1 Now in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, 1Lit mencertain of the AEzek 8:1, 11, 12elders of Israel came to inquire of the Loʀᴅ, and sat before me. 2 And the word of the Loʀᴅ came to me saying, 3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord 1Heb YHWH, usually rendered Loʀᴅ, and so throughout the chGoᴅ, “Do you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” declares the Lord Goᴅ, “AEzek 14:3I will not be inquired of by you.” ’ 4  “Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? AEzek 16:2; 22:2; Matt 23:32Make them know the abominations of their fathers; 5 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Goᴅ, “On the day when I AEx 6:6-8chose Israel and 1Lit lifted up My hand, and so throughout the chswore to the 2Lit seeddescendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I 1Lit lifted up My hand, and so throughout the chswore to them, saying, BEx 6:2, 3I am the Loʀᴅ your God, 6 on that day I swore to them, AJer 32:22to bring them out from the land of Egypt into a land that I had 1Lit spied outselected for them, BEx 13:5; 33:3flowing with milk and honey, which is CPs 48:2the glory of all lands. 7  “I said to them, ‘AEx 20:4, 5; 22:20Cast away, each of you, the detestable things of his eyes, and BLev 18:3; Deut 29:16-18do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; CEx 20:2I am the Loʀᴅ your God.’ 8  “But they ADeut 9:7; Is 63:10rebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me; 1Lit each onethey did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, nor did they forsake the BEx 32:1-9idols of Egypt.

Then I 2Lit saidresolved to CEzek 5:13; 7:8; 20:13, 21pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9  “But I acted AEx 32:11-14; Ezek 20:14, 22; 36:21, 22for the sake of My name, that it should BEzek 39:7not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made Myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 10  “So I took them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the AEx 19:1wilderness. 11  “I gave them My AEx 20:1-23:33statutes and informed them of My ordinances, by BLev 18:5; Ezek 20:13which, if a man 1Lit doesobserves them, he will live. 12  “Also I gave them My sabbaths to be a AEx 31:13, 17; Ezek 20:20sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Loʀᴅ who sanctifies them. 13  “But the house of Israel ANum 14:11, 12, 22; Ezek 20:8rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes and they rejected My ordinances, BLev 18:5by which, if a man 1Lit doesobserves them, he will live; and My CIs 56:6; Ezek 20:21sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I 2Lit saidresolved to DEx 32:10; Deut 9:8; Ezek 20:8, 21pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to annihilate them. 14  “But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, before whose sight I had brought them out. 15  “Also ANum 14:30; Ps 95:11; 106:26I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands, 16 because they rejected My ordinances, and as for My statutes, they did not walk in them; they even profaned My sabbaths, for their AEzek 11:21; 14:3-7; 20:8heart continually went after their idols. 17  “Yet My eye spared them rather than destroying them, and I did not cause their AJer 4:27; 5:18; Ezek 11:13annihilation in the wilderness.

18 “I said to their 1Lit sonsANum 14:31; Deut 4:3-6children in the wilderness, ‘BZech 1:4Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. 19  ‘AEx 6:7; 20:2I am the Loʀᴅ your God; BDeut 5:32, 33; 6:1, 2; 8:1, 2; 11:1; 12:1walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and 1Lit doobserve them. 20  ‘AJer 17:22Sanctify My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Loʀᴅ your God.’ 21  “But the ANum 21:5; 25:1-3children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to observe My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live; they profaned My sabbaths. So I 1Lit saidresolved to pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the wilderness. 22  “But I AJob 13:21; Ps 78:38; Ezek 20:17withdrew My hand and acted BIs 48:9-11; Jer 14:7, 21; Ezek 20:9, 14for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 23  “Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would ALev 26:33; Deut 4:27; 28:64scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the lands, 24 because they had not observed My ordinances, but had rejected My statutes and had profaned My sabbaths, and AEzek 6:9their eyes were 1Lit afteron the idols of their fathers. 25  “I also gave them statutes that were APs 81:12; Is 66:4; Rom 1:21-25, 28not good and ordinances by which they could not live; 26 and I pronounced them ALev 18:21; 20:2-5; Is 63:17; Ezek 20:30; Rom 11:8unclean because of their gifts, in that they BJer 7:31; 19:4-9caused all 1Lit that which opens the wombtheir firstborn to pass through the fire so that I might make them desolate, in order that they might CEzek 6:7; 20:12, 20know that I am the Loʀᴅ.” ’

