THE word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:
3 And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.
4 And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.
5 And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,
6 Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.
7 Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.
8 Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.
9 Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.
10 These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her.
11 And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms.
12 She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men.
13 Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way,
14 And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,
15 Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity:
16 And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.
17 And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.
18 So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister.
19 Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
20 For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.
21 Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth.
22 Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith 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;
23 The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: all of them desirable young men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses.
24 And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, which shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments.
25 And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee: they shall take away thy nose and thine 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.
26 They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes, and take away thy fair jewels.
27 Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy whoredom brought from the land of Egypt: so that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more.
28 For thus saith 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:
29 And they shall deal with thee hatefully, and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare: and the nakedness of thy whoredoms shall be discovered, both thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.
30 I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their idols.
31 Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore will I give her cup into thine hand.
32 Thus saith the Lord God; Thou shalt drink of thy sister’s cup deep and large: thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision; it containeth much.
33 Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria.
34 Thou shalt even drink it and suck it out, and thou shalt break the sherds thereof, and pluck off thine own breasts: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.
35 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.
36 The Lord said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations;
37 That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them.
38 Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths.
39 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 have they done in the midst of mine house.
40 And furthermore, that ye have sent for men to come from far, unto whom a messenger was sent; and, lo, they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments,
41 And satest upon a stately bed, and a table prepared before it, whereupon thou hast set mine incense and mine oil.
42 And a voice of a multitude being at ease was with her: and with the men of the common sort were brought Sabeans from the wilderness, which put bracelets upon their hands, and beautiful crowns upon their heads.
43 Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries, Will they now commit whoredoms with her, and she with them?
44 Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that playeth the harlot: so went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, the lewd women.
45 And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
46 For thus saith the Lord God; I will bring up a company upon them, and will give them to be removed and spoiled.
47 And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire.
48 Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out of the land, that all women may be taught not to do after your lewdness.
49 And they shall recompense your lewdness upon you, and ye shall bear the sins of your idols: and ye shall know that I am the Lord God.

1The word of the Lord came againe vnto me, saying,

2Sonne of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother.

3And they committed whordomes in Egypt, they committed whordomes in their youth: there were their brests pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginitie.

4And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, & they bare sonnes and daughters: thus were their names: Samaria is Aholah, and Ierusalem Aholibah.

5And Aholah played the harlot, when she was mine, & she doted on her louers, on the Assyrians her neighbors,

6Which were clothed with blew, captaines and rulers, all of them desireable yong men, horsemen riding vpon horses.

7Thus she committed her whordomes with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted, with all their idoles she defiled her selfe.

8Neither left she her whoredomes brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginitie, and powred their whoredome vpon her.

9Wherefore I haue deliuered her into the hand of her louers, into the hand of the Assyrians, vpon whom she doted.

10These discouered her nakednes, they tooke her sonnes and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women, for they had executed iudgement vpon her.

11And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate loue then she, and in her whoredoms more then her sister in her whoredomes.

12She doted vpon the Assyrians her neighbours, captaines and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding vpon horses, all of them desireable young men.

13Then I saw that she was defiled, that they tooke both one way;

14And that she increased her whoredomes: for when shee saw men pourtrayed vpon the wall, the images of the Caldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,

15Girded with girdles vpon their loynes, exceeding in dyed attire vpon their heads, all of them princes to looke to, after the maner of the Babylonians of Caldea, the land of their natiuitie:

16And assoone as shee saw them with her eyes, she doted vpon them, and sent messengers vnto them into Caldea.

17And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of loue, and they defiled her with their whoredome, and shee was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.

18So shee discouered her whoredomes, and discouered her nakednesse; then my mind was alienated from her, like as my minde was alienated from her sister.

19Yet shee multiplied her whoredomes, in calling to remembrance the dayes of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.

20For she doted vpon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.

21Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdnesse of thy youth, in bruising thy teates by the Egyptians, for the paps of thy youth.

