Immerse: Prophets - Flipbook - Page 365
23:36–24:5
E ze k iel
353
The Lord said to me, “Son of man, you must accuse Oholah and Ohol
ibah of all their detestable sins. They have committed both adultery and
murder—adultery by worshiping idols and murder by burning as sacri
fices the children they bore to me. Furthermore, they have defiled my
Temple and violated my Sabbath day! 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.
“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. You sat with them on a beautifully embroidered
couch and put my incense and my special oil on a table that was spread be
fore you. 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. Then I said, ‘If they
really want to have sex with old worn-out prostitutes like these, let them!’
And that is what they did. They had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, these
shameless prostitutes. But righteous people will judge these sister cities
for what they really are—adulterers and murderers.
“Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Bring an army against them
and hand them over to be terrorized and plundered. For their enemies will
stone them and kill them with swords. They will butcher their sons and
daughters and burn their homes. 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. 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.”
On January 15, during the ninth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this
message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, write down today’s
date, because on this very day the king of Babylon is beginning his attack
against Jerusalem. Then give these rebels an illustration with this message
from the Sovereign Lord:
“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.
Use only the best sheep from the flock,
and heap fuel on the fire beneath the pot.