27 “Therefore, son of man, AEzek 2:7; 3:4, 11, 27speak to the house of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Goᴅ, “Yet in this your fathers have BNum 15:30; Rom 2:24blasphemed Me by CEzek 18:24; 39:23, 26acting treacherously against Me. 28  “When I had AJosh 23:3, 14; Neh 9:22-26; Ps 78:55; Jer 2:7brought them into the land which I swore to give to them, then they saw every B1 Kin 14:23; Ps 78:58; Is 57:5-7; Jer 3:6; Ezek 6:13high hill and every leafy tree, and they offered there their sacrifices and there they presented the provocation of their offering. There also they made their soothing aroma and there they poured out their drink offerings. 29  “Then I said to them, ‘What is the high place to which you go?’ So its name is called 1Or High PlaceBamah to this day.” ’ 30  “Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord Goᴅ, “Will you defile yourselves 1Lit in the way ofafter the manner of your AJudg 2:19; Jer 7:26; 16:12fathers and play the harlot after their detestable things? 31  “1Lit In your lifting upWhen you offer your gifts, when you APs 106:37-39; Jer 7:31; Ezek 16:20; 20:26cause your sons to pass through the fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” declares the Lord Goᴅ, “I will not be inquired of by you. 32  “What AEzek 11:5comes 1Lit upon your spiritinto your mind will not come about, when you say: ‘We will be like the nations, like the tribes of the lands, BJer 2:25; 44:17serving wood and stone.’

33 “As I live,” declares the Lord Goᴅ, “surely with a mighty hand and with an AJer 21:5outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be BJer 51:57king over you. 34  “I will AIs 27:12, 13; Ezek 20:38; 34:16bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with BJer 42:18; 44:6; Lam 2:4wrath poured out; 35 and I will bring you into the AEzek 19:13; 20:36; Hos 2:14wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 36  “As I ANum 11:1-35; Ps 106:15; Ezek 20:13, 21; 1 Cor 10:5-10entered into judgment with your fathers in the BDeut 32:10wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares the Lord Goᴅ. 37 “I will make you ALev 27:32; Jer 33:13pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; 38 and I will AEzek 34:17-22; Amos 9:9, 10; Zech 13:8, 9; Mal 3:3; 4:1-3purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will BNum 14:29, 30; Ps 95:11; Ezek 13:9; 20:15, 16; Heb 4:3not enter the 1Lit ground or soilland of Israel. Thus you will know that I am the Loʀᴅ.

39 “As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord Goᴅ, “AJer 44:25, 26Go, serve everyone his idols; 1Or and afterwards, if you will not listen to Me, butbut later you will surely listen to Me, and My holy name you will BIs 1:13-15; Ezek 23:38, 39; 43:7profane no longer with your gifts and with your idols. 40  “For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel,” declares the Lord Goᴅ, “there the whole house of Israel, AIs 66:23; Ezek 37:22, 24all of them, will serve Me in the land; there I will BIs 56:7; 60:7; Ezek 43:12, 27accept them and there I will 1Or requireseek your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your holy things. 41  “1Lit WithAs a soothing aroma I will accept you when I AIs 27:12, 13; Ezek 11:17; 28:25bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered; and I will prove Myself BIs 5:16; Ezek 28:25; 36:23holy among you in the sight of the nations. 42  “And AEzek 36:23; 38:23you will know that I am the Loʀᴅ, BEzek 11:17; 34:13; 36:24when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the CEzek 20:6, 15land which I swore to give to your forefathers. 43  “There you will AEzek 6:9; 16:61, 63; Hos 5:15remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves; and you will BJer 31:18; Ezek 36:31; Zech 12:10loathe yourselves in your own 1Lit facessight for all the evil things that you have done. 44  “Then AEzek 24:24you will know that I am the Loʀᴅ when I have dealt with you BEzek 36:22for My name’s sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel,” declares the Lord Goᴅ.’ ”

45 1Ch 21:1 in HebNow the word of the Loʀᴅ came to me, saying, 46 “Son of man, set your face toward 1Or the SouthTeman, and speak out against the AJer 13:19; Ezek 21:4south and BEzek 21:2; Amos 7:16prophesy against the CIs 30:6-11forest 2Lit of the fieldland of the Negev, 47 and say to the forest of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of the Loʀᴅ: thus says the Lord Goᴅ, “Behold, I am about to AIs 9:18, 19; Jer 21:14kindle a fire in you, and it will consume every 1Lit moistgreen tree in you, as well as every dry tree; the blazing flame will not be quenched and 2Or all the facesBIs 13:8the whole surface from south to north will be burned by it. 48  “All flesh will see that I, the Loʀᴅ, have kindled it; it shall AJer 7:20; 17:27not be quenched.” ’ ” 49 Then I said, “Ah Lord Goᴅ! They are saying of me, ‘Is he not just speaking AEzek 17:2; Matt 13:13; John 16:25parables?’ ”