22 Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will raise vp thy louers against thee, from whom thy minde is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on euery side;

23The Babylonians, and all the Caldeans, Pekod, and Shoah, and Koa, all the the Assyrians with them, all of them desireable young men, captaines and rulers, great lords and renowmed, all of them riding vpon horses.

24And they shall come against thee with charets, wagons and wheeles, and with an assemblie of people which shall set against thee buckler, and shield, and helmet round about: and I will set iudgement before them, and they shal iudge thee according to their iudgements.

25And I will set my ielousie against thee, and they shall deale furiously with thee: they shall take away thy nose and thine eares, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sonnes and thy daughters, and thy residue shal be deuoured by the fire.

26They shall also strippe thee out of thy clothes, and take away thy faire iewels.

27Thus will I make thy lewdnesse to cease from thee, and thy whoredome brought from the land of Egypt: so that thou shalt not lift vp thine eyes vnto them, nor remember Egypt any more.

28For thus saith the Lord God; Beholde, I will deliuer thee into the hand of them whom thou hatest; into the hand of them from whom thy mind is alienated.

29And they shall deale with thee hatefully, and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leaue thee naked and bare, and the nakednesse of thy whoredomes shall bee discouered, both thy lewdnesse and thy whoredomes.

30I wil doe these things vnto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their idoles.

31Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister, therefore will I giue her cup into thine hand.

32Thus sayth the Lord God, Thou shalt drinke of thy sisters cuppe deepe and large: thou shalt be laughed to scorne and had in derision; it containeth much.

33Thou shalt be filled with drunkennesse and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria.

34Thou shalt euen drinke it and sucke it out, and thou shalt breake the sheards thereof, and plucke off thine owne breasts: for I haue spoken it, saith the Lord God.

35Therefore thus sayth the Lord God, Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behinde thy backe, therfore beare thou also thy lewdnesse, and thy whoredomes.

36 The Lord said moreouer vnto mee, Sonne of man, wilt thou iudge Aholah and Aholibah? yea declare vnto them their abominations;

37That they haue committed adulterie, and blood is in their handes, and with their idoles haue they committed adulterie, and haue also caused their sonnes, whom they bare vnto me, to passe for them through the fire to deuoure them.

38Moreouer this they haue done vnto me: they haue defiled my Sanctuarie in the same day, and haue profaned my Sabbaths.

39For when they had slaine their children to their idoles, then they came the same day into my Sanctuarie to profane it, and loe, thus haue they done in the middest of mine house.

40And furthermore that yee haue sent for men to come from farre, vnto whom a messenger was sent, and loe they came; for whom thou didst wash thy selfe, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thy selfe with ornaments,

41And satest vpon a stately bedde, and a table prepared before it, whereupon thou hast set mine incense and mine oile.

42And a voice of a multitude being at ease was with her, and with the men of the common sort were brought Sabeans from the wildernesse, which put bracelets vpon their hands, and beautifull crownes vpon their heads.

43Then said I vnto her that was olde in adulteries; Will they now commit whoredomes with her, and shee with them?

44Yet they went in vnto her, as they goe in vnto a woman that playeth the harlot: so went they in vnto Aholah & vnto Aholibah the lewd women.

45 And the righteous men, they shall iudge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their handes.

46For thus sayth the Lord God, I will bring vp a company vpon them, and will giue them to be remoued and spoiled.

47And the companie shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords: they shall slay their sonnes and their daughters, and burne vp their houses with fire.

48Thus will I cause lewdnesse to cease out of the land, that all women may be taught not to doe after your lewdnesse.

49And they shall recompense your lewdnesse vpon you, and ye shall beare the sinnes of your idoles, and yee shall know that I am the Lord God.

