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The word of the Lord came to me again, saying,
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"Son of man, there were atwo women, the daughters of one mother;
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and they played the harlot in Egypt. They aplayed the harlot in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and there their virgin bosom was handled.
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"Their names were Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister. And they became Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. And as for their names, Samaria is Oholah and Jerusalem is Oholibah.
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"Oholah played the harlot while she was Mine; and she lusted after her lovers, after the aAssyrians, her neighbors,
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who were clothed in purple, agovernors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses.
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"She bestowed her harlotries on them, all of whom were the choicest men of Assyria; and with all whom she lusted after, with all their idols she adefiled herself.
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"She did not forsake her harlotries afrom the time in Egypt; for in her youth men had lain with her, and they handled her virgin bosom and poured out their lust on her.
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"Therefore, I gave her into the hand of her alovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, after whom she lusted.
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"They auncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and her daughters, but they slew her with the sword. Thus she became a byword among women, and they executed judgments on her.
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"Now her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was amore corrupt in her lust than she, and her harlotries were more than the harlotries of her sister.
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"She lusted after the aAssyrians, governors and officials, the ones near, magnificently dressed, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men.
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"I saw that she had defiled herself; they both took the same way.
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"So she increased her harlotries. And she saw men aportrayed on the wall, images of the bChaldeans portrayed with vermilion,
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girded with belts on their loins, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, like the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth.
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"When she saw them she alusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.
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"The aBabylonians came to her to the bed of love and defiled her with their harlotry. And when she had been defiled by them, she became disgusted with them.
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"She auncovered her harlotries and uncovered her nakedness; then I became bdisgusted with her, as I had become disgusted with her csister.
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"Yet she multiplied her harlotries, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
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"She alusted after their paramours, whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys and whose issue is like the issue of horses.
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"Thus you longed for the alewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom because of the breasts of your youth.
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"Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold I will arouse your lovers against you, from whom you were alienated, and I will bring them against you from every side:
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the aBabylonians and all the bChaldeans, cPekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the dAssyrians with them; desirable young men, governors and officials all of them, officers and men of renown, all of them riding on horses.
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'They will come against you with weapons, achariots and wagons, and with a company of peoples. They will set themselves against you on every side with buckler and shield and helmet; and I will commit the bjudgment to them, and they will judge you according to their customs.
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'I will set My ajealousy against you, that they may deal with you in wrath. They will remove your nose and your ears; and your survivors will fall by the sword. They will take your bsons and your daughters; and your survivors will be consumed by the fire.
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'They will also astrip you of your clothes and take away your bbeautiful jewels.
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'Thus aI will make your lewdness and your harlotry brought from the land of Egypt to cease from you, so that you will not lift up your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.'
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"For thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I will give you into the hand of those whom you ahate, into the hand of those from whom you were alienated.
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'They will adeal with you in hatred, take all your property, and leave you naked and bare. And the nakedness of your harlotries will be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotries.
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'These things will be done to you because you have aplayed the harlot with the nations, because you have defiled yourself with their idols.
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'You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will give aher cup into your hand.'
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"Thus says the Lord GOD,
Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.