| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1This message came to me from the LORD: | 1Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, |
| 2“Son of man, once there were two sisters who were daughters of the same mother. | 2“Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother, |
| 3They became prostitutes in Egypt. Even as young girls, they allowed men to fondle their breasts. | 3and they played in Egypt, prostituting themselves from their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin bosoms caressed. |
| 4The older girl was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. I married them, and they bore me sons and daughters. I am speaking of Samaria and Jerusalem, for Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem. | 4The older was named Oholah, and her sister was named Oholibah. They became Mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their identities, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem. |
| 5“Then Oholah lusted after other lovers instead of me, and she gave her love to the Assyrian officers. | 5Oholah prostituted herself while she was still Mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors |
| 6They were all attractive young men, captains and commanders dressed in handsome blue, charioteers driving their horses. | 6clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all desirable young men, horsemen mounted on steeds. |
| 7And so she prostituted herself with the most desirable men of Assyria, worshiping their idols and defiling herself. | 7She offered sexual favors to all the elite of Assyria. She defiled herself with all the idols of those for whom she lusted. |
| 8For when she left Egypt, she did not leave her spirit of prostitution behind. She was still as lewd as in her youth, when the Egyptians slept with her, fondled her breasts, and used her as a prostitute. | 8She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when men slept with her in her youth, caressed her virgin bosom, and poured out their lust upon her. |
| 9“And so I handed her over to her Assyrian lovers, whom she desired so much. | 9Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she lusted. |
| 10They stripped her, took away her children as their slaves, and then killed her. After she received her punishment, her reputation was known to every woman in the land. | 10They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and put her to the sword. Thus she became a byword among women, and they executed judgment against her. |
| 11“Yet even though Oholibah saw what had happened to Oholah, her sister, she followed right in her footsteps. And she was even more depraved, abandoning herself to her lust and prostitution. | 11Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister. |
| 12She fawned over all the Assyrian officers—those captains and commanders in handsome uniforms, those charioteers driving their horses—all of them attractive young men. | 12She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors dressed in splendor, horsemen riding on steeds, all desirable young men. |
| 13I saw the way she was going, defiling herself just like her older sister. | 13And I saw that she too had defiled herself; both of them had taken the same path. |
| 14“Then she carried her prostitution even further. She fell in love with pictures that were painted on a wall—pictures of Babylonian military officers, outfitted in striking red uniforms. | 14But Oholibah carried her prostitution even further. She saw the men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans, engraved in vermilion, |
| 15Handsome belts encircled their waists, and flowing turbans crowned their heads. They were dressed like chariot officers from the land of Babylonia. | 15wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like officers of the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth. |
| 16When she saw these paintings, she longed to give herself to them, so she sent messengers to Babylonia to invite them to come to her. | 16At the sight of them, she lusted for them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. |
| 17So they came and committed adultery with her, defiling her in the bed of love. After being defiled, however, she rejected them in disgust. | 17Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. But after she had been defiled by them, she turned away in disgust. |
| 18“In the same way, I became disgusted with Oholibah and rejected her, just as I had rejected her sister, because she flaunted herself before them and gave herself to satisfy their lusts. | 18When Oholibah openly prostituted herself and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister. |
| 19Yet she turned to even greater prostitution, remembering her youth when she was a prostitute in Egypt. | 19Yet she multiplied her promiscuity, remembering the days of her youth, when she had prostituted herself in the land of Egypt |
| 20She lusted after lovers with genitals as large as a donkey’s and emissions like those of a horse. | 20and lusted after their lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions. |
| 21And so, Oholibah, you relived your former days as a young girl in Egypt, when you first allowed your breasts to be fondled. The LORD’s Judgment of Oholibah | 21So you revisited the indecency of your youth, when the Egyptians caressed your bosom and pressed your young breasts. |
| 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. | 22Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will incite your lovers against you, those from whom you turned away in disgust. And I will bring them against you from every side— |
| 23For 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. | 23the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, the men of Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them—all desirable young men, governors and commanders, officers and men of renown, mounted on horses. |
