יחזקאל, פרק כ״ג, פסוק ל״ו

Following the story of the two sisters, Oholah and Oholibah, God directly commands the prophet to confront them with their wrongdoings. This confrontation is understood in two distinct ways. One approach views it as a fierce debate. God asks the prophet if he is prepared to argue with the sisters, a task that requires him to forcefully lay out their evil deeds before them [רש"י, מצודת דוד]. Alternatively, this command is seen as a formal legal proceeding. God instructs the prophet to sit as an actual judge and determine the fate of the sisters. He must present their crimes with such absolute clarity that they will have no choice but to accept their sentence, acknowledging that their punishment is deserved and that God's justice is completely righteous [מלבי"ם, אברבנאל]. The directive to declare their horrifying acts is aimed at both sisters together, as they both walked down the exact same wicked path [רד"ק].

At this point in the prophecy, a major shift takes place, blurring the boundary between the parable and reality [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The terrible acts the prophet is now required to detail are no longer symbolic images drawn from the story. Instead, they become a direct, literal account of the actual historical sins committed by the nation. These include bloodshed, idol worship, the sacrifice of children to Molech, and the desecration of both the Temple and the Sabbath [אברבנאל].