Ezekiel, a priest, prophesied from Babylonia after the southern kingdom of Judah was taken captive. Ezekiel 23 is a history lesson from the Lord’s point of view told as an allegory (23:1-4 NET).
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, there were two women who were daughters of the same mother. They engaged in prostitution (zānâ, ותזנינה) in Egypt; in their youth they engaged in prostitution (zānâ, זנו). Their breasts were squeezed there; lovers fondled their virgin nipples there [see Addendum below]. Oholah was the name of the older and Oholibah the name of her younger sister. They became mine, and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.”
The key to the allegory is at the end of this passage above: Oholah stands for Samaria the former capital of the long-exiled northern kingdom of Israel. Oholibah stands for Jerusalem the capital of the more recently exiled southern kingdom of Judah (though Jerusalem was still inhabited at this particular time). Oholah and Oholibah became the Lord’s at Sinai after the exodus from Egypt. Though I had missed it many times before, studying in this context helped me recognize that the people standing there that day were quite different than I had imagined previously.
According to Ezekiel’s prophetic allegory, in Egypt they had become accustomed to worship and sacrifice that included the drunken sexual practices of the nations around them. And it was to this that they returned when Moses tarried on the mountain. So they got up early on the next day and offered up burnt offerings and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.
The Hebrew word translated to play (ṣāḥaq, לצחק) does not necessarily mean what I have suggested. But in light of the Lord’s testimony through Ezekiel I’m quite comfortable assuming that it is within the bounds of a euphemistic usage of the word. It was used to describe Isaac caressing (ṣāḥaq, מצחק) his wife Rebekah or sporting (ṣāḥaq) with Rebekah his wife in a manner that alerted Abimelech that she was in fact his wife and not his sister, as Isaac had said. And I sincerely doubt that Moses and the Levites strapped on swords, marched through the camp and killed three thousand men to break up the ancient equivalent of sack races, horseshoe matches and softball games.
The Lord continued his allegorical history lesson through Ezekiel with a brief reprise of Oholah’s exploits (Ezekiel 23:5-10 NET):
Oholah engaged in prostitution (zānâ, ותזן) while she was mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians – warriors clothed in blue, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. She bestowed her sexual favors (taznûṯ, תזנותיה) on them; all of them were the choicest young men of Assyria. She defiled herself with all whom she desired – with all their idols [see Addendum below]. She did not abandon the prostitution (taznûṯ, תזנותיה) she had practiced in Egypt; for in her youth men had sex with her, fondled her virgin breasts, and ravished (taznûṯ, תזנותם) her [see Addendum below]. Therefore I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she lusted. They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. She became notorious among women, and they executed judgments against her.
This is a familiar tale from Hosea’s prophecies about the northern kingdom of Israel with an additional insight that the desire for a military alliance with the Assyrians may have been the justification for joining in cultic worship practices. And once again, just in case I missed it the first time (which I did many times), what Israel (Oholah) practiced and was judged for by war and captivity is the same practice that she did not abandon from her youth in Egypt.
Then Oholibah took center stage in the allegory (Ezekiel 23:11-21 NET):
Her sister Oholibah watched this, but she became more corrupt in her lust than her sister had been, and her acts of prostitution (taznûṯ, תזנותיה) were more numerous than those of her sister [see Addendum below]. She lusted after the Assyrians – governors and officials, warriors in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. I saw that she was defiled; both of them followed the same path. But she increased her prostitution (taznûṯ, תזנותיה). She saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans carved in bright red [see Addendum below], wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, the image of Babylonians whose native land is Chaldea. When she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. The Babylonians crawled into bed with her. They defiled her with their lust (taznûṯ, בתזנותם); after she was defiled by them, she became disgusted with them [see Addendum below]. When she lustfully (taznûṯ, תזנותיה) exposed her nakedness, I was disgusted with her, just as I had been disgusted with her sister [see Addendum below]. Yet she increased her prostitution (taznûṯ, תזנותיה), remembering the days of her youth when she engaged in prostitution (zānâ, זנתה) in the land of Egypt [see Addendum below]. She lusted after their genitals – as large as those of donkeys, and their seminal emission was as strong as that of stallions. This is how you assessed the obscene (zimmâ, זמת) conduct of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled your nipples and squeezed your young breasts.
