Ezekiel 20:33-39

The Voice

^33-34 As surely as I live, I, the Eternal Lord, proclaim I will rule as your king with a fierce and mighty hand, an outstretched arm, and an overflowing wrath. With My power, I will bring you out of the nations and gather you from the unfamiliar lands where you have been scattered. ³⁵ I will bring you into the wilderness of nations, and I will personally render My judgment upon you. ³⁶ I will judge you in the same way I judged your fathers in the wilderness that lies east of the land of Egypt.

³⁷ I will have you pass under My rod, and I will make you live up to the terms of the covenant. ³⁸ I will get rid of the rebels and traitors among you. I may bring them out of the lands where they are exiled, but I will not allow them back to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Eternal One.

³⁹ (to the people of Israel) Go ahead and worship your idols—all of you! Eventually, you will see that what you are doing is pointless. Then you will start listening to Me and stop profaning My sacred name with your gifts and false gods.