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The Sins of Jerusalem

22 The Lord’s message came to me: “As for you, son of man, are you willing to pronounce judgment?[a] Are you willing to pronounce judgment on the bloody city?[b] Then confront her with all her abominable deeds! Then say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O city, who spills blood within herself (which brings on her doom),[c] and who makes herself idols (which results in impurity), you are guilty because of the blood you shed and defiled by the idols you made. You have hastened the day of your doom;[d] the end of your years has come.[e] Therefore I will make[f] you an object of scorn to the nations, an object to be mocked by all lands. Those both near and far from you will mock you, you with your bad reputation,[g] full of turmoil.

“‘See how each of the princes of Israel living within you has used his authority to shed blood.[h] They have treated father and mother with contempt[i] within you; they have oppressed the resident foreigner among you; they have wronged the orphan and the widow[j] within you. You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths! Slanderous men shed blood within you.[k] Those who live within you eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains;[l] they commit obscene acts among you.[m] 10 They have sexual relations with their father’s wife within you;[n] they violate women during their menstrual period within you.[o] 11 One[p] commits an abominable act with his neighbor’s wife; another obscenely defiles his daughter-in-law; another violates[q] his sister—his father’s daughter[r]—within you. 12 They take bribes within you to shed blood. You engage in usury and charge interest;[s] you extort money from your neighbors. You have forgotten me,[t] declares the Sovereign Lord.[u]

13 “‘See, I strike my hands together[v] at the dishonest profit you have made, and at the bloodshed[w] they have done among you. 14 Can your heart endure,[x] or can your hands be strong when I deal with you?[y] I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it! 15 I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you among various countries; I will remove your impurity from you.[z] 16 You will be profaned within yourself[aa] in the sight of the nations; then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

17 The Lord’s message came to me: 18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become slag to me. All of them are like bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the furnace;[ab] they are the worthless slag of silver. 19 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because all of you[ac] have become slag, look out! I am about to gather you in the middle of Jerusalem. 20 As silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin are gathered in a furnace so that the fire can blow on them to melt them, so I will gather you in my anger and in my rage. I will deposit you there[ad] and melt you. 21 I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my fury, and you will be melted in it. 22 As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted in it, and you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my anger on you.’”

23 The Lord’s message came to me: 24 “Son of man, say to her: ‘You are a land that receives no rain[ae] or showers in the day of my anger.’[af] 25 Her princes[ag] within her are like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they have devoured lives. They take away riches and valuable things; they have made many women widows[ah] within it. 26 Her priests abuse my law and have desecrated my holy things. They do not distinguish between the holy and the profane,[ai] or recognize any distinction between the unclean and the clean. They ignore[aj] my Sabbaths, and I am profaned in their midst. 27 Her officials are like wolves in her midst rending their prey—shedding blood and destroying lives—so they can get dishonest profit. 28 Her prophets coat their messages with whitewash.[ak] They see false visions and announce lying omens for them, saying, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’ when the Lord has not spoken. 29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have wronged the poor and needy; they have oppressed the resident foreigner and denied them justice.[al]

30 “I looked for a man from among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it, but I found no one.[am] 31 So I have poured my anger on them and destroyed them with the fire of my fury. I hereby repay them for what they have done,[an] declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Two Sisters

23 The Lord’s message came to me: “Son of man, there were two women who were daughters of the same mother. They engaged in prostitution in Egypt; in their youth they engaged in prostitution. Their breasts were squeezed there; lovers[ao] fondled their virgin nipples there. Oholah was the name of the older and Oholibah[ap] the name of her younger sister. They became mine and gave birth to sons and daughters.[aq] Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

“Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was mine.[ar] She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians[as]—warriors[at] clothed in blue, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. She bestowed her sexual favors[au] on them; all of them were the choicest young men of Assyria. She defiled herself with all whom she desired[av]—with all their idols. She did not abandon the prostitution she had practiced in Egypt, for in her youth men went to bed[aw] with her, fondled her virgin breasts, and ravished her.[ax] Therefore I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians[ay] for whom she lusted. 10 They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. She became notorious[az] among women, and they executed judgments against her.