Once again the idolatrous worship practices for which Judah was judged were equated to the obscene conduct of her youth in Egypt, just in case I missed it the first two times. If I plug this understanding into Matthew 5:32 (NET) and 19:9 (NET) as the meaning of πορνεία, I get the following:
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Matthew 5:32 (NET)
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Matthew 19:9 (NET)
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| I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for “idolatrous worship (including its drunken sexual practices),” makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. |
Now I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for “idolatrous worship (including its drunken sexual practices),” and marries another commits adultery. |
1) The meaning is limited and specific.
2) One party may be guilty while the other is innocent (unlike unlawful marriage which makes both parties guilty by definition).
3) It is in keeping with a major prophetic theme of God’s complaint against his chosen people.
4) It accounts for even the apparent permissiveness of Matthew 19:9 in that God himself divorced Israel over this kind of πορνεία, not immediately, but after centuries of practice with little, or no, or feigned confession and repentance.
On a personal note this study and its consequent understanding of porneia (πορνεία) lifts my thoughts out of the gutter of self-obsession, that God hates divorce to make my life perpetually miserable with a despised wife, or perpetually guilt-ridden because I have failed to keep a wife, twice (once when I was young and again many years later when I could not blame it on my youth). Rather, his hatred of divorce is yet another way to know Him. Paul took up this prophetic theme of marriage and divorce/adultery in Romans 7:1-6 (NET).
Or do you not know, brothers and sisters (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law is lord over a person as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of the marriage. So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she is joined to another man, she is not an adulteress. So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you could be joined to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, to bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful desires, aroused by the law, were active in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the law, because we have died to what controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code.
How secure am I joined to the Lord Jesus in this way? “I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel… And Jesus said, Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate. Only continual flagrant idolatrous worship (including its drunken sexual practices) compelled God to divorce his beloved. If this is what Jesus, Paul and the New Testament writers meant by πορνεία, it fits amazingly well into the fabric of the Bible’s prophetic writings. But could Jesus have still been concerned about this particular kind of πορνεία? in the first century? in Judea?
Addendum: January 25, 2022
While the English translations of the Masoretic text of Ezekiel 23:3 made the sisters’ prostitution sound like heavy petting, the English translations of the Septuagint were more direct.
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Masoretic Text
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Septuagint |
| Ezekiel 23:3 (Tanakh/KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:3 (NET) |
Ezekiel 23:3 (NETS) |
Ezekiel 23:3 (Elpenor English)
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| And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed (מֹֽעֲכ֣וּ), and there they bruised (עִשּׂ֔וּ) the teats (דַּדֵּ֖י) of their virginity. |
They engaged in prostitution in Egypt; in their youth they engaged in prostitution. Their breasts were squeezed (māʿaḵ, מעכו) there; lovers fondled (ʿāśâ, עשׁו) their virgin nipples (daḏ, דדי) there. |
And they played the whore in Egypt in their youth; there their breasts fell (ἔπεσον); there they lost their virginity (διεπαρθενεύθησαν). |
and they went a-whoring in Egypt in their youth: there their breasts fell (ἔπεσον), there they lost their virginity (διεπαρθενεύθησαν). |
I won’t spend the time here to explore whether the rabbis understood they bruised (עִשּׂ֔וּ) the teats (דַּדֵּ֖י) of their virginity (Tanakh) as an idiom or euphemism for they lost their virginity (διεπαρθενεύθησαν, a form of διαπαρθενεύω) or if the Masoretes altered the Hebrew text.
In Ezekiel 23:7 below the Hebrew word תַּזְנוּתֶ֙יהָ֙ (taznûṯ), whoredoms (Tanakh, KJV), sexual favors (NET), was translated πορνείαν (a form of πορνεία), whoring (NETS), fornication (English Elpenor), in the Septuagint.
