Ezekiel 20

¹And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth, on the tenth of the month, that came men from the elders of Israel to inquire of YHWH, and they sat before me.

²And the word of YHWH came to me, saying:

³“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, thus says the Lord YHWH: Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live, I will not be inquired of by you, a declaration of the Lord YHWH.

⁴Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Make known to them the abominations of their fathers,

⁵and say to them, thus says the Lord YHWH: On the day of my choosing Israel, I lifted My hand to the seed of the house of Jacob, and I made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt. And I lifted My hand to them, saying, ‘I am YHWH your God.’

⁶On that day I lifted My hand to them to bring them out from the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, flowing with milk and honey—the glory it is of all the lands!

⁷And I said to them, ‘Each man must throw away the abominations before his eyes, and with the idols of Egypt you shall not defile yourselves! I am YHWH your God.’

⁸And they rebelled against Me, and they were not willing to listen to Me. Each man, the abominations of their eyes, they did not cast away, and the idols of Egypt they did not forsake. And I said, I will pour out My fury upon them, to complete My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt!

⁹And I acted for the sake of My name, for it not to be profaned before the eyes of the nations, in the midst of whom they were, who before their eyes I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out from the land of Egypt.

¹⁰And I brought them out from the land of Egypt, and I brought them into the wilderness.

¹¹And I gave to them My statutes, and I made known to them My judgments, which the man shall do them, and he will live by them.

¹²And also My Sabbaths I gave to them to be as a sign between Me and between them, that they might know that I am YHWH, the One sanctifying them.

¹³And the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. In My statutes they did not walk, and My judgments they rejected, which the man shall do them, and he will live by them. And My Sabbaths they defiled greatly. And I said to pour out My fury on them in the wilderness to put an end to them!

¹⁴And I acted for the sake of My name, for it not to be profaned before the eyes of the nations, who before their eyes I had brought them out.

¹⁵And also I lifted My hand to them in the wilderness not to bring them into the land that I had given, flowing with milk and honey—the glory it is of all the lands,

¹⁶because My ordinances they rejected, and My statutes they did not walk in them, and My Sabbaths they profaned, for their heart was walking after their idols.

¹⁷And My eye showed pity to them from destroying them, and I did not make a complete end of them in the wilderness.

¹⁸And I said to their sons in the wilderness, ‘In the statutes of your fathers you shall not walk, and their ordinances you shall not keep, and with their idols you shall not defile yourselves.

¹⁹I am YHWH your God; in My statutes you must walk, and My ordinances you must keep and do them,

²⁰and My Sabbaths keep holy, that they may be as a sign between Me and between you, to know that I am YHWH your God.’

²¹And the sons also rebelled against Me. In My statutes they did not walk, and My judgments they did not keep to do them, which a man shall do them, and he will live by them. My Sabbaths they profaned, and I said to pour out My fury on them to accomplish My anger against them in the wilderness.

²²And I turned back My hand, and I acted for the sake of My name not to be profaned in the eyes of the nations who before their eyes I had brought them out.

²³I also, I have lifted up My hand to them in the wilderness to scatter them among the nations and to scatter them among the lands,

²⁴because My ordinances they had not done, and My statutes they had rejected, and My Sabbaths they had profaned, and their eyes were after the idols of their fathers.

²⁵And also I gave to them statutes not good, and ordinances by which they could not live.

²⁶And I made them unclean through their gifts, in making pass through all their firstborn, so that I might make them desolate, so that they would know that I am YHWH.

²⁷Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and say to them, thus says the Lord YHWH: Also in this your fathers, in their being unfaithful to Me, blasphemed Me in unfaithfulness.

²⁸And I brought them into the land that I had lifted up My hand to give it to them, and they saw all the high hills and every leafy tree, and there they offered their sacrifices, and there was provocation by their offerings, and there they sent up their pleasing aroma, and there they poured out their drink offerings.

²⁹And I said to them, ‘What is this high place to which you are going there?’ And its name is called Bamah to this day.

³⁰Therefore say to the house of Israel, thus says the Lord YHWH: In the way of your fathers will you be defiling yourselves and prostituting yourselves after their abominations?

³¹For in your lifting up your gifts, and making your sons pass through the fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. And shall I be consulted by you, O house of Israel? As I live, a declaration of the Lord YHWH, I will not be consulted by you!

³²And the thing coming up upon your mind, not at all shall come to pass—that you say, let us become like the nations, like the tribes of the lands, ministering to wood and stone!’

³³As I live—a declaration of the Lord YHWH—if not with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with fury poured out I will rule over you!

³⁴And I will bring out you from the peoples, and I will gather you from the lands to which you have been scattered in them, with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with fury poured out.

³⁵And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and I will enter into judgment with you there, face to face!

³⁶As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, a declaration of the Lord YHWH.

³⁷And I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.

³⁸And I will purge from among you those rebelling and those transgressing against Me; from the land of their sojourning I will bring out them, and into the land of Israel they will not come. And you will know that I am YHWH.

³⁹And you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord YHWH: Let each man go and serve his idols, and afterward, if you are not listening to Me; and the name of My holiness you will profane no more with your gifts and with your idols!

⁴⁰For on the mountain of My holiness, on the mountain of the height of Israel, a declaration of the Lord YHWH, there they will serve Me—all the house of Israel, all of them in the land. There I will accept them, and there I will seek out your contributions and the firstfruits of your sacrifices with all your holy things.

⁴¹With a pleasing aroma I will accept you, in My bringing you out from the peoples and in My gathering you from the lands to which you have been scattered in them; and I will show My holiness in you before the eyes of the nations.

⁴²And you will know that I am YHWH, in My bringing you to the land of Israel, to the land that I lifted My hand to give it to your fathers.

⁴³And you will remember there your ways, and all your deeds with which you defiled yourselves in them, and you will be loathsome in your own sight for all the evils that you have done.

⁴⁴And you will know that I am YHWH, in my dealing with you for the sake of My name, not according to your evil ways and your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, a declaration of the Lord YHWH.”

⁴⁵And the word of YHWH came to me, saying:

⁴⁶“Son of man, set your face to the way of Teman, and preach against the south, and prophesy against the forest of the land of the Negev.

⁴⁷And say to the forest of the Negev, Hear the word of YHWH, thus says the Lord YHWH: Behold, I am going to kindle in you a fire, and it will devour in you every moist tree and every dry tree; the blazing flame will not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north will be scorched by it!

⁴⁸And all flesh will see that I, YHWH, have kindled it l it will not be quenched.”

⁴⁹And I said: “Ah, Lord YHWH! They are saying of me, ‘Is he not one telling parables?’”