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Ezekiel 20
1599 Geneva Bible
Ezekiel 20
1599 Geneva Bible
20 3 The Lord denieth that he will answer them when they pray, because of their wickedness. 33 He promiseth that his people shall return from captivity. 46 By the forest that should be burnt, is signified the burning of Jerusalem.
1 And in the [a]seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, came certain of the Elders of Israel to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me.
2 Then came the word of the Lord unto me, saying,
3 Son of man, speak unto the Elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Are ye come to inquire of me? as I live, saith the Lord God, when I am asked, I will not answer you.
4 Wilt thou judge them, son of man? wilt thou judge them? cause [b]them to understand the abominations of their fathers,
5 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, In the day when I chose Israel, and [c]lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lift up mine hand unto them, and said, I am the Lord your God,
6 In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt, into a land that I had provided for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is pleasant among all lands,
7 Then said I unto them, Let every man cast away the abominations of his eyes, [d]and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: for I am the Lord your God.
8 But they rebelled against me, and would not hear me: for none cast away the abominations of [e]their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I thought to pour out mine indignation upon them, and to accomplish my wrath against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
9 But I had respect to my [f]Name, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, and in whose sight I made myself known unto them in bringing them forth of the land of Egypt.
10 Now I carried them out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.
11 And I gave them my statutes, and declared my judgments unto them, (A)which if a man do, he shall live in them.
12 Moreover I gave them also my (B)Sabbaths to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord, that sanctify them.
13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they cast away my judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them, and my Sabbaths have they greatly polluted: then I thought to pour out mine indignation upon them (C)in the wilderness to consume them,
14 But I had respect to my name, that it should not be polluted before the [g]heathen in whose sight I brought them out.
15 Yet nevertheless, I lifted up mine hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land, which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which was pleasant above all lands,
16 Because they cast away my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but have polluted my [h]Sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.
17 Nevertheless, mine eye spared them, that I would not destroy them, neither would I consume them in the wilderness.
18 But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the ordinances of your [i]fathers, neither observe their manners, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
19 I am the Lord your God: walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments and do them,
20 And sanctify my Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.
21 Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, nor kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall live in them, but they polluted my Sabbaths: then I thought to pour out mine indignation upon them, and to accomplish my wrath against them in the wilderness.
22 Nevertheless, I withdrew mine hand and had respect to my Name, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.
23 Yet I lifted up mine hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries,
24 Because they had not executed my judgments, but had cast away my statutes, and had polluted my Sabbaths, and their eyes were after [j]their fathers’ idols.
25 Wherefore I gave [k]them also statutes that were not good, and judgments, wherein they should not live.
26 And I polluted them in their own [l]gifts in that they caused to pass by the fire all that first openeth the womb, that I might destroy them, to the end that they might know that I am the Lord.
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, though they had before grievously transgressed against me.
28 [m]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 their offering of provocation: there also they made their sweet savor, and poured out there their drink offerings.
29 Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof was called [n]Bamah unto this day.
30 Wherefore, say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God, Are ye not polluted [o]after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye not whoredom after their abominations?
31 For when you offer your gifts, and make your sons to pass through the fire, you pollute yourselves with all your idols unto this day: shall I answer you when I am asked, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, [p]I will not answer you when I am asked.
32 Neither shall that be done that cometh into your mind: for ye say, we will be as the heathen, and as the families of the countries, and serve wood, and [q]stone.
33 As I live, saith the Lord God, I will surely rule you with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and in my wrath poured out,
34 And will bring you 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 in my wrath poured out,
35 And I will bring you into the [r]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 will bring you into the bond of the covenant.
38 And I will [s]choose out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them out of the land where they dwell, 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, [t]Go you, and serve everyone his idol, seeing that ye will not obey me, and pollute mine holy Name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.
40 For in mine holy mountain, even in the high mountain of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, and all 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 your sweet savor, when I bring you from the people, and gather you out of the countries, wherein ye have been scattered, that I may 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 land 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 works, wherein ye have been defiled, and ye [u]shall judge yourselves worthy to be cut off, for all your evils, that ye have committed.
44 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have respect unto you for my Name’s sake, and not after your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt works, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord God.
