Chapter 20

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.

15 “Also aI 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 aheart continually went after their idols.

17 “Yet My eye spared them rather than destroying them, and I did not cause their aannihilation in the wilderness.

18 “I said to their 1achildren in the wilderness, ‘bDo not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.

19 ‘aI am the Lord your God; bwalk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and 1observe them.

20 ‘aSanctify My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’

21 “But the achildren 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 1resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the wilderness.

22 “But I awithdrew My hand and acted bfor 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 ascatter 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 atheir eyes were 1on the idols of their fathers.

25 “I also gave them statutes that were anot good and ordinances by which they could not live;

26 and I pronounced them aunclean because of their gifts, in that they bcaused all 1their firstborn to pass through the fire so that I might make them desolate, in order that they might cknow that I am the Lord.” ’

27 “Therefore, son of man, aspeak to the house of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Yet in this your fathers have bblasphemed Me by cacting treacherously against Me.

28 “When I had abrought them into the land which I swore to give to them, then they saw every bhigh 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 1Bamah to this day.” ’

30 “Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Will you defile yourselves 1after the manner of your afathers and play the harlot after their detestable things?

31 “1When you offer your gifts, when you acause 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 God, “I will not be inquired of by you.

32 “What acomes 1into your mind will not come about, when you say: ‘We will be like the nations, like the tribes of the lands, bserving wood and stone.’

God Will Restore Israel to Her Land

33 “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “surely with a mighty hand and with an aoutstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be bking over you.

34 “I will abring 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 bwrath poured out;

35 and I will bring you into the awilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face.

36 “As I aentered into judgment with your fathers in the bwilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares the Lord God.

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

38 and I will apurge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will bnot enter the 1land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am the Lord.

39 “As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord God, “aGo, serve everyone his idols; 1but later you will surely listen to Me, and My holy name you will bprofane no longer with your gifts and with your idols.

40 “For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel,” declares the Lord God, “there the whole house of Israel, aall of them, will serve Me in the land; there I will baccept them and there I will 1seek your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your holy things.

41 “1As a soothing aroma I will accept you when I abring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered; and I will prove Myself bholy among you in the sight of the nations.

42 “And ayou will know that I am the Lord, bwhen I bring you into the land of Israel, into the cland which I swore to give to your forefathers.

43 “There you will aremember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves; and you will bloathe yourselves in your own 1sight for all the evil things that you have done.

44 “Then ayou will know that I am the Lord when I have dealt with you bfor My name’s sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel,” declares the Lord God.’ ”

45 1Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

46 “Son of man, set your face toward 1Teman, and speak out against the asouth and bprophesy against the cforest 2land of the Negev,

47 and say to the forest of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of the Lord: thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am about to akindle a fire in you, and it will consume every 1green tree in you, as well as every dry tree; the blazing flame will not be quenched and 2bthe whole surface from south to north will be burned by it.

48 “All flesh will see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall anot be quenched.” ’ ”

49 Then I said, “Ah Lord God! They are saying of me, ‘Is he not just speaking aparables?’ ”