Ezekiel 20:8–24

^8hBut they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. ⁱNone of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them ^jand spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. ^9kBut I acted ^lfor the sake of my name, ^mthat it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, ⁿin whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. ^10oSo I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. ^11pI gave them my statutes and made known to them my rules, ^qby which, if a person does them, he shall live. ¹²Moreover, I gave them ^rmy Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, ^sthat they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. ^13tBut the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. ^uThey did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; ^vand my Sabbaths they greatly profaned.

^t“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make a full end of them. ¹⁴But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, ^win whose sight I had brought them out. ¹⁵Moreover, ^xI swore to them in the wilderness ^ythat I would not bring them into the land that I had given them, a land ^zflowing with milk and honey, ^zthe most glorious of all lands, ¹⁶because they rejected my rules and did not walk in my statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths; ^afor their heart went after their idols. ¹⁷Nevertheless, ^bmy eye spared them, and I did not destroy them or ^cmake a full end of them in the wilderness.

¹⁸“And I said to ^dtheir children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk ^ein the statutes of your fathers, nor keep their rules, ^fnor defile yourselves with their idols. ^19gI am the Lord your God; ^hwalk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules, ²⁰and ⁱkeep my Sabbaths holy that ^jthey may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’ ^21kBut the children ^lrebelled against me. ^mThey did not walk in my statutes and were not careful to obey my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; they profaned my Sabbaths.

ⁿ“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness. ^22oBut I withheld my hand ^pand acted for the sake of my name, ^qthat it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. ^23rMoreover, ^sI swore to them in the wilderness ^tthat I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the countries, ²⁴because they had not obeyed my rules, but had rejected my statutes and profaned my Sabbaths, ^uand their eyes were set on their fathers’ idols.