Ezekiel 23 - Legacy Standard Bible

Ezekiel 23

The Harlotries of Oholah and Oholibah

The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying, 2 “Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother; 3 and they played the harlot in Egypt. They played the harlot in their youth; there their breasts were pressed, and there their virgin bosom was handled. 4 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. 5 “Oholah played the harlot while she was Mine; and she lusted after her lovers, after the Assyrians, her neighbors, 6 who were clothed in purple, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. 7 She gave her harlotries to them, all of them the choicest men of Assyria; and with all whom she lusted after, with all their idols she defiled herself. 8 She did not forsake her harlotries from the time in Egypt; for in her youth men had lain with her, and they handled her virgin bosom and poured out their harlotry on her. 9 Therefore, I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, after whom she lusted. 10 They uncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and her daughters, but they killed her with the sword. Thus she became a despised name among women, and they executed judgments on her. 11 “Now her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was more corrupt in her lust than she, and her harlotries were more than the harlotries of her sister. 12 She lusted after the Assyrians, governors and officials, the ones near, magnificently dressed, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable choice men. 13 And I saw that she had defiled herself; they both took the same way. 14 So she increased her harlotries. And she saw men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion, 15 girded with belts on their loins, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, in the likeness of the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth. 16 And she saw them and lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. 17 So the Babylonians came to her to the bed of love and defiled her with their harlotry. Then she became defiled by them, and her soul became disgusted with them. 18 And she uncovered her harlotries and uncovered her nakedness; then My soul became disgusted with her, as My soul had become disgusted with her sister. 19 Yet she multiplied her harlotries, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the harlot in the land of Egypt. 20 She lusted after their paramours, whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys and whose issue is like the issue of horses. 21 Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom because of the breasts of your youth. 22 “Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Behold, I will arouse your lovers against you, those with whom your soul was disgusted, and I will bring them against you from every side: 23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them; desirable choice men, governors and officials, all of them, officers and men of renown, all of them riding on horses. 24 They will come against you with weapons, chariots and wagons, and with an assembly of peoples. They will set themselves against you on every side with large shield and shield and helmet; and I will give the judgment to them, and they will judge you according to their judgments. 25 And I will set My jealousy 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 sons and your daughters; and your survivors will be consumed by the fire. 26 They will also strip you of your clothes and take away your beautiful jewelry. 27 Thus I 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.’ 28 For thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Behold, I will give you into the hand of those whom you hate, into the hand of those with whom your soul was disgusted. 29 They will deal with you in hatred, take all the fruit of your labor, and leave you naked and bare. And the nakedness of your harlotries will be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotries. 30 These things will be done to you because you have played the harlot with the nations, because you have defiled yourself with their idols. 31 You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will give her cup into your hand.’ 32 Thus says Lord Yahweh,

‘You will drink your sister’s cup,

Which is deep and wide.

You will be laughed at and held in derision;

It contains much.

You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,

The cup of horror and desolation,

The cup of your sister Samaria.

You will drink it and drain it.

Then you will gnaw its fragments

And tear your breasts;

for I have spoken,’ declares Lord Yahweh. 35 Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, bear now the punishment of your lewdness and your harlotries.’” 36 Moreover, Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations. 37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. Thus they have committed adultery with their idols and even caused their sons, whom they bore to Me, to pass through the fire to them as food. 38 Again, they have done this to Me: they have defiled My sanctuary on the same day and have profaned My sabbaths. 39 For when they had slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My sanctuary on the same day to profane it; and behold, thus they did within My house. 40 “Furthermore, they have even sent for men who come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and behold, they came—for whom you bathed, painted your eyes, and decorated yourselves with ornaments; 41 and you sat on a splendid couch with a table arranged before it on which you had set My incense and My oil. 42 The sound of a multitude at ease was with her; and drunkards were brought from the wilderness with men of the common sort. And they put bracelets on the hands of the women and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43 “Then I said concerning her who was worn out by adulteries, ‘Will they now commit harlotry with her when she is thus?’ 44 But they went in to her as they would go in to a harlot. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, the lewd women. 45 But they, 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. 46 “For thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Bring up an assembly against them and give them over to terror and plunder. 47 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. 48 Thus I will make lewdness cease from the land, that all women may be chastised and not commit lewdness as you have done. 49 Your lewdness will be requited upon you, and you will bear the sin of worshiping your idols; thus you will know that I am Lord Yahweh.’”