11 “Her sister Oholibah watched this,[ba] but she became more corrupt in her lust than her sister had been, and her acts of prostitution were more numerous than those of her sister. 12 She lusted after the Assyrians—governors and officials, warriors in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. 13 I saw that she was defiled; both of them followed the same path. 14 But she increased her prostitution. She saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans carved in bright red,[bb] 15 wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, the image of Babylonians[bc] whose native land is Chaldea. 16 When she saw them,[bd] she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.[be] 17 The Babylonians crawled into bed with her.[bf] They defiled her with their lust; after she was defiled by them, she[bg] became disgusted with them. 18 When she lustfully exposed her nakedness,[bh] I[bi] was disgusted with her, just as I[bj] had been disgusted with her sister. 19 Yet she increased her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth when she engaged in prostitution in the land of Egypt. 20 She lusted after her lovers there, whose genitals were like those of donkeys,[bk] and whose emission was like that of stallions. 21 This is how you assessed[bl] the obscene conduct of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled[bm] your nipples and squeezed[bn] your young breasts.

22 “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look here,[bo] I am about to stir up against you the lovers with whom you were disgusted; I will bring them against you from every side: 23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod,[bp] Shoa,[bq] and Koa,[br] and all the Assyrians with them, desirable young men, all of them governors and officials, officers and nobles, all of them riding on horses. 24 They will attack[bs] you with weapons,[bt] chariots, wagons, and with a huge army;[bu] they will array themselves against you on every side with large shields, small shields, and helmets. I will assign them the task of judgment;[bv] they will punish you according to their laws. 25 I will direct[bw] my jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in rage. They will cut off your nose and your ears,[bx] and your survivors will die[by] by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your survivors will be consumed by fire. 26 They will strip your clothes off you and take away your beautiful jewelry. 27 So I will put an end to your obscene conduct and your prostitution that you have practiced in the land of Egypt.[bz] You will not seek their help[ca] or remember Egypt anymore.

28 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look here,[cb] I am about to deliver you over to[cc] those whom you hate, to those with whom you were disgusted. 29 They will treat you with hatred, take away all you have labored for,[cd] and leave you naked and bare. Your nakedness will be exposed, just as when you engaged in prostitution and obscene conduct.[ce] 30 I will do these things to you[cf] because you engaged in prostitution with the nations, polluting yourself with their idols. 31 You have followed the ways of your sister, so I will place her cup of judgment[cg] in your hand. 32 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘You will drink your sister’s deep and wide cup;[ch] you will be scorned and derided, for it holds a great deal. 33 You will be overcome by[ci] drunkenness and sorrow. The cup of your sister Samaria is a cup of horror and desolation. 34 You will drain it dry,[cj] gnaw its pieces,[ck] and tear out your breasts,[cl] for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.’

35 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have forgotten me and completely disregarded me,[cm] you must bear now the punishment for[cn] your obscene conduct and prostitution.”

36 The Lord said to me: “Son of man, are you willing to pronounce judgment[co] on Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominable deeds! 37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and their sons, whom they bore to me,[cp] they have passed through the fire as food to their idols.[cq] 38 Moreover, they have done this to me: In the very same day[cr] they desecrated my sanctuary and profaned my Sabbaths. 39 On the same day they slaughtered their sons for their idols, they came to my sanctuary to desecrate it. This is what they have done in the middle of my house.

40 “They even sent for men from far away; when the messenger arrived, those men set out.[cs] For them you bathed,[ct] painted your eyes, and decorated yourself with jewelry. 41 You sat on a magnificent couch, with a table arranged in front of it where you placed my incense and my olive oil. 42 The sound of a carefree crowd accompanied her,[cu] including all kinds of men;[cv] even Sabeans[cw] were brought from the desert. The sisters[cx] put bracelets on their wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43 Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will commit immoral acts with her.’ 44 They slept with her[cy] the way someone sleeps with a prostitute. In this way they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, promiscuous women. 45 But upright men will punish them appropriately for their adultery and bloodshed,[cz] because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.

