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Ezekiel 20
Legacy Standard Bible

The Abominations of the Fathers of Israel

20 Now it happened in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, that [a]some of the (A)elders of Israel came to inquire of Yahweh and sat before me. 2 And the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Do you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “(B)I will not be inquired of by you.”’ 4 Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? (C)Make them know the abominations of their fathers 5 and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “On the day when I (D)chose Israel and [b]swore to the seed of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, (E)I am Yahweh your God, 6 on that day I swore to them, (F)to bring them out from the land of Egypt into a land that I had [c]selected for them, (G)flowing with milk and honey, which is (H)the glory of all lands. 7 I said to them, ‘(I)Cast away, each of you, the detestable things of his eyes, and (J)do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; (K)I am Yahweh your God.’ 8 But they (L)rebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me; each one did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, nor did they forsake the (M)idols of Egypt.

Then I said I would (N)pour out My wrath on them, to [d]spend My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9 But I acted (O)for the sake of My name, that it should (P)not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made Myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 10 So I took them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the (Q)wilderness. 11 I gave them My (R)statutes and made them know My judgments, (S)which, if a man does them, he will live by them. 12 And I also gave them My sabbaths to be a (T)sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies them. 13 But the house of Israel (U)rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes, and they rejected My judgments, (V)which, if a man does them, he will live by them; and My (W)sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I said I would (X)pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to completely destroy them. 14 But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, before whose sight I had brought them out. 15 Also (Y)I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands, 16 because they rejected My judgments, and as for My statutes, they did not walk in them; they even profaned My sabbaths, for their (Z)heart continually walked after their idols. 17 Yet My eye had pity on them rather than bringing them to ruin, and I did not make of them a (AA)complete destruction in the wilderness.

18 “I said to their [e](AB)children in the wilderness, ‘(AC)Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers and do not keep their judgments and do not defile yourselves with their idols. 19 (AD)I am Yahweh your God; (AE)walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them. 20 (AF)Keep My sabbaths holy; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am Yahweh your God.’ 21 But the (AG)children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to do My judgments, which, if a man does them, he will live by them; they profaned My sabbaths. So I said I would pour out My wrath on them, to spend My anger against them in the wilderness. 22 But I (AH)turned back My hand and acted (AI)for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would (AJ)scatter them among the nations and [f]disperse them among the lands 24 because they had not done My judgments, but had rejected My statutes and had profaned My sabbaths, and (AK)their eyes were going after the idols of their fathers. 25 And I also gave them statutes that were (AL)not good and judgments by which they could not live; 26 and I pronounced them (AM)unclean because of their gifts, in that they (AN)caused all [g]their firstborn to pass through the fire so that I might make them desolate, in order that they might (AO)know that I am Yahweh.”’

27 “Therefore, son of man, (AP)speak to the house of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Yet in this your fathers have (AQ)blasphemed Me by (AR)acting unfaithfully against Me. 28 Indeed, I (AS)brought them into the land which I swore to give to them, and they saw every (AT)high hill and every leafy tree, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they gave the provocation of their offering. There also they made their soothing aroma, and there they poured out their drink offerings. 29 Then I said to them, ‘What is the high place to which you are going?’ So its name is called [h]Bamah to this day.”’ 30 Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Will you defile yourselves in the way of your (AU)fathers and play the harlot after their detestable things? 31 [i]And when you offer your gifts, when you (AV)cause your sons to pass through the fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “I will not be inquired of by you. 32 And what (AW)comes upon your spirit will not happen, when you say: ‘We will be like the nations, like the families of the lands, (AX)to minister to wood and stone.’

Yahweh Judges His People

33 “As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “surely with a strong hand and with an (AY)outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be (AZ)king over you. 34 And I will (BA)bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with (BB)wrath poured out; 35 and I will bring you into the (BC)wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 36 As I (BD)entered into judgment with your fathers in the (BE)wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares Lord Yahweh. 37 “And I will make you (BF)pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; 38 and I will (BG)purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will (BH)not enter the [j]land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am Yahweh.

39 “As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says Lord Yahweh, “(BI)Go, serve everyone his idols; [k]but after this you will surely listen to Me, and My holy name you will (BJ)profane no longer with your gifts and with your idols. 40 For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel,” declares Lord Yahweh, “there the whole house of Israel, (BK)all of them, will serve Me in the land; there I will (BL)accept them, and there I will [l]seek your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your holy things. 41 [m]As a soothing aroma I will accept you when I (BM)bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered; and I will prove Myself (BN)holy among you in the sight of the nations. 42 And (BO)you will know that I am Yahweh, (BP)when I bring you onto the ground of Israel, into the (BQ)land which I swore to give to your fathers. 43 And there you will (BR)remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves; and you will (BS)loathe yourselves to your own faces for all the evil things that you have done. 44 Then (BT)you will know that I am Yahweh when I have dealt with you (BU)for My name’s sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel,” declares Lord Yahweh.’”