1 Timothy 5 - 6

Honor Widows

Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather plead with him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, 2 the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity. 3 Honor widows who are widows indeed, 4 but if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God. 5 Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in petitions and prayers night and day. 6 But she who lives in self-indulgence is dead even while she lives. 7 And command these things as well, so that they may be above reproach. 8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 9 A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one man, 10 having a reputation for good works; if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has assisted those in affliction, if she has devoted herself to every good work. 11 But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, 12 thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge. 13 And at the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house. And not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention. 14 Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no opportunity for reviling, 15 for some have already turned aside after Satan. 16 If any believing woman has widows, she must assist them and the church must not be burdened, so that it may assist those who are widows indeed.

Honoring the Elders

17 The elders who lead well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor at preaching the word and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while it is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” 19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. 20 Those who continue in sin, reprove in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful. 21 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His elect angels, to observe these instructions without bias, doing nothing in partiality. 22 Do not lay hands upon anyone hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself pure. 23 No longer drink water only, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. 24 The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after. 25 So also good works are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed.

Instructions to Those Who Serve

All who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be slandered. 2 But those who have believers as their masters must not be disrespectful to them because they are brothers, but must serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things. 3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words—those of our Lord Jesus Christ—and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, 4 he is conceited, understanding nothing but having a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. 6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8 And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evils, and some by aspiring to it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But you, O man of God, flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal might! Amen. 17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. 20 O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, turning aside from godless and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called knowledge— 21 which some, while professing, have gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.

Proverbs 1

To Know Wisdom

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2

To know wisdom and discipline,

To understand the sayings of understanding,

To receive discipline that leads to insight,

Righteousness, justice, and equity,

To give prudence to the simple,

To the youth knowledge and discretion;

Let the wise man hear and increase in learning,

And a man of understanding will acquire guidance,

To understand a proverb and an enigma,

The words of the wise and their riddles.

The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge;

Ignorant fools despise wisdom and discipline.

The Enticement of Sinners

Hear, my son, your father’s discipline

And do not abandon your mother’s instruction;

For they are a garland of grace for your head

And ornaments about your neck.

My son, if sinners entice you,

Do not be willing.

If they say, “Come with us,

Let us lie in wait for blood,

Let us ambush the innocent without cause;

Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,

And whole, as those who go down to the pit;

We will find all kinds of precious wealth,

We will fill our houses with spoil;

Cast in your lot with us,

We shall all have one purse,”

My son, do not walk in the way with them.

Withhold your feet from their pathway,

For their feet run to evil

And they hasten to shed blood.

For it is no use that a net is spread

In the sight of any bird;

But they lie in wait for their own blood;

They ambush their own lives.

So are the paths of everyone who is greedy for gain;

It takes away the life of its possessors.

The Call of Wisdom

Wisdom shouts in the street,

She gives forth her voice in the square;

At the head of the noisy streets she calls out;

At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:

“How long, O simple ones, will you love simplicity?

And scoffers delight in scoffing

And fools hate knowledge?

Turn to my reproof,

Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you;

I will make my words known to you.

Because I called and you refused,

I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;

And you neglected all my counsel

And were not willing to accept my reproof;

I will also laugh at your disaster;

I will mock when your dread comes,

When your dread comes like a storm

And your disaster comes like a whirlwind,

When distress and anguish come upon you.

Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;

They will seek me earnestly but they will not find me,

Because they hated knowledge

And did not choose the fear of Yahweh.

They were not willing to accept my counsel,

They spurned all my reproof.

So they shall eat of the fruit of their way

And be satisfied with their own devices.

For the turning away of the simple will kill them,

And the complacency of fools will destroy them.

But he who listens to me shall dwell securely

And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”