III == Lev 17:7 ; Josh 24:14 ; Ezek 16:22 ; 20:8

IV == 1st Kings 8:29 ; Ezek 16:8 , 20

V == 2nd Kings 15:19 ; 16:7 ; 17:3 ; Hos 8:9

VIII == Ezek 23:3

IX == 2nd Kings 17:3-6 , 23 ; 18:9-11

X == Ezek 16:37 , 41

XI == Jer 3:8-11 ; Ezek 16:47 , 51

XII == 2nd Kings 16:7 , 10 ; 2nd Chr 28:16+23 ; Ezek 16:28 ; 23:6 , 23

XVI == 2nd Kings 24:1 ; Ezek 16:29

XVII == Ezek 23:22 , 28

XVIII == Jer 6:8

XIX == Ezek 23:3

XX == Ezek 16:26

XXII == Ezek 16:37 ; 23:28

XXIII == Jer 50:21 ; Ezek 23:12

XXVI == Ezek 16:39

XXVII == Ezek 16:41 ; 22:15 ; 23:3 , 19

XXVIII == Ezek 16:37 ; 23:17

XXIX ==

1 Thus the word of the LORD came to me:

2 Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother,

3 who even as young girls played the harlot in Egypt. There the Egyptians caressed their bosoms and fondled their virginal breasts.

4 Oholah was the name of the elder, and the name of her sister was Oholibah. They became mine and bore sons and daughters. (As for their names: Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.)

5 Oholah became a harlot faithless to me; she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians, warriors

6 dressed in purple, governors and officers, all of them attractive young men, knights mounted on horses.

7 Thus she gave herself as a harlot to them, to all the elite of the Assyrians, and she defiled herself with all those for whom she lusted (with all their idols).

8 She did not give up the harlotry which she had begun in Egypt, when they had lain with her as a young girl, fondling her virginal breasts and pouring out their impurities on her.

9 Therefore I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she had lusted.

10 They exposed her nakedness, her sons and daughters they took away, and herself they slew with the sword. Thus she became a byword for women, for they punished her grievously.

11 Though her sister Oholibah saw all this, her lust was more depraved than her sister's, and she outdid her in harlotry.

12 She too lusted after the Assyrians, governors and officers, warriors impeccably clothed, knights mounted on horses, all of them attractive young men.

13 I saw that she had defiled herself. Both had gone down the same path,

14 yet she went further in her harlotry. When she saw men drawn on the wall, the images of Chaldeans drawn with vermillion,

15 with sashes girded about their waists, flowing turbans on their heads, all looking like chariot warriors, the portraits of Babylonians, natives of Chaldea,

16 she lusted for them; no sooner had she set eyes on them than she sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

17 Then the Babylonians came to her, to the love couch, and defiled her with their intercourse. As soon as she was defiled by them, she became disgusted with them.

18 Her harlotry was discovered and her shame was revealed, and I became disgusted with her as I had become disgusted with her sister.

19 But she played the harlot all the more, recalling the days of her girlhood, when she had been a harlot in the land of Egypt.

20 She lusted for the lechers of Egypt, whose members are like that of an ass, and whose heat is like that of stallions.

21 You yearned for the lewdness of your girlhood, when the Egyptians fondled your breasts, caressing your bosom.

22 Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord GOD: I will now stir up your lovers against you, those with whom you are disgusted, and I will bring them against you from every side:

23 the men of Babylon and all of Chaldea, Pekod, Shoa and Koa, along with all those of Assyria, attractive young men, all of them governors and officers, charioteers and warriors, all of them horsemen.

24 They shall come against you from the north with chariots and wagons and many peoples. Shields, bucklers, and helmets they shall array against you everywhere.

25 I will leave it to them to judge, and they will judge you by their own ordinances. I will let loose my jealousy against you, so that they shall deal with you in fury, cutting off your nose and ears; and what is left of you shall fall by the sword. They shall take away your sons and daughters, and what is left of you shall be devoured by fire.

26 They shall strip off your clothes and seize your splendid ornaments.

27 I will put an end to your lewdness and to the harlotry you began in Egypt; you shall no longer look toward it, nor shall you remember Egypt again.