45 ¶ Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
46 Son of man, Set thy face toward the way of Teman, and drop thy word toward [v]the South, and prophesy toward the forest of the field of the South,
47 And say to the forest of the South, Hear the word of the Lord: thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour all the [w]green wood in thee, and all the dry wood: the continual flame shall not be quenched, and every face from the South to the North shall be burnt therein.
48 And all flesh shall see, that I the Lord have kindled it, and it shall not be quenched. Then said I, Ah Lord God, they say of me, Doth not he speak [x]parables?
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 20:1 Of the captivity of Jeconiah.
- Ezekiel 20:4 This declareth the great lenity and patience of God, which calleth sinners to repentance before he condemns them.
- Ezekiel 20:5 I sware that I would be their God, which manner of oath was observed from all antiquity, where they used to lift up their hands toward the heaven, acknowledging God to be the author of truth, and the defender thereof, and also the Judge of the heart, wishing that he should take vengeance, if they concealed anything which they knew to be truth.
- Ezekiel 20:7 God had forbidden them to make mention of the idols, Exod. 23:13; Ps. 16:4.
- Ezekiel 20:8 Which thing declareth the wickedness of man’s heart, which judge God’s service by their eyes and outward senses.
- Ezekiel 20:9 God had ever this respect to his glory, that he would not have his Name evil spoken of among the Gentiles for the punishment that his people deserved, in confidence whereof the godly ever prayed, as Exod. 32:12; Num. 14:13.
- Ezekiel 20:14 Who might thereby take an occasion to blaspheme my Name and to accuse me of lack of ability, or else that I had sought a means to destroy them more commodiously.
- Ezekiel 20:16 That is, my true religion, which I had commanded them, and gave themselves to serve me according to their own fantasies.
- Ezekiel 20:18 Whereby the holy Ghost confuteth them that say that they will follow the religion and example of their fathers, and not measure their doings by God’s word whether they be approvable thereby or no.
- Ezekiel 20:24 Meaning, that they set their delight upon them.
- Ezekiel 20:25 Because they would not obey my laws, I gave them up to themselves, that they should obey their own fantasies, as verse 39; Rom. 1:21, 24.
- Ezekiel 20:26 I condemned those things, and counted them as abominable, which they thought had been excellent, and to have declared most zeal, Luke 16:15, for that which God required, as most excellent, that they gave to their idols.
- Ezekiel 20:28 Not only in the wilderness, when I brought them out of Egypt, but since I placed them in this land: which declareth how prompt man’s heart is to idolatry, seeing that by no admonitions he can be drawn back.
- Ezekiel 20:29 Which signifieth an high place, declaring that they vaunted themselves of their idolatry, and were not ashamed thereof, though God had commanded them expressly that they should have no altar lifted upon high by stairs, Exod. 20:26.
- Ezekiel 20:30 Hebrew, in the way.
- Ezekiel 20:31 He showeth that the ingratitude of the people deserveth that God should cut them off, and that they should not have the comfort of his word.
- Ezekiel 20:32 He declareth that man of nature is wholly enemy unto God, and to his own salvation, and therefore God calleth him to the right way, partly by chastising, but chiefly by his mercy in forgiving his rebellion, and wickedness.
- Ezekiel 20:35 I will bring you among strange nations as into a wilderness, and there will visit you, and so call you to repentance, and then bring the godly home again, Isa. 65:9.
- Ezekiel 20:38 Signifying, that he will not burn the corn with the chaff, but choose out the wicked to punish them when he will spare his.
- Ezekiel 20:39 This is spoken to the hypocrites.
- Ezekiel 20:43 Your own consciences shall convict you after, that you have felt my mercies.
- Ezekiel 20:46 For Judah stood South from Babylon.
- Ezekiel 20:47 Both strong and weak in Jerusalem.
- Ezekiel 20:48 The people said that the Prophet spake darkly: therefore he desireth the Lord to give them a plain declaration thereof.
