International Standard Version

English Standard Version

1This message came to me from the LORD:

1The word of the LORD came to me:

2"Son of Man, here are two sisters who are daughters from the same mother.

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

3They committed sexual immorality in Egypt. They did this in their youth. There, their breasts were caressed. Their virgin breasts were fondled.

3They played the whore in Egypt; they played the whore in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and their virgin bosoms handled.

4The older one was named Oholah and her sister was named Oholibah. They belonged to me and gave birth to sons and daughters. Now as to their real identities, Oholah refers to Samaria and Oholibah to Jerusalem."

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

5"Oholah committed sexual immorality while she belonged to me. She lusted for Assyria's warriors,

5“Oholah played the whore while she was mine, and she lusted after her lovers the Assyrians, warriors

6who were clothed in blue—including governors and commanders. All of them were desirable young men—horsemen mounted on horses.

6clothed in purple, governors and commanders, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses.

7She bestowed her sexual favors on them—all of them, the best of the Assyrians—and with whomever she lusted for. "She defiled herself with all their idols.

7She bestowed her whoring upon them, the choicest men of Assyria all of them, and she defiled herself with all the idols of everyone after whom she lusted.

8She never abandoned the immorality that she practiced in Egypt during her youth, where they laid down with her and fondled her virgin breasts, lavishing her with all kinds of favors.

8She did not give up her whoring that she had begun in Egypt; for in her youth men had lain with her and handled her virgin bosom and poured out their whoring lust upon her.

9Therefore, I turned her over to the control of her lovers, that is, into the control of the Assyrians for whom she lusted.

9Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the Assyrians, after whom she lusted.

10They stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters, and executed her with a sword. She became an object of ridicule among other nations when they punished her."

10These uncovered her nakedness; they seized her sons and her daughters; and as for her, they killed her with the sword; and she became a byword among women, when judgment had been executed on her.

11"Her sister Oholibah saw this, but she was more corrupt in her lust and sexual immorality than her sister had been in her own sexual immorality.

11“Her sister Oholibah saw this, and she became more corrupt than her sister in her lust and in her whoring, which was worse than that of her sister.

12She lusted after the Assyrians—governors, commanders, warriors clothed in gorgeous attire, cavalry mounted on their horses—all of them desirable young men.

12She lusted after the Assyrians, governors and commanders, warriors clothed in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men.

13I saw that she was defiled, because the two of them both were on the same path.

13And I saw that she was defiled; they both took the same way.

14"She became even more sexually immoral when she saw the images of the Chaldean men who had been carved in red on their walls.

14But she carried her whoring further. She saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,

15Girded with waistbands around their loins, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looked like chariot officers, similar to the Babylonians from Chaldea, where they had been born.

15wearing belts on their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them having the appearance of officers, a likeness of Babylonians whose native land was Chaldea.

16"She lusted after them when she saw them, so she sent messengers to summon them from Chaldea.

16When she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

17The Babylonians came to her love nest and defiled her with their sexual immorality. As a result, she was defiled by them. Even so, she turned away from them in disgust.

17And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoring lust. And after she was defiled by them, she turned from them in disgust.

18She displayed her immorality publicly and stripped herself naked, so I turned away in disgust from her, just as I had turned away in disgust from her sister.

18When she carried on her whoring so openly and flaunted her nakedness, I turned in disgust from her, as I had turned in disgust from her sister.

19"Nevertheless, she became even more sexually immoral, even reminiscing about when she was young, when she kept on practicing sexual immorality in the land of Egypt.

19Yet she increased her whoring, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the whore in the land of Egypt

20She lusted after her paramours, whose genitals are like those of donkeys, and whose emissions are like those of horses.

20and lusted after her lovers there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose issue was like that of horses.

21Think about the wickedness that you practiced when you were young, when the Egyptians fondled your breasts, the breasts of your youth."

21Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom and pressed your young breasts.”

22"Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Look! I'm about to stir up your lovers against you, the ones from whom you've turned away in disgust. I'm going to bring them against you from every direction—

22Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I will stir up against you your lovers from whom you turned in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side:

23the Babylonians, all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, Koa, and all of the Assyrians with them. They're all desirable young men, governors, commanders, chariot officers, and famous men, all of them mounted on horses.

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

24"'They'll invade you with weapons, chariots, wagons, and a vast army. They'll set themselves in place to attack you from every direction with large shields, small shields, and helmets. I'll turn over judgment to them, and they'll punish you according to their own standards.

24And they shall come against you from the north with chariots and wagons and a host of peoples. They shall set themselves against you on every side with buckler, shield, and helmet; and I will commit the judgment to them, and they shall judge you according to their judgments.

25I'll expend my jealousy on you so they'll deal with you in anger. They'll cut off your noses and your ears. Your survivors will die violently. They'll take your sons and daughters away from you, but your survivors will be incinerated.

