Ezekiel 20:30-38
New English Translation
30 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves like your fathers[a] and engage in prostitution with detestable idols? 31 When you present your sacrifices[b]—when you make your sons pass through the fire—you defile yourselves with all your idols to this very day. Will I allow you to seek me,[c] O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will not allow you to seek me![d]
32 “‘What you plan[e] will never happen. You say, “We will be[f] like the nations, like the clans of the lands, who serve gods of wood and stone.”[g] 33 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm[h] and with an outpouring of rage, I will be king over you. 34 I will bring you out from the nations and will gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm and with an outpouring of rage! 35 I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 36 Just 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 Sovereign Lord. 37 I will make you pass under[i] the shepherd’s staff,[j] and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. 38 I will eliminate from among you the rebels and those who revolt[k] against me. I will bring them out from the land where they have been residing, but they will not come to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
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- Ezekiel 20:30 tn Heb “in the way of your fathers.”
- Ezekiel 20:31 tn Or “gifts.”
- Ezekiel 20:31 tn Or “Will I reveal myself to you?”
- Ezekiel 20:31 tn Or “I will not reveal myself to you.”
- Ezekiel 20:32 tn Heb “what comes upon your mind.”
- Ezekiel 20:32 tn The Hebrew could also read: “Let us be.”
- Ezekiel 20:32 tn Heb “serving wood and stone.” sn This verse echoes the content of 1 Sam 8:20.
- Ezekiel 20:33 sn This phrase occurs frequently in Deuteronomy (Deut 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 11:2; 26:8).
- Ezekiel 20:37 tn This is the same Hebrew verb used to describe the passing of the children through the fire.
- Ezekiel 20:37 sn The metaphor may be based in Lev 27:32 (see also Jer 33:13 and Matt 25:32-33). A shepherd would count his sheep as they passed beneath his staff.
- Ezekiel 20:38 tn See the note at 2:3.
Ezekiel 20:30-38
Legacy Standard Bible
30 Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Will you defile yourselves in the way of your (A)fathers and play the harlot after their detestable things? 31 [a]And when you offer your gifts, when you (B)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 (C)comes upon your spirit will not happen, when you say: ‘We will be like the nations, like the families of the lands, (D)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 (E)outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be (F)king over you. 34 And I will (G)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 (H)wrath poured out; 35 and I will bring you into the (I)wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 36 As I (J)entered into judgment with your fathers in the (K)wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares Lord Yahweh. 37 “And I will make you (L)pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; 38 and I will (M)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 (N)not enter the [b]land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am Yahweh.
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- Ezekiel 20:31 Lit In your lifting up
- Ezekiel 20:38 Lit ground, soil
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