Ezekiel – Chapter 23

Old Testament49 Verses

Chapter Summary

Ezekiel 23 opens with the words: "And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:" Across its 49 verses, two threads run through the text: family and covenant relationships and sin and divine judgment. Read slowly, this chapter rewards the kind of prayerful attention the Church calls lectio divina.

1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

2Son of man, there were two women, daughters of one mother.

3And they committed fornication in Egypt, in their youth they committed fornication: there were their breasts pressed down, and the teats of their virginity were bruised.

4And their names were Oolla the elder, and Ooliba her younger sister: and I took them, and they bore sons and daughters. Now for their names, Samaria is Oolla, and Jerusalem is Ooliba.

5And Oolla committed fornication against me, and doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians that came to her,

6Who were clothed with blue, princes, and rulers, beautiful youths, all horsemen, mounted upon horses.

7And she committed her fornications with those chosen men, all sons of the Assyrians: and she defiled herself with the uncleanness of all them on whom she doted.

8Moreover also she did not forsake her fornications which she had committed in Egypt: for they also lay with her in her youth, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured out their fornication upon her.

9Therefore have I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the sons of the Assyrians, upon whose lust she doted.

10They discovered her disgrace, took away her sons and daughters, and slew her with the sword: and they became infamous women, and they executed judgments in her.

11And when her sister Ooliba saw this, she was mad with lust more than she: and she carried her fornication beyond the fornication of her sister.

12Impudently prostituting herself to the children of the Assyrians, the princes, and rulers that came to her, clothed with divers colours, to the horsemen that rode upon horses, and to young men all of great beauty.

13And I saw that she was defiled, and that they both took one way.

14And she increased her fornications: and when she had seen men painted on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans set forth in colours,

15And girded with girdles about their reins, and with dyed turbans on their heads, the resemblance of all the captains, the likeness of the sons of Babylon, and of the land of the Chaldeans wherein they were born,

16She doted upon them with the lust of her eyes, and she sent messengers to them into Chaldea.

17And when the sons of Babylon were come to her to the bed of love, they defiled her with their fornications, and she was polluted by them, and her soul was glutted with them.

18And she discovered her fornications, and discovered her disgrace: and my soul was alienated from her, as my soul was alienated from her sister.

19For she multiplied her fornications, remembering the days of her youth, in which she played the harlot in the land of Egypt.

20And she was mad with lust after lying with them whose flesh is as the flesh of asses: and whose issue as the issue of horses.

21And thou hast renewed the wickedness of thy youth, when thy breasts were pressed in Egypt, and the paps of thy virginity broken.

22Therefore, Ooliba, thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will raise up against thee all thy lovers with whom thy soul hath been glutted: and I will gather them together against thee round about.

23The children of Babylon, and all the Chaldeans, the nobles, and the kings, and princes, all the sons of the Assyrians, beautiful young men, all the captains, and rulers, the princes of princes, and the renowned horsemen.

24And they shall come upon thee well appointed with chariot and wheel, a multitude of people: they shall be armed against thee on every side with breastplate, and buckler, and helmet: and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee by their judgments.

25And I will set my jealousy against thee, which they shall execute upon thee with fury: they shall cut off thy nose and thy ears: and what remains shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons, and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by fire.

26And they shall strip thee of thy garments, and take away the instruments of thy glory.

27And I will put an end to thy wickedness in thee, and thy fornication brought out of the land of Egypt: neither shalt thou lift up thy eyes to them, nor remember Egypt any more.

28For thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will deliver thee into the hands of them whom thou hatest, into their hands with whom thy soul hath been glutted.

29And they shall deal with thee in hatred, and they shall take away all thy labours, and shall let thee go naked, and full of disgrace, and the disgrace of thy fornication shall be discovered, thy wickedness, and thy fornications.

30They have done these things to thee, because thou hast played the harlot with the nations among which thou wast defiled with their idols.

31Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister and I will give her cup into thy hand.

32Thus saith the Lord God: Thou shalt drink thy sister's cup, deep and wide: thou shalt be had in derision and scorn, which containeth very much.

33Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness, and sorrow: with the cup of grief and sadness, with the cup of thy sister Samaria.

34And thou shalt drink it, and shalt drink it up even to the dregs, and thou shalt devour the fragments thereof, thou shalt rend thy breasts: because I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.

35Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because thou hast forgotten me, and hast cast me off behind thy back, bear thou also thy wickedness, and thy fornications.

36And the Lord spoke to me, saying: Son of man, dost thou judge Oolla, and Ooliba, and dost thou declare to them their wicked deeds?

37Because they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and they have committed fornication with their idols: moreover also their children, whom they bore to me, they have offered to them to be devoured.

38Yea, and they have done this to me. They polluted my sanctuary on the same day, and profaned my sabbaths.

39And when they sacrificed their children to their idols, and went into my sanctuary the same day to profane it: they did these things even in the midst of my house.

