Ezekiel 20

1 And it came to pass in the ^aseventh year,¹ in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of ^bthe elders of Israel came ^cto inquire of the LORD, and ^dsat 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 saith the Lord GOD, Are ye come to inquire of me? ^eas I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you.²

4 ¶ Wilt thou ^gjudge³ them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? ^hcause them to know the abominations of their fathers;

5 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when ⁱI chose Israel, and ⁴lifted up mine hand⁵ unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and ^jmade myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, ^kI am the LORD your God;

6 In the day that ^lI lifted up mine hand unto them, to ⁿbring them forth of the land of Egypt, into a land that I had ^oespied for them, flowing^p with milk and honey, which is the glory^q of all lands;

7 Then said I unto them, ^rCast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and ^sdefile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

8 But they ^trebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt:⁶ then I said, I^u will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

9 But ^vI wrought for my name's sake,⁷ that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.

10 Wherefore ^xI caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.

11 And ^yI gave them my statutes, and showed them⁸ my judgments, ^zwhich if a man do, he shall even live in them.

12 Moreover also I gave them my ^asabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that ^bI am the LORD that sanctify them.⁹

13 ¶ But the house of Israel ^crebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and ^dmy sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, ^eI would pour out my fury upon them in the ^gwilderness, to consume them.

14 But^h I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.

15 Yetⁱ also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land ^jwhich I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands;

16 Because^k they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after ^ltheir idols.

17 Neverthelessⁿ mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.

18 But ^oI said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your ^pfathers, neither observe their judgments, ^qnor defile yourselves with their idols:

19 I^r am the LORD your God; ^swalk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them;

20 And^t 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^u the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they ^vpolluted my sabbaths: ^xthen I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.

22 Nevertheless^y I withdrew mine hand, and ^zwrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose ^asight I brought them forth.

23 I^b lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries;

24 Because^c they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and ^dtheir eyes were after their fathers' idols.

25 Wherefore^e I gave them also statutes that were not good,¹ and judgments whereby they should not live;

26 And^g I polluted them² in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they ^hmight know that I am the LORD.

27 ¶ Therefore, son of man, speak unto ⁱthe house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet in this your fathers have ^jblasphemed me, in that they have ³committed a trespass against me.

28 For when ^kI had brought them into the land, for the which I ^llifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw ⁿevery high ⁴hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation^o of their offering: there also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink-offerings.

29 Then ⁵I said unto them, What is the high place⁶ whereunto ye go? ^pAnd the name thereof is called Bamah⁷ unto this day.

30 ¶ Wherefore say unto ^qthe house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD, ^rAre ye polluted after the manner of your ^sfathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations?

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

32 And that which cometh into your mind shall ^vnot be at all,⁸ that ye say, ^xWe will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.

33 ¶ As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely ^ywith a mighty hand, and with a stretched-out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you;

34 And^z I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein 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 ^awilderness of the people, and there will ^bI plead with you face^c to face.

36 Like^d as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD.

37 And I will cause you to ^epass under the rod,⁹ and ^gI will bring you into the bond¹ of the covenant:

38 And ^hI will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and ⁱthey shall not enter into the land of Israel; and ^jye shall know that I am the LORD.

39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD, ^kGo ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but ^lpollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols:

40 For in mine ⁿholy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I ^oaccept them, and there will I require ^pyour offerings, and the first-fruits² of your oblations, with all your holy things.

41 I will accept you with your sweet ³savour, when ^qI bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and ^rI will be sanctified in you before the heathen.

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

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

44 And ^uye shall know that I am the LORD, when I ^vhave wrought with you for my name's sake, ^xnot according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

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

46 Son of man, ^yset thy face toward the south, and drop ^zthy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest⁴ of the south ⁵field;

47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD, Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, ^aI will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces ^bfrom the south to the north shall be burned therein.

48 And^c all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it shall not be ^dquenched.

49 Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?⁶