Ezekiel 20
New International Version
Ezekiel 20
New International Version
Rebellious Israel Purged
20 In the seventh year, in the fifth month on the tenth day, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire(A) of the Lord, and they sat down in front of me.(B)
2 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 3 “Son of man, speak to the elders(C) of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Have you come to inquire(D) of me? As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me, declares the Sovereign Lord.(E)’
4 “Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Then confront them with the detestable practices of their ancestors(F) 5 and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose(G) Israel, I swore with uplifted hand(H) to the descendants of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, “I am the Lord your God.(I)” 6 On that day I swore(J) to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey,(K) the most beautiful of all lands.(L) 7 And I said to them, “Each of you, get rid of the vile images(M) you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols(N) of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.(O)”
8 “‘But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me;(P) they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.(Q) So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in Egypt.(R) 9 But for the sake of my name, I brought them out of Egypt.(S) I did it to keep my name from being profaned(T) in the eyes of the nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites. 10 Therefore I led them out of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.(U) 11 I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, by which the person who obeys them will live.(V) 12 Also I gave them my Sabbaths(W) as a sign(X) between us,(Y) so they would know that I the Lord made them holy.(Z)
13 “‘Yet the people of Israel rebelled(AA) against me in the wilderness. They did not follow my decrees but rejected my laws(AB)—by which the person who obeys them will live—and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths.(AC) So I said I would pour out my wrath(AD) on them and destroy(AE) them in the wilderness.(AF) 14 But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned(AG) in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.(AH) 15 Also with uplifted hand I swore(AI) to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands(AJ)— 16 because they rejected my laws(AK) and did not follow my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts(AL) were devoted to their idols.(AM) 17 Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy(AN) them or put an end to them in the wilderness. 18 I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do not follow the statutes of your parents(AO) or keep their laws or defile yourselves(AP) with their idols. 19 I am the Lord your God;(AQ) follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.(AR) 20 Keep my Sabbaths(AS) holy, that they may be a sign(AT) between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.(AU)”
21 “‘But the children rebelled against me: They did not follow my decrees, they were not careful to keep my laws,(AV) of which I said, “The person who obeys them will live by them,” and they desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger(AW) against them in the wilderness.(AX) 22 But I withheld(AY) my hand, and for the sake of my name(AZ) I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would disperse them among the nations and scatter(BA) them through the countries, 24 because they had not obeyed my laws but had rejected my decrees(BB) and desecrated my Sabbaths,(BC) and their eyes lusted after(BD) their parents’ idols.(BE) 25 So I gave(BF) them other statutes that were not good and laws through which they could not live;(BG) 26 I defiled them through their gifts—the sacrifice(BH) of every firstborn—that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the Lord.(BI)’
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(BJ) blasphemed(BK) me by being unfaithful to me:(BL) 28 When I brought them into the land(BM) 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.(BN) 29 Then I said to them: What is this high place(BO) 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(BP) the way your ancestors did and lust after their vile images?(BQ) 31 When you offer your gifts—the sacrifice of your children(BR) 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.(BS)
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(BT) and with outpoured wrath.(BU) 34 I will bring you from the nations(BV) and gather(BW) you from the countries where you have been scattered—with a mighty hand(BX) and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath.(BY) 35 I will bring you into the wilderness(BZ) of the nations and there, face to face, I will execute judgment(CA) 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.(CB) 37 I will take note of you as you pass under my rod,(CC) and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.(CD) 38 I will purge(CE) 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.(CF)
39 “‘As for you, people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Go and serve your idols,(CG) every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name(CH) with your gifts and idols.(CI) 40 For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel,(CJ) 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(CK) and your choice gifts,[b] along with all your holy sacrifices.(CL) 41 I will accept you as fragrant incense(CM) when I bring you out from the nations and gather(CN) you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy(CO) through you in the sight of the nations.(CP) 42 Then you will know that I am the Lord,(CQ) when I bring you into the land of Israel,(CR) the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors.(CS) 43 There you will remember your conduct(CT) and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves(CU) for all the evil you have done.(CV) 44 You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake(CW) and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.(CX)’”
Prophecy Against the South
45 The word of the Lord came to me: 46 “Son of man, set your face toward(CY) the south; preach against the south and prophesy against(CZ) the forest of the southland.(DA) 47 Say to the southern forest:(DB) ‘Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to set fire to you, and it will consume(DC) all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from south to north(DD) will be scorched by it.(DE) 48 Everyone will see that I the Lord have kindled it; it will not be quenched.(DF)’”
49 Then I said, “Sovereign Lord,(DG) they are saying of me, ‘Isn’t he just telling parables?(DH)’”[c]
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 20:29 Bamah means high place.
- Ezekiel 20:40 Or and the gifts of your firstfruits
- Ezekiel 20:49 In Hebrew texts 20:45-49 is numbered 21:1-5.
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.