rd

Ezekiel 23

Of the idolatrie of Samaria and Ieruſalem, vnder the names of Aholáh and Aholibáh.
1.THe worde of the Lord came againe vnto me, ſaying,
2.Sonne of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother.
3.And they committed fornicacion in Egypt, they committed fornicacion in their youth: there were their breaſts preſſed, & there thei bruiſed the teates of their virginitie.
4.And the names of them were Aholáh, the elder, and Aholibáh her ſiſter: & thei were mine, and thei bare ſonnes and daughters: thus were their names. Samaria is Aholáh, and Ieruſalém Aholibáh.
5.And Aholáh plaied the harlot whẽ ſhe was mine, and ſhe was ſet on fyre with her louers, to wit, with the Aſſyrians her neighbours,
6.Which were clothed with blewe ſilke, bothe capitaines & princes: thei were all pleaſant yong men, & horſemen riding vpon horſes.
7.Thus ſhe cõmitted her whoredome with them, euen with all them that were the choſen men of Aſſhúr, and with all on whome ſhe doted, & defiled her ſelf with all their idoles.
8.Nether left ſhe her fornicaciõs, learned of the Egyptians: for in her youth thei laye with her, & thei bruiſed the breaſts of her virginitie, and powred their whoredome vpon her.
9.Wherefore I deliuered her into the hands of her louers, euen into the hands of the Aſſyrians, vpon whome ſhe doted.
10.Theſe diſcouered her ſhame: thei toke away her ſonnes & her daughters, & ſlewe her with the ſworde, & ſhe had an euil name among women: for thei had executed iudgement vpon her.
11.And when her ſiſter Aholibáh ſawe this, ſhe marred her ſelf with inordinate loue, more then ſhe, and with her fornicacions more then her ſiſter with her fornicaciõs.
12.She doted vpon the Aſſyrians her neighbours, bothe capitaines and princes clothed with diuers ſutes, horſemen riding vpon horſes: thei were all pleaſant yong men.
13.Then I ſawe, that ſhe was defiled, and that they were bothe after one ſorte,
14.And that ſhe encreaſed her fornicacions: for when ſhe ſawe men painted vpon the wall, the images of the Caldeans painted with vermelon,
15.And girded with girdles vpon their loynes, and with dyed attyre vpon their heads ( loking all like princes after the maner of the Babylonians in Caldea, ye land of their natiuitie)
16.Aſſone, I ſay, as ſhe ſawe them, ſhe doted vpon them, & ſent meſſengers vnto them into Caldea.
17.Now when the Babylonians came to her into the bed of loue, they defiled her with their fornicacion, & ſhe was polluted with them, and her luſt departed from them.
18.So ſhe diſcouered her fornicacion, & diſcloſed her ſhame: then mine heart forſoke her, like as mine heart had forſakẽ her ſiſter
19.Yet, ſhe encreaſed her whoredome more, & called to remembrance the dayes of her youth, wherein ſhe had plaied the harlot in the land of Egypt.
20.For ſhe doted vpõ their ſeruants whoſe membres are as the membres of aſſes, and whoſe yſſue is like the yſſue of horſes.
21.Thou calledſt to remembrance the wickednes of thy youth, when thy teates were bruiſed by the Egyptians: therefore ye pappes of thy youth are thus.
22.Therefore, ô Aholibáh, thus ſaith the Lord God, Beholde, I wil raiſe vp thy louers againſt thee, from whome thine heart is departed, and I wil bring them againſt thee on euery ſide,
23.To wit, the Babylonians, and all the Caldeans, Peked, and Shoáh, and Kóa, & all the Aſſyrians with thẽ: they were all pleaſant yong men, capitaines and princes: all thei were valiant & renoumed, riding vpon horſes.
24.Euen theſe ſhal come againſt thee with charettes, waggens, and wheles, and with a multitude of people, which ſhal ſet againſt thee, buckler & ſhield, and helmet rounde aboute: and I wil leaue the puniſhement vnto them, & they ſhal iudge thee according to their iudgements.
25.And I wil lay mine indignation vpon thee, and thei ſhal deale cruelly with thee: they ſhal cut of thy noſe and thine eares, and thy remnant ſhal fall by the ſworde: they ſhal cary away thy ſonnes and thy daughters, and thy reſidue ſhalbe deuoured by the fyre.
26.They ſhal alſo ſtrippe thee out of thy clothes, and take away thy faire iewels.
27.Thus wil I make thy wickednes to ceaſe from thee and thy fornicacion out of the land of Egypt: ſo that thou ſhalt not lift vp thine eyes vnto them, nor remember Egypt any more.
28.For thus ſaith the Lord God, Beholde, I wil deliuer thee into the hand of them, whome thou hateſt: euen into the hands of them frõ whome thine heart is departed.
29.And they ſhal handle thee diſpitefully, and ſhal take away all thy labour, & ſhal leaue thee naked and bare, and the ſhame of thy fornicaciõs ſhalbe diſcouered, bothe thy wickednes, and thy whoredome.
30.I wil do theſe things vnto thee, becauſe thou haſt gone a whoring after the heathẽ, & becauſe yu art polluted with their idoles.
31.Thou haſt walked in ye way of thy ſiſter: therfore wil I giue her cup into thine hãd
32.Thus ſaith the Lord God, Thou ſhalt drinke of thy ſiſters cup, depe and large: thou ſhalt be laughed to ſcorne & had in deriſion,
33.Thou ſhalt be filled with drunkēnes & ſorowe, euen with the cup of deſtruction, and deſolation, with the cup of thy ſiſter Samaria.
34.Thou ſhalt euen drinke it, and wring it out to the dregges, & thou ſhalt breake the ſherdes thereof, & teare thine owne breaſtes: for I haue ſpokē it, ſaith ye Lord God.
35.Therefore thus ſaith the Lord God, Becauſe thou haſt forgotten me, and caſt me behind thy backe, therefore thou ſhalt alſo beare thy wickednes & thy whoredome.
36.¶ The Lord ſaid moreouer vnto me, Sonne of man, wilt thou iudge Aholáh & Aholibáh? and wilt thou declare to them their abominations?
37.For they haue played the whores, and blood is in their hands, and with their idoles haue they committed adulterie, and haue alſo cauſed their ſonnes, whome they bare vnto me, to paſſe by the fyre to be their meat.
38.Moreouer thus haue they done vnto me: they haue defiled my ſanctuarie in the ſame day, & haue prophaned my Sabbaths.
39.For when they had ſlaine their children to their idoles, they came the ſame day into my Sanctuarie to defile it: and lo, thus haue they done in ye middes of mine houſe.
40.And how muche more is it that they ſent for men to come from farre vnto whome a meſſenger was ſent, & lo, they came: for whome thou dideſt waſh thy ſelf, and painted thine eyes, & deckedſt thee with ornaments,
41.And ſateſt vpon a coſtlie bed, and a table prepared before it, whereupon thou haſt ſet mine incenſe and mine oyle.
42.And a voyce of a multitude being at eaſe, was with her: and with the men to make the companie great were broght men of Sabá from the wildernes, which put bracelets vpon their hands, and beautiful crownes vpon their heads.
43.Then I ſaid vnto her, that was olde in adulteries, Now ſhal ſhe and her fornicacions come to an end.
44.And they went in vnto her as they go to a cōmune harlot: ſo wēt thei to Aholáh and Aholibáh the wicked women.
45.And the righteous men they ſhal iudge them, after the maner of harlotes, and after the maner of murtherers: for they are harlotes, and blood is in their hands.
46.Wherefore thus ſaith the Lord God, I wil bring a multitude vpon them, and wil giue them vnto the tumulte, and to the ſpoyle,
47.And the multitude ſhal ſtone them with ſtones, and cut them with their ſwordes: they ſhal ſlay their ſonnes, and their daughters, & burne vp their houſes with fyre.
48.Thus wil I cauſe wickednes to ceaſe out of the lād, that all women may be taught not to do after your wickednes.
49.And they ſhal lay your wickednes vpō you, and ye ſhal beare the ſinnes of your idoles, and ye ſhal knowe that I am the Lord God.

