Chronological

20 ¶ And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire 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 hath the Lord GOD said: Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, said the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.

⁴ Dost thou desire to judge them? Dost thou desire to judge them, son of man? Notify them of the abominations of their fathers:

⁵ ¶ And say unto them, Thus hath the Lord GOD said; In the day when I chose Israel and lifted up my hand for the seed of the house of Jacob and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt when I lifted up my hand unto them, saying, I am the LORD your God;

⁶ in the day that I lifted up my hand unto them with an oath that I would bring them forth from the land of Egypt into a land that I had prepared for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the most beautiful of all lands,

⁷ then said I unto them, Cast away each one of you all worship of god fabricated by carnal appearance and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

⁸ But they rebelled against me and did not desire to hearken unto me; each one did not cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt; then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

⁹ With all this, I intervened for my name’s sake that it should not be polluted before the Gentiles, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁰ ¶ Therefore I took them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness;

¹¹ and I gave them my statutes and declared unto them my rights, by which the man that does them shall live by them.

¹² And I also gave them my sabbaths to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctifies them.

¹³ But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they did not walk in my statutes, and they despised my rights, by which the man that does them shall live by them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted; therefore I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness to consume them.

¹⁴ But I intervened for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the Gentiles, in whose sight I brought them out.

¹⁵ Yet I also lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, with an oath that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the most beautiful of all lands,

¹⁶ because they despised my rights and did not walk in my statutes but polluted my Sabbaths, for their heart went after their idols.

¹⁷ With all this, my eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.

¹⁸ But I said unto their sons in the wilderness: Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, neither keep their laws, nor defile yourselves with their idols:

¹⁹ I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my rights, and do them;

²⁰ and hallow 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 sons rebelled against me: they did not walk in my statutes, nor keep my rights to do them, by which the man that does them shall live by them; they polluted my Sabbaths; then I said: I would pour out my fury upon them to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.

²² Nevertheless, I withdrew my hand and intervened for my name’s sake that it should not be polluted in the sight of the Gentiles in whose sight I brought them forth.

²³ I lifted up my hand unto them also in the wilderness with an oath that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them through the countries

²⁴ because they had not executed my rights and had despised my statutes and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols.

²⁵ For this reason I also gave them statutes that were not good and rights by which they could not live,

²⁶ and I polluted them in their offerings when they caused to pass through the fire all that opens the womb that I might make them desolate, 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 hath the Lord GOD said: Even in this your fathers have blasphemed me when they committed rebellion against me.

²⁸ For when I had brought them into the land, for which I lifted up my 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 the provocation of their offerings; there also they made their sweet savour and poured out there their drink offerings.

²⁹ Then I said unto them, What is the high place unto which ye go? And its name is called Bamah unto this day.

³⁰ Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus hath the Lord GOD said: Perchance are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and do ye commit whoredom after their abominations?

³¹ For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day; and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, said the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.

³² And that which ye think shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the Gentiles, as the families of the nations to serve wood and stone.

³³ ¶ As I live, said the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand and with a stretched out arm and with fury poured out, I must rule over you:

³⁴ and I will bring you out from among the peoples and will gather you out of the countries in which ye are scattered with a mighty hand and with a stretched out arm and with fury poured out.

³⁵ And I will bring you into the wilderness of peoples, and there I will litigate with you face to face.

³⁶ Like as I litigated with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will litigate with you, said the Lord GOD.

³⁷ And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:

³⁸ and I will purge out from among you the rebels and those that rebelled against me; I will take them out of the country where they have gone, 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 hath the Lord GOD said: Go, serve ye each one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me, but do not pollute my holy name any longer with your gifts and with your idols.

⁴⁰ For in the mountain of my holiness, in the high mountain of Israel, said the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel serve me, all of them in the land; there will I be pleased with them, and there will I require your offerings and the firstfruits of your gifts with all your sacred things.

