Ezekiel

Contains visions and prophecies of judgment and restoration for Israel and the nations.

Chapter 23

1 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

*The LORD's message came to me once more, saying,

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

*Son, two ladies were born from the same mom.

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.

*They engaged in sexual sins in Egypt when they were young. There, their breasts were squeezed and their virginity was hurt.

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.

*The verse says that there were two sisters named Aholah and Aholibah who belonged to the speaker. They had children. Samaria represents Aholah, and Jerusalem represents Aholibah.

5 And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,

*And Aholah was unfaithful to me; she loved her nearby Assyrian neighbors instead.

6 Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.

*Blue-clad leaders rode horses, all attractive youths, they were, and horse riders too.

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.

*So, she engaged in sexual acts with the chosen Assyrian men and others she favored. She also desecrated herself by worshiping their idols.

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.

*She didn't leave her sinful acts from Egypt: in her younger days, they had sexual relations with her, causing pain to her virginity, and pouring their impurity on her.

9 Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.

*So I gave her to her desired ones, the Assyrians, who she admired.

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.

*These found out she was undressed: they took her children and killed her with a sword: now she is well-known among women; because they punished her for her actions.

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.

*When Aholibah's sister saw what happened, she became even more wicked in her excessive love and had more acts of prostitution than her sister did.

12 She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men.

*She really liked the Assyrians, her neighbors, who were captains and leaders. They dressed very fancy, rode on horses with horsemen, and they were all good-looking young men.

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

*Then I noticed she was unfaithful; they led her and me down the same path.

14 And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,

*And as she grew more promiscuous, it was because she saw pictures of Chaldean men on the wall, drawn with a red color.

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:

*They wore belts around their waists and had colorful clothing on their heads. They all looked like important people, like the Babylonians from ancient Chaldea, the land where they were born.

16 And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.

*As soon as she saw them, she loved them and sent messengers to them in 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.

*The Babylonians went to her in the bedroom and did bad things, making her unclean and her thoughts were not with 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.

*So she found out about her prostitution and her shamefulness; then I stopped loving her, just like I had stopped loving 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.

*However, she increased her unfaithfulness, thinking about her younger years when she was unloyal in Egypt where she had been unfaithful.

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

*She favored those she loved, who have bodies like donkeys and offspring like 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.

*So you remember the immaturity of your past, when the Egyptians hurt your breasts as a reminder of your young days.

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;

*So, Aholibah, this is what the Lord God says: I will gather people who don't understand you and surround you from all sides.

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.

*The Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, including Pekod, Shoa, Koa, and other Assyrians, had many attractive young men who were leaders and important people. They all rode on 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.

*They will attack you with chariots, wagons, and wheels, along with many people who will use shields and helmets against you. I will make them judge you based on their decisions.

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.

*I will be very angry with you, and others will treat you harshly. They will hurt your nose and ears, and many of you will be killed by swords. They will take your children and the rest of you will be eaten by fire.

26 They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes, and take away thy fair jewels.

*They will remove your nice clothes and take away your beautiful jewelry.

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.

*In this way, I will stop your bad behavior and your involvement with the people from Egypt. You won't look at them again or think about Egypt anymore.

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:

*So says the Lord God: I will give you to those you hate, to those you don't agree with.

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.

*They will treat you with hatred, taking everything you work for. They'll leave you with nothing but your skin. Your hidden sinfulness and immorality will be exposed.

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.

*I will act like this towards you because you followed other people's false gods and got involved with their dirty idols.

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

*You followed your sister's path, so I will give her cup to you.

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.

*So God says, "You will drink from your sister's big cup - it holds a lot. People will laugh at you and make fun of you because it has so much inside."

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

*You will be filled with drunken sadness and shock, from the cup of despair and abandonment, from the cup of your 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.

*You must drink and suck from it completely, smash its pieces, and remove your own breasts. For I have said this, says 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.

*So, God says this: Since you've forgotten me and pushed me aside, you must now endure your sinful actions and unfaithfulness.

36 The LORD said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations;

*The Lord also told me, "Son of man, will you judge Aholah and Aholibah? Yes, tell them about their terrible actions."

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.

*They have done wrong by having sexual relationships with other gods, and they have blood on their hands. They also made their children go through fire for their idols, causing them harm.

38 Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths.

*Furthermore, they did these things to me: they made my holy place unclean on that very day and desecrated my special rest days.

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.

*When they killed their children for their statues, they came that same day to my holy place to make it unholy. And this is what they did right in the center of my home.

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,

*Also, you asked people far away to come, and they sent a messenger. They arrived. You cleaned yourself, put makeup on your eyes, and wore decorations for them.

41 And satest upon a stately bed, and a table prepared before it, whereupon thou hast set mine incense and mine oil.

*On an elegant bed, you placed a table with my incense and oil ready.

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.

*A large group's calm voice was there too. Wilderness Sabeans, regular guys, came and put bracelets on their hands and pretty crowns on their heads.

43 Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries, Will they now commit whoredoms with her, and she with them?

*Then I asked the experienced woman about adultery, "Will they now have affairs 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.

*So, they entered into a relationship with these two women, Aholah and Aholibah, who were known for their unfaithful behavior.

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.

*And the good people will judge those who act like unfaithful women and women who cause harm, because these people are unfaithful and have blood on 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.

*So says the Lord God: I will gather a group against them, and I will hand them over for destruction and loss.

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.

*The group will use stones and swords to kill them. They will also kill their children, and burn down their homes using 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.

*In this way, I will stop immorality in the land, so that no women will learn to act like you did.

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.

*They will pay you back for your wrong actions, and you will suffer for worshiping false gods. You will then understand that I am the true God.

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