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Masoretic Text
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Septuagint |
| Ezekiel 23:7 (Tanakh/KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:7 (NET) |
Ezekiel 23:7 (NETS) |
Ezekiel 23:7 (Elpenor English)
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| Thus she committed her whoredoms (תַּזְנוּתֶ֙יהָ֙) with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself. |
She bestowed her sexual favors (taznûṯ, תזנותיה) on them; all of them were the choicest young men of Assyria. She defiled herself with all whom she desired—with all their idols. |
And she granted her whoring (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς) to them; they were all the chosen sons of Assyrians, and she was defiling herself upon all, upon whom she laid herslef, with all her notions. |
And she bestowed her fornication (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς) upon them; all were choice sons of the Assyrians: and on whomsoever she doted herself, with them she defiled herself in all [their] devices. |
In Ezekiel 23:8 below it seems more likely that they bruised (עִשּׂ֖וּ) the breasts (דַּדֵּ֣י) of her virginity (Tanakh, KJV) was understood as an idiom or euphemism for they took her virginity (διεπαρθένευσαν, a form of διαπαρθενεύω) by the rabbis who translated the Septuagint. And both תַּזְנוּתֶ֚יהָ, whoredoms (Tanakh, KJV), and תַזְנוּתָ֖ם, whoredom (Tanakh, KJV), were translated πορνείαν (a form of πορνεία).
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Masoretic Text
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Septuagint |
| Ezekiel 23:8 (Tanakh/KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:8 (NET) |
Ezekiel 23:8 (NETS) |
Ezekiel 23:8 (Elpenor English)
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| Neither left she her whoredoms (תַּזְנוּתֶ֚יהָ) brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised (עִשּׂ֖וּ) the breasts (דַּדֵּ֣י) of her virginity, and poured their whoredom (תַזְנוּתָ֖ם) upon her. |
She did not abandon the prostitution (taznûṯ, תזנותיה) she had practiced in Egypt, for in her youth men went to bed with her, fondled (ʿāśâ, עשׁו) her virgin breasts (daḏ, דדי), and ravished (taznûṯ, תזנותם) her. |
And she did not give up her whoring (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς) from Egypt, for they were lying with her in her youth, and they took her virginity (διεπαρθένευσαν) and poured out their whoring (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῶν) upon her. |
And she forsook not her fornication (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς) with the Egyptians: for in her youth they committed fornication with her, and they deflowered (διεπαρθένευσαν) her, and poured out their fornication (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῶν) upon her. |
In Ezekiel 23:11 both תַּזְנוּתֶ֔יהָ (taznûṯ) and מִזְּנוּנֵ֖ (zᵊnûnîm) were translated πορνείαν (a form of πορνεία) in the Septuagint.
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Masoretic Text
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Septuagint |
| Ezekiel 23:11 (Tanakh/KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:11 (NET) |
Ezekiel 23:11 (NETS) |
Ezekiel 23:11 (Elpenor English)
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| And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms (תַּזְנוּתֶ֔יהָ) more than her sister in her whoredoms (מִזְּנוּנֵ֖י). |
“Her sister Oholibah watched this, but she became more corrupt in her lust than her sister had been, and her acts of prostitution (taznûṯ, תזנותיה) were more numerous than those (zᵊnûnîm, מזנוני) of her sister. |
And her sister, Ooliba, saw and was corrupting her aggression beyond her and her whoring (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς) beyond the whoring (τὴν πορνείαν) of her sister. |
And her sister Ooliba saw [it], and she indulged in her fondness more corruptly than she, and in her fornication (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς) more than the fornication (τὴν πορνείαν) of her sister. |
In Ezekiel 23:14 תַּזְנוּתֶ֑יהָ (taznûṯ) was translated πορνείαν (a form of πορνεία) in the Septuagint.
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Masoretic Text
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Septuagint |
| Ezekiel 23:14 (Tanakh/KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:14 (NET) |
Ezekiel 23:14 (NETS) |
Ezekiel 23:14 (Elpenor English)
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| And that she increased her whoredoms (תַּזְנוּתֶ֑יהָ): for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion, |
But she increased her prostitution (taznûṯ, תזנותיה). She saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans carved in bright red, |
And she added to her whoring (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς), and she saw men painted upon the wall, images of the Chaldeans, painted by brush, |
And she increased her fornication (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς), and she saw men painted on the wall, likenesses of the Chaldeans painted with a pencil, |
In Ezekiel 23:17 בְּתַזְנוּתָ֑ם (taznûṯ) was translated πορνείᾳ in the Septuagint.
