Ezekiel 20:2-20

Complete Jewish Bible

² and the word of Adonai came to me: ³ “Human being, speak to Isra’el’s leaders; tell them that Adonai Elohim asks, ‘Have you come to consult me? As I live,’ says Adonai Elohim, ‘I swear that I will not let you consult me.’

⁴ “Are you going to judge them? Human being, are you going to judge them? Then have them realize how disgusting their ancestors’ practices were. ⁵ Tell them that Adonai Elohim says this: ‘Back on the day when I chose Isra’el, I raised my hand to the descendants of the house of Ya‘akov. I revealed myself to them in the land of Egypt when I raised my hand to them and said, “I am Adonai your God.” ⁶ On the day I raised my hand to them, pledging to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land I had reconnoitered for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands, ⁷ I told them, “Each of you is to throw away the detestable things that draw your eyes. Do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am Adonai your God.”

⁸ “‘But they rebelled against me and wouldn’t listen to me; they did not, each of them, throw away the detestable things that drew their eyes; and they did not abandon the idols of Egypt. Then I said I would pour out my fury on them and spend my anger on them there in the land of Egypt. ⁹ But concern for my own reputation kept me from letting it be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they were living, in the sight of whom I had made myself known to them, in order to bring them out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁰ So I had them leave the land of Egypt and brought them into the desert. ¹¹ I gave them my laws and showed them my rulings; if a person obeys them, he will have life through them. ¹² I gave them my shabbats as a sign between me and them, so that they would know that I, Adonai, am the one who makes them holy.

¹³ “‘But the house of Isra’el rebelled against me in the desert. They did not live by my laws; and they rejected my rulings, which, if a person does, he will have life through them; moreover, they greatly profaned my shabbats. Then I said I would pour out my fury on them in the desert, in order to destroy them. ¹⁴ But concern for my own reputation kept me from letting it be profaned in the sight of the nations who had seen when I brought them out. ¹⁵ Yet I also raised my hand and swore to them in the desert that I would not bring them into the land I was giving them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands; ¹⁶ because they had rejected my rulings, did not live by my laws and profaned my shabbats; since their hearts went after their idols. ¹⁷ However, I spared them from complete destruction; I did not completely finish them off in the desert.

¹⁸ “‘I said to their children in the desert, “Don’t live by the laws of your fathers, observe their rulings or defile yourselves with their idols. ¹⁹ I am Adonai your God; live by my laws, observe my rulings, and obey them, ²⁰ and keep my shabbats holy; and they will be a sign between me and you, so that you will know that I am Adonai your God.”