Ezekiel 20:30-38

Expanded Bible

³⁰ “So say to the ·people [^Lhouse] of Israel: ‘This is what the Lord God says: Are you going to ·make yourselves unclean [defile yourselves; ^Critually] as your ·ancestors [fathers] did? Are you going to ·be unfaithful and desire [prostitute yourselves with] their ·hateful idols [detestable/abominable things]? ³¹ When you offer your children as gifts and sacrifice them in the fire, you ·are making yourselves unclean [defile yourselves; ^Critually] with all your idols even today. So, ·people [^Lhouse] of Israel, should I let you ·ask me questions [consult with me]? As surely as I live, says the Lord God, I will not ·accept questions from you [let you seek/inquire of me].

³² “‘What you ·want [or plan] will not come true. You say, “We want to be like the other nations, like the ·people [clans; families] in other lands. We want to worship ·idols made of wood and stone [^Lwood and stone].” ³³ As surely as I live, says the Lord God, ·I will use my great power and strength and anger to [^Lwith a mighty hand and an outstretched arm I will; Deut. 4:34; 5:15] ·rule [be king] over you. ³⁴ I will bring you out from the foreign nations. With ·my great power and strength [^La mighty hand and an outstretched arm] and anger I will gather you from the lands where you are scattered. ³⁵ I will bring you into the ·desert [wilderness] of the ·peoples [nations]. There I will judge you face to face. ³⁶ I will judge you the same way I judged your ·ancestors [fathers] in the ·desert [wilderness] of the land of Egypt, says the Lord God. ³⁷ I will ·count you like sheep [^Lmake you pass under the rod/shepherd’s staff; Lev. 27:32] and will bring you into ·line with [^Lthe bond of] my ·agreement [covenant; treaty]. ³⁸ I will ·get rid of [purge out] those who ·refuse to obey me [revolt] and ·who turn [rebel] against me. I will bring them out of the land where they are now living, but they will never enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.