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Masoretic Text
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Septuagint |
| Ezekiel 23:17 (Tanakh/KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:17 (NET) |
Ezekiel 23:17 (NETS) |
Ezekiel 23:17 (Elpenor English)
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| And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom (בְּתַזְנוּתָ֑ם), and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them. |
The Babylonians crawled into bed with her. They defiled her with their lust (taznûṯ, בתזנותם); after she was defiled by them, she became disgusted with them. |
And the sons of Babylon came to her for a bed of lodgers, and they were defiling her in her whoring (τῇ πορνείᾳ αὐτῆς), and she was defiled with them, and her soul recoiled from them. |
And the sons of Babylon came to her, into the bed of rest, and they defiled her in her fornication (τῇ πορνείᾳ αὐτῆς), and she was defiled by them, and her soul was alienated from them. |
In Ezekiel 23:18 תַּזְנוּתֶ֔יהָ (taznûṯ) was translated πορνείαν (a form of πορνεία) in the Septuagint.
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Masoretic Text
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Septuagint |
| Ezekiel 23:18 (Tanakh/KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:18 (NET) |
Ezekiel 23:18 (NETS) |
Ezekiel 23:18 (Elpenor English)
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| So she discovered her whoredoms (תַּזְנוּתֶ֔יהָ), and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister. |
When she lustfully (taznûṯ, תזנותיה) exposed her nakedness, I was disgusted with her, just as I had been disgusted with her sister. |
And she uncovered her whoring (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς) and uncovered her shame, and my soul recoiled from her, as my soul recoiled from her sister. |
And she exposed her fornication (τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς), and exposed her shame: and my soul was alienated from her, even as my soul was alienated from her sister. |
In Ezekiel 23:19 תַּזְנוּתֶ֑יהָ (taznûṯ) was translated πορνείαν (a form of πορνεία) and זָֽנְתָ֖ה (zānâ) with the verb ἐπόρνευσας a form of πορνεύω) in the Septuagint.
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Masoretic Text
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Septuagint |
| Ezekiel 23:19 (Tanakh/KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:19 (NET) |
Ezekiel 23:19 (NETS) |
Ezekiel 23:19 (Elpenor English)
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| Yet she multiplied her whoredoms (תַּזְנוּתֶ֑יהָ), in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot (זָֽנְתָ֖ה) in the land of Egypt. |
Yet she increased her prostitution (taznûṯ, תזנותיה), remembering the days of her youth when she engaged in prostitution (zānâ, זנתה) in the land of Egypt. |
And you multiplied your whoring (τὴν πορνείαν σου) to remind them of the days of your youth when you whored (ἐπόρνευσας) in Egypt, |
And thou didst multiply thy fornication (τὴν πορνείαν σου), so as to call to remembrance the days of thy youth, wherein thou didst commit whoredom (ἐπόρνευσας) in Egypt, |
Tables comparing Ezekiel 23:1; 23:2; 23:3; 23:4; Genesis 26:8; Ezekiel 23:5; 23:6; 23:7; 23:8; 23:9; 23:10; 23:11; 23:12; 23:13; 23:14; 23:15; 23:16; 23:17; 23:18; 23:19; 23:20 and 23:21 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing the Greek of Ezekiel 23:1; 23:2; 23:3; 23:4; Genesis 26:8; Ezekiel 23:5; 23:6; 23:7; 23:8; 23:9; 23:10; 23:11; 23:12; 23:13; 23:14; 23:15; 23:16; 23:17; 23:18; 23:19; 23:20 and 23:21 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.