40They sent for men coming from afar, to whom they had sent a messenger: and behold they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, and didst paint thy eyes, and wast adorned with women's ornaments.

41Thou sattest on a very fine bed, and a table was decked before thee: whereupon thou didst set my incense, and my ointment.

42And there was in her the voice of a multitude rejoicing: and to some that were brought of the multitude of men, and that came from the desert, they put bracelets on their hands, and beautiful crowns on their heads.

43And I said to her that was worn out in her adulteries: Now will this woman still continue in her fornication.

44And they went in to her, as to a harlot: so went they in unto Oolla, and Ooliba, wicked women.

45They therefore are just men: these shall judge them as adulteresses are judged, and as shedders of blood are judged: because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.

46For thus saith the Lord God: Bring a multitude upon them, and deliver them over to tumult and rapine:

47And let the people stone them with stone, and let them be stabbed with their swords: they shall kill their sons and daughters, and their houses they shall burn with fire.

48And I will take away wickedness out of the land: and all women shall learn, not to do according to the wickedness of them.

49And they shall render your wickedness upon you, and you shall bear the sins of your idols: and you shall know that I am the Lord God.

Important Verses in Ezekiel 23

Therefore, Ooliba, thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will raise up against thee all thy lovers with whom thy soul hath been glutted: and I will gather them together against thee round about.

Ezekiel 23:22

For thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will deliver thee into the hands of them whom thou hatest, into their hands with whom thy soul hath been glutted.

Ezekiel 23:28

Thus saith the Lord God: Thou shalt drink thy sister's cup, deep and wide: thou shalt be had in derision and scorn, which containeth very much.

Ezekiel 23:32

And they shall render your wickedness upon you, and you shall bear the sins of your idols: and you shall know that I am the Lord God.

Ezekiel 23:49

Historical Context

Ezekiel addresses the exiles in Babylon, moved from despair to hope of restoration within the broader story of God's covenant people. Chapter 23 of 48 stands in the central portion of the book, where decisive events or teachings take shape. It is a prophetic oracle addressed to Israel in a moment of covenant crisis or renewal with 49 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. It opens with the line: "And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:" The chapter ends with: "And they shall render your wickedness upon you, and you shall bear the sins of your idols: and you shall know that I am…" Read against its original backdrop, Ezekiel was deported to Babylon in 597 BC and prophesied among the exiles through astonishing visions: God's throne-chariot, the departure of His glory from the Temple, the valley of dry bones brought to life, and a new… Scholarly and ecclesial tradition places the composition of Ezekiel around About 593-571 BC, in Babylon.

Who Wrote It

The prophet Ezekiel, priest and exile

When It Was Written

About 593-571 BC, in Babylon

Catholic Commentary

The prophetic discourse in this chapter speaks to a community facing the consequences of its choices before God. A pivotal line is verse 22: "Therefore, Ooliba, thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will raise up against thee all thy lovers with whom thy soul hath been glutted: and I will gather them…" The passage repeatedly touches on family and covenant relationships.

According to Catholic interpretation, this chapter contributes to the book's portrait of judgment, restoration, and God's glory. Ezekiel's visions inform Catholic understanding of heaven and liturgy (CIC 1137). The Catechism and the liturgy frequently draw on such passages to nourish faith and moral life (CIC 1362).

Applied to the life of faith, the passage supports the Church's conviction that God will give His people a new heart. Whether read privately or heard in the liturgy, Ezekiel 23 calls for a response of faith, repentance, and charity.

Main Teachings

  • The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.
  • Sin has real consequences, but God's judgment always aims at conversion and restoration.
  • Love of God and love of neighbor sum up the whole law and reveal the very nature of God.

Reflection for Today

Ezekiel Chapter 23 belongs to the Old Testament and forms part of the Catholic canon proclaimed in the liturgy of the Word.

Through typology, the Church often reads Old Testament passages as preparing for Christ, while New Testament passages reveal Him explicitly. Ezekiel's visions inform Catholic understanding of heaven and liturgy (CIC 1137). Here the believer is invited to ponder poverty of spirit and detachment.

May your reading of Ezekiel Chapter 23 become true lectio divina: read the words, meditate on their meaning, respond in prayer, and rest in God's presence. Ask the Holy Spirit to show how God will give His people a new heart applies to your life today.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ezekiel Chapter 23 about?

Ezekiel 23 contains 49 verses. It opens with "And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:" and closes with "And they shall render your wickedness upon you, and you shall bear the sins of your idols: and you shall know that I am…". The book as a whole is prophetic visions and oracles.

What is a key verse in Ezekiel 23?

One of the most significant verses is verse 22: "Therefore, Ooliba, thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will raise up against thee all thy lovers with whom thy soul hath been glutted: and I will gather them together against thee…" It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who wrote Ezekiel and when?

The prophet Ezekiel, priest and exile. About 593-571 BC, in Babylon.

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