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EZEKIEL 24
page 747
former days as a young girl in Egypt, when you
first allowed your breasts to be fondled.
The LORD’s Judgment of Oholibah
22 “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will send your lovers against
you from every direction—those very nations
from which you turned away in disgust. 23 For
the Babylonians will come with all the Chaldeans from Pekod and Shoa and Koa. And all
the Assyrians will come with them—handsome
young captains, commanders, chariot officers,
and other high-ranking officers, all riding their
horses. 24 They will all come against you from
the north* with chariots, wagons, and a great
army prepared for attack. They will take up
positions on every side, surrounding you with
men armed with shields and helmets. And I will
hand you over to them for punishment so they
can do with you as they please. 25 I will turn my
jealous anger against you, and they will deal
harshly with you. They will cut off your nose
and ears, and any survivors will then be slaughtered by the sword. Your children will be taken
away as captives, and everything that is left will
be burned. 26 They will strip you of your beautiful clothes and jewels. 27 In this way, I will put
a stop to the lewdness and prostitution you
brought from Egypt. You will never again cast
longing eyes on those things or fondly remember your time in Egypt.
28 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
I will surely hand you over to your enemies, to
those you loathe, those you rejected. 29 They
will treat you with hatred and rob you of all
you own, leaving you stark naked. The shame
of your prostitution will be exposed to all the
world. 30 You brought all this on yourself by
prostituting yourself to other nations, defiling
yourself with all their idols. 31 Because you have
followed in your sister’s footsteps, I will force
you to drink the same cup of terror she drank.
32 “Yes, this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
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34
“You will drink from your sister’s cup
of terror,
a cup that is large and deep.
It is filled to the brim
with scorn and derision.
Drunkenness and anguish will fill you,
for your cup is filled to the brim with
distress and desolation,
the same cup your sister Samaria drank.
You will drain that cup of terror
to the very bottom.
Then you will smash it to pieces
and beat your breast in anguish.
I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!
23:24 As in Greek version; the meaning of the Hebrew is
uncertain. 23:42 Or Sabeans. 24:1 Hebrew On the tenth day
of the tenth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This
event occurred on January 15, 588 b.c.; also see note on 1:1.
35 “And because you have forgotten me and
turned your back on me, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: You must bear the consequences of all your lewdness and prostitution.”
The LORD’s Judgment on Both Sisters
36 The Lord said to me, “Son of man, you must
accuse Oholah and Oholibah of all their detestable sins. 37 They have committed both adultery
and murder—adultery by worshiping idols and
murder by burning as sacrifices the children
they bore to me. 38 Furthermore, they have defiled my Temple and violated my Sabbath day!
39 On the very day that they sacrificed their children to their idols, they boldly came into my
Temple to worship! They came in and defiled
my house.
40 “You sisters sent messengers to distant
lands to get men. Then when they arrived, you
bathed yourselves, painted your eyelids, and
put on your finest jewels for them. 41 You sat
with them on a beautifully embroidered couch
and put my incense and my special oil on a
table that was spread before you. 42 From your
room came the sound of many men carousing.
They were lustful men and drunkards* from the
wilderness, who put bracelets on your wrists
and beautiful crowns on your heads. 43 Then I
said, ‘If they really want to have sex with old
worn-out prostitutes like these, let them!’ 44 And
that is what they did. They had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, these shameless prostitutes.
45 But righteous people will judge these sister
cities for what they really are—adulterers and
murderers.
46 “Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
Bring an army against them and hand them over
to be terrorized and plundered. 47 For their enemies will stone them and kill them with swords.
They will butcher their sons and daughters and
burn their homes. 48 In this way, I will put an end
to lewdness and idolatry in the land, and my
judgment will be a warning to all women not to
follow your wicked example. 49 You will be fully
repaid for all your prostitution—your worship of
idols. Yes, you will suffer the full penalty. Then
you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”
The Sign of the Cooking Pot
On January 15,* during the ninth year of
King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message
came to me from the Lord: 2 “Son of man, write
down today’s date, because on this very day the
king of Babylon is beginning his attack against
Jerusalem. 3 Then give these rebels an illustration
with this message from the Sovereign Lord:
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4
“Put a pot on the fire,
and pour in some water.
Fill it with choice pieces of meat—
the rump and the shoulder
and all the most tender cuts.