28 For thus says the Lord GOD: I am now handing you over to those whom you hate, to those who fill you with disgust.

29 They shall deal with you in hatred, seizing all that you have worked for and leaving you stark naked, so that your indecent nakedness is exposed. Your lewdness and harlotry

30 have brought these things upon you, because you played the harlot with the nations by defiling yourself with their idols.

31 Because you followed in the path of your sister, I will hand you her cup.

32 Thus says the Lord GOD: The cup of your sister you shall drink, so wide and deep, which holds so much,

33 Filled with destruction and grief, a cup of dismay, the cup of your sister.

34 You shall drain it dry, and gnaw at the very sherds of the cup, and you shall tear out your breasts; for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD.

35 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, it is for you to bear the penalty of your lewdness and harlotry.

36 Then the LORD said to me: Son of man, would you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then make known to them their abominations.

37 For they committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; to feed them they immolated the children they had borne me.

38 (This, too, they did to me: they defiled my sanctuary and desecrated my sabbaths.

39 On the very day they slew their children for their idols, they entered my sanctuary to desecrate it. Thus they acted within my house.)

40 Moreover, they sent for men who had to come from afar, to whom messengers were sent. And so they came - and for them you bathed yourself, painted your eyes, and put on ornaments.

41 You sat on a couch prepared for them, with a table spread before it, on which you had set my incense and oil.

42 Then was heard the shout of a carefree mob in the city, and these were men brought in from the desert, who put bracelets on the women's arms and splendid diadems on their heads.

43 So I said: "Oh, this woman jaded with adulteries! Now they will commit whoredom with her, and as for her. . . ."

44 And indeed they did come to her as men come to a harlot. Thus they came to Oholah and Oholibah, the lewd women.

45 But just men shall punish them with the sentence meted out to adulteresses and murderesses, for they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands.

46 Thus says the Lord GOD: Summon an assembly against them, and deliver them over to terror and plunder.

47 The assembly shall stone them and hack them to pieces with their swords. They shall slay their sons and daughters, and burn their houses with fire.

48 Thus I will put an end to lewdness in the land, and all the women will be warned not to imitate your lewdness.

49 They shall inflict on you the penalty of your lewdness, and you shall pay for your sins of idolatry. Thus you shall know that I am the LORD.

v 1-4. This chapter uses parables of human lust in harlotry as did chapter 16. That chapter showed harlotry with other gods and this chapter with other nations. The two sisters had prostituted themselves from the time they left Egypt. Ohola meant tent, for Samaria and Oholibah meant my tent is in her, for Judah, where God’s sanctuary was.

v 5-10. Samaria made alliance with Assyria, but ended up a victim to it. In the Black Obelisk of Assyria, Jehu is seen bowing before their king.

v 11-18. Judah followed Samaria’s example with Assyria, then turned to Babylon, with soldier garb described, v 15. Then Babylon became more cruel than Assyria.

v 19-21. When God turned His back on Judah, she again turned to Egypt for help against Babylon. Her lust for that nation is described, v 20 by craving for the donkey’s large sex organ for the size of it’s body and the large amount of semen from a horse. This language of Ezekiel seems crude, but he was expressing the true evil situation.

v 23-27. Those who Judah had tried to ally with will come to destroy her. Facial mutilation was an eastern punishment for adultery so that they would not be desirable by anyone again. Many of them would be taken captive and the city stripped of riches.

v 28-35. This expresses in repetition the destruction to come on Judah for her harlotry with the nations and their gods. She would be deeply shamed and sorely wounded, but especially she must be chastened for turning her back on the Lord.

v 36-39. All Israel became so idolatrous they even sacrificed their children, then had the nerve to go into the temple of God to feign worship the same day.

v 40-44. They became so desirous of alliance with wicked nations, they were like harlots who prepared themselves to welcome even Sabean or drunkard riff raff.

v 46-49. Righteous men who judged were not punishing nations but the prophets who warned Israel. Judgment for (spiritual) adultery was by stoning,  and for idolatry was fire and sword, v 45. These judgments came by the hand of Babylon.