Israel's Continuing Rebellion

20 (A)In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, certain of (B)the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, (C)and sat before me. And the word of the Lord came to me: (D)“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God, Is it to inquire of me that you come? (E)As I live, declares the Lord God, (F)I will not be inquired of by you. (G)Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? (H)Let them know the abominations of their fathers, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: (I)On the day when I chose Israel, (J)I swore[a] to the offspring of the house of Jacob, (K)making myself known to them in the land of Egypt; (L)I swore to them, saying, I am the Lord your God. On that day I swore to them that (M)I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land (N)flowing with milk and honey, (O)the most glorious of all lands. And I said to them, (P)‘Cast away the detestable things (Q)your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with (R)the idols of Egypt; (S)I am the Lord your God.’ (T)But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. (U)None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them (V)and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. (W)But I acted (X)for the sake of my name, (Y)that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, (Z)in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 10 (AA)So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11 (AB)I gave them my statutes and made known to them my rules, (AC)by which, if a person does them, he shall live. 12 Moreover, I gave them (AD)my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, (AE)that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. 13 (AF)But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. (AG)They did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; (AH)and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned.

(AI)“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make a full end of them. 14 But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, (AJ)in whose sight I had brought them out. 15 Moreover, (AK)I swore to them in the wilderness (AL)that I would not bring them into the land that I had given them, a land (AM)flowing with milk and honey, (AN)the most glorious of all lands, 16 because they rejected my rules and did not walk in my statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths; (AO)for their heart went after their idols. 17 Nevertheless, (AP)my eye spared them, and I did not destroy them or (AQ)make a full end of them in the wilderness.

18 “And I said to (AR)their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk (AS)in the statutes of your fathers, nor keep their rules, (AT)nor defile yourselves with their idols. 19 (AU)I am the Lord your God; (AV)walk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules, 20 and (AW)keep my Sabbaths holy that (AX)they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’ 21 (AY)But the children (AZ)rebelled against me. (BA)They did not walk in my statutes and were not careful to obey my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; they profaned my Sabbaths.

(BB)“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness. 22 (BC)But I withheld my hand (BD)and acted for the sake of my name, (BE)that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 (BF)Moreover, (BG)I swore to them in the wilderness (BH)that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the countries, 24 because they had not obeyed my rules, but had rejected my statutes and profaned my Sabbaths, (BI)and their eyes were set on their fathers' idols. 25 (BJ)Moreover, I gave them statutes that were not good and rules by which they could not have life, 26 and I defiled them through (BK)their very gifts (BL)in their offering up all their firstborn, that I might devastate them. I did it (BM)that they might know that I am the Lord.

27 “Therefore, (BN)son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: In this also your fathers blasphemed me, by (BO)dealing treacherously with me. 28 For when I had brought them into the land that (BP)I swore to give them, then wherever they saw (BQ)any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices and there they presented (BR)the provocation of their offering; there they sent up their pleasing aromas, and there they poured out their drink offerings. 29 (I said to them, (BS)‘What is the high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah[b] to this day.)

30 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: (BT)Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers and go (BU)whoring after their detestable things? 31 When you present your gifts and (BV)offer up your children in fire,[c] you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And (BW)shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? (BX)As I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

32 (BY)“What is in your mind shall never happen—the thought, (BZ)‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, (CA)and worship wood and stone.’

The Lord Will Restore Israel

33 (CB)“As I live, declares the Lord God, (CC)surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and (CD)with wrath poured out I will be king over you. 34 (CE)I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. 35 (CF)And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, (CG)and there I will enter into judgment with you (CH)face to face. 36 (CI)As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord God. 37 I will make you (CJ)pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. 38 (CK)I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. (CL)I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, (CM)but they shall not enter the land of Israel. (CN)Then you will know that I am the Lord.

39 “As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord God: (CO)Go serve every one of you his idols, now and hereafter, if you will not listen to me; (CP)but my holy name you shall no more profane with your gifts and your idols.

40 (CQ)“For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel, declares the Lord God, there (CR)all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land. (CS)There I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your sacred offerings. 41 As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when (CT)I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And (CU)I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. 42 (CV)And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that (CW)I swore to give to your fathers. 43 (CX)And there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, (CY)and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed. 44 And you shall know that I am the Lord, (CZ)when I deal with you for my name's sake, (DA)not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord God.”