| 24They 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. | 24They will come against you with a host of peoples, with weapons, chariots, and wagons. They will array themselves against you on every side with buckler and shield and helmet. I will delegate judgment to them, and they will punish you according to their own standards. |
| 25I 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. | 25And I will set My jealous rage against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and ears, and your survivors will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your remnant will be consumed by fire. |
| 26They will strip you of your beautiful clothes and jewels. | 26They will strip off your clothes and take your fine jewelry. |
| 27In 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. | 27So I will put an end to your indecency and prostitution, which began in the land of Egypt, and you will not lift your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.’ |
| 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. | 28For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hands of those you hate, from whom you turned away in disgust. |
| 29They 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. | 29They will treat you with hatred, take all for which you have worked, and leave you naked and bare, so that the shame of your prostitution will be exposed. Your indecency and promiscuity |
| 30You brought all this on yourself by prostituting yourself to other nations, defiling yourself with all their idols. | 30have brought these things upon you, because you have prostituted yourself with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. |
| 31Because you have followed in your sister’s footsteps, I will force you to drink the same cup of terror she drank. | 31Because you have followed the path of your sister, I will put her cup into your hand.’ |
| 32“Yes, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “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. | 32This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You will drink your sister’s cup, a cup deep and wide. It will bring scorn and derision, for it holds so much. |
| 33Drunkenness and anguish will fill you, for your cup is filled to the brim with distress and desolation, the same cup your sister Samaria drank. | 33You will be filled with drunkenness and grief, with a cup of devastation and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria. |
| 34You 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! | 34You will drink it and drain it; you will dash it to pieces, and tear your breasts. For I have spoken,’ declares the Lord GOD. |
| 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 | 35Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you have forgotten Me and have cast Me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your indecency and prostitution.’ ” |
| 36The LORD said to me, “Son of man, you must accuse Oholah and Oholibah of all their detestable sins. | 36Then the LORD said to me: “Son of man, will you pass judgment against Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations. |
| 37They have committed both adultery and murder—adultery by worshiping idols and murder by burning as sacrifices the children they bore to me. | 37For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols. They have even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to Me, in the fire as food for their idols. |
| 38Furthermore, they have defiled my Temple and violated my Sabbath day! | 38They have also done this to Me: On that very same day, they defiled My sanctuary and profaned My Sabbaths. |
| 39On 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. | 39On the very day they slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My sanctuary to profane it. Yes, they did this inside 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. | 40Furthermore, you sisters sent messengers for men who came from afar; and behold, when they arrived, you bathed for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewelry. |
| 41You sat with them on a beautifully embroidered couch and put my incense and my special oil on a table that was spread before you. | 41You sat on a couch of luxury with a table spread before it, on which you had set My incense and My oil, |
| 42From 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. | 42accompanied by the sound of a carefree crowd. Drunkards were brought in from the desert along with men from the rabble, who put bracelets on your wrists and beautiful crowns on your head. |
| 43Then I said, ‘If they really want to have sex with old worn-out prostitutes like these, let them!’ | 43Then I said of her who had grown old in adulteries: ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is!’ |
| 44And that is what they did. They had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, these shameless prostitutes. | 44And they slept with her as with a prostitute; they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, those lewd women. |
| 45But righteous people will judge these sister cities for what they really are—adulterers and murderers. | 45But righteous men will sentence them to the punishment of those who commit adultery and bloodshed, because they are adulteresses with blood on their hands. |
| 46“Now this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Bring an army against them and hand them over to be terrorized and plundered. | 46This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Bring a mob against them and consign them to terror and plunder. |
| 47For their enemies will stone them and kill them with swords. They will butcher their sons and daughters and burn their homes. | 47The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses. |
| 48In 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. | 48So I will put an end to indecency in the land, and all the women will be admonished not to imitate your behavior. |
| 49You 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.” | 49They will repay you for your indecency, and you will bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’ ” |
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