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Ezekiel 23:3 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:3 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:3 (NET)
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| And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity. |
And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity. |
They engaged in prostitution in Egypt; in their youth they engaged in prostitution. Their breasts were squeezed there; lovers fondled their virgin nipples there. |
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Ezekiel 23:4 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:4 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:4 (NET)
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| And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah. |
And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah. |
Oholah was the name of the older and Oholibah the name of her younger sister. They became mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem. |
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Ezekiel 23:4 (Septuagint BLB)
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Ezekiel 23:4 (Septuagint Elpenor)
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| καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν ἦν Οολα ἡ πρεσβυτέρα καὶ Οολιβα ἡ ἀδελφὴ αὐτῆς καὶ ἐγένοντό μοι καὶ ἔτεκον υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν Σαμάρεια ἡ Οολα καὶ Ιερουσαλημ ἡ Οολιβα |
καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν ἦν ᾿Οολὰ ἡ πρεσβυτέρα καὶ ᾿Οολιβὰ ἡ ἀδελφὴ αὐτῆς. καὶ ἐγένοντό μοι καὶ ἔτεκον υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας, καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν· Σαμάρεια ἦν ᾿Οολὰ καὶ ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ ἦν ᾿Οολιβά |
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Ezekiel 23:4 (NETS)
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Ezekiel 23:4 (English Elpenor)
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| And their names were Oola the elder and Ooliba her sister. And they became mine and bore sons and daughters. As for their names: Oola was Samaria, and Ooliba was Ierousalem. |
And their names were Oola the elder, and Ooliba her sister: and they were mine, and bore sons and daughters: and [as for] their names, Samaria was Oola, and Jerusalem was Ooliba. |
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Genesis 26:8 (Tanakh)
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Genesis 26:8 (KJV) |
Genesis 26:8 (NET)
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| And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife. |
And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife. |
After Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. |
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Genesis 26:8 (Septuagint BLB)
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Genesis 26:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
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| ἐγένετο δὲ πολυχρόνιος ἐκεῗ παρακύψας δὲ Αβιμελεχ ὁ βασιλεὺς Γεραρων διὰ τῆς θυρίδος εἶδεν τὸν Ισαακ παίζοντα μετὰ Ρεβεκκας τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ |
ἐγένετο δὲ πολυχρόνιος ἐκεῖ· καὶ παρακύψας ᾿Αβιμέλεχ ὁ βασιλεὺς Γεράρων διὰ τῆς θυρίδος, εἶδε τὸν ᾿Ισαὰκ παίζοντα μετὰ Ρεβέκκας τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ |
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Genesis 26:8 (NETS)
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Genesis 26:8 (English Elpenor)
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| And he stayed on there quite some time. Now Abimelech the king of Gerara, when he peered through the window, saw Isaak playing around with his wife Rebekka. |
And he remained there a long time, and Abimelech the king of Gerara leaned to look through the window, and saw Isaac sporting with Rebecca his wife. |
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Ezekiel 23:5 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:5 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:5 (NET)
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| And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours, |
And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours, |
“Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors |
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Ezekiel 23:6 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:6 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:6 (NET)
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| Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses. |
Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses. |
clothed in blue, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. |
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Ezekiel 23:7 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:7 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:7 (NET)
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| Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself. |
Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself. |
She bestowed her sexual favors on them; all of them were the choicest young men of Assyria. She defiled herself with all whom she desired—with all their idols. |
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Ezekiel 23:7 (Septuagint BLB)
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Ezekiel 23:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
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| καὶ ἔδωκεν τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς ἐπ᾽ αὐτούς ἐπίλεκτοι υἱοὶ Ἀσσυρίων πάντες καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας οὓς ἐπέθετο ἐν πᾶσι τοῗς ἐνθυμήμασιν αὐτῆς ἐμιαίνετο |
