Ezekiel 23; Ezekiel 24

Viewing Multiple Passages

Ezekiel 23

1 A message came to me from the Lord. He said,

2 "Son of man, once there were two women. They had the same mother.

3 They became prostitutes in Egypt. They have been unfaithful to me since they were young. In that land they allowed their breasts to be touched. They permitted their virgin breasts to be kissed.

4 "The older sister was named Oholah. The younger one was Oholibah. They belonged to me. Sons and daughters were born to them. Oholah stands for Samaria. And Oholibah stands for Jerusalem

5 "Oholah was unfaithful to me even while she still belonged to me. She longed for her Assyrian lovers.

6 They included soldiers who wore blue uniforms. They also included governors and commanders. All of them were young and handsome. They rode horses.

7 She gave herself as a prostitute to all of Assyria's finest warriors. She polluted herself with the statues of the gods of everyone she longed for.

8 "She started being a prostitute in Egypt. And she never stopped. When she was young, men had sex with her. They kissed her virgin breasts. They used up all of their sinful longings on her.

9 "So I handed her over to her Assyrian lovers. She longed for them.

10 They stripped her naked. They took her sons and daughters away. And they killed her with their swords. Other women laughed when that happened. I was the one who had punished her.

11 "Her sister Oholibah saw it. But her evil longing for sexual sin was worse than her sister's.

12 She too longed for the men of Assyria. They included governors and commanders. They included soldiers who wore uniforms. They also included men who rode horses. All of them were young and handsome.

13 I saw that she too polluted herself. So both sisters did the same evil things.

14 "But Oholibah went even further with her sexual sins. She saw pictures of men drawn on a wall. They were figures of Babylonians drawn in red

15 They had belts around their waists. They wore flowing turbans on their heads. All of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers. They were from the land of the Chaldeans.

16 "As soon as she saw the pictures, she longed for the men. So she sent messengers to them in Babylonia.

17 Then the Babylonians came to her. They went to bed with her. They made love to her. They polluted her when they had sex with her. After they did it, she became sick of them. So she turned away from them.

18 "She acted like a prostitute who had no shame at all. She openly showed her naked body. I became sick of what she was doing. So I turned away from her. I had also turned away from her sister.

19 "But Oholibah offered her body to her lovers again and again. She remembered the days when she was a young prostitute in Egypt

20 There she had longed for her lovers. Their private parts seemed as big as those of donkeys. And their flow of semen appeared to be as much as that of horses.

21 So you wanted to return to the days when you were young. You longed for the time when you first became impure in Egypt. That was when you allowed your breasts to be kissed. And you permitted your young breasts to be touched.

22 So the LORD and King says, "Oholibah, I will stir up your lovers against you. You became sick of them. You turned away from them. But I will bring them against you from every side.

23 They include the Babylonians and all of the Chaldeans. They include the men from Pekod, Shoa and Koa. They also include all of the Assyrians. They are young and handsome. Some of them are governors and commanders. Others are chariot officers. Still others are very high officials. All of them ride horses.

24 "So a huge army will come against you with weapons, chariots and wagons. They will take up positions against you on every side. They will carry large and small shields. They will wear helmets. I will turn you over to them to be punished. They will punish you in their own way.

25 "I will pour out my jealous anger on you. And the army's anger will burn against you. They will cut off your noses and ears. Some of you who are left will be killed with swords. They will take your sons and daughters away. Others of you who are left will be burned up.

26 The army will also strip your clothes off. They will take your fine jewelry away from you.

27 "You became an impure prostitute in Egypt. But I will put a stop to all of that. You will no longer want to do any of it. You will not remember Egypt anymore."

28 The LORD and King says, "I am about to hand you over to people you hate. You became sick of them. You turned away from them.

29 They will punish you because they hate you so much. They will take everything you have worked for away from you. They will leave you naked and bare. Then everyone will see that you are a prostitute who has no shame at all. You were impure. You offered your body to your lovers again and again.

30 "That is why you will be punished. You longed for lovers in other nations. You polluted yourself by worshiping their gods.

31 You did the same things your sister Oholah did. So I will put her cup in your hand. It is filled with the wine of my anger."

32 The LORD and King says to Oholibah, "You will drink from your sister's cup. It is large and deep. It is filled with the wine of my anger. So others will laugh at you. They will make fun of you.

33 You will become drunk and sad. The cup of my anger will completely destroy you. It is the same cup your sister Samaria drank from.

34 You will drink from it until it is empty. Then you will throw it down and break it in pieces. And you will claw at your breasts. I have spoken," announces the LORD and King.

35 So the LORD and King says, "You have forgotten me. You have pushed me behind your back. You have been impure. You have acted like a prostitute. So I will punish you."

36 The LORD said to me, "Son of man, are you going to judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then tell them they have done many evil things. I hate those things

37 They have committed adultery. Their hands are covered with the blood of the people they have murdered. They have worshiped other gods. They have not been faithful to me. They have even sacrificed their children as food to other gods. Those children belonged to me.

38 "Here are some other things the sisters have done to me. They have polluted my temple. They have misused my Sabbath days

39 They have sacrificed their children to their gods. On that same day they entered my temple and polluted it. That is what they have done in my house.

