Ezekiel 20

God’s Dealings with Israel Rehearsed

1Now in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, men from the 1elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and they sat before me. 2Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 3“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord 2God says: “Do you yourselves come to inquire of Me? As I live,” declares the Lord God, “3I certainly will not be inquired of by you.”’ 4Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? 4Make known to them the abominations of their fathers; 5and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “On the day when I 5chose Israel and 6swore to the 7descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I 8swore to them, saying, 9I am the Lord your God, 6on that day I swore to them, 10to bring them out from the land of Egypt into a land that I had 11selected for them, 12flowing with milk and honey, which is 13the glory of all the lands. 7And I said to them, ‘14Throw away, each of you, the detestable things of his eyes, and 15do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; 16I am the Lord your God.’ 8But they 17rebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me; they did not throw away, each of them, the detestable things of their eyes, nor did they abandon the 18idols of Egypt.

“Then I 19resolved to 20pour out My wrath on them, to 21use up My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9But I acted 22for the sake of My name, that it would 23not be defiled 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. 10So I took them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the 24wilderness. 11I gave them My 25statutes and informed them of My ordinances, 26which, if 27a person 28follows them, then he will live by them. 12Also I gave them My Sabbaths to be a 29sign between Me and them, so that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. 13But the house of Israel 30rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes and they rejected My ordinances, 31which, if 32a person 33follows them, then he will live by them; and they greatly profaned My 34Sabbaths. Then I 35resolved to 36pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to annihilate them. 14But I acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be defiled before the eyes of the nations, before whose eyes I had brought them out. 15Also 37I 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 the lands, 16because they rejected My ordinances, and as for My statutes, they did not walk in them; they also profaned My Sabbaths, because their 38heart continually followed their idols. 17Yet My eye spared them rather than destroying them, and I did not bring about their 39annihilation in the wilderness.

18“Instead, I said to their 4041children in the wilderness, ‘42Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. 1943I am the Lord your God; 44walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and 45follow them. 2046Sanctify My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, so that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’ 21But the 47children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to 48follow My ordinances which, if 49a person 50follows them, then he will live by them; they profaned My Sabbaths. So I 51resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to 52use up My anger against them in the wilderness. 22But I 53withdrew My hand and acted 54for the sake of My name, so that it would not be defiled in the sight of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 23Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would 55scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the lands, 24because they had not 56complied with My ordinances, but had rejected My statutes and had profaned My Sabbaths, and 57their eyes were 58on the idols of their fathers. 25I also gave them statutes that were 59not good, and ordinances by which they could not live; 26and I pronounced them 60unclean because of their gifts, in that they 61made all 62their firstborn pass through the fire so that I might make them desolate, in order that they might 63know that I am the Lord.”’

27“Therefore 64speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Again, in this your fathers have 65blasphemed Me by 66being disloyal to Me. 28When I had 67brought them into the land which I swore to give to them, then they saw every 68high hill and every tree thick with branches, and there they offered 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. 29Then I said to them, ‘What is the high place to which you go?’ So its name is called 69Bamah to this day.”’ 30Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Will you defile yourselves in the way of your 70fathers and adulterously pursue their detestable things? 31And 71when you offer your gifts, when you 72make your sons pass through the fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, house of Israel? As I live,” declares the Lord God, “I certainly will not be inquired of by you. 32And whatever 73comes 74into your mind certainly will not come about, when you say: ‘We will be like the nations, like the families of the lands, 75serving wood and stone.’

God Will Restore Israel to Her Land

33“As I live,” declares the Lord God, “with a mighty hand and with an 76outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I assuredly shall be 77king over you. 34I will 78bring 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 79wrath poured out; 35and I will bring you into the 80wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 36Just as I 81entered into judgment with your fathers in the 82wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares the Lord God. 37“I will make you 83pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; 38and I will 84purge from you the rebels and those who revolt against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they reside, but they will 85not enter the 86land of Israel. So you will know that I am the Lord.

39“As for you, house of Israel,” this is what the Lord God says: “87Go, serve, everyone of you his idols; 88but later you will certainly listen to Me, and My holy name you will no longer 89defile with your gifts and your idols. 40For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel,” declares the Lord God, “there the entire house of Israel, 90all of them, will serve Me in the land; there I will 91accept them and there I will demand your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your holy things. 4192As a soothing aroma I will accept you when I 93bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered; and I will show Myself to be 94holy among you in the sight of the nations. 42And 95you will know that I am the Lord, 96when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the 97land which I swore to give to your forefathers. 43And there you will 98remember your ways and all your deeds by which you have defiled yourselves; and you will 99loathe yourselves in your own 100sight for all the evil things that you have done. 44Then 101you will know that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you 102in behalf of My name, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds, house of Israel,” declares the Lord God.’”

45103Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 46“Son of man, set your face toward the south, and speak prophetically against the 104south and 105prophesy against the 106forest 107land of the Negev, 47and say to the forest of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of the Lord: this is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am going to 108kindle a fire in you, and it will consume every 109green tree in you, as well as every dry tree; the blazing flame will not go out and 110111the entire surface from south to north will be scorched by it. 48And all 112mankind will see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it will 113not go out.”’” 49Then I said, “Oh, Lord God! They are saying of me, ‘Is he not just speaking in 114riddles?’”