καὶ ἔδωκε τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς ἐπ’ αὐτούς· ἐπίλεκτοι υἱοὶ ᾿Ασσυρίων πάντες, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας, οὓς ἐπέθετο, ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἐνθυμήμασιν αὐτοῖς ἐμιαίνετο |
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Ezekiel 23:7 (NETS)
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Ezekiel 23:7 (English Elpenor)
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| And she granted her whoring to them; they were all the chosen sons of Assyrians, and she was defiling herself upon all, upon whom she laid herslef, with all her notions. |
And she bestowed her fornication upon them; all were choice sons of the Assyrians: and on whomsoever she doted herself, with them she defiled herself in all [their] devices. |
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Ezekiel 23:8 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:8 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:8 (NET)
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| Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her. |
Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her. |
She did not abandon the prostitution she had practiced in Egypt, for in her youth men went to bed with her, fondled her virgin breasts, and ravished her. |
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Ezekiel 23:8 (Septuagint BLB)
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Ezekiel 23:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
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| καὶ τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου οὐκ ἐγκατέλιπεν ὅτι μετ᾽ αὐτῆς ἐκοιμῶντο ἐν νεότητι αὐτῆς καὶ αὐτοὶ διεπαρθένευσαν αὐτὴν καὶ ἐξέχεαν τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῶν ἐπ᾽ αὐτήν |
καὶ τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου οὐκ ἐγκατέλιπεν, ὅτι μετ’ αὐτῆς ἐκοιμῶντο ἐν νεότητι αὐτῆς, καὶ αὐτοὶ διεπαρθένευσαν αὐτὴν καὶ ἐξέχεαν τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῶν ἐπ’ αὐτήν |
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Ezekiel 23:8 (NETS)
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Ezekiel 23:8 (English Elpenor)
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| And she did not give up her whoring from Egypt, for they were lying with her in her youth, and they took her virginity and poured out their whoring upon her. |
And she forsook not her fornication with the Egyptians: for in her youth they committed fornication with her, and they deflowered her, and poured out their fornication upon her. |
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Ezekiel 23:9 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:9 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:9 (NET)
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| Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted. |
Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted. |
Therefore I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she lusted. |
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Ezekiel 23:9 (Septuagint BLB)
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Ezekiel 23:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
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| διὰ τοῦτο παρέδωκα αὐτὴν εἰς χεῗρας τῶν ἐραστῶν αὐτῆς εἰς χεῗρας υἱῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐφ᾽ οὓς ἐπετίθετο |
διὰ τοῦτο παρέδωκα αὐτὴν εἰς χεῖρας τῶν ἐραστῶν αὐτῆς, εἰς χεῖρας υἱῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων, ἐφ’ οὓς ἐπετίθετο |
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Ezekiel 23:9 (NETS)
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Ezekiel 23:9 (English Elpenor)
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| Therefore, I gave her over into the hands of her lovers, into hands of the sons of Assyrians upon whom she was laying herself. |
Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the children of the Assyrians, on whom she doted. |
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Ezekiel 23:10 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:10 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:10 (NET)
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| These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her. |
These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her. |
They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. She became notorious among women, and they executed judgments against her. |
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Ezekiel 23:10 (Septuagint BLB)
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Ezekiel 23:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
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| αὐτοὶ ἀπεκάλυψαν τὴν αἰσχύνην αὐτῆς υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας αὐτῆς ἔλαβον καὶ αὐτὴν ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ ἀπέκτειναν καὶ ἐγένετο λάλημα εἰς γυναῗκας καὶ ἐποίησαν ἐκδικήσεις ἐν αὐτῇ εἰς τὰς θυγατέρας |
αὐτοὶ ἀπεκάλυψαν τὴν αἰσχύνην αὐτῆς, υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας αὐτῆς ἔλαβον καὶ αὐτὴν ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ ἀπέκτειναν. καὶ ἐγένετο λάλημα εἰς γυναῖκας, καὶ ἐποίησαν ἐκδικήσεις ἐν αὐτῇ εἰς τὰς θυγατέρας |
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Ezekiel 23:10 (NETS)
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Ezekiel 23:10 (English Elpenor)
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| They uncovered her shame; they took her sons and daughters and killed her by sword, and she became prattle for women, and they executed judgment against her upon her daughters. |
They uncovered her shame: they took her sons and daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became a byword among women: and they wrought vengeance in her for the sake of the daughters. |