40 "They even sent messengers to bring men from far away. When the men arrived, Oholibah took a bath. She put makeup on her eyes. She put her jewelry on.

41 She sat down on a beautiful couch. A table was in front of it. There she put the incense and olive oil that belonged to me.

42 "The noise of a carefree crowd was all around her. Sabeans were brought from the desert. Other men were brought along with them. They put bracelets on the arms of the two sisters. They put beautiful crowns on their heads.

43 "Then I spoke about Oholibah. She was worn out by adultery. I said, 'Let them use her as a prostitute. After all, that is what she is.'

44 So they had sex with her. In fact, they had sex with both of those impure women, Oholah and Oholibah. It was just like having sex with prostitutes.

45 "But men who are right with God will sentence the sisters to be punished. They will be punished in the same way as women who commit adultery and murder. After all, they have committed adultery. And their hands are covered with the blood of the people they have murdered."

46 The LORD and King says, "Bring an angry crowd against the sisters. Hand them over to those who will terrify them and steal everything they have.

47 The crowd will kill them by throwing stones at them. They will cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and daughters. And they will burn their houses down.

48 "So I will put an end to impurity in the land. Then all of its women will be warned. They will not want to be like the sisters.

49 Those sisters will be punished because of the impure things they have done. They will be judged because they have worshiped other gods. Then they will know that I am the LORD and King."

Ezekiel 24

1 It was the ninth year since King Jehoiachin had been brought to Babylon as a prisoner. On the tenth day of the tenth month, a message came to me from the Lord. He said,

2 "Son of man, write down today's date. The king of Babylonia has surrounded Jerusalem and attacked it this very day.

3 "Your people refuse to obey me. So tell them a story. Say to them, 'The LORD and King told me, " ' "Put a cooking pot on the fire. Pour water into it.

4 Put pieces of meat in it. Use all of the best pieces. Use the leg and shoulder. Fill it with the best bones.

5 Pick the finest animal in the flock. Pile wood under the pot to cook the bones. Bring the water to a boil. Cook the bones in it." ' "

6 The LORD and King says, "How terrible it will be for this city! It has so many murderers in it. How terrible for the pot that is coated with scum! The scum on it will not go away. Take the meat and bones out of the pot piece by piece. Do not cast lots for them.

7 "The blood Jerusalem's people spilled is inside its walls. They poured it out on a bare rock. They did not pour it on the ground. If they had, dust would have covered it up.

8 So I put their blood on the bare rock. I did not want it to be covered up. I poured my burning anger out on them. I paid them back."

9 So the LORD and King said to me, "How terrible it will be for this city! It has so many murderers in it. I too will pile the wood high.

10 So pile on the wood. Light the fire. Cook the meat well. Mix in the spices. Let the bones be blackened.

11 Then set the empty pot on the coals. Let it get hot. Let its copper glow. Then what is not pure in it will melt. Its scum will be burned away.

12 But it can't be cleaned up. Its thick scum has not been removed. Even fire can't burn it off.

13 "Jerusalem, you are really impure. I tried to clean you up. But you would not let me make you pure. So you will not be clean again until my burning anger against you has calmed down.

14 "I have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back. I will not feel sorry for you. I will do what I said I would do. You will be judged for your conduct and actions. I am the Lord," announces the LORD and King.

15 A message came to me from the Lord. He said,

16 "Son of man, I will take away from you the wife you delight in. It will happen very soon. But do not sing songs of sadness. Do not let any tears flow from your eyes.

17 Groan quietly. Do not sob out loud over your wife when she dies. Keep your turban on your head. Keep your sandals on your feet. Do not cover the lower part of your face. Do not eat the food people eat to comfort them when someone dies."

18 So I spoke to my people in the morning. And in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did what I had been commanded to do.

19 Then the people said to me, "Tell us what these things have to do with us."

20 So I told them. I said, "A message came to me from the Lord. He said,

21 'Speak to the people of Israel. Tell them, "The LORD and King says, 'I am about to pollute my temple. I will let the Babylonians burn it down. It is the beautiful building you are so proud of. You take delight in it. You love it. The sons and daughters you left behind will be killed with swords.

22 " ' " 'So do what Ezekiel did. Do not cover the lower part of your face. Do not eat the food people eat to comfort them when someone dies.

23 Keep your turbans on your heads. Keep your sandals on your feet. Do not cry or sob. You will waste away because you have sinned so much. You will groan among yourselves.

24 " ' " 'What Ezekiel has done will show you what is going to happen to you. You will do just as he has done. Then you will know that I am the LORD and King.' " '

25 "Son of man, I will take away their beautiful temple. It is their joy and glory. They take delight in it. Their hearts long for it. I will also take away their sons and daughters.

26 On the day I destroy everything, a man will escape. He will come and tell you the news.

27 "At that time I will open your mouth. Then you will no longer be silent. You will speak with the man. That will show them what will happen to them. And they will know that I am the Lord."

Ezekiel 23; Ezekiel 24

Viewing Multiple Passages

Share

Settings

Ezekiel 23

Ezekiel 24