The Two Adulterous Sisters

1The worde of the Lord came againe vnto me, saying, 2Sonne of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother. 3And they committed fornication in Egypt, they committed fornication in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teates of their virginitie. 4And the names of them were Aholah the elder, & Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sonnes and daughters: thus were their names. Samaria is Aholah, and Ierusalem Aholibah.

5And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine, and she was set on fire with her louers, to wit, with the Assyrians her neighbours, 6Which were clothed with blewe silke, both captaines and princes: they were all pleasant yong men, and horsemen riding vpon horses. 7Thus she committed her whoredome with them, euen with all them that were the chosen men of Asshur, and with all on whome she doted, and defiled her selfe with all their idoles. 8Neither left she her fornications, learned of the Egyptians: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginitie, and powred their whoredome vpon her. 9Wherefore I deliuered her into the hands of her louers, euen into the hands of the Assyrians, vpon whome she doted. 10These discouered her shame: they tooke away her sonnes and her daughters, and slewe her with the sworde, and she had an euill name among women: for they had executed iudgement vpon her.

11And when her sister Aholibah sawe this, she marred her selfe with inordinate loue, more then she, and with her fornications more then her sister with her fornications. 12She doted vpon the Assyrians her neighbours, both captaines and princes clothed with diuers sutes, horsemen ryding vpon horses: they were all pleasant yong men. 13Then I sawe that she was defiled, and that they were both after one sort, 14And that she encreased her fornications: for when she sawe men painted vpon the wall, the images of the Caldeans painted with vermelon, 15And girded with girdles vpon their loynes, and with dyed attyre vpon their heads (looking all like princes after the maner of the Babylonians in Caldea, the land of their natiuitie) 16Assoone, I say, as she sawe them, she doted vpon them, and sent messengers vnto them into Caldea. 17Nowe when the Babylonians came to her into the bed of loue, they defiled her with their fornication, and she was polluted with them, and her lust departed from them. 18So she discouered her fornication, and disclosed her shame: then mine heart forsooke her, like as mine heart had forsaken her sister. 19Yet she encreased her whoredome more, and called to remembrance ye dayes of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt. 20For she doted vpon their seruants whose members are as the members of asses, and whose yssue is like the yssue of horses. 21Thou calledst to remembrance the wickednes of thy youth, when thy teates were bruised by ye Egyptians: therefore ye paps of thy youth are thus.

Oholibah to Be Plagued

22Therefore, O Aholibah, thus sayeth the Lord God, Beholde, I will raise vp thy louers against thee, from whome thine heart is departed, and I will bring them against thee on euery side, 23To wit, the Babylonians, and all the Caldeans, Peked, and Shoah, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: they were all pleasant yong men, captaines and princes: all they were valiant and renoumed, riding vpon horses. 24Euen these shal come against thee with charets, waggons, and wheeles, and with a multitude of people, which shall set against thee, buckler and shield, and helmet round about: and I will leaue the punishment vnto them, and they shall iudge thee according to their iudgements. 25And I wil lay mine indignation vpon thee, and they shal deale cruelly with thee: they shall cut off thy nose and thine eares, and thy remnant shal fall by the sword: they shall cary away thy sonnes and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be deuoured by the fire. 26They shal also strip thee out of thy clothes, and take away thy fayre iewels. 27Thus wil I make thy wickednes to cease from thee and thy fornication out of the land of Egypt: so that thou shalt not lift vp thine eyes vnto them, nor remember Egypt any more. 28For thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I wil deliuer thee into the hand of them, whome thou hatest: euen into the hands of them from whome thine heart is departed. 29And they shall handle thee despitefully, and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leaue thee naked and bare, and the shame of thy fornications shalbe discouered, both thy wickednes, and thy whoredome. 30I wil doe these things vnto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their idoles. 31Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister: therefore wil I giue her cup into thine hand.

32Thus saith ye Lord God, Thou shalt drinke of thy sisters cup, deepe and large: thou shalt be laughed to scorne and had in derision, because it containeth much.

33Thou shalt be filled with drunkennes and sorow, euen with the cup of destruction, and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria.

34Thou shalt euen drinke it, and wring it out to the dregges, and thou shalt breake the sheards thereof, and teare thine owne breasts: for I haue spoken it, sayth the Lord God.

35Therefore thus saith the Lorde God, Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behinde thy backe, therefore thou shalt also beare thy wickednes and thy whoredome.

Judgment on Both Sisters

36The Lord sayd moreouer vnto me, Sonne of man, wilt thou iudge Aholah & Aholibah? and wilt thou declare to them their abominations? 37For they haue played the whores, and blood is in their hands, and with their idoles haue they committed adulterie, and haue also caused their sonnes, whome they bare vnto me, to passe by the fire to be their meate. 38Moreouer, thus haue they done vnto me: they haue defiled my Sanctuarie in the same day, and haue prophaned my Sabbaths. 39For when they had slaine their children to their idoles, they came the same day into my Sanctuarie to defile it: and loe, thus haue they done in the middes of mine house.

40And howe much more is it that they sent for men to come from farre vnto whom a messenger was sent, and loe, they came? for whome thou diddest wash thy selfe, and paintedst thine eyes, and deckedst thee with ornaments, 41And satest vpon a costly bed, and a table prepared before it, whereupon thou hast set mine incense and mine oyle. 42And a voyce of a multitude being at ease, was with her: and with the men to make the company great were brought men of Saba from the wildernes, which put bracelets vpon their hands, and beautifull crownes vpon their heads.

43Then I sayd vnto her, that was olde in adulteries, Now shall she and her fornications come to an end. 44And they went in vnto her as they goe to a common harlot: so went they to Aholah and Aholibah the wicked women. 45And ye righteous men they shal iudge them, after the maner of harlots, and after the maner of murtherers: for they are harlots, and blood is in their hands.

46Wherefore thus sayth the Lord God, I will bring a multitude vpon them, and will giue them vnto the tumult, and to the spoyle, 47And the multitude shall stone them with stones, and cut them with their swordes: they shal slay their sonnes, and their daughters, and burne vp their houses with fire. 48Thus will I cause wickednesse to cease out of the land, that all women may be taught not to doe after your wickednesse. 49And they shall laye your wickednesse vpon you, and ye shall beare the sinnes of your idoles, and ye shall knowe that I am the Lord God.