Jezekiel 20
1 And it came to pass in the seventh year, on the fifteenth day of the month, there came men of the elders of the house of Israel to enquire of the Lord, and they sat before me.
And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month: there came men of the ancients of Israel to inquire of the Lord, and they sat before me.
2 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
3 Son of man, speak to the elders of the house of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord; Are ye come to enquire of me? [As] I live, I will not be enquired of by you, saith the Lord.
Son of man, speak to the ancients of Israel, and say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Are you come to inquire of me? As I live, I will not answer you, saith the Lord God.
4 Shall I utterly take vengeance on them, son of man? testify to them of the iniquities of their fathers:
If thou judgest them, if thou judgest, son of man, declare to them the abominations of their fathers.
5 and thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord; From the day that I chose the house of Israel, and became known to the seed of the house of Jacob, and was known to them in the land of Egypt, and helped them with my hand, saying, I am the Lord your God;
And say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up my hand for the race of the house of Jacob: and appeared to them in the land of Egypt, and lifted up my hand for them, saying: I am the Lord your God:
6 in that day I helped them with my hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into the land which I prepared for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, it is abundant beyond every land.
In that day I lifted up my hand for them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt, into a land which I had provided for them, flowing with milk and honey, which excelleth amongst all lands.
7 And I said to them, Let every one cast away the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the devices of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
And I said to them: Let every man cast away the scandals of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
8 But they revolted from me, and would not hearken to me: they cast not away the abominations of their eyes, and forsook not the devices of Egypt: then I said that I would pour out my wrath upon them, to accomplish my wrath upon them in the midst of Egypt.
But they provoked me, and would not hearken to me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of his eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: and I said I would pour out my indignation upon them, and accomplish my wrath against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
9 But I wrought [so] that my name should not be at all profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in the midst of whom they are, among whom I was made known to them in their sight, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
But I did otherwise for my name’s sake, that it might not be violated before the nations, in the midst of whom they were, and among whom I made myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
10 And I brought them into the wilderness.
Therefore I brought them out from the land of Egypt, and brought them into the desert.
11 And I gave them my commandments, and made known to them mine ordinances, all which [if] a man shall do, he shall even live in them.
And I gave them my statutes, and I shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them.
12 And I gave them my sabbaths, that they should be for a sign between me and them, that they should know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.
Moreover I gave them also my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them: and that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.
13 And I said to the house of Israel in the wilderness, Walk ye in my commandments: but they walked not [in them], and they rejected mine ordinances, which [if] a man shall do, he shall even live in them; and they grievously profaned my sabbaths: and I said that I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.
But the house of Israel provoked me in the desert: they walked not in my statutes, and they cast away my judgments, which if a man do he shall live in them: and they grievously violated my sabbaths. I said therefore that I would pour out my indignation upon them in the desert, and would consume them.
14 But I wrought [so] that my name should not be at all profaned before the Gentiles, before whose eyes I brought them out.
But I spared them for the sake of my name, lest it should be profaned before the nations, from which I brought them out, in their sight.
15 But I lifted up my hand against them in the wilderness once for all, that I would not bring them into the land which I gave them, a land flowing with milk and honey, it is sweeter than all lands:
So I lifted up my hand over them in the desert, not to bring them into the land which I had given them flowing with milk and honey, the best of all lands.
16 because they rejected mine ordinances, and walked not in my commandments, but profaned my sabbaths, and went after the imaginations of their hearts.
Because they cast off my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, and violated my sabbaths: for their heart went after idols.
17 Yet mine eyes spared them, so as [not] to destroy them utterly, and I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.
Yet my eye spared them, so that I destroyed them not: neither did I consume them in the desert.
18 And I said to their children in the wilderness, Walk not ye in the customs of your fathers, and keep not their ordinances, and have no fellowship with their practices, nor defile yourselves [with them].
And I said to their children in the wilderness: Walk not in the statutes of your fathers, and observe not their judgments, nor be ye defiled with their idols:
19 I [am] the Lord your God; walk in my commandments, and keep mine ordinances, and do them;
I am the Lord your God: walk ye in my statutes, and observe my judgments, and do them.
20 and hallow my sabbaths, and let them be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.
And sanctify my sabbaths, that they may be a sign between me and you: and that you may know that I am the Lord your God.
21 But they provoked me, and their children walked not in my commandments, and they took no heed to mine ordinances to do them, which [if] a man shall do, he shall even live in them, and they profaned my sabbaths: then I said that I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to accomplish mine anger upon them.
