Knox Bible

1

Word came to me from the Lord:

2

There were two women once, son of man, daughters of the same mother,

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that went to Egypt and played the wanton there, so wanton and so young! There those breasts surrendered to the attack, virginity was ravished.

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For their names, the elder was called Oölla, the younger Oöliba; both I espoused, and they bore me sons and daughters. (Samaria and Jerusalem are the true names.)

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What did Oölla? She played me false, love-sick for the Assyrians that dwelt hard by, her paramours.

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Gay gallants were these, princes and noblemen that went clad in purple, and proudly they came riding, for they were horsemen all.

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Among the flower of Assyrian chivalry was none but enjoyed her favours; and she, that courted all alike, soiled herself with their idolatry.

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Alas, still unforgotten her dalliance in Egypt; the lovers that bedded her in her youth, mishandled her virgin breast, plied her with their debauchery!

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Love-sick for new paramours, into their keeping she should be given up, the Assyrians should have the mastery of her.

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How they stripped and dishonoured her, robbed her of sons and daughters both, and then put her to the sword! Never fell such signal punishment upon womankind.

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That sight before her, what did the other sister, Oöliba? Why, she outwent the first in her wantonness, more lascivious yet;

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she too cast shame aside, gave herself to the gallants of Assyria that came riding by, horsemen all, princes and noblemen in their broidered cloaks, so young, so fair!

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Light women both; I knew them now.

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This other would set no bounds to her lust; her eye fell on some pictured wall, where the men of Chaldaea stood portrayed, all in crimson.

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What girdles they had about their loins, these men of Babylon, what gaily-coloured turbans they wore! Sure, they must be princes, all of them, in their own Chaldaean land!

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And with that, her eye fell a-doting on them, and she must send them a message all the way to Chaldaea.

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So the Chaldaeans, too, were her bed-fellows, dishonoured her with their embraces, till even she grew weary of dishonour.

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Weary was I too, as once of her sister; the open harlotry, the public shame!

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Must she still renew her unfaithfulness, hanker still after those old debaucheries in Egypt,

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when she was love-sick for gallants lusty as the wild ass, hot as stallions?

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Alas, Oöliba, are they remembered still, the passions of thy youth, far away in Egypt, when those breasts surrendered to the attack, that virginity was ravished?

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This doom, then, the Lord God pronounces on thee: They shall be summoned to the attack, all those old lovers thou art wearied of, beleaguer thee round about;

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all those Chaldaeans from Babylon, nobleman and prince and chieftain, all those gay gallants from Assyria, captains and rulers, lords paramount and knights of renown!

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What rattling of chariot-wheels, what hordes of warriors in breastplate and shield and helmet, mustered about thy walls! These shall be thy judges; theirs the sentence thou must abide.

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Ministers of my jealous anger, they shall cut nose and ears off thee, and there shall be sword-strokes yet; carry off thy sons and thy daughters, and the fire shall have work to do yet.

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They shall strip thee of thy clothes, rifle thy proud ornaments;

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gone the memory of thy harlotries in Egypt, no hankering for them now, no thought of Egypt now!

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Weary thou art and disdainful of them, says the Lord God, but they shall have the mastery of thee;

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and they shall use thee cruelly enough; carry all thy harvest away, and leave thee stripped and humbled; lay bare the secret of thy shame. Lust it is and lechery of thine

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that has brought thee to this pass; so wantonly didst thou court the heathen, till at last their idolatry infected thee.

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Thy sister’s counterpart, the cup of thy sister’s doom thou shalt inherit;

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deep thy cup shall be as hers, wide as hers; full of mockery and reproach, so much it holds,

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full of dizziness and dismay, full of despair and melancholy, the cup of thy sister Samaria.

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Drink it thou shalt, ay, drain it to the dregs, till thou art ready to devour cup itself piecemeal, or mutilate thy own breasts in thy madness.✻

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Me thou didst forget; on me thy back was turned; wanton and faithless, thou shalt be held to account.

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Arraign them, son of man, the Lord God said to me; confront Oölla and Oöliba with the record of their foul deeds.

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Blood-stained those adulterous hands; false gods they have taken for their paramours, and to the greed of false gods sacrificed their own children and mine.

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Theirs to defile my sanctuary, profane my sabbath;

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no sooner had they done offering their sons to false gods, than my sanctuary must be violated; so would they treat me in my own house.

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And then they sent word to their paramours, summoning them from afar.

They came, those paramours; and thou, fresh from the bath, eyes painted, all thy ornaments hung about thee,

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didst await them, sitting on a fine bed with a table before it; incense of mine, oil of mine was there.

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What a stir was heard there, as of a great throng taking their ease! They had brought in a rabble of desert folk with them, and these must be given bracelets for their arms, fine garlands for their heads.

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And I wondered whether she would grant them her favours, even she, that had grown so old in unfaithfulness;

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but sure enough they went in, boldly as to a harlot’s bed.✻

Such lovers had Oölla and Oöliba, wantons both.

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Yet honest folk there be,✻ that can judge their deeds as adultery should be judged and murder; adulterous they are and murderous both at once.

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Muster me a company of such men, the Lord God says, and let them make a fearful example of these women, their prize.

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With stones from many hands, with swords from every side dispatch them; death for their children, the fire for their homes!

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Rid we the land of its guilt; of such harlotry let all women beware!

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Wantonness punished, idolatry’s guilt uncondoned; you shall know the Lord’s power at last.