27 Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Yet 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 I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every 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 sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings.

29 Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name whereof is called Bamah unto this day.

30 Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations?

31 For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you.

32 And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.

33 As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you:

34 And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.

35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.

36 Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God.

37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:

38 And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.

40 For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.

41 I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.

42 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers.

43 And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.

44 And ye shall know that I am the Lord when I have wrought with you for my name's sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord God.

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27 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In this also your ancestors(A) blasphemed(B) me by being unfaithful to me:(C) 28 When I brought them into the land(D) I had sworn to give them and they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, made offerings that aroused my anger, presented their fragrant incense and poured out their drink offerings.(E) 29 Then I said to them: What is this high place(F) you go to?’” (It is called Bamah[a] to this day.)

Rebellious Israel Renewed

30 “Therefore say to the Israelites: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves(G) the way your ancestors did and lust after their vile images?(H) 31 When you offer your gifts—the sacrifice of your children(I) in the fire—you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. Am I to let you inquire of me, you Israelites? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will not let you inquire of me.(J)

32 “‘You say, “We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.” But what you have in mind will never happen. 33 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will reign over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm(K) and with outpoured wrath.(L) 34 I will bring you from the nations(M) and gather(N) you from the countries where you have been scattered—with a mighty hand(O) and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath.(P) 35 I will bring you into the wilderness(Q) of the nations and there, face to face, I will execute judgment(R) upon you. 36 As I judged your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Sovereign Lord.(S) 37 I will take note of you as you pass under my rod,(T) and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.(U) 38 I will purge(V) you of those who revolt and rebel against me. Although I will bring them out of the land where they are living, yet they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.(W)

39 “‘As for you, people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Go and serve your idols,(X) every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name(Y) with your gifts and idols.(Z) 40 For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel,(AA) declares the Sovereign Lord, there in the land all the people of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them. There I will require your offerings(AB) and your choice gifts,[b] along with all your holy sacrifices.(AC) 41 I will accept you as fragrant incense(AD) when I bring you out from the nations and gather(AE) you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy(AF) through you in the sight of the nations.(AG) 42 Then you will know that I am the Lord,(AH) when I bring you into the land of Israel,(AI) the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors.(AJ) 43 There you will remember your conduct(AK) and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves(AL) for all the evil you have done.(AM) 44 You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake(AN) and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.(AO)’”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 20:29 Bamah means high place.
  2. Ezekiel 20:40 Or and the gifts of your firstfruits