Ezekiel 20:7-24

7And I said to them, ‘1Throw away, each of you, the detestable things of his eyes, and 2do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; 3I am the Lord your God.’ 8But they 4rebelled 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 5idols of Egypt.

“Then I 6resolved to 7pour out My wrath on them, to 8use up My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9But I acted 9for the sake of My name, that it would 10not 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 11wilderness. 11I gave them My 12statutes and informed them of My ordinances, 13which, if 14a person 15follows them, then he will live by them. 12Also I gave them My Sabbaths to be a 16sign between Me and them, so that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. 13But the house of Israel 17rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes and they rejected My ordinances, 18which, if 19a person 20follows them, then he will live by them; and they greatly profaned My 21Sabbaths. Then I 22resolved to 23pour 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 24I 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 25heart continually followed their idols. 17Yet My eye spared them rather than destroying them, and I did not bring about their 26annihilation in the wilderness.

18“Instead, I said to their 2728children in the wilderness, ‘29Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. 1930I am the Lord your God; 31walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and 32follow them. 2033Sanctify 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 34children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to 35follow My ordinances which, if 36a person 37follows them, then he will live by them; they profaned My Sabbaths. So I 38resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to 39use up My anger against them in the wilderness. 22But I 40withdrew My hand and acted 41for 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 42scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the lands, 24because they had not 43complied with My ordinances, but had rejected My statutes and had profaned My Sabbaths, and 44their eyes were 45on the idols of their fathers.