Ezekiel 23:22-49

“And so, Oholibah, Lord YAHWEH says to you: ‘Behold, I will stir up all your former lovers against you, from whom you have withdrawn your affection. I will bring them against you from every side: the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, men of Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, young and handsome men, all governors, officials, and warriors—all of them skillful horsemen. They will attack you from the north and advance on you with chariots, wagons, and troops, setting themselves against you on all sides with shields and helmets. I will commit to them the right to judge you, and they will pass sentence on you as they see fit. I will direct my fiery indignation against you and let them treat you with fury. They will slice off your nose and ears, and what is left of your people will fall by the sword. They will capture your surviving sons and daughters and burn them alive. They will strip off your clothes and rob you of your fine jewels. “ ‘So I will put a stop to your debauchery and the habitual prostitution you began in Egypt. You will not view the Egyptians as your lovers anymore. You will never think of them again. For Lord YAHWEH says: Now, I will hand you over to those you hate, those for whom you no longer feel affection. They will treat you with hatred, strip you of all that you have worked hard for, and leave you stark naked. Just as you were naked in your prostitution, so you will be naked when everyone discovers your debauchery and habitual prostitution! You have brought all this on yourself because you have played the whore with the nations and have made yourself unfit for my presence by worshiping their idols. Since you have followed your sister’s footsteps, I will put her cup of punishment in your hands to drink. The Lord YAHWEH says to you: “ ‘You will drink of the same cup as your sister, a large cup both deep and wide that contains much sorrow! Drink it all, for it will lead to mockery and insults! You will be drunk with misery and sorrow. It is a cup of horror and devastation, the cup of your sister Samaria. You will drain it dry. Then, in despair, you will smash the cup in pieces, gnaw on the shattered shards, and cut off your own breasts, once fondled by others. For I, Lord YAHWEH, have spoken. “ ‘And so, Lord YAHWEH says: Because you have forgotten me and have turned your back on me, you too will have to bear the consequences of your outrageous, depraved sexual immorality.’ ” And YAHWEH said to me, “Son of man, are you ready to render judgment upon Oholah and Oholibah and charge them with their detestable practices? They have been wicked adulteresses. Their hands are dripping with blood, and they have committed gross adultery with their vile images. They have even committed murder by offering up their children, who are mine, as burnt sacrifices to feed their false gods! Moreover, they have sinned against me by defiling my sanctuary and dishonoring my Sabbaths. The same day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they came into my sanctuary and made it unfit for worship. Yes, this is what they have done in my own house! “Worse still, they sent messengers to summon men from far away to come have sex with them, and they came. To meet your lovers you bathed yourselves, painted your eyes, put on your provocative clothes with your finest jewelry. You reclined on your sumptuous couch with a table spread before you with my aromatic incense and oils. The noise of your party, a carefree crowd, echoed all around—a noisy crowd of drunk nomads! They put bracelets on the women’s arms and magnificent headpieces on their heads. I thought, ‘Isn’t that woman worn out with her adultery? Let them use her as a prostitute—she’s a professional.’ “Yet the men continued to have sex with her as one does with a prostitute, just as they slept with Oholah and Oholibah—those lewd women! But there are righteous men who will declare them guilty of adultery and murder. For they are, indeed, adulteresses and their hands are stained with blood.” Lord YAHWEH says: “Gather a mob to deal with them, to rob and terrorize them! Let the mob stone them and attack them with their swords. Let their sons and daughters be slaughtered and their houses set on fire. This is how I shall purge the land of lewdness so that all women will be warned not to commit prostitution as you have done. And you two sisters, you will be punished as your sins deserve. You will bear the price for your immorality and your vile idolatry. Then you will know that I am Lord YAHWEH.”