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NOVEMBER 16
“Having our hearts sprinkled…with pure water.”The imagery in this verse is taken from the sacrifi-
cial ceremonies of the Old Covenant, where blood was sprinkled as a sign of cleansing, and the
priests were continually washing themselves and the sacred vessels in basins of clear water. The
“washing with pure water” does not refer to Christian baptism, but to the Holy Spirit’s purifying
one’s life by means of the Word of God (Eph. 5:25,26; Titus 3:5).This is purely a New Covenant pic-
ture (Jer. 31:33; Ezek. 36:25,26).

November 16 For they had executed judgment
on her.
11 “Now although her sister Oholibah saw
this, she became more corrupt in her lust than
Ezekiel 23:1–24:27
she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her
The word of the LORD came again to me, sister’s harlotry.
23 saying:
12
“She lusted for the neighboring Assyrians,
2 “Son of man, there were two women, Captains and rulers,
The daughters of one mother. Clothed most gorgeously,
3 They committed harlotry in Egypt, Horsemen riding on horses,
They committed harlotry in their All of them desirable young men.
youth; 13 Then I saw that she was defiled;
Their breasts were there embraced, Both took the same way.
Their virgin bosom was there pressed. 14 But she increased her harlotry;
4 Their names: Oholah the elder and She looked at men portrayed on the wall,
Oholibah her sister; Images of Chaldeans portrayed in
They were Mine, vermilion,
And they bore sons and daughters. 15 Girded with belts around their waists,
As for their names, Flowing turbans on their heads,
Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is All of them looking like captains,
Oholibah. In the manner of the Babylonians
“Oholah played the harlot even though
5 of Chaldea,
she was Mine; The land of their nativity.
16
And she lusted for her lovers, the As soon as her eyes saw them,
neighboring Assyrians, She lusted for them
6 Who were clothed in purple, And sent messengers to them in
Captains and rulers, Chaldea.
All of them desirable young men, 17 “Then the Babylonians came to her,
Horsemen riding on horses.
into the bed of love,
7 Thus she committed her harlotry with And they defiled her with their
them, immorality;
All of them choice men of Assyria; So she was defiled by them, and
And with all for whom she lusted, alienated herself from them.
With all their idols, she defiled herself. 18
8 She has never given up her harlotry She revealed her harlotry and
brought from Egypt, uncovered her nakedness.
For in her youth they had lain with her, Then I alienated Myself from her,
Pressed her virgin bosom, As I had alienated Myself from her
And poured out their immorality sister.
upon her. 19 “Yet she multiplied her harlotry
9 “Therefore I have delivered her In calling to remembrance the days of
Into the hand of her lovers, her youth,
Into the hand of the Assyrians, When she had played the harlot in the
For whom she lusted. land of Egypt.
They uncovered her nakedness,
10 20 For she lusted for her paramours,
Took away her sons and daughters, Whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys,
And slew her with the sword; And whose issue is like the issue of
She became a byword among women, horses.

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