23:11 她妹妹阿荷利巴雖然看見了,卻還貪戀,比她姊姊更醜;行淫亂比她姊姊更多。
23:12 她貪戀鄰邦的亞述人,就是穿極華美的衣服,騎著馬的省長、副省長,都是可愛的少年人。
23:13 我看見她被玷污了,她姊妹二人同行一路。
23:14 阿荷利巴又加增淫行,因她看見人像畫在牆上,就是用丹色所畫迦勒底人的像,
23:15 腰間繫著帶子,頭上有下垂的裹頭巾,都是軍長的形狀,仿照巴比倫人的形像;他們的故土就是迦勒底。
23:16 阿荷利巴一看見就貪戀他們,打發使者往迦勒底去見他們。
23:17 巴比倫人就來登她愛情的床,與她行淫玷污她。她被玷污,隨後心裡與他們生疏。
23:18 這樣,她顯露淫行,又顯露下體;我心就與她生疏,像先前與她姊姊生疏一樣。
23:19 她還加增她的淫行,追念她幼年在埃及地行邪淫的日子,
23:20 貪戀情人身壯精足,如驢如馬。
23:21 這樣,你就想起你幼年的淫行。那時,埃及人擁抱你的懷,撫摸你的乳。
23:22 阿荷利巴啊,主耶和華如此說:「我必激動你先愛而後生疏的人來攻擊你。我必使他們來,在你四圍攻擊你。
23:23 所來的就是巴比倫人、迦勒底的眾人、比割人、書亞人、哥亞人,同著他們的還有亞述眾人,乃是作省長、副省長、作軍長有名聲的,都騎著馬,是可愛的少年人。
23:24 他們必帶兵器、戰車、輜重車,率領大眾來攻擊你。他們要拿大小盾牌,頂盔擺陣,在你四圍攻擊你。我要將審判的事交給他們,他們必按著自己的條例審判你。
23:25 我必以忌恨攻擊你;他們必以忿怒辦你。他們必割去你的鼻子和耳朵;你遺留(或譯:餘剩;下同)的人必倒在刀下。他們必擄去你的兒女;你所遺留的必被火焚燒。
23:26 他們必剝去你的衣服,奪取你華美的寶器。
23:27 這樣,我必使你的淫行和你從埃及地染來的淫亂止息了,使你不再仰望亞述,也不再追念埃及。
23:28 主耶和華如此說:我必將你交在你所恨惡的人手中,就是你心與他生疏的人手中。
23:29 他們必以恨惡辦你,奪取你一切勞碌得來的,留下你赤身露體。你淫亂的下體,連你的淫行,帶你的淫亂,都被顯露。
23:30 人必向你行這些事;因為你隨從外邦人行邪淫,被他們的偶像玷污了。
23:31 你走了你姊姊所走的路,所以我必將她的杯交在你手中。」
23:32 主耶和華如此說:你必喝你姊姊所喝的杯;那杯又深又廣,盛得甚多,使你被人嗤笑譏刺。
23:33 你必酩酊大醉,滿有愁苦,喝乾你姊姊撒馬利亞的杯,就是令人驚駭淒涼的杯。
23:34 你必喝這杯,以致喝盡。杯破又齦杯片,撕裂自己的乳;因為這事我曾說過。這是主耶和華說的。
23:35 主耶和華如此說:「因你忘記我,將我丟在背後,所以你要擔當你淫行和淫亂的報應。」
“Her sister Oholibah saw this, and she
became more corrupt than her sister in her lust and in her whoring, which was
worse than that of her sister. She
lusted after the Assyrians, governors and commanders, warriors clothed in full
armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. And I saw that she was defiled; they both
took the same way. But she carried her
whoring further. She saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans
portrayed in vermilion, wearing belts on
their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them having the
appearance of officers, a likeness of Babylonians whose native land was
Chaldea. When she saw them, she lusted
after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. And the Babylonians came to her into the bed
of love, and they defiled her with their whoring lust. And after she was
defiled by them, she turned from them in disgust. When she carried on her whoring so openly and
flaunted her nakedness, I turned in disgust from her, as I had turned in
disgust from her sister. Yet she
increased her whoring, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the
whore in the land of Egypt and lusted
after her lovers there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose
issue was like that of horses. Thus you
longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom
and pressed your young breasts.”
Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says the Lord
God: “Behold, I will stir up against you your lovers from whom you turned in
disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side: the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod
and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, desirable young men,
governors and commanders all of them, officers and men of renown, all of them
riding on horses. And they shall come
against you from the north with chariots and wagons and a host of peoples. They
shall set themselves against you on every side with buckler, shield, and
helmet; and I will commit the judgment to them, and they shall judge you
according to their judgments. And I will
direct my jealousy against you, that they may deal with you in fury. They shall
cut off your nose and your ears, and your survivors shall fall by the sword.
They shall seize your sons and your daughters, and your survivors shall be devoured
by fire. They shall also strip you of
your clothes and take away your beautiful jewels. Thus I will put an end to your lewdness and
your whoring begun in the land of Egypt, so that you shall not lift up your
eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.
“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I
will deliver you into the hands of those whom you hate, into the hands of those
from whom you turned in disgust, and
they shall deal with you in hatred and take away all the fruit of your labor
and leave you naked and bare, and the nakedness of your whoring shall be
uncovered. Your lewdness and your whoring
have brought this upon you, because you played the whore with the
nations and defiled yourself with their idols.
You have gone the way of your sister; therefore I will give her cup into
your hand. Thus says the Lord God:
“You shall drink your sister's cup
that is deep and large;
you shall be laughed at and held in
derision,
for it contains much;
you
will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow.
A cup of horror and desolation,
the cup of your sister Samaria;
you
shall drink it and drain it out,
and gnaw its shards,
and tear your breasts;
for I have spoken, declares the Lord God. Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you
have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you yourself must bear the
consequences of your lewdness and whoring.”
************
先知在這段描述:阿荷利巴更嚴重的淫亂與結局。猶大與亞述、巴比倫、埃及結盟行邪淫。事實上猶大的確也跟亞述、巴比倫與埃及都有結盟的歷史事件。這段說明了,猶大後期親巴比倫與親埃及兩派反覆得勢的狀況,讓人感覺猶大如同淫婦一般,沒有專一性。
宣告耶路撒冷的所行既然與撒馬利亞一樣,那結局就要跟撒馬利亞一樣,喝下上帝憤怒的杯。結局是痛苦萬狀的。猶大人很清楚以色列國被亞述滅掉的狀況,卻比以色列更淫蕩,不專一倚靠上帝。所以,受到懲罰是應該的,怪不得別人。
說到這裡,我們既然在基督裡蒙上帝拯救,就要專一的愛上帝,不可以再貪愛世界,與上帝為敵,因為我們是承受上帝國的人,不可虧負上帝的恩典。