Ezekiel 23 – NIVUK & BPH

New International Version – UK

Ezekiel 23:1-49

Two adulterous sisters

1The word of the Lord came to me: 2‘Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother. 3They became prostitutes in Egypt, engaging in prostitution from their youth. In that land their breasts were fondled and their virgin bosoms caressed. 4The elder one was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

5‘Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was still mine; and she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians – warriors 6clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men, and mounted horsemen. 7She gave herself as a prostitute to all the elite of the Assyrians and defiled herself with all the idols of everyone she lusted after. 8She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when during her youth men slept with her, caressed her virgin bosom and poured out their lust on her.

9‘Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, the Assyrians, for whom she lusted. 10They stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women, and punishment was inflicted on her.

11‘Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister. 12She too lusted after the Assyrians – governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen, all handsome young men. 13I saw that she too defiled herself; both of them went the same way.

14‘But she carried her prostitution still further. She saw men portrayed on a wall, figures of Chaldeans23:14 Or Babylonians portrayed in red, 15with belts round their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers, natives of Chaldea.23:15 Or Babylonia; also in verse 16 16As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. 17Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. After she had been defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust. 18When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her naked body, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister. 19Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. 20There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. 21So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled.23:21 Syriac (see also verse 3); Hebrew caressed because of your young breasts

22‘Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will stir up your lovers against you, those you turned away from in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side – 23the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, the men of Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, all of them governors and commanders, chariot officers and men of high rank, all mounted on horses. 24They will come against you with weapons,23:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. chariots and wagons and with a throng of people; they will take up positions against you on every side with large and small shields and with helmets. I will turn you over to them for punishment, and they will punish you according to their standards. 25I will direct my jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and your ears, and those of you who are left will fall by the sword. They will take away your sons and daughters, and those of you who are left will be consumed by fire. 26They will also strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewellery. 27So I will put a stop to the lewdness and prostitution you began in Egypt. You will not look on these things with longing or remember Egypt anymore.

28‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to deliver you into the hands of those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust. 29They will deal with you in hatred and take away everything you have worked for. They will leave you stark naked, and the shame of your prostitution will be exposed. Your lewdness and promiscuity 30have brought this on you, because you lusted after the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. 31You have gone the way of your sister; so I will put her cup into your hand.

32‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

‘You will drink your sister’s cup,

a cup large and deep;

it will bring scorn and derision,

for it holds so much.

33You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,

the cup of ruin and desolation,

the cup of your sister Samaria.

34You will drink it and drain it dry

and chew on its pieces –

and you will tear your breasts.

I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.

35‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: since you have forgotten me and turned your back on me, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.’

36The Lord said to me: ‘Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront them with their detestable practices, 37for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them. 38They have also done this to me: at that same time they defiled my sanctuary and desecrated my Sabbaths. 39On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated it. That is what they did in my house.

40‘They even sent messengers for men who came from far away, and when they arrived you bathed yourself for them, applied eye makeup and put on your jewellery. 41You sat on an elegant couch, with a table spread before it on which you had placed the incense and olive oil that belonged to me.

42‘The noise of a carefree crowd was around her; drunkards were brought from the desert along with men from the rabble, and they put bracelets on the wrists of the woman and her sister and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, “Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is.” 44And they slept with her. As men sleep with a prostitute, so they slept with those lewd women, Oholah and Oholibah. 45But righteous judges will sentence them to the punishment of women who commit adultery and shed blood, because they are adulterous and blood is on their hands.

46‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: bring a mob against them and give them over to terror and plunder. 47The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses.

48‘So I will put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you. 49You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’

Bibelen på hverdagsdansk

Ezekiels Bog 23:1-49

Billedtale om Samarias og Jerusalems utroskab

1Herren sagde til mig: 2-3„Du menneske, der var engang to søstre, der fra deres tidligste ungdom levede som prostituerede i Egypten. Dér krammede og knugede man deres jomfruelige bryster. 4Storesøsteren hed Ohola og lillesøsteren Oholiba. De symboliserer Samaria og Jerusalem.23,4 De to navne, der betyder „hendes telt” og „mit telt er i hende”, hentyder til, at Jerusalem havde Herrens helligdom/telt, mens Samaria havde sin egen helligdom. Hovedstæderne står symbolsk for Nordriget og Sydriget.

Jeg giftede mig med dem begge, og de fødte mig sønner og døtre. 5Men Ohola var mig utro og blev forgabt i assyrerne, 6for deres officerer og stormænd var utrolig flotte med purpurfarvede klæder og prægtige heste. 7Hun horede med Assyriens fornemste mænd og dyrkede uhæmmet deres afguder. 8Allerede da hun var i Egypten, var hun utro imod mig og gav sig hen til afguderne der. Desværre holdt hun fast ved sin utroskab, selv efter at hun havde forladt Egypten.

9Derfor lagde jeg hendes skæbne i assyrernes hænder. Hendes elskere kunne nu gøre med hende, hvad de ville. 10Som straf ydmygede de hende ved at rive tøjet af hende og gøre hendes børn til slaver. Derpå blev hun slået ned med sværdet, og de andre kvinder hånede hende for den skændsel, hun blev udsat for.

