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 older 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 around 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 jewelry. 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 jewelry. 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.”
兩個淫婦的比喻
1耶和華對我說： 2「人子啊，有一對同胞姊妹， 3她們在埃及做娼妓，年輕時就淫亂，任人撫摸她們的胸，玩弄她們處女的乳。 4姐姐名叫阿荷拉，妹妹名叫阿荷利巴。後來她們都歸屬了我，並且生兒育女。阿荷拉即撒瑪利亞，阿荷利巴即耶路撒冷。
5「阿荷拉歸屬我後仍然淫亂，貪戀她的情人亞述戰士。 6他們都是身穿紫衣的省長和總督，都是英俊的年輕騎士。 7她便與這些亞述的精英放縱情慾，拜他們的偶像，玷污自己。 8她沒有放棄在埃及的淫蕩行為，她年輕的時候，就有人與她同寢，玩弄她處女的乳、發洩情慾。 9因此，我把她交在她所戀慕的亞述人手裡。 10他們扒光她的衣服，奪去她的兒女，用刀殺了她。她受了報應，成了婦女口中的笑柄。
11「她妹妹阿荷利巴看見這一切，不但沒有引以為戒，反而比姐姐更加放蕩淫亂。 12她貪戀亞述的省長和總督，那些衣著華麗、英俊的年輕騎士。 13我看見她玷污了自己，與姐姐的行徑如出一轍。 14她還變本加厲地放蕩淫亂，看見牆上用朱砂畫著迦勒底人的像， 15腰間束帶，頭巾飄揚，都像是來自迦勒底的巴比倫人的將領， 16便戀上了他們，差遣使者到他們那裡。 17巴比倫人便來上她的床，放縱情慾玷污了她。之後，她便厭棄他們。 18她繼續公開地淫亂，在眾人面前赤身露體，我厭棄她，像厭棄她姐姐一樣。 19她卻更加淫亂，懷念自己年輕時在埃及為娼的日子， 20貪戀那些體壯精足、如驢似馬的情人， 21渴望重溫早年的淫行，任埃及人摸胸弄乳的日子。
22「因此，主耶和華說，『阿荷利巴啊，我要促使那些你始亂終棄的情人從四面八方來攻擊你。 23他們是巴比倫人，還有從比割、書亞和哥亞來的所有迦勒底人以及亞述人，都是騎馬的英俊青年，有省長、總督及有名將領。 24他們率領大隊人馬，帶著兵器、戰車和軍需車來攻擊你。他們頂盔貫甲，手拿盾牌從四面八方進攻你。我要讓他們懲罰你，他們會按自己的律例來審判你。 25我要藉著他們向你傾倒我的義憤，他們要在憤怒中對付你，割去你的鼻子和耳朵，擄去你的兒女，城中剩下的人都要死於刀下，被火吞噬。 26他們要剝下你的衣服，奪去你的珠寶。 27我要藉此制止你從埃及染上的淫亂和放蕩，使你不再嚮往和留戀埃及。』
28「主耶和華說，『我要把你交在你憎惡的人手中，交在那些你始亂終棄的人手中， 29他們必滿懷仇恨地對付你，奪去你努力得來的一切，留下你赤身露體，使你淫蕩的醜惡公佈於眾。 30因為你與各國苟合，被他們的偶像玷污，這些事必臨到你身上。 31你既然步你姐姐的後塵，我要讓你喝她喝的那杯。』
32「主耶和華說，
「『你必喝你姐姐那又大又深的杯，
你必遭人恥笑和辱罵，
因為那杯能盛很多。
33你姐姐撒瑪利亞的杯盛滿了恐懼和淒涼。
你喝了後必酩酊大醉，
滿心憂愁。
34你必把它喝光，一滴不剩，
然後把杯摔成碎片，
抓破自己的胸脯，
因為我已經宣告。
這是主耶和華說的。』
35「主耶和華說，『你既忘記我，把我拋在腦後，就要受自己放蕩淫亂的報應。』」
36耶和華又對我說：「人子啊，你要審判阿荷拉和阿荷利巴，指出她們的醜行。 37她們淫蕩，手上沾滿血腥，與偶像淫亂，把為我所生的兒女燒死獻給偶像。 38同時，她們還這樣在同一天玷污我的聖所，褻瀆我的安息日， 39她們焚燒自己的兒女獻祭給偶像，並在當天進入我的聖所，褻瀆聖所。這就是她們在我聖所裡的惡行。
40「她們甚至派使者去請遠方的人，請來之後，就沐浴洗身，描眉畫眼，佩戴首飾， 41坐在華麗的床上，面前的桌子上擺設著我的香料和膏油。 42她們身邊傳出一群人的作樂聲，從曠野來的酒徒和粗漢把鐲子戴在這對姊妹的手腕上，把華冠戴在她們的頭上。 43關於這因縱慾而色衰的婦人，我說，『這些人會繼續與她淫亂。 44他們與這對淫婦阿荷拉和阿荷利巴淫亂，好像與娼妓淫亂一樣。 45她們是雙手沾滿血腥的淫婦，必有義人按她們應得的報應審判她們。』
46「主耶和華說，『我要使許多人起來攻擊、搶掠她們，叫她們膽戰心驚。 47這些人要用石頭打死她們，用刀殺戮她們，並殺死她們的兒女，用火燒毀她們的房屋。 48這樣，我便清除了這地方的淫亂，所有的婦女都引以為戒，不敢效法她們。 49她們淫亂，必得報應；她們拜偶像，必受懲罰。這樣，她們就知道我是主耶和華。』」
