Eze20:1 In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, certain elders of Israel came to consult the LORD, and sat down before me.
Eze20:2 And the word of the LORD came to me:
Eze20:3 Mortal, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: Why are you coming? To consult me? As I live, says the Lord GOD, I will not be consulted by you.
Eze20:4 Will you judge them, mortal, will you judge them? Then let them know the abominations of their ancestors,
Eze20:5 and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day when I chose Israel, I swore to the offspring of the house of Jacob-- making myself known to them in the land of Egypt-- I swore to them, saying, I am the LORD your God.
Eze20:6 On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands.
Eze20:7 And I said to them, Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.
Eze20:8 But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; not one of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I thought I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
Eze20:9 But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt.
Eze20:10 So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.
Eze20:11 I gave them my statutes and showed them my ordinances, by whose observance everyone shall live.
Eze20:12 Moreover I gave them my sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, so that they might know that I the LORD sanctify them.
Eze20:13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not observe my statutes but rejected my ordinances, by whose observance everyone shall live; and my sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I thought I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make an end of them.
Eze20:14 But I acted for the sake of my name, so that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.
Eze20:15 Moreover I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land that I had given them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands,
Eze20:16 because they rejected my ordinances and did not observe my statutes, and profaned my sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols.
Eze20:17 Nevertheless my eye spared them, and I did not destroy them or make an end of them in the wilderness.
Eze20:18 I said to their children in the wilderness, Do not follow the statutes of your parents, nor observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
Eze20:19 I the LORD am your God; follow my statutes, and be careful to observe my ordinances,
Eze20:20 and hallow my sabbaths that they may be a sign between me and you, so that you may know that I the LORD am your God.
Eze20:21 But the children rebelled against me; they did not follow my statutes, and were not careful to observe my ordinances, by whose observance everyone shall live; they profaned my sabbaths. Then I thought I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness.
Eze20:22 But I withheld my hand, and acted for the sake of my name, so that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.
Eze20:23 Moreover I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the countries,
Eze20:24 because they had not executed my ordinances, but had rejected my statutes and profaned my sabbaths, and their eyes were set on their ancestors' idols.
Eze20:25 Moreover I gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live.
Eze20:26 I defiled them through their very gifts, in their offering up all their firstborn, in order that I might horrify them, so that they might know that I am the LORD.
Eze20:27 Therefore, mortal, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: In this again your ancestors blasphemed me, by dealing treacherously with me.
Eze20:28 For when I had brought them into the land that I swore to give them, then wherever they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices and presented the provocation of their offering; there they sent up their pleasing odors, and there they poured out their drink offerings.
Eze20:29 (I said to them, What is the high place to which you go? So it is called Bamah to this day.)
Eze20:30 Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your ancestors and go astray after their detestable things?
Eze20:31 When you offer your gifts and make your children pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be consulted by you, O house of Israel? As I live, says the Lord GOD, I will not be consulted by you.
Eze20:32 What is in your mind shall never happen-- the thought, "Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, and worship wood and stone."
Eze20:33 As I live, says the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, I will be king over you.
Eze20:34 I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out;
Eze20:35 and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face.
Eze20:36 As I entered into judgment with your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, says the Lord GOD.
Eze20:37 I will make you pass under the staff, and will bring you within the bond of the covenant.
Eze20:38 I will purge out the rebels among you, and those who transgress against me; I will bring them out of the land where they reside as aliens, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.
Eze20:39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord GOD: Go serve your idols, everyone of you now and hereafter, if you will not listen to me; but my holy name you shall no more profane with your gifts and your idols.
Eze20:40 For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel, says the Lord GOD, there all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land; there I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your sacred things.
Eze20:41 As a pleasing odor I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples, and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations.
Eze20:42 You shall know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that I swore to give to your ancestors.
Eze20:43 There you shall remember your ways and all the deeds by which you have polluted yourselves; and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed.
Eze20:44 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name's sake, not according to your evil ways, or corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, says the Lord GOD.
Eze20:45 The word of the LORD came to me:
Eze20:46 Mortal, set your face toward the south, preach against the south, and prophesy against the forest land in the Negeb;
Eze20:47 say to the forest of the Negeb, Hear the word of the LORD: Thus says the Lord GOD, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree in you and every dry tree; the blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from south to north shall be scorched by it.
Eze20:48 All flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.
Eze20:49 Then I said, "Ah Lord GOD! they are saying of me, 'Is he not a maker of allegories?'"