45 [n]Now the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 46 “Son of man, set your face toward [o]Teman and speak, dripping out words, against the (BV)south and (BW)prophesy against the (BX)forest [p]land of the Negev 47 and say to the forest of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh: thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I am about to (BY)kindle a fire in you, and it will consume every [q]green tree in you, as well as every dry tree; the blazing flame will not be quenched, and [r](BZ)the whole surface from south to north will be scorched by it. 48 And all flesh will see that I, Yahweh, have made it burn; it shall (CA)not be quenched.”’” 49 Then I said, “Ah Lord Yahweh! They are saying of me, ‘Is he not just speaking (CB)parables?’”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 20:1 Lit men
  2. Ezekiel 20:5 Lit lifted up My hand, so in ch
  3. Ezekiel 20:6 Lit spied out
  4. Ezekiel 20:8 Or make a complete destruction with, so in ch, cf. 20:13, 17
  5. Ezekiel 20:18 Lit sons
  6. Ezekiel 20:23 Or scatter, cf. Ps 44:11; 106:27
  7. Ezekiel 20:26 Lit that which opens the womb
  8. Ezekiel 20:29 Lit high place
  9. Ezekiel 20:31 Lit In your lifting up
  10. Ezekiel 20:38 Lit ground, soil
  11. Ezekiel 20:39 Or and afterwards, if you will not listen to Me, but
  12. Ezekiel 20:40 Or require
  13. Ezekiel 20:41 Lit With
  14. Ezekiel 20:45 Ch 21:1 in Heb
  15. Ezekiel 20:46 Or the South
  16. Ezekiel 20:46 Lit of the field
  17. Ezekiel 20:47 Lit moist
  18. Ezekiel 20:47 Or all the faces
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Ezekiel 20
International Standard Version

A Prophecy against Israel’s Elders

20 On the seventh year, on the tenth day[a] of the fifth month, men came from the elders of Israel to seek the Lord. They sat down in front of me.

2 “Son of Man,” the Lord told me, 3 “Tell the elders of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God asks, “Did you come to inquire of me? As long as I live, I won’t let myself be sought by you,” declares the Lord God.’

4 “Will you judge them? Son of Man, will you indeed judge them? Teach them about the detestable things that their ancestors did. 5 Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says, “The day I chose Israel, when I made my commitment[b] to the descendants of Jacob’s house, I revealed myself to them in the land of Egypt and I made my promise to them with the words, ‘I am the Lord your God.’ 6 That day I promised to bring them out of the land of Egypt to the land that I had explored for them—a land flowing with milk and honey. It’s the most beautiful of all lands. 7 Then I told them, ‘Each of you are to abandon your detestable practices.[c] You are not to defile yourselves with Egypt’s idols. I am the Lord your God.’”’”

A Brief History of Israel’s Rebellion

8 “But they rebelled against me and weren’t willing to obey me. None of them abandoned their detestable practices[d] or their Egyptian idols. So I said, ‘I’ll pour out my anger on them, extending my fury in the middle of the land of Egypt.’ 9 I did this so my reputation[e] might not be tarnished among the nations where they were living, among whom I made myself known in their presence when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. 10 I brought them out of the land of Egypt to bring them to the wilderness 11 where I gave them my statutes and revealed my ordinances to them, which if a person[f] observes, he’ll live by them. 12 Also, I instituted[g] my Sabbath for them as a sign between me and them, so they would know that I am the Lord, who has set them apart.”

Israel Rebels in the Wilderness

13 “But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They didn’t live by[h] my statutes. They despised my ordinances, which if a person observes, he’ll live by them. They greatly profaned my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my anger on them and bring them to an end in the wilderness. 14 I did this so my reputation wouldn’t be tarnished among the nations in whose presence I had brought them out.

15 “Moreover, I solemnly swore to them in the wilderness that I wouldn’t bring them to the land that I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands— 16 because they kept on rejecting my ordinances. They didn’t live life consistent with my statutes, they profaned my Sabbaths, and their hearts followed[i] their idols. 17 Even then, I[j] looked on them with compassion and didn’t completely destroy them in the wilderness. 18 I told their children in the wilderness, ‘You are not to follow the statutes of your ancestors, observe their ordinances, or be defiled by their idols. 19 I am the Lord your God. You are to follow my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them. 20 You are to make my Sabbaths holy, and you are to let them serve as a sign between you and me, so that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’”

More of Israel’s Rebellion

21 “But they rebelled against me. They didn’t live according to my statutes, observe my ordinances, or practice them, by which a person will live. They also kept profaning my Sabbaths. So I said that I was going to pour out my anger on them and in my anger I’m going to bring about a complete end to them in the wilderness. 22 But I withdrew my decision[k] so my reputation wouldn’t be tarnished among the nations before whose eyes I brought them out.

23 “Furthermore, I solemnly swore in the wilderness to disperse them among the nations and scatter them to other[l] lands 24 because they didn’t observe my ordinances. Instead, they rejected my statutes, profaned my Sabbaths, and worshipped[m] their ancestors’ idols. 25 So I gave them statutes that weren’t good and ordinances by which they could not live. 26 I made them unclean because of their offerings, so they made all their firstborn[n] to pass through the fire, so that I could make them astonished. Then they’ll know that I am the Lord.”