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Ezekiel 23:11 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:11 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:11 (NET)
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| And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms. |
And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms. |
“Her sister Oholibah watched this, but she became more corrupt in her lust than her sister had been, and her acts of prostitution were more numerous than those of her sister. |
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Ezekiel 23:11 (Septuagint BLB)
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Ezekiel 23:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
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| καὶ εἶδεν ἡ ἀδελφὴ αὐτῆς Οολιβα καὶ διέφθειρε τὴν ἐπίθεσιν αὐτῆς ὑπὲρ αὐτὴν καὶ τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς ὑπὲρ τὴν πορνείαν τῆς ἀδελφῆς αὐτῆς |
Καὶ εἶδεν ἡ ἀδελφὴ αὐτῆς ᾿Οολιβὰ καὶ διέφθειρε τὴν ἐπίθεσιν αὐτῆς ὑπὲρ αὐτὴν καὶ τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς ὑπὲρ τὴν πορνείαν τῆς ἀδελφῆς αὐτῆς |
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Ezekiel 23:11 (NETS)
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Ezekiel 23:11 (English Elpenor)
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| And her sister, Ooliba, saw and was corrupting her aggression beyond her and her whoring beyond the whoring of her sister. |
And her sister Ooliba saw [it], and she indulged in her fondness more corruptly than she, and in her fornication more than the fornication of her sister. |
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Ezekiel 23:12 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:12 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:12 (NET)
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| She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men. |
She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men. |
She lusted after the Assyrians—governors and officials, warriors in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. |
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Ezekiel 23:12 (Septuagint BLB)
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Ezekiel 23:12 (Septuagint Elpenor)
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| ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐπέθετο ἡγουμένους καὶ στρατηγοὺς τοὺς ἐγγὺς αὐτῆς ἐνδεδυκότας εὐπάρυφα ἱππεῗς ἱππαζομένους ἐφ᾽ ἵππων νεανίσκοι ἐπίλεκτοι πάντες |
ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων ἐπέθετο, ἡγουμένους καὶ στρατηγοὺς τοὺς ἐγγὺς αὐτῆς ἐνδεδυκότας εὐπάρυφα, ἱππεῖς ἱππαζομένους ἐφ’ ἵππων· νεανίσκοι ἐπίλεκτοι πάντες |
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Ezekiel 23:12 (NETS)
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Ezekiel 23:12 (English Elpenor)
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| She applied herself to the sons of Assyrians, governors and commanders near her, wearing fine purple, horsemen riding upon horses. They were all elite young men. |
She doted upon the sons of the Assyrian, princes and captains, her neighbours, clothed with fine linen, horsemen riding on horses; [they were] all choice young men. |
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Ezekiel 23:14 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:14 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:14 (NET)
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| And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion, |
And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion, |
But she increased her prostitution. She saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans carved in bright red, |
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Ezekiel 23:14 (Septuagint BLB)
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Ezekiel 23:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)
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| καὶ προσέθετο πρὸς τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς καὶ εἶδεν ἄνδρας ἐζωγραφημένους ἐπὶ τοῦ τοίχου εἰκόνας Χαλδαίων ἐζωγραφημένους ἐν γραφίδι |
καὶ προσέθετο πρὸς τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς καὶ εἶδεν ἄνδρας ἐζωγραφημένους ἐπὶ τοῦ τοίχου, εἰκόνας Χαλδαίων, ἐζωγραφημένους ἐν γραφίδι |
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Ezekiel 23:14 (NETS)
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Ezekiel 23:14 (English Elpenor)
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| And she added to her whoring, and she saw men painted upon the wall, images of the Chaldeans, painted by brush, |
And she increased her fornication, and she saw men painted on the wall, likenesses of the Chaldeans painted with a pencil, |
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Ezekiel 23:15 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:15 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:15 (NET)
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| Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity: |
Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity: |
wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, the image of Babylonians whose native land is Chaldea. |
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Ezekiel 23:15 (Septuagint BLB)
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Ezekiel 23:15 (Septuagint Elpenor)
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| ἐζωσμένους ποικίλματα ἐπὶ τὰς ὀσφύας αὐτῶν καὶ τιάραι βαπταὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κεφαλῶν αὐτῶν ὄψις τρισσὴ πάντων ὁμοίωμα υἱῶν Χαλδαίων γῆς πατρίδος αὐτῶν |
ἐζωσμένους ποικίλματα ἐπὶ τὰς ὀσφύας αὐτῶν, καὶ τιάραι βαπταὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κεφαλῶν αὐτῶν, ὄψις τρισσὴ πάντων, ὁμοίωμα υἱῶν Χαλδαίων, γῆς πατρίδος αὐτῶν |
