord God; I will bring up an assembly upon them, and will make them a horror and a spoil.

And the assembly shall stone them with stones, and cut them in pieces with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire.

Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out of the land, that all women may be taught not to do after your lewdness.

And your lewdness will be requited upon you, and you shall bear the sins of your idols: and you shall know that I am the Lord God.