Ezekiel 23 - Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Two Immoral Sisters

23 The word of the Lord came to me again: ² “Son of man, there were two women,^(A) daughters of the same mother, ³ who acted like prostitutes in Egypt,^(B) behaving promiscuously in their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin nipples caressed. ⁴ The older one was named Oholah,^[a] and her sister was Oholibah.^[b] They became mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah represents Samaria and Oholibah represents Jerusalem.

⁵ “Oholah acted like a prostitute even though she was mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians:^(C) warriors ⁶ dressed in blue, governors and prefects, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on steeds. ⁷ She offered her sexual favors to them; all of them were the elite of Assyria. She defiled herself with all those she lusted after and with all their idols. ⁸ She didn’t give up her promiscuity that began in Egypt,^(D) when men slept with her in her youth, caressed her virgin nipples, and poured out their lust on her. ⁹ Therefore, I handed her over to her lovers,^(E) the Assyrians she lusted for. ¹⁰ They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. Since they executed judgment against her, she became notorious among women.

¹¹ “Now her sister Oholibah saw this, but she was even more depraved in her lust than Oholah, and made her promiscuous acts worse than those of her sister.^{(F) 12} She lusted after the Assyrians:^(G) governors and prefects, warriors splendidly dressed, horsemen riding on steeds, all of them desirable young men. ¹³ And I saw that she had defiled herself; both of them had taken the same path. ¹⁴ But she increased her promiscuity when she saw male figures carved on the wall,^(H) images of the Chaldeans, engraved in bright red,^{(I) 15} wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like officers, a depiction of the Babylonians in Chaldea, their native land. ¹⁶ At the sight of them^[c] she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.^{(J) 17} Then the Babylonians came to her,^(K) to the bed of love, and defiled her with their lust. But after she was defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust. ¹⁸ When she flaunted her promiscuity and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust just as I turned away from her sister.^{(L) 19} Yet she multiplied her acts of promiscuity, remembering the days of her youth when she acted like a prostitute in the land of Egypt ²⁰ and lusted after their lovers, whose sexual members^[d] were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions. ²¹ So you revisited the depravity of your youth, when the Egyptians caressed your nipples to enjoy your youthful breasts.^(M)

²² “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord God says: I am going to incite your lovers against you, those you turned away from in disgust. I will bring them against you from every side: ²³ the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans; Pekod, Shoa, and Koa;^(N) and all the Assyrians with them—desirable young men, all of them governors and prefects, officers and administrators, all of them riding on steeds. ²⁴ They will come against you with an assembly of peoples and with weapons, chariots, and^[e] wagons. They will set themselves against you on every side with large and small shields and helmets. I will delegate judgment to them, and they will judge you by their own standards. ²⁵ When I vent my jealous fury on you,^(O) they will deal with you in wrath. They will cut off your nose and ears, and the rest of you^[f] will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and the rest of you will be consumed by fire. ²⁶ They will strip off your clothes and take your beautiful jewelry.^{(P) 27} So I will put an end to your depravity and sexual immorality, which began in the land of Egypt, and you will not look longingly at them or remember Egypt anymore.

²⁸ “For this is what the Lord God says: I am going to hand you over to those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust. ²⁹ They will treat you with hatred, take all you have worked for, and leave you stark naked,^(Q) so that the shame of your debauchery will be exposed, both your depravity and promiscuity. ³⁰ These things will be done to you because you acted like a prostitute with the nations,^(R) defiling yourself with their idols. ³¹ You have followed the path of your sister, so I will put her cup in your hand.”^(S)

³² This is what the Lord God says:

“You will drink your sister’s cup,^(T)
which is deep and wide.
You will be an object of^[g] ridicule and scorn,
for it holds so much.^(U)
33 You will be filled with drunkenness and grief,
with a cup of devastation and desolation,
the cup of your sister Samaria.
³⁴ You will drink it and drain it;
then you will gnaw its broken pieces,
and tear your breasts.
For I have spoken.”
This is the declaration of the Lord God.

³⁵ Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “Because you have forgotten me^(V) and cast me behind your back,^(W) you must bear the consequences of your indecency and promiscuity.”