46 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Bring up an army[da] against them and subject them[db] to terror and plunder. 47 That army will pelt them with stones and slash them with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses.[dc] 48 I will put an end to the obscene conduct in the land; all the women will learn a lesson from this and not engage in obscene conduct. 49 They will repay you for your obscene conduct, and you will be punished for idol worship.[dd] Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 22:2 tn Heb “will you judge.” Here the imperfect form of the verb is probably used with a desiderative nuance. Addressed to the prophet, “judge” means to warn of or pronounce God’s impending judgment upon the city. See 20:4.
  2. Ezekiel 22:2 tn The phrase “bloody city” is used of Nineveh in Nah 3:1.
  3. Ezekiel 22:3 tn Heb “her time”; this refers to the time of impending judgment (see the note on “doom” in v. 4).
  4. Ezekiel 22:4 tn Heb “you have brought near your days.” The expression “bring near your days” appears to be an adaptation of the idiom “days draw near,” which is used to indicate that an event, such as death, is imminent (see Gen 27:41; 47:29; Deut 31:14; 1 Kgs 2:1; Ezek 12:23). Here “your days” probably refer to the days of the personified city’s life, which was about to come to an end through God’s judgment.
  5. Ezekiel 22:4 tn Heb “and you have come to your years.” This appears to mean that she has arrived at the time when her years (i.e., life) would end, though it may mean that her years of punishment will begin. Because “day” and “time” are so closely associated in the immediate context (see 21:25, 29), some prefer to emend the text and read: “you have brought near your time.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:31, as well as the translator’s note on verse 3.
  6. Ezekiel 22:4 tn The Hebrew verb is a prophetic perfect, emphasizing that the action is as good as done from the speaker’s perspective.
  7. Ezekiel 22:5 tn Heb “unclean of name.”
  8. Ezekiel 22:6 tn Heb “Look! The princes of Israel, each according to his arm, were in you in order to shed blood.”
  9. Ezekiel 22:7 tn Heb “treated lightly, cursed.”
  10. Ezekiel 22:7 tn Widows and orphans are often coupled together in the OT (Deut 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:19-21; 26:12-13; Jer 7:6; 22:3). They represented all who were poor and vulnerable to economic exploitation.
  11. Ezekiel 22:9 tn Heb “men of slander are in you in order to shed blood.”
  12. Ezekiel 22:9 tn Heb “and on the mountains they eat within you.” The mountains mentioned here were the site of pagan sacrifices. See 18:6.
  13. Ezekiel 22:9 sn This statement introduces vv. 10-11 and refers in general terms to the sexual sins described there. For the legal background of vv. 10-11, see Lev 18:7-20; 20:10-21; Deut 22:22-23, 30; 27:22.
  14. Ezekiel 22:10 tn Heb “The nakedness of a father one uncovers within you.” The ancient versions read the verb as plural (“they uncover”). If the singular is retained, it must be taken as indefinite and representative of the entire group. The idiomatic expression “uncover the nakedness” refers here to sexual intercourse (cf. Lev 18:6). To uncover a father’s nakedness could include sexual relations with one’s own mother (Lev 18:7), but more likely it refers to having intercourse with another wife of one’s father, such as a stepmother (Lev 18:8; cf. Gen 35:22; 49:4).
  15. Ezekiel 22:10 tn Heb “(one who is) unclean due to the impurity they humble within you.” The use of the verb “to humble” suggests that these men forced themselves upon women during menstruation. Having sexual relations with a woman during her period was forbidden by the Law (Lev 18:19; 20:18).
  16. Ezekiel 22:11 tn Heb “a man.”
  17. Ezekiel 22:11 tn The verb is the same one used in verse 10b and suggests forcible sexual violation of the woman.
  18. Ezekiel 22:11 sn Sexual relations with one’s half-sister may be primarily in view here. See Lev 18:9 and 20:17.
  19. Ezekiel 22:12 tn Heb “usury and interest you take.” See 18:13, 17. This kind of economic exploitation violated the law given in Lev 25:36.
