Two Sisters Who Betrayed Their Father
23 1 The word of our Father came to me:
2 "Son of man, there were two women, daughters of one mother. 3 They prostituted themselves in Egypt, in their youth. There their breasts were fondled, their virgin nipples caressed. 4 Oholah was the elder, Oholibah her sister. They became mine and bore sons and daughters. Their names: Oholah is Samaria, Oholibah is Jerusalem. a a v4 The two names are a play on words: Oholah means "her own tent" — Samaria's self-made worship — and Oholibah means "my tent is in her," for the Father's own sanctuary stood in Jerusalem.
5 Oholah prostituted herself while she was mine; she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians, warriors 6 clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. 7 She gave her prostitution to them — Assyria's finest men, all of them — and made herself unclean with every idol of those she lusted after. 8 She kept up the prostitution she began in Egypt, where in her youth men lay with her, fondled her virgin breasts, and poured out their lust on her. 9 Therefore I handed her over to her lovers, to the Assyrians for whom she lusted. 10 They stripped her naked, seized her sons and daughters, killed her with the sword; she became infamous among women, and judgment fell on her.
11 Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet her lust was more corrupt than her sister's, and her prostitution worse. 12 She lusted after the Assyrians—governors, commanders, warriors in full armor, horsemen on horses, all desirable young men. 13 I saw that she too had made herself unclean; both had taken the same path.
14 But she carried her prostitution further. She saw men carved on the wall, figures of Babylonians in bright red, 15 belts on their waists, flowing turbans on their heads, all looking like officers, images of Babylonians whose native land was Babylonia. 16 As soon as she saw them she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Babylonia. 17 The Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and made her unclean with their prostitution. Once made unclean, she turned from them in disgust. 18 When she flaunted her prostitution and bared her nakedness, I turned from her in disgust, as I had turned from her sister. 19 She multiplied her prostitution, recalling the days of her youth, when she prostituted herself in the land of Egypt, 20 and lusted there after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. 21 So you longed for the indecency of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your breasts and young bosom.
22 So, Oholibah, the Sovereign Father says: I will rouse your lovers against you, the ones you turned from in disgust, and bring them against you from every side 23 —Babylon's men with all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians: handsome young men, all governors and commanders, captains, renowned men, all riding horses. 24 They will come at you from the north with chariots, wagons, and a host of peoples, ranged against you all around with shields large and small and helmets. I will hand judgment to them, and they will judge you by their own rules. 25 I will set my jealousy against you, and they will act against you in rage. They will cut off your nose and ears; your survivors will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your remnant will be consumed by fire. 26 They will strip you of your clothes and take away your beautiful jewels. 27 So I will end your indecency and the prostitution you began in Egypt, so you will never look at them with longing or remember Egypt again.
28 This is what the Sovereign Father says: I am handing you over to those you hate, from whom you turned in disgust. 29 They will treat you with hatred, seize all you worked for, and leave you naked and bare, exposing the nakedness of your prostitution. Your indecency and prostitution 30 brought this on you, because you prostituted yourself with the nations and made yourself unclean with their idols. 31 You have followed in your sister's footsteps; so I will put her cup into your hand.
32 The Sovereign Father says: You will drink your sister's cup, deep and wide; you will be laughed at and ridiculed, for it holds so much. 33 You will be filled with drunkenness and grief — a cup of horror and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria. 34 You will drink it and drain it dry, and gnaw its broken pieces, and tear your own breasts; for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Father. b b v34 "Tear your own breasts" — clawing or beating one's own chest was an ancient Near Eastern gesture of extreme grief.
35 So this is what the Sovereign Father says: Because you forgot me and threw me behind your back, you must bear your indecency and your prostitution.
36 Our Father told me: "Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront them with their detestable things. 37 They committed adultery, blood on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols, and even passed the children they bore me through the fire as food for their idols. 38 They also did this to me: that same day they defiled my sanctuary and profaned my Sabbaths. 39 The very day they slaughtered their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary to desecrate it. That is what they did inside my house.
40 They even sent for men from far away — messengers went, and they came. For them you bathed, painted your eyes, and put on your jewels. 41 You sat on a grand couch with a table set before it, where you placed my incense and my oil. 42 The sound of a carefree crowd was with her; and with the rabble, drunkards were brought from the wilderness, and they put bracelets on the women's wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43 So I said of this woman worn out by adultery, 'Now they will keep using her for prostitution, and she consents.' 44 They slept with her as with a prostitute; so they went in to Oholah and Oholibah, these indecent women. 45 But righteous men will sentence them as adulterous women and murderers, because they are adulterous women with blood on their hands.
46 For this is what the Sovereign Father says: Bring a horde against them, and hand them over to terror and plunder. 47 The crowd will stone them and cut them down with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses. 48 So I will end indecency in the land, that all women may be warned and not imitate your indecency. 49 They will repay your indecency on you; you will bear the guilt of your idol worship, and know that I am the Sovereign Father."
