Ezekiel - Ferrar Fenton Bible Translation page 569

23--25 EZEKIEL. 22-27 28 cycs from My Sabbaths; and I am despised among them. Her nobles are like wolves in her breast tearing prey, and pouring out blood, and destroying lives for the sake of p1un— der; and her preachers impel them by silly false visions, and lying divina- 1`hus says the MIGHTY LORD,’ when the Lord has not spoken! They have oppressed and robbed the people of the country, and grieved the poor and distressed, and wronged the stranger,——refusing justice. And I have sought for a man among them to mend the fence, and stand in the gap before Me for the sake of the country, that I might not destroy it ;—·but I found none! So I will pour out My anger upon them, in the fire of My wrath I will de—

stroy them. On their own heads I said the Mromsv Loan. W5: wirkzhuzzz uf Ssmzl unit iubaly.

23

$l11ub mth Qlylilmly. Again the message of the EVER- L1v1NG came to me to say: ‘Son of Adam l There were two

women, daughters of the same mother, and they prostituted them· selves in Mitzer in their girlhood. Their breasts were pressed there, and their virgin bosoms used; and their names were Ahlah and Ahlibahf They became my property, however, and bore sons and daughters;-and the name of the daughter of Ahlah was Shomeron, and of Ahlibah’s jerusalem. But Ahlah prostituted after she became Mine, and doted on her paramours,-on Ashur her neigh~ bours——-who dress in blue ;·-governors and rulers,—·—ail of them handsome young fel1ows,—-horsemen, riding on horses; and gave her fornication to them. They were all the finest men of Ashur,—-—and she doted upon them, and corrupted herself with all their

8 idols. She did not however abandon her prostitutions with the Mitzeraim, who lay with her in her youth, and who used her virgin breasts, and poured

g their whoredom upon her! So I gave her up into the power of her para- mours of Ashur, whom she doted on.

xo They stripped her naked. They took her sons and daughters, and murdered them with the sword,———and she be- came a reproach to their women, who executed justice upon her ;—»and her xx sister Ahlibah saw it. ‘ She, however, doted worse than

her, and prostituted ‘ herself worse than her sister. She also doted on the lads of Ashur, her neighbouring governors and rulers, who were gor- geously dressed,·-—horsemen, riding on horses,-——all of them handsome young fellows! But I saw that she had corrupted herself ;-—-that both had gone the same way. She, how- ever, increased her protligacy, and saw men painted on tablets,-·-—por- 'traits of the Kasdim painted in red, their waists belted with girdles, with tasselled turbans on their heads, all of them gentlemen to look at,—-the lads of Babel,——Kasdim by their native Iand,—-—and she doted on them, at the sight of her eyes,·—-and sent messen- gers to them to the Kasdim. So the lads of Babel came to her bed of love, and corrupted her by their whore- doms, and when she was defiled by them, her desire revolted from them. Then she confessed her prostitutions, and disclosed her shame ;——but My soul revolted from her,·—as My soul had revolted from her sister. ‘ She, however, increased her pros-

titutions, remembering the period of her youth when she whored in the land of the Mitzeraim ;———-and doted on the Philishtim, whose bodies are like the bodies of asses, and their lust like the lust of horses. Thus you revived the idea of your youth,--—to work your love amongst the Mitze- raim,·——as though your breasts were young! the Mtcurr

LORD says this, **1 will infiame the paramours, from whom your lust is alienated, against you, and bring them from around to assail you l The lads of Babel and all the Kasdim to punish, and curse, and brand you, with all the lads of Ashur,—-·-handsome young fellows;-—nobles and governors, all of them gentlemen with titles, riders of horses, who will come upon you with shield, and chariot, ata rush, and with a crowd of nations armed

with weapon and shield, and helmet, and set themselves around you, and fix their faces for vengeance, and punish you with their own _punish—

Nemsacs. 23, V. 3. ner remand My \ ¤¤¤¤ts· F¤r 1 will Shsw My5¢s1¤¤Sy against you,—-so they shall deal with Tent, Le., Samaria and jerusalem; :60 I2 I6 IS 20 2l 22