  20. Ezekiel 22:12 sn Forgetting the Lord is also addressed in Deut 6:12; 8:11, 14; Jer 3:21; 13:25; Ezek 23:35; Hos 2:15; 8:14; 13:6.
  21. Ezekiel 22:12 tn The second person verb forms are feminine singular in Hebrew, indicating that the personified city is addressed here as representing its citizens.
  22. Ezekiel 22:13 sn This gesture apparently expresses mourning and/or anger (see 6:11; 21:14, 17).
  23. Ezekiel 22:13 tn Heb “the blood that was in you.”
  24. Ezekiel 22:14 tn Heb “stand.” The heart here stands for the emotions; Jerusalem would panic in the face of God’s judgment.
  25. Ezekiel 22:14 tn Heb “in the days when I act against you.”
  26. Ezekiel 22:15 sn The ultimate purpose of divine judgment is to purify the covenant community of its sins.
  27. Ezekiel 22:16 tc Several ancient versions read the verb as first person, in which case the Lord refers to how his people’s sin brings disgrace upon him. For a defense of the Hebrew text, see D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:712, n. 68, and M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:457-58. tn The phrase “within yourself” is the same as the several previous occurrences of “within you” but adjusted to fit this clause, which is the culmination of the series of indictments.
  28. Ezekiel 22:18 tn For similar imagery, see Isa 1:21-26 and Jer 6:27-30.
  29. Ezekiel 22:19 tn The Hebrew second person pronoun is masculine plural here and in vv. 19b-21, indicating that the people are being addressed.
  30. Ezekiel 22:20 tn Heb “I will put.” No object is supplied in the Hebrew, prompting many to emend the text to “I will blow.” See BHS and verse 21.
  31. Ezekiel 22:24 tc The MT reads: “that is not cleansed”; the LXX reads: “that is not drenched,” which assumes a different vowel pointing as well as the loss of a מ (mem) due to haplography. In light of the following reference to showers, the reading of the LXX certainly fits the context well. For a defense of the emendation, see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:32. Yet the MT is not an unreasonable reading since uncleanness in the land also fits the context. A poetic connection between rain and the land being uncleansed may be feasible since washing with water is elsewhere associated with cleansing (Num 8:7; 31:23; Ps 51:7).
  32. Ezekiel 22:24 tn Heb “in a day of anger.”
  33. Ezekiel 22:25 tn Heb “a conspiracy of her prophets is in her midst.” The LXX reads “whose princes” rather than “a conspiracy of prophets.” The prophets are mentioned later in the paragraph (v. 28). If one follows the LXX in verse 25, then five distinct groups are mentioned in vv. 25-29: princes, priests, officials, prophets, and the people of the land. For a defense of the Septuagintal reading, see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:32, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:720, n. 4.
  34. Ezekiel 22:25 tn Heb “her widows they have multiplied.” The statement alludes to their murderous acts.
  35. Ezekiel 22:26 tn Or “between the consecrated and the common.”
  36. Ezekiel 22:26 tn Heb “hide their eyes from.” The idiom means to disregard or ignore something or someone (see Lev 20:4; 1 Sam 12:3; Prov 28:27; Isa 1:15).
  37. Ezekiel 22:28 tn Heb “Her prophets coat for themselves with whitewash.” The expression may be based on Ezek 13:10-15.
  38. Ezekiel 22:29 tn Heb “and the resident foreigner they have oppressed without justice.”
  39. Ezekiel 22:30 tn Heb “I did not find.”
  40. Ezekiel 22:31 tn Heb “their way on their head I have placed.”
  41. Ezekiel 23:3 tn In the Hebrew text the subject is left unstated and must be supplied from the context.
  42. Ezekiel 23:4 tn The names Oholah and Oholibah are both derived from the word meaning “tent.” The meaning of Oholah is “her tent,” while Oholibah means “my tent is in her.”
  43. Ezekiel 23:4 sn In this allegory the Lord is depicted as being the husband of two wives. The OT law prohibited a man from marrying sisters (Lev 18:18), but the practice is attested in the OT (cf. Jacob). The metaphor is utilized here for illustrative purposes and does not mean that the Lord condoned such a practice or bigamy in general.
