The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel 23
Oola and Oholibah, the Two Harlots
1 The word of the Lord came to me again:
2 Son of man, there were two women, daughters of one mother.
3 They prostituted themselves in Egypt, they prostituted themselves in their youth; there their breasts were pressed, and there their virgin breasts were fondled.
4 Their names were Oola, the older, and Oholiba her sister; they were mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oola, and Jerusalem is Oholiba.
5 Oola, though mine, prostituted herself and lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians, her neighbors.
6 Dressed in blue, governors and officials, all desirable young men, horsemen mounted on horses.
7 So she committed her lewd acts with them, who were all the flower of the sons of Assyria, and with all those with whom she had romantic affection; she defiled herself with all their idols.
8 And she did not forsake her lewd acts, which she brought from Egypt; for they lay with her in her youth, and they fondled the breasts of her virginity, and poured out their lewdness upon her.
9 Therefore I delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the sons of Assyria, with whom she had romantic affection.
10 These uncovered her shame, took her sons and her daughters, but they killed her with the sword; and she became infamous among women, and judgments were executed upon her.
11 When her sister Oholiba saw this, she corrupted her love more than she did, and her lewd acts were greater than those of her sister.
12 She lusted after the sons of Assyria, their neighboring governors and magistrates, dressed in finery, horsemen riding on horses, all desirable young men.
13 And I saw that she had defiled herself; the way of both was the same.
14 And she increased her lewdness, for she saw men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans, painted in red;
15 With their loins girded, and with dyed broad turbans on their heads, all with the appearance of captains, like the sons of Babylon in Chaldea, the land of their birth.
16 And she lusted after them, seeing them with her own eyes: and she sent messengers to Chaldea.
17 Then the sons of Babylon came to her to the bed of love, and they defiled her with their lewdness: and she defiled herself with them; Then her soul turned away from them.
18 Thus she exposed her lewdness and uncovered her shame; then my soul turned away from her, as my soul had turned away from her sister.
19 Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, remembering the days of her youth, when she prostituted herself in the land of Egypt.
20 And she lusted after her lovers, whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys, and whose discharge is like the discharge of horses.
21 Thus you brought to mind the apostasy of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled your breasts, the breasts of your youth.
22 Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will raise up against you your lovers, from whom your soul had turned away; And I will bring them against you from every side:
23 The sons of Babylon, and all the Chaldeans of Pekod, and of Shoa, and of Koa, and all the sons of Assyria with them, desirable young men, prefects and magistrates, all of them, captains and renowned men, all of them mounted on horses.
24 And they shall come against you with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with a multitude of peoples; and they shall set themselves against you all around with bucklers, and shields, and helmets; and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge you according to their judgments.
25 And I will set my zeal against you, and they shall deal indignantly with you: they shall take away your nose and your ears, and what remains of you shall fall by the sword; they shall take away your sons and your daughters, and what remains of you shall be consumed by fire.
26 They will also strip you of your clothes and take away your jewelry.
27 I will put an end to your wickedness and the corruption of the land of Egypt; you will no longer look to them or remember Egypt.
28 For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “I will deliver you into the hands of those you hate, into the hands of those from whom your soul has turned away.
29 They will hate you and take away all your work, leaving you naked and bare. The shame of your prostitution, your wickedness, and your debauchery will be exposed.
30 These things will happen to you because you prostituted yourself after the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.
31 You walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will deliver her cup into your hand.”
32 Thus says the Lord God: You shall drink your sister’s cup, deep and wide; you shall be a laughingstock and a scorn; it holds much.
33 You shall be filled with drunkenness and sorrow; the cup of your sister Samaria is a cup of astonishment and desolation.
34 You shall drink it, and drain it, and gnaw its shards, and tear out your breasts; for I have declared it, says the Lord God.
35 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you shall also bear the consequences of your wickedness and your lewdness.
36 Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, would you judge Oholah and Oholiba? Show them their abominations.
37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands; they have committed adultery with their idols, and they have even made their children, whom they bore to me, pass through the fire, to consume them.
38 And this is what they have done to me: They have defiled my sanctuary on the same day and profaned my Sabbaths.
39 For they have sacrificed their children to their idols, and they have come to my sanctuary on the same day to defile it; and behold, they have done so in the midst of my house.
40 And what is more, they sent for men from afar; a messenger was sent to them, and behold, they came; for their sake you carried yourself, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments.
41 And you sat on a bed of honor, before which a table was prepared; 41 And you put my incense and my oil upon her.
42 There was with her the voice of a satisfied crowd, and with men of low class were brought drunkards from the desert, and they put bracelets on their hands, and crowns of splendor on their heads.
43 Then he said to the woman old in adultery: Now they shall surely defile themselves with her, and she with them.
44 And they went in to her, as one goes in to a prostitute: so they went in to Oola and Oholiba, infamous women.
45 So that righteous men shall judge them as adulteresses are judged, and as those who shed blood are judged; for they are adulteresses, and there is blood on their hands.
46 For thus says the Lord God: I will bring up a congregation against them, and I will deliver them to exile and plunder.
47 And the congregation shall stone them with stones, and cut them with their swords: they shall kill their sons and their daughters, and burn their houses with fire.
48 Thus I will cause the infamy of the land to cease, that all women may be warned, and not do according to your infamy.
49 And you shall bear your infamy upon yourselves, and you shall bear the sins of your idols; and you shall know that I am the Lord God.