Ezekiel 20:18-26

18I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not live in the bad way that your fathers did. Do not obey their rules. Do not worship their idols and make yourselves unclean.

19Remember that I am the Lord your God. So be careful to obey my laws and my commands.

20Make Sabbath days special to show that you belong to me. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’

21But their children also turned against me. They were not careful to obey my laws and my commands. (But anyone who obeyed them would enjoy a good life.) They did not obey my rules about Sabbath days. So I was very angry with them. I was ready to destroy them there in the wilderness.

22But I did not want the people of other nations to insult my name. They had seen me bring Israel's people out of Egypt. So I could not destroy my people.

23There in the wilderness I made a strong promise to them. I promised to send them to many different places where they would live among other nations.

24This was because they had not obeyed my laws and my commands. They had not obeyed my rules about Sabbath days. Instead, they worshipped the same idols that their ancestors worshipped.

25So I let them obey rules that were not good. They were laws that would not help them to enjoy a good life.

26I let them make themselves unclean because of the offerings that they made. They burned their firstborn children in fire as sacrifices. I did that to make them afraid. I wanted them to know that I am the Lord.”