  44. Ezekiel 23:5 tn Heb “while she was under me.” The expression indicates that Oholah is viewed as the Lord’s wife. See Num 5:19-20, 29. sn Engaged in prostitution refers to alliances with pagan nations in this context. In Ezek 16 harlotry described the sin of idolatry.
  45. Ezekiel 23:5 tn Heb “Assyria.”
  46. Ezekiel 23:5 tn The term apparently refers to Assyrian military officers; it is better construed with the description that follows. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:738.
  47. Ezekiel 23:7 tn Heb “her harlotries.”
  48. Ezekiel 23:7 tn Heb “lusted after.”
  49. Ezekiel 23:8 tn Heb “lied down with.” The verb שָׁכַב (shakav) “to lie down” can imply going to bed to sleep or be a euphemism for sexual relations.
  50. Ezekiel 23:8 tn Heb “and poured out their harlotry on her.”
  51. Ezekiel 23:9 tn Heb “I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the sons of Assyria.”
  52. Ezekiel 23:10 tn Heb “name.”
  53. Ezekiel 23:11 tn The word “this” is not in the original text.
  54. Ezekiel 23:14 tn The only other occurrence of the Hebrew term is in Jer 22:14.
  55. Ezekiel 23:15 tn Heb “the sons of Babel.”
  56. Ezekiel 23:16 tn Heb “at the appearance of her eyes.”
  57. Ezekiel 23:16 sn The Chaldeans were prominent tribal groups of Babylonia. The imagery is reminiscent of events in the reigns of Hezekiah (2 Kgs 20:12-15) and Jehoiakim (2 Kgs 23:34-24:1).
  58. Ezekiel 23:17 tn Heb “The sons of Babel came to her on a bed of love.”
  59. Ezekiel 23:17 tn Heb “her soul.”
  60. Ezekiel 23:18 tn Heb “She exposed her harlotry and exposed her nakedness.”
  61. Ezekiel 23:18 tn Heb “my soul.”
  62. Ezekiel 23:18 tn Heb “my soul.”
  63. Ezekiel 23:20 tn Heb “She lusted after their concubines (?), whose flesh was the flesh of donkeys.” The phrase “their concubines” is difficult here. The pronoun is masculine plural, suggesting that the Egyptian men are in view, but how concubines would fit into the picture envisioned here is not clear. It is possible that the term refers here to the Egyptians’ genitals. The relative pronoun that follows introduces a more specific description of them. Some suggest that Ezekiel uses the term in an idiomatic sense of “paramour,” which is reflected in the translation above.
  64. Ezekiel 23:21 tn Or “you took note of.” The Hebrew verb פָּקַד (paqad) in the Qal implies evaluating something and then acting in light of that judgment; here the prophet depicts Judah as approving of her youthful unfaithfulness and then magnifying it at the present time. Some translations assume the verb should be repointed as a Niphal, rendering “you missed” or by extension “you longed for,” but such an extension of the Niphal “to be missing” is otherwise unattested.
  65. Ezekiel 23:21 tn Heb “when (they) did,” but the verb makes no sense here and is better emended to “when (they) fondled,” a verb used in vv. 3 and 8. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:43.
  66. Ezekiel 23:21 tn Heb “for the sake of,” but the expression is awkward and is better emended to read “to squeeze.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:43.
  67. Ezekiel 23:22 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
  68. Ezekiel 23:23 sn Pekod was the name of an Aramean tribe (known as Puqudu in Mesopotamian texts) that lived in the region of the Tigris River.
  69. Ezekiel 23:23 sn Shoa was the name of a nomadic people (the Sutu) that lived in Mesopotamia.
  70. Ezekiel 23:23 sn Koa was the name of another Mesopotamian people group (the Qutu).
  71. Ezekiel 23:24 tn Heb “come against.”
  72. Ezekiel 23:24 tn This is the only occurrence of this term in the OT. The precise meaning is uncertain.
  73. Ezekiel 23:24 tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”
  74. Ezekiel 23:24 tn Heb “I will place before them judgment.”
  75. Ezekiel 23:25 tn Heb “give.”
  76. Ezekiel 23:25 tn Heb “they will remove.” sn This method of punishment is attested among ancient Egyptian and Hittite civilizations. See W. Zimmerli, Ezekiel (Hermeneia), 1:489.
  77. Ezekiel 23:25 tn Heb “fall.”
  78. Ezekiel 23:27 tn Heb “I will cause your obscene conduct to cease from you and your harlotry from the land of Egypt.”
  79. Ezekiel 23:27 tn Heb “lift your eyes to them.”