45 [d] And the word of the Lord came to me: 46 (DB)“Son of man, (DC)set your face toward the southland;[e] (DD)preach against the south, and prophesy against the forest land in the Negeb. 47 Say to the forest of the Negeb, Hear the word of the Lord: Thus says the Lord God, Behold, (DE)I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every (DF)green tree in you and every (DG)dry tree. The blazing flame shall not be quenched, and (DH)all faces from south to north shall be scorched by it. 48 (DI)All flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.” 49 Then I said, (DJ)“Ah, Lord God! They are saying of me, (DK)‘Is he not a maker of parables?’”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 20:5 Hebrew I lifted my hand; twice in this verse; also verses 6, 15, 23, 28, 42
  2. Ezekiel 20:29 Bamah means high place
  3. Ezekiel 20:31 Hebrew and make your children pass through the fire
  4. Ezekiel 20:45 Ch 21:1 in Hebrew
  5. Ezekiel 20:46 Or toward Teman

Redemption Through the Blood of Christ

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest (A)of the good things that have come,[a] then through (B)the greater and more perfect tent ((C)not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he (D)entered (E)once for all into the holy places, not by means of (F)the blood of goats and calves but (G)by means of his own blood, (H)thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if (I)the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with (J)the ashes of a heifer, sanctify[b] for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will (K)the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit (L)offered himself without blemish to God, (M)purify our[c] conscience (N)from dead works (O)to serve the living God.

15 Therefore he is (P)the mediator of a new covenant, so that (Q)those who are called may (R)receive the promised eternal inheritance, (S)since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.[d] 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For (T)a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated (U)without blood. 19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took (V)the blood of calves and goats, (W)with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, (X)“This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both (Y)the tent and all the vessels used in worship. 22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and (Z)without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

23 Thus it was necessary for (AA)the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places (AB)made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God (AC)on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as (AD)the high priest enters (AE)the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, (AF)he has appeared (AG)once for all (AH)at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as (AI)it is appointed for man to die once, and (AJ)after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once (AK)to bear the sins of (AL)many, will appear (AM)a second time, (AN)not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly (AO)waiting for him.

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 9:11 Some manuscripts good things to come
  2. Hebrews 9:13 Or For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies
  3. Hebrews 9:14 Some manuscripts your
  4. Hebrews 9:15 The Greek word means both covenant and will; also verses 16, 17

Book Five

Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So

107 (A)Oh give thanks to the Lord, (B)for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever!
Let (C)the redeemed of the Lord say so,
    whom he has (D)redeemed from trouble[a]
and (E)gathered in from the lands,
    from the east and from the west,
    from the north and from the south.

Some (F)wandered in desert wastes,
    finding no way (G)to a city to dwell in;
hungry and thirsty,
    their soul (H)fainted within them.
Then they (I)cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by (J)a straight way
    till they reached (K)a city to dwell in.
(L)Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
For he (M)satisfies the longing soul,
    (N)and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

10 (O)Some sat in darkness and in (P)the shadow of death,
    prisoners in (Q)affliction and in irons,
11 for they (R)had rebelled against the words of God,
    and (S)spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
    they fell down, (T)with none to help.
13 (U)Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of (V)darkness and the shadow of death,
    and (W)burst their bonds apart.
15 (X)Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
16 For he (Y)shatters the doors of bronze
    and cuts in two the bars of iron.

17 Some were (Z)fools through their sinful ways,
    and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 (AA)they loathed any kind of food,
    and they (AB)drew near to (AC)the gates of death.
19 (AD)Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He (AE)sent out his word and (AF)healed them,
    and (AG)delivered them from their destruction.
21 (AH)Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them (AI)offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
    and (AJ)tell of his deeds in (AK)songs of joy!

23 Some (AL)went down to the sea in ships,
    doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,
    his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he (AM)commanded and (AN)raised the stormy wind,
    which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
    their courage (AO)melted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and (AP)staggered like drunken men
    and (AQ)were at their wits' end.[b]
28 (AR)Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
29 He (AS)made the storm be still,
    and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad that the waters[c] were quiet,
    and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 (AT)Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
32 Let them (AU)extol him in (AV)the congregation of the people,
    and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

33 He (AW)turns rivers into a desert,
    springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 (AX)a fruitful land into a salty waste,
    because of the evil of its inhabitants.
35 He (AY)turns a desert into pools of water,
    (AZ)a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry dwell,
    and they establish (BA)a city to live in;
37 they sow fields and plant vineyards
    and get a fruitful yield.
38 (BB)By his blessing they multiply greatly,
    and he does not let their livestock diminish.

39 When they are diminished and brought low
    through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
40 (BC)he pours contempt on princes
    and (BD)makes them wander (BE)in trackless wastes;
41 but (BF)he raises up the needy out of affliction
    and (BG)makes their families like flocks.
42 (BH)The upright see it and are glad,
    and (BI)all wickedness shuts its mouth.

43 (BJ)Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
    let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 107:2 Or from the hand of the foe
  2. Psalm 107:27 Hebrew and all their wisdom was swallowed up
  3. Psalm 107:30 Hebrew they

11 (A)Be wise, (B)my son, and (C)make my heart glad,
    that I may (D)answer him who reproaches me.

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