11Men selv om hendes søster Oholiba så, hvad der skete med hende, tog hun ikke ved lære. Hendes afgudsliderlighed var forfærdelig, og hun syndede endnu mere end søsteren. 12Hun flirtede med de assyriske officerer og stormænd, der havde så flotte uniformer og prægtige heste. 13Hun var lige så troløs som sin søster, 14-15ja, hun var faktisk værre end søsteren, for hun forelskede sig endog i de babyloniske officerer, hun havde set malerier af på murene med røde uniformer, bælte om livet og turban på hovedet. 16Hun blev så forelsket i dem, at hun sendte bud til Babylon om, at de skulle komme til hende. 17De kom så og horede med hende, men bagefter følte hun afsky for dem.

18Fordi hun blottede sig for dem og gav sig selv hen til dem, blev jeg led ved hende, som jeg var blevet led ved hendes storesøster. 19-20Men det generede hende ikke. Hun huskede sin fortid som prostitueret i Egypten og gav sig nu hen til de liderlige egyptere, der var brunstige som æsler og gejle som hingste. 21Hun gik tilbage til sin ungdoms lyster, dengang man krammede hendes bryster i Egypten.

22Men hør nu Herrens ord, Oholiba: Alle dine elskere, som du vendte dig fra i afsky, hidser jeg op imod dig. 23Babylonierne kommer imod dig sammen med alle kaldæerne fra Pekod, Shoa og Koa. Også assyrerne sender jeg mod dig, alle de flotte officerer og stormænd, klædt i purpur og ridende på prægtige heste. 24Fra nord kommer stridsvogne og forsyningsvogne rumlende imod dig, og deres fodfolk kommer vrimlende fra alle kanter, bevæbnet til tænderne. Fjenden omringer dig fra alle sider, og jeg overlader det til dem at udføre straffen over dig. 25I jalousi vil jeg hævne mig på dig. Jeg lader dem skære næsen og ørerne af dig og bortføre dine børn som slaver. De, der overlever, vil falde for sværdet eller brændes i ilden. 26De vil flå tøjet af dig og rive dine juveler til sig. 27Sådan vil jeg gøre en ende på dine uhæmmede lidenskaber, den skamløse livsstil du tog med dig fra Egypten. Du skal ikke mere tilbede falske guder eller tænke på Egypten. 28Jeg giver dig i dine fjenders vold, dem du afskyr og har taget afstand fra. 29I deres raseri vil de frarøve dig alt, hvad du har, og slænge dig bort, nøgen og forladt, så din skandaløse livsstil afsløres. 30Al den elendighed er du selv skyld i, fordi du dyrkede fremmede folkeslags guder og gjorde dig selv uren ved at tilbede deres afgudsbilleder. 31Du fulgte i din søsters fodspor, og derfor skal du få en straf, der svarer til hendes. 32Det er en hård straf, og du bliver genstand for alverdens hån. Du må tømme straffens fyldte bæger til bunds. 33Du vil blive fuldstændig omtåget og stønne af gru og rædsel. 34Men du skal tømme det til sidste dråbe og derefter smadre det i tusind stykker og rive dig selv til blods i fortvivlelse. Jeg, Herren, har talt. 35Fordi du glemte mig og vendte mig ryggen, må du tage konsekvensen af din forfærdelige utroskab.”

36Herren fortsatte: „Du menneske, udtal min dom over Ohola og Oholiba. Fortæl om deres frygtelige synder. 37De var mig utro og har blod på hænderne, for de dyrkede afguderne og myrdede de børn, som de fødte mig, ved at brænde dem på afgudsaltrene. 38Desuden vanærede de mit tempel og overholdt ikke sabbatsbudet. 39Tænk, lige efter at have slagtet og brændt deres børn til ære for afguderne kom de til mit tempel for at tilbede mig! Hvilken afskyelig handlemåde!

40I to søstre sendte bud til fjerne lande efter flotte mænd. I badede jer, lagde sminke på øjnene og tog jeres fineste smykker på. 41I satte jer til bords på elegante puder og stillede min hellige røgelse og olie frem på bordet. 42Der var fest og ballade. De mange indbudte mænd fra ørkenen drak sig fulde og satte armringe på jeres arme og en fornem krone på jeres hoved. 43Jeg sagde til mig selv: De utro gamle skøger! 44Derpå gik mændene ind til Ohola og Oholiba som til prostituerede. Åh, de skamløse kvinder. 45Men retskafne mænd skal efter lovens ord idømme dem straffen for ægteskabsbrud og mord, for de har været utro imod mig, og de har blod på hænderne.

46Gud Herren siger: Før en hær imod dem, så de bliver terroriseret og udplyndret. 47Lad fjenden kaste sten imod dem og hugge dem ned med sværdet, slagte deres børn og brænde deres huse ned til grunden. 48For jeg vil sætte en stopper for den afgudsliderlighed, der hersker i landet. I skal være et eksempel til skræk og advarsel for andre til alle tider. 49I vil blive straffet hårdt for jeres uanstændige afguderi, og I skal forstå, at jeg er Herren.”