XX. * And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of athe elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and bsat before me. 2 Then came the word of the Lord unto me, saying, 3 Son of man, speak unto the aelders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Are ye come to inquire of me? cAs I live, saith the Lord God, dI will not be inquired of by you. 4 Wilt thou * ejudge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? fcause them to know the abominations of their fathers: 5 and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; In the day when gI chose Israel, and * hlifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and imade myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I hlifted up mine hand unto them, saying, kI am the Lord your God; 6 in the day that I hlifted up mine hand unto them, lto bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had mespied for them, lnflowing with milk and honey, which is nthe glory of all lands: 7 then said I unto them, oCast ye away every man the abominations pof his eyes, and qdefile not yourselves with rthe idols of Egypt: kI am the Lord your God. 8 But sthey rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man ocast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake rthe idols of Egypt: tthen I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, uto accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9 vBut I wrought wfor my name’s sake, vthat it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, vin whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt. 10 Wherefore xI caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them yinto the wilderness. 11 And zI gave them my statutes, and * shewed them my judgments, awhich if a man do, abhe shall even live in them. 12 Moreover also I gave them cmy sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that dI am the Lord that sanctify them. 13 But the house of Israel erebelled against me in the wilderness: fthey walked not in my statutes, and fthey despised my judgments, awhich if a man do, he shall even live in them; and cfmy sabbaths they greatly polluted: gthen I said, I would pour out my fury upon them hin the wilderness, gto consume them. 14 iBut I wrought for my name’s sake, ithat it should not be polluted before the heathen, iin whose sight I brought them out. 15 Yet also I klifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, lflowing with milk and honey, lwhich is the glory of all lands; 16 because fthey despised my judgments, and fwalked not in my statutes, but fpolluted cmy sabbaths: for mtheir heart went after their idols. 17 nNevertheless omine eye spared them from destroying them, neither pdid I make an end of them in the wilderness. 18 But I said unto qtheir children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in rthe statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor sdefile yourselves with their idols: 19 I am the Lord your God; twalk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; 20 and uhallow cmy sabbaths; and uuthey shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God. 21 Notwithstanding vthe children wrebelled against me: fthey walked not in my statutes, fneither kept my judgments to do them, awhich if a man do, he shall even live in them; fthey polluted my sabbaths: gthen I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, wto accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness. 22 nNevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and iwrought for my name’s sake, ithat it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth. 23 I xlifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would yscatter them among the heathen, and zdisperse them through the countries; 24 because fthey had not executed my judgments, but fhad despised my statutes, and fhad polluted my sabbaths, and atheir eyes were after their fathers’ idols. 25 bWherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live; 26 and I polluted them in qtheir own gifts, in that cthey caused to pass through dthe fire call that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that ethey might know that I am the Lord.

27 Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; fYet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have * committed a trespass against me. 28 For when I had brought them into the land, for the which gI lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw hievery high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their iksweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings. 29 Then * I said unto them, mWhat is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof is called Bamah nunto this day. 30 Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; opAre ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and pcommit ye whoredom after their abominations? 31 For when ye offer qyour gifts, qwhen ye make your sons to pass through the fire, oye pollute yourselves with all your idols, neven unto this day: and shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? rAs I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

32 And sthat which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, tWe will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve uwood and stone. 33 rAs I live, saith the Lord God, surely vwith a mighty hand, and vwith a stretched out arm, and wwith fury poured out, will I rule over you: 34 and xI will bring you out from the people, and xwill gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, vwith a mighty hand, and vwith a stretched out arm, and wwith fury poured out. 35 And I will bring you into ythe wilderness of the people, and there will zI plead with you aface to face. 36 aaLike as zI pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so zwill I plead with you, saith the Lord God. 37 And bI will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the * bond of the covenant: 38 and cI will dpurge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: eI will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and fthey shall not enter into the land of Israel: gand ye shall know that I am the Lord. 39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; hGo ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but ipollute ye my holy name no more with kyour gifts, and with your idols. 40 For lin mine holy mountain, lin the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall mall the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there nwill I accept them, and there will I require oyour offerings, and the * ofirstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. 41 nI will accept you with your * sweet savour, when pI bring you out from the people, and pqgather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and rI will be sanctified in you before the heathen. 42 gAnd ye shall know that I am the Lord, when qI shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I slifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers. 43 And there tshall ye remember uyour ways, and all uyour doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and vye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed. 44 gAnd ye shall know that I am the Lord, when wI have wrought with you for my name’s sake, not according to your wicked uways, nor according to your corrupt udoings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord God.

45 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 46 Son of man, xyset thy face toward the south, and xzdrop thy word toward the south, and zzprophesy against the forest of the south field; 47 and say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, aI will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every bgreen tree in thee, and every bdry tree: the flaming cflame shall not be quenched, and all faces dfrom the south to the north shall be burnt therein. 48 And all flesh shall see that eI the Lord have kindled it: it shall not be quenched. 49 Then said I, fAh Lord God, they say of me, Doth he not gspeak parables?