The abominations declared

The Two Sister Cities · Ezekiel 23

Story guide: An empty sandal and unlit furnace acknowledge child sacrifice without showing a child or harm; civic dismantling replaces stoning and burning.

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36Then Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.”

37For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands; they have committed adultery with their idols, and they even made their sons, whom they bore to me, pass through the fire to them as food.

38Moreover, they did this to me: they defiled my sanctuary on that same day, and they profaned my Sabbaths.

39For when they slaughtered their sons for their idols, they came into my sanctuary on that same day to defile it. Look—this is what they did within my house.

40And moreover, they sent for men coming from far away, to whom a messenger had been sent; and behold, they came—to the one who had washed herself, painted her eyes, and adorned herself with jewelry.

41You sat on a splendid couch, with a table set before it, and on it you placed my incense and my oil.

42And the sound of a carefree multitude was in her, and to the men from the mass of mankind were brought drunkards from the wilderness; and they put bracelets on their hands and a beautiful crown on their heads.

43Then I said of her, worn out by adulteries, ‘Now they will commit her prostitution with her, and she herself as well.’

44They went in to her as men go in to a prostitute; so they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, women of depravity.

45But righteous men will judge them with the judgment of adulteresses and with the judgment of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.

46For thus says the Lord GOD: Bring up an assembly against them, and give them over to terror and plunder.

47And the assembly will stone them with stones and cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and their daughters, and burn their houses with fire.

48Thus I will put an end to lewdness in the land, and all women will be warned and will not act according to your lewdness.

49They will put your lewdness upon you, and you will bear the sins of your idols; then you will know that I am the Lord YHWH.

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