Ezekiel:23

---

Seeker Overlay ON

* And the word of the Lord came unto me , saying , * Son of man , there were two women , the daughters of one mother ; * And they played the harlot in Egypt ; in their youth they played the harlot : there were their breasts pressed , and there they suffered their virgin bosoms to be touched . * And their names were Aholah the elder , and Aholibah her sister ; but they became mine , and they bore sons and daughters : and their names are , Samaria is Aholah , and Jerusalem , Aholibah . * And Aholah played the harlot while she was mine ; and she longed for her lovers , for the Assyrians that were near , * Clothed in blue , governors , and rulers , attractive youths all of them , horsemen riding upon horses . * Thus she played the harlot with them , all of them the chosen ones of the sons of Asshur : and with all for whom she longed ,––with all their idols did she defile herself . * But also her lewdness from Egypt forsook she not ; for they had lain with her in her youth , and they had touched her virgin bosom , and had lavished their lewd caresses on her . * Therefore did I give her up into the hand of her lovers , into the hand of the sons of Asshur , after whom she longed . * These were they that laid open her nakedness ; her sons and her daughters did they take away , and her they slew with the sword : and she became infamous among women , when they inflicted the decreed punishments on her . * And when her sister Aholibah saw this , she became more corrupt in her longing than she , and in her lewd acts more than her sister ’s lewdness . * For the sons of Asshur did she long , the governors and rulers that were near , clothed as they were most gorgeously , horsemen riding upon horses , attractive youths all of them . * Then saw I that she was defiled , that they followed both one way . * But she added still more to her acts of lewdness ; for when she saw men engraved upon the wall , the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with color , * Bound with girdles on their loins , with hanging down colored turbans on their heads , in appearance like commanders , all of them , in the likeness of the sons of Babylon of the Chaldeans , the land of their birth : * Then did she long for them as soon as she saw them with her eyes , and she sent messengers unto them to Chaldea . * And the sons of Babylon came to her unto the couch of love , and they defiled her with their lewd caresses ; and when she had been defiled with them , she tore her soul away from them . * And when she had laid open her lewdness , and had uncovered her nakedness : then my soul tore itself away from her , as my soul had torn itself away from her sister . * Yet she multiplied her deeds of lewdness , in calling to remembrance the days of her youth , when she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt . * And she longed for her paramours , whose flesh is as the flesh of asses , and whose lustfulness is like the lustfulness of horses . * And thou calledst to mind the incest of thy youth , when thy bosom was touched by the Egyptians for the sake of thy youthful breasts . * Therefore , O Aholibah , thus hath said the Lord Eternal , Behold , I will wake up thy lovers against thee , from whom thy soul hath torn itself away , and I will bring them against thee from every side ; * The sons of Babylon , and all the Chaldeans , Pekod , and Shoa and Koa , and all the sons of Asshur with them , attractive youths , governors and rulers all of them , commanders and chiefs , riding upon horses all of them . * And they shall come over thee with weapons , chariots , and wheels , and with an assembly of people , buckler and shield and helmet shall they set up against thee round about : and I will give up before them the right to judge , and they shall judge thee according to their ordinances . * And I will set my zealousness against thee , and they shall deal with thee in fury ; thy nose and thy ears shall they cut off ; and what is left of thee shall fall by the sword : thy sons and thy daughters shall they take away ; and what is left of thee shall be devoured by the fire . * And they shall strip thee of thy clothes , and take away thy ornamental attire . * Thus will I make thy incest to cease from thee , and thy lewdness brought from the land of Egypt : and thou shalt not lift up thy eyes unto them , and Egypt shalt thou not remember any more . * For thus hath said the Lord Eternal , Behold , I will give thee up into the hand of those whom thou hatest , into the hand of those from whom thy soul hath torn itself away ; * And they shall deal with thee in hate , and shall take away all thy labor , and they shall leave thee naked and bare : and thus shall be uncovered the nakedness of thy lewdness , and thy incest and thy lewd deeds . * I will do these things unto thee , because thou hast gone with vile lust after the nations , because thou hast defiled thyself with their idols . * On the way of thy sister hast thou walked ; therefore will I place her cup into thy hand . * Thus hath said the Lord Eternal , The cup of thy sister shalt thou drink , the deep and wide one : thou shalt become to be laughed to scorn and to be held in derision , more than thou canst bear . * With drunkenness and sorrow shalt thou be filled , the cup of astonishment and confusion , the cup of thy sister Samaria . * Thou shalt even drink it and drain it out , and thou shalt break in pieces its fragments , and tear thy own breasts ; for I have spoken it , saith the Lord Eternal . * Therefore thus hath said the Lord Eternal , Because thou hast forgotten me , and cast me behind thy back : therefore bear thou also thy incest and thy acts of lewdness . * The Lord said moreover unto me , Son of man , wilt thou call Aholah and Aholibah to account ? then tell them of their abominations ; * That they have committed adultery , and there is blood on their hands , and with their idols have they committed adultery , and also their sons whom they had born unto me have they caused to pass for them through , to devour them . * Moreover this have they done unto me : they have defiled my sanctuary on the same day , and my sabbaths have they profaned . * And when they had slain their children to their idols , then came they into my sanctuary on the same day to profane it : and , lo , thus have they done in the midst of my house . * And farthermore yet , because they sent for men who were to come from afar , unto whom messengers were sent ; and , lo , they came , for whom thou didst bathe thyself , paint thy eyes , and deck thyself with ornaments ; * And thou didst sit upon a stately bed , with a table spread before it , and my incense and my oil didst thou set upon it . * And the shout of a peaceful joyous multitude was within her ; and with the men of the masses of the common people were brought Sabeans from the wilderness ; and these women placed bracelets on their hands , and crowns of glory upon their heads . * Then thought I of her that was worn out in adulteries , Will they now commit lewdness with her , when she ? * But men went in unto her , as they go in unto a faithless wife : thus went they in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah , the incestuous women . * Righteous men , however ––these shall judge them as adulteresses are judged , and as women that shed blood are judged ; because adulteresses are they , and blood is on their hands . * For thus hath said the Lord Eternal , I will bring up against them an assemblage of men , and I will give them up to ill –usage and plunder . * And the assemblage shall stone them with stones , and cut them down with their swords : their sons and their daughters shall they slay , and their houses shall they burn with fire . * Thus will I cause incest to cease out of the land , that all women may be warned by example , and not do after your incestuous course . * And they shall lay your incest upon you , and the sins of your idols shall ye bear : and ye shall know that I am the Lord Eternal .

---