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23:1  The ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to me, saying:
23:2  “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], a woman had two daughters.
23:3  While they were young, they went to Egypt and became prostitutes. They let men ·touch [fondle] and hold their virgin breasts.
23:4  The older girl was named Oholah, and her sister was named Oholibah. They became my wives and had sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem [C both names are related to the Hebrew word for “tent,” and refer to the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah].
23:5  “While ·still my wife [L she was mine], ·Samaria [L Oholah] ·had sexual relations with other men [engaged in prostitution]. She ·had great sexual desire for [lusted after] her lovers, men from Assyria. The Assyrians were warriors ·and
23:6  wore blue uniforms [clothed in blue]. They were all ·handsome [desirable] young men, ·captains [or governors] and ·lieutenants [commanders] riding on horseback.
23:7  ·Samaria [L She] became a prostitute for all the ·important [elite] men in Assyria and ·made herself unclean [defiled herself] with all the idols of everyone she desired.
23:8  She ·continued [did not give up] the prostitution she began in Egypt. When she was young, she had slept with men, and they ·touched [fondled] her virgin breasts and ·had sexual relations with [L poured out their lust on] her.
23:9  “So I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians, ·that she wanted so badly [for whom she lusted].
23:10  They ·stripped her naked [L uncovered her nakedness; 16:37] and took away her sons and daughters. Then they killed her with a sword [C referring to the fall of Samaria to the Assyrians in 722–721 bc]. ·Women everywhere began talking [It became notorious/a byword among women] about how she had been punished.
23:11  “Her sister ·Jerusalem [L Oholibah; v. 4] saw what happened, but she became ·worse [more depraved/corrupt] than her sister in her sexual ·desire [lust] and prostitution.
23:12  She also desired the Assyrians, who were all soldiers in ·beautiful uniforms [full dress; or full armor]—·handsome [desirable] young ·captains [or governors] and ·lieutenants [commanders] riding horses.
23:13  I saw that both girls were alike; both were ·prostitutes [defiled; C ritually].
23:14  “But ·Jerusalem went [L she increased her prostitution] even further. She saw carvings of ·Babylonian [L Chaldean] men on a wall. They wore red [Jer. 22:14]
23:15  and had belts around their waists and turbans on their heads. They all looked like chariot officers ·born in Babylonia [L the image of sons of Babel, natives of Chaldea].
23:16  When she saw them, she ·wanted to have sexual relations with [lusted after] them and sent messengers to them in ·Babylonia [L Chaldea; C depicting Judah’s attempt at alliances with Babylon; 2 Kin. 20:12–15; 23:34—24:1].
23:17  So these Babylonian men came ·and had sexual relations with her [to her bed of love] and ·made her unclean [L defiled her with their lust; C ritually]. After that, she ·became sick of them [turned away in disgust].
23:18  But she ·continued her prostitution so openly that everyone knew about it [L uncovered her prostitution and uncovered her nakedness]. And I ·finally became sick of her [turned away from her in disgust], as I had her sister.
23:19  But she remembered how she was a young prostitute in Egypt, so she took part in even more prostitution.
23:20  She ·wanted men [lusted after lovers] ·who behaved like animals in their sexual desire [or whose genitals/L flesh were the size/L flesh of donkeys and seminal emission like that of horses].
23:21  In the same way you ·desired to do the sinful things you had done [longed for the lewdness of your youth] in Egypt. There men ·touched [fondled] and ·held [caressed] your young breasts.
23:22  “So, ·Jerusalem [L Oholibah; v. 4], this is what the Lord God says: You ·are tired of [turned in disgust from] your lovers. So [L look; T behold] now I will ·make them angry with [L stir them up against] you and ·have them attack [L bring them against] you from all sides [C a description of the siege of Jerusalem].
23:23  Men from Babylon and all ·Babylonia [L the Chaldeans] and men from Pekod, Shoa, and Koa attack you [C people groups from the Mesopotamian region]. All the Assyrians will attack you: ·handsome [desirable] young ·captains [or governors] and ·lieutenants [commanders], all of them ·important men [officers and nobles] and all riding horses.
23:24  Those men will attack with ·great armies [a host of people/nations] and with their weapons, chariots, and wagons. They will ·surround you [L take up positions against you on every side] with large and small shields and with helmets. And I will ·give them the right to punish you [L assign judgment to them], and they will ·give you their own kind of punishment [or judge you by their own standards].