³⁶ Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, will you pass judgment against Oholah and Oholibah?^(X) Then declare their detestable practices to them.^{(Y) 37} For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands; they have committed adultery with their idols. And the children they bore to me they have sacrificed in the fire^[h] as food for the idols.^{(Z) 38} They also did this to me: they defiled my sanctuary^(AA) on that same day and profaned my Sabbaths.^{(AB) 39} On the same day they slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered my sanctuary to profane it.^(AC) Yes, that is what they did inside my house.

⁴⁰ “In addition, they sent for men who came from far away when a messenger was dispatched to them. And look how they came! You bathed, painted your eyes,^(AD) and adorned yourself with jewelry for them.^{(AE) 41} You sat on a luxurious couch with a table spread before it,^(AF) on which you had set my incense and oil. ⁴² The sound of a carefree crowd was there. Drunkards^[i] from the desert were brought in, along with common men. They put bracelets on the women’s hands and beautiful tiaras on their heads. ⁴³ Then I said concerning this woman worn out by adultery: Will they^[j] now have illicit sex with her, even her? ⁴⁴ Yet they had sex with her as one does with a prostitute. This is how they had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, those depraved women. ⁴⁵ But righteous men will judge them the way adulteresses^(AG) and those who shed blood are judged, for they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.

⁴⁶ “This is what the Lord God says: Summon^[k] an assembly against them and consign them to terror and plunder.^{(AH) 47} The assembly will stone them and cut them down with their swords.^(AI) They will kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses. ⁴⁸ So I will put an end to depravity in the land, and all the women will be admonished not to imitate your depraved behavior. ⁴⁹ They will punish you for your depravity,^(AJ) and you will bear the consequences for your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Lord God.”

Footnotes

1. 23:4 = Her Tent
2. 23:4 = My Tent Is in Her
3. 23:16 Lit of her eyes
4. 23:20 Lit whose flesh
5. 23:24 LXX reads peoples, from the north, chariots and; Hb obscure
6. 23:25 Or and your descendants
7. 23:32 Or It will bring
8. 23:37 Lit have made pass through the fire
9. 23:42 Or Sabeans
10. 23:43 Or They will
11. 23:46 Or I will summon

Cross references

1. 23:2 : Ezk 16:46
2. 23:3 : Lv 17:7; Jr 3:9
3. 23:5 : 2Kg 15:19; 16:7; 17:3; Ezk 16:28; Hs 5:13; 8:9–10
4. 23:8 : Ex 32:4; 1Kg 12:28; 2Kg 10:29; 17:16
5. 23:9 : Ezk 16:37; 23:22
6. 23:11 : Jr 3:8–11; Ezk 16:51
7. 23:12 : 2Kg 16:7–20
8. 23:14 : Ezk 8:10
9. 23:14 : Ezk 16:29
10. 23:16 : Is 57:9
11. 23:17 : 2Kg 24:17
12. 23:18 : Ps 78:59; 106:40; Jr 12:8
13. 23:21 : Ezk 16:26
14. 23:23 : Jr 50:21
15. 23:25 : Ex 34:14; Ezk 5:13; 8:17–18; Zph 1:18
16. 23:26 : Ezk 16:39
17. 23:29 : Ezk 16:7,22,39
18. 23:30 : Ezk 6:9
19. 23:31 : 2Kg 21:13; Jr 7:14–15
20. 23:32 : Ps 75:8; Is 51:17; Jr 25:15; Lm 4:21; Hab 2:16; Zch 12:2; Mt 20:22; 26:39; Rv 14:10
21. 23:32 : Ezk 22:4–5
22. 23:35 : Is 17:10; Jr 3:21; Ezk 22:12; Hs 8:14; 13:6
23. 23:35 : 1Kg 14:9; Jr 2:27; 32:33
24. 23:36 : Jr 1:10; Ezk 20:4; 22:2
25. 23:36 : Is 58:1; Ezk 16:2; Mc 3:8
26. 23:37 : Ezk 16:20–21; 20:26,31
27. 23:38 : 2Kg 21:4,7
28. 23:38 : Ezk 20:13
29. 23:39 : Jr 7:9–11
30. 23:40 : 2Kg 9:30; Jr 4:30
31. 23:40 : Is 3:18–23; Ezk 16:13–16
32. 23:41 : Is 57:7
33. 23:45 : Ezk 16:38
34. 23:46 : Jr 15:4; 24:9; 29:18
35. 23:47 : Lv 20:10; Ezk 16:40
36. 23:49 : Is 59:18; Ezk 7:4,9; 9:10