  80. Ezekiel 23:28 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
  81. Ezekiel 23:28 tn Heb “I am giving you into the hand of.”
  82. Ezekiel 23:29 tn The Hebrew term means “labor,” but by extension it can also refer to that for which one works.
  83. Ezekiel 23:29 tn Heb “The nakedness of your prostitution will be exposed, and your obscene conduct and your harlotry.”
  84. Ezekiel 23:30 tn The infinitive absolute continues the sequence begun in v. 28: “Look here, I am about to deliver you.” See Joüon 2:430 §123.w.
  85. Ezekiel 23:31 tn Heb “her cup.” A cup of intoxicating strong drink is used, here and elsewhere, as a metaphor for judgment because both leave one confused and reeling. (See Jer 25:15, 17, 28; Hab 2:16.) The cup of wrath is a theme also found in the NT (Mark 14:36).
  86. Ezekiel 23:32 sn The image of a deep and wide cup suggests the degree of punishment; it will be extensive and leave the victim helpless.
  87. Ezekiel 23:33 tn Heb “filled with.”
  88. Ezekiel 23:34 tn Heb “You will drink it and drain (it).”
  89. Ezekiel 23:34 tn D. I. Block compares this to the idiom of “licking the plate” (Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:754, n. 137). The text is difficult as the word translated “gnaw” is rare. The noun is used of the shattered pieces of pottery and so could envision a broken cup. But the Piel verb form is used in only one other place (Num 24:8), where it is a denominative from the noun “bone” and seems to mean to “break (bones).” Why it would be collocated with “sherds” is not clear. For this reason some emend the phrase to read “consume its dregs” (see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 2:44) or emend the verb to read “swallow,” as if the intoxicated Oholibah breaks the cup and then eats the very sherds in an effort to get every last drop of the beverage that dampens them.
  90. Ezekiel 23:34 sn The severe action is more extreme than beating the breasts in anguish (Isa 32:12; Nah 2:7). It is also ironic, for these are the very breasts she so blatantly offered to her lovers (vv. 3, 21).
  91. Ezekiel 23:35 tn Heb “and you cast me behind your back.” The expression pictures her rejection of the Lord (see 1 Kgs 14:9).
  92. Ezekiel 23:35 tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text but is demanded by the context.
  93. Ezekiel 23:36 tn Heb “will you judge.” Here the imperfect form of the verb is probably used with a desiderative nuance. Addressed to the prophet, “judge” means to warn of or pronounce God’s impending judgment. See 20:4 and 22:2.
  94. Ezekiel 23:37 sn The Lord speaks here in the role of the husband of the sisters.
  95. Ezekiel 23:37 tn Heb “they have passed to them for food.” The verb is commonly taken to refer to passing children through fire, especially as an offering to the pagan god Molech. See Jer 32:35.
  96. Ezekiel 23:38 tn Heb “in that day.”
  97. Ezekiel 23:40 tn Heb “to whom a messenger was sent, and look, they came.” Foreign alliances are in view here.
  98. Ezekiel 23:40 tn The Hebrew verb form is feminine singular, indicating that Oholibah (Judah) is specifically addressed here. This address continues through verse 42a (note “her”), but then both sisters are described in verse 42b, where the feminine pronouns are again plural.
  99. Ezekiel 23:42 tn Heb “(was) in her.”
  100. Ezekiel 23:42 tn Heb “and men from the multitude of mankind.”
  101. Ezekiel 23:42 tn An alternate reading is “drunkards.” Sheba is located in the area of modern day Yemen.
  102. Ezekiel 23:42 tn Heb “they”; the referents (the sisters) have been specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.
  103. Ezekiel 23:44 tn Heb “approached.” The verb בּוֹא (boʾ) with the preposition אֶל (ʾel) means “come to” or “approach” but is also used as a euphemism for sexual relations.
  104. Ezekiel 23:45 tn Heb “and upright men will judge them (with) the judgment of adulteresses and the judgment of those who shed blood.”
  105. Ezekiel 23:46 tn Heb “assembly.”
  106. Ezekiel 23:46 tn Heb “give them to.”
  107. Ezekiel 23:47 tn The Hebrew text adds: “with fire.”
  108. Ezekiel 23:49 tn Heb “and the sins of your idols you will bear.” By extension it can mean the punishment for the sins.