Ezekiel 20:1-49 And it comes to pass, in the seventh year, in the fifth month, in the tenth of the month, come in have certain of the elders of Israel to seek Yahweh, and they sit before me;"

CLV⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ And it comes to pass, in the seventh year, in the fifth [month], in the tenth of the month, come in have certain of the elders of Israel to seek Yahweh, and they sit before me;" ² and there is a word of Yahweh unto me, saying, ³ `Son of man, speak with the elders of Israel, and you have said unto them, Thus said the Lord Yahweh:To seek Me are you coming in? I live--I am not sought by you--an affirmation of the Lord Yahweh." ⁴ Do you judge them? Do you judge, son of man? The abominations of their fathers cause them to know, ⁵ and you have said unto them:Thus said the Lord Yahweh:In the day of My fixing on Israel, I lift up My hand, To the seed of the house of Jacob, And am known to them in the land of Egypt, And I lift up My hand to them, Saying, I [am] Yahweh your Elohim." ⁶ In that day I did lift up My hand to them, To bring them forth from the land of Egypt, Unto a land that I spied out for them, Flowing with milk and honey, A beauty it [is] to all the lands, ⁷ And I say unto them, Let each cast away the detestable things of his eyes, And with the idols of Egypt be not defiled, I [am] Yahweh your Elohim." ⁸ And--they rebel against Me, And have not been willing to hearken to Me, Each, the detestable things of their eyes, They have not cast away, And the idols of Egypt have not forsaken, And I say--to pour out My fury on them, To complete Mine anger against them, In the midst of the land of Egypt." ⁹ And I do [it] for My name's sake, Not to pollute [it] before the eyes of the nations, In whose midst they [are], Before whose eyes I became known to them, To bring them out from the land of Egypt." ¹⁰ And I bring them out of the land of Egypt, And I bring them in unto the wilderness, ¹¹ And I give to them My statutes, And my judgments I caused them to know, Which the man who does--lives by them." ¹² And also My sabbaths I have given to them, To be for a sign between Me and them, To know that I [am] Yahweh their sanctifier." ¹³ And--rebel against me do the house of Israel in the wilderness, In My statutes they have not walked, And My judgments they have despised, Which the man who does--lives by them. And My sabbaths they have greatly polluted, And I say to pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them." ¹⁴ And I do [it] for My name's sake, Not to pollute [it] before the eyes of the nations, Before whose eyes I brought them forth." ¹⁵ And also, I, I have lifted up My hand to them in the wilderness, Not to bring them in to the land that I had given, Flowing with milk and honey, A beauty it [is] to all the lands, ¹⁶ Because against My judgments they did kick, And in My statutes they have not walked, And My sabbaths they have polluted, For after their idols their heart is going." ¹⁷ And Mine eye has pity on them--against destroying them, And I have not made of them an end in the wilderness." ¹⁸ And I say to their sons in the wilderness:In the statutes of your fathers you walk not, And their judgments you do not observe, And with their idols you are not defiled." ¹⁹ I [am] Yahweh your Elohim, in My statutes walk, And My judgments observe, and do them, ²⁰ And My sabbaths sanctify, And they have been for a sign between Me and you, To know that I, Yahweh, [am] your Elohim." ²¹ And--the sons rebel against Me, In My statutes they have not walked, And My judgments they have not observed--to do them, Which the man who does--lives by them. My sabbaths they have polluted, And I say to pour out My fury upon them, To complete Mine anger against them in the wilderness." ²² And I have turned back My hand, And I do [it] for My name's sake, Not to pollute [it] before the eyes of the nations, Before whose eyes I brought them out." ²³ I also, I have lifted up My hand to them in the wilderness, To scatter them among nations, And to spread them through lands." ²⁴ Because My judgments they have not done, And My statutes they have despised, And My sabbaths they have polluted, And after idols of their fathers have their eyes been." ²⁵ And I also, I have given