The Two Adulterous Sisters

1And the word came of YHWH to me, saying: 2“Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother. 3And they acted as prostitutes in Egypt; in their youth they were prostitutes; there were squeezed their breasts, and there were pressed the nipples of their virginity. 4And their names were Oholah† the elder, and Oholibah† her sister. And they were unto Me, and they gave birth to sons and daughters. And their names—Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.

5And Oholah prostituted herself under Me, and she lusted over her lovers, toward Assyria, warriors 6clothed in purple, governors and commanders, young men of desire all of them, horsemen riding on horses. 7And she gave her prostitutions with them, choice men of Assyria, all of them; and with all for whom she lusted, with all their idols she defiled herself.

8And her prostitutions from Egypt she has not left behind; for they had lain with her in her youth, and they pressed the nipples of her virginity, and poured out their lust upon her. 9Therefore I have given her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the sons of Assyria, for whom she lusted. 10They have uncovered her nakedness; her sons and daughters they took away, and with the sword they slew her. And she has become a byword among the women, and they executed when judgment against her.

11And her sister Oholibah saw this, and in her lust she became corrupt above her, and her prostitutions were more than the prostitution of her sister. 12She lusted after the sons of Assyria—governors and commanders, warriors clothed in perfection, horsemen riding on horses, young men of desire all of them. 13And I saw that she was defiled; one way is unto the two of them,

14and she had added to her prostitutions, and she looked at men portrayed on the wall, images of Chaldeans† portrayed in vermilion, 15girded with belts around their loins, turbans flowing on their heads, with the appearance of officers all of them, in the likeness of the sons of Babylon, Chaldea† the land of their origin. 16And she lusted for them at the seeing of her eyes, and she sent messengers to them in Chaldea. 17And the sons of Babylon came to her, into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their lust; and she was defiled by them, and she dislocated her soul from them.

18And she uncovered her prostitutions, and she uncovered her nakedness, and I dislocated My soul from her, as I had dislocated My soul from her sister. 19And she multiplied her prostitutions, to remember the days of her youth, when she had prostituted herself in the land of Egypt, 20and lusted after their lovers, for whom the flesh of donkeys is the flesh, and the emission of stallions was their emission. 21And you revisited the wickedness of your youth, in the pressing by the Egyptians of your nipples, on account of the breasts of your youth.

Oholibah to Be Plagued

22Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘Behold, I am stirring up your lovers against you, from whom you have dislocated your soul, and I will bring them against you from all around: 23The sons of Babylon and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, all the sons of Assyria with them—young men of desire, governors and commanders all of them, officers and renowned ones, all of them riding on horses.

24And they will come against you with weapons,† chariots, and wagons, and with a horde of people; buckler and shield and helmet they will array against you all around; and I will give to them judgment, and they will judge you by their own judgments. 25And I will set My jealousy against you, and they will deal with you in anger; your nose and your ears they will turn aside, and your survivors will fall by the sword; they will take your sons and your daughters, and your remnant will be devoured by the fire! 26And they will strip you of your clothes, and they will take away the articles of your beauty. 27And your wickedness I will make cease from you, and your prostitution from the land of Egypt, and you will not lift up your eyes to them, and Egypt you will not remember anymore.’

28For thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘Behold, I am giving you into the hand of those whom you hate, into the hand of those whom you had alienated your soul from. 29And they will deal with you in hate, and they will take away all your labor, and they will leave you naked and bare, and the nakedness of your prostitutions will be uncovered, and your wickedness, and your prostitutions! 30I will do these things to you upon your prostituting yourself after the nations, upon that you have defiled yourself with their idols. 31You have walked in the way of your sister, and I have given her cup into your hand.’

32Thus says the Lord YHWH:

‘The cup of your sister you will drink,

deep and wide;

it will be for laughter and derision,

in its containing a great amount.

33With drunkenness and sorrow you will be filled—

the cup of horror and desolation,

the cup of your sister Samaria—

34and you will drink it and drain it,

and its shards you will dash

and tear at your breasts!

For I have spoken,’

a declaration of the Lord YHWH.

35Therefore, thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘Because you have forgotten Me, and you have cast Me behind your back, you also will bear your wickedness and your prostitutions.’”

Judgment on Both Sisters

36And YHWH said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? You must make known to them their abominations. 37For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands; with their idols they have committed adultery, and even their sons whom they bore to Me, they made pass through the fire for them as food.

38Moreover this they have done to Me: They have defiled My sanctuary on that day, and My Sabbaths have profaned. 39For in their slaughtering their children to their idols, they came into My sanctuary on that day to profane it; and behold, thus they have done in the midst of My house,

40and also that they sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent, and behold—they came, those for whom you washed yourself and painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments. 41And you sat on a glorious couch, with a table arranged before it, and My incense and My oil you had set on it. 42And the voice of a crowd at ease was with her, and to men from the multitude of mankind were brought drunkards† from the wilderness,† and they gave bracelets to their wrists and crowns of beauty upon their heads.

43And I said of her who was worn out in adulteries, ‘Now will they commit prostitutions with her—and she also!’

44And they have come in to her as the coming in to a woman, a prostitute. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, women of wickedness! 45And righteous men, they will pass judgment on them with the judgment of adulteresses, and with the judgment of those shedding blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands!

46For thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘Bring up against them an assembly, and give them to terror and plunder! 47And the assembly will stone them with stones and will cut down them with their swords; their sons and their daughters they will slay, they will burn and their houses with the fire. 48And this wickedness I will make cease from the land, and all the women will be admonished and they will not act according to your⁺ wickedness. 49And they will put your⁺ wickedness upon you⁺, and the sins of your⁺ idols you⁺ will bear. And you⁺ will know that I am the Lord YHWH.’”