Notes

2:a.
Meaning, Iſraél & Iudáh, which came bothe out of one familie
3:b.
Thei became idolaters after the maner of the Egyptiãs
4:c.
Aholáh ſignifieth a manſiõ or dwelling in her ſelf, meaning Samaria which was the royal citie of Iſraél: and Aholibáh, ſignifieth my manſion in her, whereby is mẽt Ieruſalém where Gods Temple was
5:".
Ebr. vnder me
5:d.
When the Iſraelites were named the people of God, they became idolaters and forſoke God, and put their truſt in the Aſſyrians.
8:e.
The holy Goſt vſeth theſe termes yt ſeme ſtrange to chaſte eares to cauſe this wicked vice of idolatrie ſo to be abhorred yt vnneth any ſhulde abyde to heare ye name thereof mencioned.
10:f.
Meaning, the Aſſyrians.
14:g.
This declareth yt no wordes are able ſufficiently to expreſſe the rage of idolaters, & therefore the holy Goſt here compareth them to thoſe which in their raging loue & filthy luſtes dote vpon the images & paintings of thẽ after whome they luſt.
23:h.
Theſe were the names of certeine princes & capitaines vnder Nebuchad-nezzár
24:".
I wil giue iudgement before them
24:".
Or, lawes.
25:k.
They ſhal deſtroy thy princes and Prieſts with the reſt of thy people.
29:l.
All thy treaſures & riches which thou haſt gotten by labour
29:m.
All the worlde ſhal ſe thy ſhameful forſaking of God to ſerue idoles.
31:n.
I wil execute the ſame iudgements & vengeance againſt thee, & yt with greater ſeueritie.
33:o.
Meaning, ye the afflictions ſhulde be ſo great that they ſhulde cauſe them to loſe their ſenſes, & reaſon
37:p.
That is, to be ſacrifices to their idoles, read Chap. 16,20.
40:q.
They ſent into other countreis to haue ſuche as ſhulde teache the ſeruice of their idoles.
41:r.
He meaneth the altar, that was prepared for the idoles
42:s.
Which ſhulde teache the maner of worſhiping their gods.
45:t.
That is, worthy death, read Chap 16,38.
48:u.
Meaning, all other cities, & countreis.