⁴¹ I will accept you with your sweet savour when I have brought you out from among the peoples and gathered you out of the countries in which ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you in the eyes of the Gentiles.

⁴² And ye shall know that I am the LORD when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the land for which I lifted up my hand to give it to your fathers.

⁴³ And there ye shall remember your ways and all your doings, in which ye have been defiled; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.

⁴⁴ And ye shall know that I am the LORD when I have intervened with you for my name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, said the Lord GOD.

⁴⁵ ¶ Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

⁴⁶ Son of man, set thy face toward the south and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;

⁴⁷ and thou shalt say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD. Thus hath the Lord GOD said: Behold, I kindle a fire in thee, which shall devour every green tree in thee and every dry tree; the flame of the fire shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

⁴⁸ And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.

⁴⁹ Then I said, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Does he not speak parables?

21 ¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:

² Son of man, set thy face against Jerusalem, and drop my word upon the sanctuaries, and prophesy over the land of Israel,

³ and thou shalt say to the land of Israel, Thus hath the LORD said: Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.

⁴ Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north:

⁵ that all flesh may know that I the LORD have drawn forth my sword out of its sheath; it shall not return any more.

⁶ Cry out therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness cry out before their eyes.

⁷ And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Why criest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings that come; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint; and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it comes and shall be brought to pass, said the Lord GOD.

⁸ ¶ Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

⁹ Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus hath the LORD said: Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished:

¹⁰ it is sharpened to slay victims; it is furbished that it may glitter; should we then make mirth? it despises the rod of my son, as every tree.

¹¹ And he has given it to be furbished, that it may be handled; this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer.

¹² Cry and howl, son of man, for it shall be upon my people; it shall be upon all the princes of Israel; fear of the sword shall be upon my people; therefore smite the thigh

¹³ because it shall be a trial. What shall be if it does not despise the rod? said the Lord GOD.

¹⁴ Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy and smite thine hands together, and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain; this is the sword of great slaughter that shall pierce them.

¹⁵ I have set the fear of the sword in all their gates, that their heart may faint and their ruins be multiplied; ah! it is made so that it might shine; it is prepared for the slaughter.

¹⁶ Go one way or other, either on the right hand or on the left, wherever thy face is set.

¹⁷ I will also smite my hands together, and I will cause my fury to rest; I the LORD have spoken.

¹⁸ ¶ The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,

¹⁹ Also, thou son of man, show two ways from where the sword of the king of Babylon comes: both shall come forth out of the same land and draw an army; at the head of the way to the city thou shalt do this.

²⁰ Show the way that the sword will come to Rabbath of the Ammonites and to Judah against Jerusalem, the defenced.

²¹ For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way at the head of the two ways to use divination; he made his arrows bright; he consulted with images; he looked in the liver.

²² The divination was to his right hand upon Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth for the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort.

²³ And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to those that have sworn oaths; but he will call to remembrance the iniquity that they may be taken.

²⁴ Therefore thus hath the Lord GOD said: Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, manifesting your betrayals and uncovering your sins in all your doings; for which ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.

²⁵ And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come in the time when the iniquity shall be brought to an end,

²⁶ thus hath the Lord GOD said: Remove the diadem and take off the crown; it shall no longer be like this; I will exalt the one that is low and abase the one that is high.

²⁷ I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it, and it shall be no more until he comes whose right it is; and I will give it unto him.

²⁸ ¶ And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach; even say thou, The sword, the sword is drawn for the slaughter; it is furbished to consume with brightness:

²⁹ They prophesy vanity unto thee; they divine a lie unto thee, to give thee over among the necks of the wicked who are sentenced to death, whose day is come in the time when the iniquity shall be brought to an end.

³⁰ Shall I cause it to return into its sheath? I must judge thee in the place where thou wast raised, in the land of where thou hast lived.

³¹ And I will pour out my indignation upon thee; I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath and deliver thee into the hand of fearful men who are skilful to destroy.

³² Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt no longer be remembered: for I the LORD have spoken.