The Blasphemy of Israel’s Ancestors

27 “Therefore, Son of Man, you are to speak to the children of Israel and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Your ancestors also blasphemed me in their treacherous behavior against me. 28 I brought them to the land that I had promised to give them. But whenever they saw any high hill and or any leafy tree, they slaughtered their sacrifices there and presented their offerings that provoked my anger. There they presented their pleasing aromas and poured out their drink offering. 29 So I asked them, ‘What is the high place to which you’re going?’ That’s why the name of the place has been called Bamah[o] to this day.”’

30 “Therefore you are to say to Israel’s house, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Will you defile yourselves like your ancestors did by acting as a prostitute, consistent with their horrible deeds? 31 When you present your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you continue to defile yourselves with your idols to this day. Should I be inquired of by you, you house of Israel? As I live,” declares the Lord, “I certainly won’t be inquired of by you.” 32 The thing that you’re imagining[p] is never going to happen, since you’re thinking, “We’ll be like the nations, like the clans of other[q] lands who serve gods made from wood and stone.”’”

The Coming Discipline of Israel

33 “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “with my powerful hand and outstretched arm, along with my wrath poured out, I’ll reign as king over you. 34 I’ll bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you were scattered. With a powerful hand, with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, 35 I’ll bring you into the wilderness of the nations. I’ll judge you right there, face to face. 36 Just as I judged your ancestors in the wilderness in the land of Egypt, so I’ll judge you,” declares the Lord. 37 “I’ll cause you to pass under the rod until I will have brought you into the bond of the covenant. 38 I’ll eliminate the rebels among you, along with those who are transgressing against me. I’ll bring them out of the land where you’ve lived, but they won’t be able to enter the land of Israel. Then you’ll know that I am the Lord.”

The Coming Regathering of Israel

39 And now, you house of Israel, this is what the Lord God says, “Go ahead and serve your idols, both now and later, but later you’ll listen to me, and you won’t profane my sacred name again by your offerings and idols. 40 For on my holy mountain, on Israel’s high mountains,” declares the Lord God, “the whole of Israel’s house—all of it—will serve me there in the land. I’ll accept them there. And there I’ll demand your offerings, the first fruits of your portions of all your sacred things.

41 “When I will have brought you from among the people and have gathered you from the lands where you were scattered, I’ll accept you as a pleasing aroma. I’ll reveal my holiness among you, and the entire world will see it. 42 Then you’ll know that I, the Lord, brought you to the land of Israel, to the land that I promised to give to your ancestors. 43 You’ll remember all your practices and evil actions by which you’ve become defiled. You’ll loathe yourselves[r] because of all the evil things you’ve done. 44 Then you’ll know that I am the Lord, when I will have dealt with you for the benefit of my own reputation and not according to your evil attitudes or corrupt practices, you house of Israel,” declares the Lord God.

Coming Judgment on the South

45 [s]This message came to me from the Lord: 46 “Son of Man, turn to the south and oppose it, talking toward the south. 47 Prophesy against the forest of the Negev,[t] ‘Listen to this message from the Lord. This is what the Lord God says: “Look out! I’m about to ignite a fire and set it against you. It will devour every tree—whether green or dry—that lives in you. This powerful flame will not be extinguishable, and the entire surface from south to north will be scorched by it. 48 Then everyone[u] will see that I, the Lord, have kindled it, because it won’t be extinguished.”’”

Ezekiel’s Complaint to God

49 Then I said, “O Lord God! They’re saying about me, ‘Isn’t he one to propound parables?’”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 20:1 The Heb. lacks day
  2. Ezekiel 20:5 Lit. When I lifted my hand, and so throughout.
  3. Ezekiel 20:7 Lit. practices before your eyes
  4. Ezekiel 20:8 Lit. practices before their eyes
  5. Ezekiel 20:9 Lit. name
  6. Ezekiel 20:11 Lit. man
  7. Ezekiel 20:12 Lit. gave
  8. Ezekiel 20:13 Lit. walk in
  9. Ezekiel 20:16 Lit. walked
  10. Ezekiel 20:17 Lit. my eyes
  11. Ezekiel 20:22 Lit. hand
  12. Ezekiel 20:23 The Heb. lacks other
  13. Ezekiel 20:24 Lit. Their eyes went after
  14. Ezekiel 20:26 Lit. their first to open the womb
  15. Ezekiel 20:29 The Heb. name Bamah means What is?
  16. Ezekiel 20:32 Lit. that is coming upon your spirits
  17. Ezekiel 20:32 The Heb. lacks other
  18. Ezekiel 20:43 Lit. your souls in your own sight
  19. Ezekiel 20:45 This v. is 21:1 1n MT
  20. Ezekiel 20:47 I.e. southern region of Israel; cf. Josh 10:40
  21. Ezekiel 20:48 Lit. Then all flesh
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Ezekiel 19
Ezekiel 21
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