⁸ the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ^(A)I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery.

⁵ and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: ^(A)On the day when I chose Israel, ^(B)I swore^[a] to the offspring of the house of Jacob, ^(C)making myself known to them in the land of Egypt; ^(D)I swore to them, saying, I am the Lord your God. ⁶ On that day I swore to them that ^(E)I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land ^(F)flowing with milk and honey, ^(G)the most glorious of all lands. ⁷ And I said to them, ^(H)‘Cast away the detestable things ^(I)your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with ^(J)the idols of Egypt; ^(K)I am the Lord your God.’ ^8 (L)But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. ^(M)None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them ^(N)and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. ^9 (O)But I acted ^(P)for the sake of my name, ^(Q)that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, ^(R)in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. ^10 (S)So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. ^11 (T)I gave them my statutes and made known to them my rules, ^(U)by which, if a person does them, he shall live. ¹² Moreover, I gave them ^(V)my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, ^(W)that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. ^13 (X)But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. ^(Y)They did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; ^(Z)and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned.

^(AA)“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make a full end of them. ¹⁴ But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, ^(AB)in whose sight I had brought them out. ¹⁵ Moreover, ^(AC)I swore to them in the wilderness ^(AD)that I would not bring them into the land that I had given them, a land ^(AE)flowing with milk and honey, ^(AF)the most glorious of all lands, ¹⁶ because they rejected my rules and did not walk in my statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths; ^(AG)for their heart went after their idols. ¹⁷ Nevertheless, ^(AH)my eye spared them, and I did not destroy them or ^(AI)make a full end of them in the wilderness.

¹⁸ “And I said to ^(AJ)their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk ^(AK)in the statutes of your fathers, nor keep their rules, ^(AL)nor defile yourselves with their idols. ^19 (AM)I am the Lord your God; ^(AN)walk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules, ²⁰ and ^(AO)keep my Sabbaths holy that ^(AP)they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’ ^21 (AQ)But the children ^(AR)rebelled against me. ^(AS)They did not walk in my statutes and were not careful to obey my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; they profaned my Sabbaths.

^(AT)“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness. ^22 (AU)But I withheld my hand ^(AV)and acted for the sake of my name, ^(AW)that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. ^23 (AX)Moreover, ^(AY)I swore to them in the wilderness ^(AZ)that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the countries, ²⁴ because they had not obeyed my rules, but had rejected my statutes and profaned my Sabbaths, ^(BA)and their eyes were set on their fathers' idols. ^25 (BB)Moreover, I gave them statutes that were not good and rules by which they could not have life, ²⁶ and I defiled them through ^(BC)their very gifts ^(BD)in their offering up all their firstborn, that I might devastate them. I did it ^(BE)that they might know that I am the Lord.

²⁷ “Therefore, ^(BF)son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: In this also your fathers blasphemed me, by ^(BG)dealing treacherously with me. ²⁸ For when I had brought them into the land that ^(BH)I swore to give them, then wherever they saw ^(BI)any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices and there they presented ^(BJ)the provocation of their offering; there they sent up their pleasing aromas, and there they poured out their drink offerings. ²⁹ (I said to them, ^(BK)‘What is the high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah^[b] to this day.)

³⁰ “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: ^(BL)Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers and go ^(BM)whoring after their detestable things? ³¹ When you present your gifts and ^(BN)offer up your children in fire,^[c] you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And ^(BO)shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? ^(BP)As I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

^32 (BQ)“What is in your mind shall never happen—the thought, ^(BR)‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, ^(BS)and worship wood and stone.’

^9 (A)“And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard ^(B)their cry at the Red Sea, ^10 (C)and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that ^(D)they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And ^(E)you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day. ^11 (F)And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, ^(G)as a stone into mighty waters. ¹² By ^(H)a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go.

Israel's Disobedience

2 Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to ^(A)Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ^(B)‘I will never break my covenant with you, ^2 (C)and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; ^(D)you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? ³ So now I say, ^(E)I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become ^(F)thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”