Ezekiel 20

¹It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord

²Then the word of the Lord

³“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God

⁴Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations of their fathers.

⁵“Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God

⁶On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’ the glory of all lands.

⁷Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord

⁸But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’

⁹But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁰“Therefore I made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.

¹¹And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’

¹²Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord

¹³Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them.

¹⁴But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out.

¹⁵So I also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’ the glory of all lands,

¹⁶because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols.

¹⁷Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

¹⁸“But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols.

¹⁹I am the Lord

²⁰hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord

²¹“Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness.

²²Nevertheless I withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out.

²³Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries,

²⁴because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.

²⁵“Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live;

²⁶and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they might know that I am the Lord

²⁷“Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God

²⁸When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their sweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings.

²⁹Then I said to them, ‘What is this high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.” ’

³⁰Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God

³¹For when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” says the Lord God

³²What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone.’

³³“As I live,” says the Lord God

³⁴I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out.

³⁵And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face.

³⁶Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord God

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

³⁸I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord

³⁹“As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord God

⁴⁰For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel,” says the Lord God

⁴¹I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles.

⁴²Then you shall know that I am the Lord

⁴³And there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed.

⁴⁴Then you shall know that I am the Lord

⁴⁵Furthermore the word of the Lord

⁴⁶“Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the South,

⁴⁷and say to the forest of the South, ‘Hear the word of the Lord

⁴⁸All flesh shall see that I, the Lord

⁴⁹Then I said, “Ah, Lord God