25And I will direct my jealousy against you, that they may deal with you in fury. They shall cut off your nose and your ears, and your survivors shall fall by the sword. They shall seize your sons and your daughters, and your survivors shall be devoured by fire.

26They'll strip off your clothes and confiscate your jewelry.

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

27That's how I'll put an end to your obscene conduct and sexual immorality that you kept on practicing since the day you left the land of Egypt so that you won't look in Egypt's direction or even remember it anymore.'

27Thus I will put an end to your lewdness and your whoring begun in the land of Egypt, so that you shall not lift up your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.

28"This is what the Lord GOD says, 'I'm about to turn you over to the control of those you hate, to the control of those from whom you turned away in disgust.

28“For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will deliver you into the hands of those whom you hate, into the hands of those from whom you turned in disgust,

29They'll deal with you with hatred. They'll take away your productivity, leaving you naked and defenseless, so that the nakedness of your sexual immorality will be uncovered—your licentious sexual immorality.

29and they shall deal with you in hatred and take away all the fruit of your labor and leave you naked and bare, and the nakedness of your whoring shall be uncovered. Your lewdness and your whoring

30These things will happen to you because of your sexual immorality that was patterned after what the nations do. You've been defiled by their idols.

30have brought this upon you, because you played the whore with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.

31You took the path of your sister, so I'll place her cup in your hand.'

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

32"This is what the Lord GOD says: 'You'll drink from your sister's cup, which is both large and deep. You'll become a laughing stock and an object of derision, since the cup is so full!

32Thus says the Lord GOD: “You shall drink your sister’s cup that is deep and large; you shall be laughed at and held in derision, for it contains much;

33You'll be filled with drunkenness and grief. The cup that belongs to your sister Samaria is filled with horror and devastation,

33you will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow. A cup of horror and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria;

34but you'll drink from it and drain it completely. As for the vessel, you'll break it to pieces and you'll tear at your breasts, for I've spoken,' declares the Lord GOD.

34you shall drink it and drain it out, and gnaw its shards, and tear your breasts; for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.

35"Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Because you abandoned me and threw me behind your back, you will bear the consequences of your obscene conduct and sexual immorality.'"

35Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you yourself must bear the consequences of your lewdness and whoring.”

36Then the LORD spoke to me. "Son of Man, speak out in judgment of both Oholah and Oholibah. Make their detestable practices widely known,

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

37because they've committed adultery, and blood covers their hands. They've also committed adultery with their idols, making their sons born to me to pass through the fire as an offering to them.

37For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. With their idols they have committed adultery, and they have even offered up to them for food the children whom they had borne to me.

38"They've also done this to me: They defiled my sanctuary and profaned my Sabbaths, all at the same time!

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

39When they killed their sons as offerings to their idols, they brought them to my sanctuary and defiled it. Look what they've done with my Temple!

39For when they had slaughtered their children in sacrifice to their idols, on the same day they came into my sanctuary to profane it. And behold, this is what they did in my house.

40"In addition, they sent messengers for men to come from afar. When they arrived, you bathed yourself for them, painted your eyes, adorned yourself with jewelry,

40They even sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and behold, they came. For them you bathed yourself, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments.

41then sat down on an elegant bed. A table was arranged in front of it, on which you set out my incense and oil.

41You sat on a stately couch, with a table spread before it on which you had placed my incense and my oil.

42The sound of a carefree multitude accompanied her. Men from a multitude of peoples were coming—including Sabeans from the wilderness, adorned with bracelets on their hands and beautiful crowns on their heads.

42The sound of a carefree multitude was with her; and with men of the common sort, drunkards were brought from the wilderness; and they put bracelets on the hands of the women, and beautiful crowns on their heads.

43"After she had worn herself out by her adulterous behavior, I asked her, 'Will they continue with their sexual immorality and with their prostitution?'

43“Then I said of her who was worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will continue to use her for a whore, even her!’

44They've gone to her, like men do, to have sex with a prostitute. They had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, those licentious women.

44For they have gone in to her, as men go in to a prostitute. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, lewd women!

45Righteous men will judge them with punishments fit for adulterers and for those who shed blood, because they're adulterers with blood on their hands."

45But righteous men shall pass judgment on them with the sentence of adulteresses, and with the sentence of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.”

46This is what the Lord GOD says: "Bring an army against them and deliver them over to terror and plunder.

46For thus says the Lord GOD: “Bring up a vast host against them, and make them an object of terror and a plunder.

47Then the army will stone them with stones and cut them to pieces with their swords. They'll kill their sons and daughters and incinerate their houses.

47And the host shall stone them and cut them down with their swords. They shall kill their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses.

48I'll cause obscene conduct to stop throughout the land, because all the women will be admonished not to practice their obscene conduct.

48Thus will I put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not commit lewdness as you have done.

49You'll receive the consequences for your obscene conduct and bear the punishment for your sins of idolatry. Then you'll know that I am the Lord GOD."

49And they shall return your lewdness upon you, and you shall bear the penalty for your sinful idolatry, and you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.”

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.