23:25  Then ·you will see how strong my anger can be [or I will direct my jealous anger against you] when they ·punish [deal with] you in their anger. They will cut off your noses and ears [C acts of torture and humiliation]. They will ·take away [seize] your sons and daughters, and those who are left will be ·burned [consumed/devoured by fire].
23:26  They will ·take [strip] off your clothes and steal your beautiful jewelry.
23:27  I will put a stop to the ·sinful life [lewd/obscene behavior] you began when you were in Egypt so that you will not ·desire it [or seek their help; L lift up your eyes to them] or remember Egypt anymore.
23:28  “This is what the Lord God says: You became ·tired of [disgusted with] your lovers, but I am going to hand you over to those men you now hate.
23:29  They will treat you with hate and take away everything you worked for, leaving you empty and naked. ·Everyone will know about the sinful things you did [L The nakedness of your prostitution will be uncovered]. Your ·sexual sins [lewdness and promiscuity]
23:30  have brought this on you. You have ·had sexual relations with [prostituted yourself with] the nations and ·made yourselves unclean [defiled yourself] by worshiping their idols.
23:31  You ·did the same things your sister did [L went the way of your sister; vv. 9–10], so ·you will get the same punishment, like a bitter cup to drink [L I will put her cup in your hand].
23:32  “This is what the Lord God says: You will drink the same cup your sister did, and that cup is deep and wide [C the cup of judgment; Jer. 25:15–29]. ·Everyone will make fun of you [You will be mocked and derided], because the cup ·is full [holds much].
23:33  It will ·make you miserable and drunk [L fill you with drunkenness and sorrow]. It is the cup of ·fear [horror; or ruin] and ·ruin [devastation]. It is the cup of your sister Samaria.
23:34  You will drink ·everything in [L and drain] it, and then you will ·smash it [or chew on its pieces] and tear at your breasts. I have spoken, says the Lord God.
23:35  “So this is what the Lord God says: You have forgotten me and ·turned your back on me [L cast me behind your back]. So you ·will be punished [must bear the consequences] for your ·sexual sins [L lewdness and prostitution].”
23:36  The Lord said to me: “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], will you judge ·Samaria [L Oholah] and ·Jerusalem [L Oholibah], ·showing [declaring to] them their ·hateful [detestable; abominable] acts?
23:37  They are guilty of adultery and ·murder [L blood is on their hands]. They have taken part in adultery with their idols. They even offered ·our children [L the children they bore to me] as sacrifices in the fire to be food for these idols.
23:38  They have also done this to me: They ·made my Temple unclean [defiled my sanctuary; C ritually] at the same time they ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] my Sabbaths.
23:39  They ·sacrificed [slaughtered] their children to their idols. Then they entered my Temple at that very time to ·dishonor [desecrate; profane; C ritually] it. That is what they did inside my ·Temple [L house]!
23:40  “They even sent for men from far away, who came after a messenger was sent to them. You bathed yourselves for them, painted your eyes, and put on jewelry [2 Kin. 9:30; Jer. 4:30].
23:41  You sat on a ·fine bed [luxurious couch] with a table set before it, on which you put my incense and my oil.
23:42  “There was the noise of a ·reckless [or carefree] crowd in the city. Common people gathered, and ·drunkards [or Sabaeans; C inhabitants of Sheba, in present-day Yemen] were brought from the ·desert [wilderness]. They put bracelets on the wrists of the two sisters and beautiful crowns on their heads.
23:43  Then I said about the one who was worn out by her acts of adultery, ‘Let them continue their ·sexual sins [prostitution] with her. ·She is nothing but a prostitute [L …even her].’
23:44  They kept going to her as they would go to a prostitute. So they continued to go to ·Samaria [L Oholah] and ·Jerusalem [L Oholibah; v. 4], these ·shameful [lewd; obscene] women.
23:45  But men who ·do right [are righteous] will ·punish them as they punish [judge them with the judgment against] women who take part in adultery and who ·murder people [shed blood], because they are guilty of adultery and ·murder [L blood is on their hands].
23:46  “This is what the Lord God says: Bring together a mob against ·Samaria and Jerusalem [L them] and hand them over to ·be frightened and robbed [terror and plunder].
23:47  Let the ·mob [army; host] stone them, and let them cut them down with their swords. Let them kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses down.
23:48  “So I will put an end to ·sexual sins [lewdness; obscenity] in the land. Then all women will be warned, and they will not ·do the sexual sins you have done [practice the same wickedness].
23:49  ·You will be punished [L They will repay you] for your ·sexual sins [lewdness; obscenity] and the sin of worshiping idols. Then you will know that I am the Lord God.”