¹The LORD ’s word came again to me , saying ,

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

³They played the prostitute in Egypt . They played the prostitute in their youth . Their breasts were fondled there , and their youthful nipples were caressed there .

⁴Their names were Oholah the elder , and Oholibah her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters . As for their names , Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem Oholibah.

⁵“Oholah played the prostitute when she was mine . She doted on her lovers , on the Assyrians her neighbours ,

⁶who were clothed with blue —governors and rulers , all of them desirable young men , horsemen riding on horses .

⁷She gave herself as a prostitute to them , all of them the choicest men of Assyria. She defiled herself with the idols of whomever she lusted after .

⁸She hasn’t left her prostitution since leaving Egypt ; for in her youth they lay with her . They caressed her youthful nipples and they poured out their prostitution on her .

⁹“Therefore I delivered her into the hand of her lovers , into the hand of the Assyrians on whom she doted .

¹⁰These uncovered her nakedness . They took her sons and her daughters , and they killed her with the sword . She became a byword amongst women ; for they executed judgements on her .

¹¹“Her sister Oholibah saw this , yet she was more corrupt in her lusting than she, and in her prostitution which was more depraved than the prostitution of her sister.

¹²She lusted after the Assyrians , governors and rulers —her neighbours , clothed most gorgeously , horsemen riding on horses , all of them desirable young men .

¹³I saw that she was defiled . They both went the same way .

¹⁴“She increased her prostitution; for she saw men portrayed on the wall , the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with red ,

¹⁵dressed with belts on their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads , all of them looking like princes , after the likeness of the Babylonians in Chaldea , the land of their birth .

¹⁶As soon as she saw them , she lusted after them and sent messengers to them into Chaldea .

¹⁷The Babylonians came to her into the bed of love , and they defiled her with their prostitution. She was polluted with them , and her soul was alienated from them .

¹⁸So she uncovered her prostitution and uncovered her nakedness . Then my soul was alienated from her , just like my soul was alienated from her sister.

¹⁹Yet she multiplied her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth , in which she had played the prostitute in the land of Egypt .

²⁰She lusted after their lovers , whose flesh is as the flesh of donkeys , and whose issue is like the issue of horses .

²¹Thus you called to memory the lewdness of your youth , in the caressing of your nipples by the Egyptians because of your youthful breasts .

²²“Therefore , Oholibah, the Lord GOD says : ‘Behold , I will raise up your lovers against you , from whom your soul is alienated , and I will bring them against you on every side :

²³the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans , Pekod , Shoa , Koa , and all the Assyrians with them ; all of them desirable young men , governors and rulers , princes and men of renown , all of them riding on horses .

²⁴They will come against you with weapons , chariots , and wagons , and with a company of peoples . They will set themselves against you with buckler , shield , and helmet all around . I will commit the judgement to them , and they will judge you according to their judgements.

²⁵I will set my jealousy against you , and they will deal with you in fury . They will take away your nose and your ears. Your remnant will fall by the sword . They will take your sons and your daughters ; and the rest of you will be devoured by the fire.

²⁶They will also strip you of your clothes and take away your beautiful jewels .

²⁷Thus I will make your lewdness to cease from you , and remove your prostitution from the land of Egypt , so that you will not lift up your eyes to them , nor remember Egypt any more .’

²⁸“For the Lord GOD says : ‘Behold , I will deliver you into the hand of them whom you hate , into the hand of them from whom your soul is alienated .

²⁹They will deal with you in hatred , and will take away all your labour , and will leave you naked and bare . The nakedness of your prostitution will be uncovered , both your lewdness and your prostitution.

³⁰These things will be done to you because you have played the prostitute after the nations , and because you are polluted with their idols .

³¹You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will give her cup into your hand .’

³²“The Lord GOD says :

‘You will drink of your sister’s cup ,

which is deep and large .

You will be ridiculed and held in derision .

It contains much .

³³You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow ,

with the cup of astonishment and desolation ,

with the cup of your sister Samaria .

³⁴You will even drink it and drain it out .

You will gnaw the broken pieces of it ,

and will tear your breasts ;

for I have spoken it ,’ says the Lord GOD .

³⁵“Therefore the Lord GOD says : ‘Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back , therefore you also bear your lewdness and your prostitution.’”

³⁶The LORD said moreover to me : “Son of man , will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations .

³⁷For they have committed adultery , and blood is in their hands . They have committed adultery with their idols . They have also caused their sons , whom they bore to me , to pass through the fire to them to be devoured.

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

³⁹For when they had slain their children to their idols , then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it ; and behold , they have done this in the middle of my house .

⁴⁰“Furthermore you sisters have sent for men who come from far away , to whom a messenger was sent , and behold , they came ; for whom you washed yourself , painted your eyes , decorated yourself with ornaments ,

⁴¹and sat on a stately bed , with a table prepared before it , whereupon you set my incense and my oil .

⁴²“The voice of a multitude being at ease was with her . With men of the common sort were brought drunkards from the wilderness ; and they put bracelets on their hands , and beautiful crowns on their heads .

⁴³Then I said of her who was old in adulteries , ‘Now they will play the prostitute with her , and she with them .’

⁴⁴They went in to her , as they go in to a prostitute . So they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, the lewd women.

⁴⁵Righteous men will judge them with the judgement of adulteresses and with the judgement of women who shed blood , because they are adulteresses , and blood is in their hands .

⁴⁶“For the Lord GOD says : ‘I will bring up a mob against them , and will give them to be tossed back and forth and robbed.

⁴⁷The company will stone them with stones and dispatch them with their swords . They will kill their sons and their daughters , and burn up their houses with fire.

⁴⁸“‘Thus I will cause lewdness to cease out of the land, that all women may be taught not to be lewd like you .

⁴⁹They will recompense your lewdness on you , and you will bear the sins of your idols . Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD .’”