to them statutes not good, And judgments by which they do not live." ²⁶ And I defile them by their own gifts, By causing to pass away every opener of a womb, So that I make them desolate, So that they know that I [am] Yahweh." ²⁷ Therefore, speak unto the house of Israel, son of man, and you have said unto them, Thus said the Lord Yahweh:Still in this have your fathers reviled Me, In their committing against Me a trespass." ²⁸ And I bring them in unto the land, That I did lift up My hand to give to them, And they see every high hill, and every thick tree, And they sacrifice there their sacrifices, And give there the provocation of their offering, And make there their sweet fragrance, And they pour out there their libations." ²⁹ And I say unto them:What [is] the high place whither you are going in? And its name is called `high place' to this day. ³⁰ Therefore, say unto the house of Israel:Thus said the Lord Yahweh:In the way of your fathers are you defiled? And after their detestable things go a-whoring? ³¹ And in the offering of your gifts, In causing your sons to pass through fire, You are defiled by all your idols to this day, And I am sought by you, O house of Israel! I live--an affirmation of the Lord Yahweh, I am not sought by you." ³² And that which is going up on your mind, It is not at all--in that you are saying:We will be as the nations, as the families of the lands, To serve wood and stone." ³³ I live--an affirmation of the Lord Yahweh, Do not I, with a strong hand, And with a stretched-out arm, And with fury poured out--rule over you? ³⁴ And I have brought you forth from the peoples, And assembled you from the lands In which you have been scattered, With a strong hand and with a stretched-out arm, And with fury poured out." ³⁵ And I have brought you in unto the wilderness of the peoples, And have been judged with you there face to face." ³⁶ As I was judged with your fathers, In the wilderness of the land of Egypt, So I am judged with you, An affirmation of the Lord Yahweh." ³⁷ And I have caused you to pass under the rod, And brought you into the bond of the covenant, ³⁸ And cleared out from you the rebels, And them transgressing against Me, From the land of their sojournings I bring them out, And unto the land of Israel they come not, And you have known that I [am] Yahweh." ³⁹ And you, O house of Israel, thus said the Lord Yahweh:Each his idols--go--serve you, And, afterwards, if you are not hearkening to me, And My holy name you do not pollute any more by your gifts, and by your idols." ⁴⁰ For, in My holy mountain, In the mountain of the height of Israel, An affirmation of the Lord Yahweh, There serve Me do all the house of Israel, All of it, in the land--there I accept them, And there I do seek your heave-offerings, And with the first-fruit of your gifts, With all your holy things." ⁴¹ With sweet fragrance I do accept you, In My bringing you out from the peoples, And I have assembled you from the lands In which you have been scattered, And I have been sanctified in you Before the eyes of the nations." ⁴² And you have known that I [am] Yahweh, In My bringing you to the ground of Israel, Unto the land that I did lift up My hand To give it to your fathers, ⁴³ And you have remembered there your ways, And all your doings, In which you have been defiled, And you have been loathsome in your own faces, For all your evils that you have done." ⁴⁴ And you have known that I [am] Yahweh, In My dealing with you for My name's sake, Not according to your evil ways, And according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel, An affirmation of the Lord Yahweh.'" ⁴⁵ And there is a word of Yahweh unto me, saying, ⁴⁶ Son of man, set your face the way of Teman, and prophesy unto the south, and prophesy unto the forest of the field--the south;" ⁴⁷ and you have said to the forest of the south:Hear a word of Yahweh:Thus said the Lord Yahweh:Lo, I am kindling in you a fire, And it has devoured in you every moist tree, and every dry tree, Not quenched is the glowing flames, And burnt by it have been all faces from south to north." ⁴⁸ And seen have all flesh, that I, Yahweh, have kindled it--it is not quenched.'" ⁴⁹ And I say, `Ah, Lord Yahweh, They are saying of me, Is he not using similes?