Ezekiel 20

¹ In the seventh year, on the tenth day of the fifth month,[*a] some of the elders of Israel came to consult Yahweh and sat down in front of me.

² The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,

³ ‘Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel. Say, “The Lord Yahweh says this: Have you come to consult me?” As I live, I am not going to let myself be consulted by them – it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks.

⁴ Are you ready to judge them? Are you ready to judge them, son of man? Confront them with the filthy practices of their fathers.

⁵ Say, “The Lord Yahweh says this: On the day when I chose Israel, when I raised my hand over the descendants of the House of Jacob, I told them then in the land of Egypt; I raised my hand over them and said: I am Yahweh your God.

⁶ On that day I raised my hand over them and swore to lead them out of the land of Egypt and bring them into the land I had chosen for them, a land where milk and honey flow, and the noblest of them all.

⁷ I said: Each one of you must reject those horrors that attract you; do not pollute yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am Yahweh, your God.

⁸ But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me. Not one of them rejected those horrors that attracted them; they did not give up the idols of Egypt. I resolved to discharge my anger on them and exhaust my fury against them in Egypt.

⁹ But respect for my own name kept me from allowing it to be profaned in the opinion of the nations among whom they were living, for I had given them my word that in the sight of those nations I would lead my people out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁰ So I led them out of Egypt and into the wilderness.

¹¹ I gave them my laws and taught them my observances, which must be practised by all who want to live.

¹² I even gave them my sabbaths to be a sign between me and them, so that they might learn that I, Yahweh, am the one who sanctifies them.

¹³ The House of Israel, however, rebelled against me in the wilderness; they refused to keep my laws, they scorned my observances, which must be practised by all who wish to live, and they profaned my sabbaths. Then I resolved to discharge my anger on them in the wilderness and to destroy them.

¹⁴ But respect for my own name kept me from allowing it to be profaned in the opinion of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.

¹⁵ However, I did raise my hand over them in the wilderness and swear that I would not lead them to the land which I had given them, a land where milk and honey flow, the noblest of them all,

¹⁶ since they had scorned my observances, had refused to keep my laws and had profaned my sabbaths, their hearts being so attached to idols.

¹⁷ In spite of this, I took pity on them; I refrained from destroying them, and I did not kill them all in the wilderness.

¹⁸ I said to their children in the wilderness: Do not live by your ancestors’ standards, do not practise the observances they practised, do not defile yourselves with their idols.

¹⁹ I am Yahweh your God. Keep my laws, respect my observances and practise them.

²⁰ Keep my sabbaths holy; let them be a sign between me and you, so that men may learn that I am Yahweh your God.

²¹ The sons, however, rebelled against me; they refused to keep my laws, they did not respect or practise my observances, which must be practised by all who want to live; they profaned my sabbaths. I then resolved to discharge my anger on them and exhaust my fury against them in the wilderness.

²² But I restrained my hand; respect for my own name kept me from allowing it to be profaned in the opinion of the nations, under whose eyes I had brought them out.

²³ Once again, however, I raised my hand over them in the wilderness, swearing to scatter them throughout the nations and disperse them in foreign countries,

²⁴ because they had not followed my observances but had rejected my laws and profaned my sabbaths, and because they had kept their eyes fastened on their ancestors’ idols.

²⁵ I even gave them laws that were not good and observances by which they could never live;

²⁶ and I polluted them with their own offerings, making them sacrifice all their first-born; which was to punish them, so that they would learn that I am Yahweh.”

²⁷ ‘For this reason, son of man, speak to the House of Israel. Say to them, “The Lord Yahweh says this: Here is another way by which your ancestors outraged me, behaving treacherously to me,

²⁸ even though I led them into the land which I had solemnly sworn to give them. There they saw all sorts of high hills, all kinds of leafy trees, and there they performed their sacrifices and made offerings that provoked my anger; there they laid their appeasing fragrance and poured their libations.

²⁹ I said to them: What is the name of the high place where you go? And they gave, and still give it, the name of Bamah.”[*b]

³⁰ Very well, say to the House of Israel, “The Lord Yahweh says this: Since you insist on defiling yourselves by behaving like your fathers, by whoring with their idols,

³¹ by offering your gifts and by burning your children as sacrifices, polluting yourselves with your pack of idols to this very day, how can I let you consult me, House of Israel? As I live – it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks – I am not going to let myself be consulted by you.

³² And that dream ever haunting your mind will never come true, when you say: We shall be like the nations, like foreign tribes worshipping wood and stone.

³³ As I live I swear it – it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks – I am the one who will reign over you, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, through the discharge of my anger.

³⁴ With a strong hand and outstretched arm, through the discharge of my anger, I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you together from foreign countries among which you have been scattered.

³⁵ I will lead you into the Desert of the Nations[*c] and condemn you to your face.

³⁶ As I judged your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt, so will I judge you – it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks.

³⁷ I mean to make you pass under my crook[*d] and I will bring a few of you back;

³⁸ I will sort out the rebels who have rebelled against me. I intend to bring them out of the country where they are staying, but they shall not enter the land of Israel, and you will learn that I am Yahweh.

³⁹ House of Israel, the Lord Yahweh says this: Go on, all of you, worship your idols, but I swear that you will hear me irk the end. You will stop profaning my Holy Name with your offerings and your idols.

⁴⁰ For on my holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel – it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks – it is where the whole House of Israel, resettled in the country, will worship me. There I will welcome you, and there expect your presents, your choicest gifts and all your holy offerings.

⁴¹ will welcome you like an appeasing fragrance when I bring you out from among the peoples; I mean to gather you together from the foreign countries in which you have been scattered; through you I intend to display my holiness for all the nations to see;

⁴² and you will learn that I am Yahweh, when I bring you back to the soil of Israel, to the land I solemnly swore to give to your fathers.

⁴³ There you will remember your past behaviour and all the misdeeds by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the sins that you have committed.

⁴⁴ Then you will learn that I am Yahweh, when I treat you as respect for my own name requires, and not as your wicked behaviour and corrupt actions deserve, House of Israel. It is the Lord Yahweh who speaks.”‘