^20:8But they rebelled against me, and refused to listen to me; no one got rid of their detestable idols,¹³ nor did they abandon the idols of Egypt. Then I decided to pour out¹⁴ my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. ^20:9I acted for the sake of my reputation,¹⁵ so that I would not be profaned before the nations among whom they lived,¹⁶ before whom I revealed myself by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.¹⁷

^20:10“ ‘So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them to the wilderness. ^20:11I gave them my statutes¹⁸ and revealed my regulations to them. The one¹⁹ who carries²⁰ them out will live by them!²¹^20:12I also gave them my Sabbaths²² as a reminder of our relationship,²³ so that they would know that I, the Lord, sanctify them.²⁴^20:13But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not follow my statutes and they rejected my regulations (the one who obeys them will live by them), and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I decided to pour out²⁵ my rage on them in the wilderness and destroy them.²⁶^20:14I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. ^20:15I also swore²⁷ to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them to the land I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. ^20:16I did this²⁸ because they rejected my regulations, did not follow my statutes, and desecrated my Sabbaths; for their hearts followed their idols.²⁹^20:17Yet I had pity on³⁰ them and did not destroy them, so I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

^20:18“ ‘But I said to their children³¹ in the wilderness, “Do not follow the practices of your fathers; do not observe their regulations,³² nor defile yourselves with their idols. ^20:19I am the Lord your God; follow my statutes, observe my regulations, and carry them out. ^20:20Treat my Sabbaths as holy³³ and they will be a reminder of our relationship,³⁴ and then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” ^20:21“ ‘But the children³⁵ rebelled against me, did not follow my statutes, did not observe my regulations by carrying them out (the one who obeys³⁶ them will live by them), and desecrated my Sabbaths. I decided to pour out³⁷ my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the wilderness. ^20:22But I refrained from doing so,³⁸ and acted instead for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. ^20:23I also swore³⁹ to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands.⁴⁰^20:24I did this⁴¹ because they did not observe my regulations, they rejected my statutes, they desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on⁴² their fathers’ idols.

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Footnotes

13 Heb “each one, the detestable things of their eyes did not throw away.”
14 Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”
15 Heb “for the sake of my name.”
16 Heb “before the eyes of the nations in whose midst they were.”
17 Heb “to whom I made myself known before their eyes to bring them out from the land of Egypt.” The translation understands the infinitive construct (“to bring them out”) as indicating manner. God’s deliverance of his people from Egypt was an act of self-revelation in that it displayed his power and his commitment to his promises.
18 The laws were given at Mount Sinai.
19 Heb “the man.”
20 Heb “does.”
21 The wording and the concept is contained in Lev 18:5 and Deut 30:15–19.
22 Ezekiel’s contemporary, Jeremiah, also stressed the importance of obedience to the Sabbath law (Jer 17).
23 Heb “to become a sign between me and them.”
24 Or “set them apart.” The last phrase of verse 12 appears to be a citation of Exod 31:13.
25 Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”
26 Heb “to bring them to an end.”
27 Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
28 The words “I did this” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons. Verses 15–16 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text. The translation divides this sentence into two for stylistic reasons.
29 Heb “for after their idols their heart was going.” The use of the active participle (“was going”) in the Hebrew text draws attention to the ongoing nature of their idolatrous behavior.
30 Heb “my eye pitied.”
31 Heb “sons,” reflecting the patriarchal idiom of the culture.
32 Or “standard of justice.” See Ezek 7:27.
33 Or “set apart my Sabbaths.”
34 Heb “and they will become a sign between me and you.”
35 Heb “sons.”
36 Or “carries them out.”
37 Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”
38 Heb “drew my hand back.” This idiom also occurs in Lam 2:8 and Ps 74:11.
39 Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
40 Though the Pentateuch does not seem to know of this episode, Ps 106:26–27 may speak of God’s oath to exile the people before they had entered Canaan.
41 The words “I did this” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons. Verses 23–24 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text. The translation divides this sentence into two for stylistic reasons.
42 Or “they worshiped” (, , ); Heb “their eyes were on” or “were after” (cf. v. 16).