Ezekiel 20:1-16

English Standard Version

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. ²And the word of the Lord came to me: ³^(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. ⁴^(G)Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? ^(H)Let them know the abominations of their fathers, ⁵and 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. ⁶On 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. ⁷And 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.’ ⁸^(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. ⁹^(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. ¹²Moreover, 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. ¹⁴But 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. ¹⁵Moreover, ^(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, ¹⁶because they rejected my rules and did not walk in my statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths; ^(AO)for their heart went after their idols.