God’s Dealings with Israel Rehearsed

1 Now in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, 1certain of the aelders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me.

2 And the word of the Lord came to me saying,

3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord 1God, “Do you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” declares the Lord God, “aI will not be inquired of by you.” ’

4 “Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? aMake them know the abominations of their fathers;

5 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “On the day when I achose Israel and 1swore to the 2descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I 1swore to them, saying, bI am the Lord your God,

6 on that day I swore to them, ato bring them out from the land of Egypt into a land that I had 1selected for them, bflowing with milk and honey, which is cthe glory of all lands.

7 “I said to them, ‘aCast away, each of you, the detestable things of his eyes, and bdo not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; cI am the Lord your God.’

8 “But they arebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me; 1they did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, nor did they forsake the bidols of Egypt.

Then I 2resolved to cpour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

9 “But I acted afor the sake of My name, that it should bnot 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 awilderness.

11 “I gave them My astatutes and informed them of My ordinances, by bwhich, if a man 1observes them, he will live.

12 “Also I gave them My sabbaths to be a asign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.

13 “But the house of Israel arebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes and they rejected My ordinances, bby which, if a man 1observes them, he will live; and My csabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I 2resolved to dpour 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.