Ezekiel 23:1-11

1 The Lord spoke to me.
2 "Mortal man," he said, "there were once two sisters.
3 When they were young, living in Egypt, they lost their virginity and became prostitutes.
4 The older one was named Oholah (she represents Samaria), and the younger one was named Oholibah (she represents Jerusalem). I married both of them, and they bore me children
5 Although she was mine, Oholah continued to be a prostitute and was full of lust for her lovers from Assyria.
6 They were soldiers in uniforms of purple, noblemen and high-ranking officers; all of them were handsome young cavalry officers.
7 She was the whore for all the Assyrian officers, and her lust led her to defile herself by worshiping Assyrian idols.
8 She continued what she had begun as a prostitute in Egypt, where she lost her virginity. From the time she was a young woman, men slept with her and treated her like a prostitute.
9 So I handed her over to her Assyrian lovers whom she wanted so much.
10 They stripped her naked, seized her sons and daughters, and then killed her with a sword. Women everywhere gossiped about her fate.
11 "Even though her sister Oholibah saw this, she was wilder and more of a prostitute than Oholah had ever been.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. oholah: [This name in Hebrew means "her sanctuary."]
  • [b]. oholibah: [This name in Hebrew means "my sanctuary is in her."]
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.