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Ezekiel 23:15 (NETS)
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Ezekiel 23:15 (English Elpenor)
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| girded with brocades upon their loins and dyed tiaras on their heads; all had a triple aspect, a likeness of sons of Chaldeans of their native land. |
having variegated girdles on their loins, having also richly dyed [attire] upon their heads; all had a princely appearance, the likeness of the children of the Chaldeans, of their native land. |
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Ezekiel 23:16 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:16 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:16 (NET)
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| And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea. |
And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea. |
When she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. |
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Ezekiel 23:17 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:17 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:17 (NET)
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| And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them. |
And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them. |
The Babylonians crawled into bed with her. They defiled her with their lust; after she was defiled by them, she became disgusted with them. |
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Ezekiel 23:17 (Septuagint BLB)
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Ezekiel 23:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)
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| καὶ ἤλθοσαν πρὸς αὐτὴν υἱοὶ Βαβυλῶνος εἰς κοίτην καταλυόντων καὶ ἐμίαινον αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ πορνείᾳ αὐτῆς καὶ ἐμιάνθη ἐν αὐτοῗς καὶ ἀπέστη ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῆς ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν |
καὶ ἤλθοσαν πρὸς αὐτὴν υἱοὶ Βαβυλῶνος εἰς κοίτην καταλυόντων καὶ ἐμίαινον αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ πορνείᾳ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐμιάνθη ἐν αὐτοῖς· καὶ ἀπέστη ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῆς ἀπ’ αὐτῶν |
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Ezekiel 23:17 (NETS)
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Ezekiel 23:17 (English Elpenor)
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| And the sons of Babylon came to her for a bed of lodgers, and they were defiling her in her whoring, and she was defiled with them, and her soul recoiled from them. |
And the sons of Babylon came to her, into the bed of rest, and they defiled her in her fornication, and she was defiled by them, and her soul was alienated from them. |
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Ezekiel 23:18 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:18 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:18 (NET)
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| So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister. |
So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister. |
When she lustfully exposed her nakedness, I was disgusted with her, just as I had been disgusted with her sister. |
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Ezekiel 23:19 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:19 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:19 (NET)
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| Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt. |
Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt. |
Yet she increased her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth when she engaged in prostitution in the land of Egypt. |
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Ezekiel 23:20 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:20 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:20 (NET)
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| For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses. |
For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses. |
She lusted after her lovers there, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions. |
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Ezekiel 23:21 (Tanakh)
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Ezekiel 23:21 (KJV) |
Ezekiel 23:21 (NET)
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| Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth. |
Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth. |
This is how you assessed the obscene conduct of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled your nipples and squeezed your young breasts. |
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Ezekiel 23:21 (Septuagint BLB)
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Ezekiel 23:21 (Septuagint Elpenor)
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| καὶ ἐπεσκέψω τὴν ἀνομίαν νεότητός σου ἃ ἐποίεις ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἐν τῷ καταλύματί σου οὗ οἱ μαστοὶ νεότητός σου |
καὶ ἐπεσκέψω τὴν ἀνομίαν νεότητός σου, ἃ ἐποίεις ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἐν τῷ καταλύματί σου, οὗ οἱ μαστοὶ νεότητός σου |
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Ezekiel 23:21 (NETS)
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Ezekiel 23:21 (English Elpenor)
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| And you reflected upon the lawlessness of your youth, what you used to do in Egypt in your lodging, where the breasts of your youth were. |
And thou didst look upon the iniquity of thy youth, [the things] which thou wroughtest in Egypt in thy lodgings, where were the breasts of thy youth. |
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