But their children provoked me, they walked not in my commandments, nor observed my judgments to do them: which if a man do, he shell live in them: and they violated my sabbaths: and I threatened to pour out my indignation upon them, and to accomplish my wrath in them in the desert.
22 But I wrought so that my name might not be at all profaned before the Gentiles; and I brought them out in their sight.
But I turned away my hand, and wrought for my name’s sake, that it might not be violated before the nations, out of which I brought them forth in their sight.
23 I lifted up my hand against them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles, [and] disperse them in the countries;
Again I lifted up my hand upon them in the wilderness, to disperse them among the nations, and scatter them through the countries:
24 because they kept not mine ordinances, and rejected my commandments, and profaned my sabbaths, and their eyes went after the imaginations of their fathers.
Because they had not done my judgments, and had cast off my statutes, and had violated my sabbaths, and their eyes had been after the idols of their fathers.
25 So I gave them commandments [that were] not good, and ordinances in which they should not live.
Therefore I also gave them statutes that were not good, and judgments, in which they shall not live.
26 And I will defile them by their [own] decrees, when I pass through upon every one that opens the womb, that I may destroy them.
And I polluted them in their own gifts, when they offered all that opened the womb, for their offences: and they shall know that I am the Lord.
27 Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord: Hitherto have your fathers provoked me in their trespasses in which they transgressed against me.
Wherefore speak to the house of Israel, O son of man, and say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Moreover in this also your fathers blasphemed me, when they had despised and contemned me;
28 Whereas I brought them into the land concerning which I lifted up mine hand to give it them; and they looked upon every high hill, and every shady tree, and they sacrificed there to their gods, and offered there sweet-smelling savour, and there they poured out their drink-offerings.
And I had brought them into the land, for which I lifted up my hand to give it them: they saw every high hill, and every shady tree, and there they sacrificed their victims: and there they presented the provocation of their offerings, and there they set their sweet odours, and poured forth their libations.
29 And I said to them, What is Abama, that ye go in thither? and they called its name Abama, until this day.
And I said to them: What meaneth the high place to which you go? and the name thereof was called High-place even to this day.
30 Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord, Do ye pollute yourselves with the iniquities of your fathers, and do ye go a-whoring after their abominations,
Wherefore say to the house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord God: Verily, you are defiled in the way of your fathers, and you commit fornication with their abominations.
31 and [do ye pollute yourselves] with the first-fruits of your gifts, in the offerings wherewith ye pollute yourselves in all your imaginations, until this day; and shall I answer you, O house of Israel? [As] I live, saith the Lord, I will not answer you, neither shall this thing come upon your spirit.
And you defile yourselves with all your: idols unto this day, in the offering of your gifts, when you make your children pass through the fire: and shall I answer you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not answer you.
32 And it shall not be as ye say, We will be as the nations, and as the tribes of the earth, to worship stocks and stones.
Neither shall the thought of your mind come to pass, by which you say: We will be as the Gentiles, and as the families of the earth, to worship stocks and stones.
33 Therefore, [as] I live, saith the Lord, I will reign over you with a strong hand, and with a high arm, and with outpoured wrath:
As I live, saith the Lord God, I will reign over you with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.
34 I will bring you out from the nations, and will take you out of the lands wherein ye were dispersed, with a strong hand, and with a high arm, and with outpoured wrath.
And I will bring you out from the people, and I will gather you out of the countries, in which you are scattered, I will reign over you with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.
35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and will plead with you there face to face.
And I will bring you into the wilderness of people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
36 As I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I judge you, saith the Lord.
As I pleaded against your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt; even so will I judge you, saith the Lord God.
37 And I will cause you to pass under my rod, and I will bring you in by number.
And I will make you subject to my sceptre, and will bring you into the bands of the covenant.
38 And I will separate from among you the ungodly and the revolters; for I will lead them forth out of their place of sojourning, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord, [even] the Lord.
And I will pick out from among you the transgressors, and the wicked, and will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and you shall know that I am the Lord.
39 And [as to] you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord, [even] the Lord; Put away each one his [evil] practices, and hereafter if ye hearken to me, then shall ye no more profane my holy name by your gifts and by devices.
And as for you, O house of Israel: thus saith the Lord God: Walk ye every one after your idols, and serve them. But if in this also you hear me not, but defile my holy name any more with your gifts, and with your idols;
40 For upon my holy mountain, on the high mountain, saith the Lord, [even] the Lord, there shall all the house of Israel serve me for ever: and there will I accept [you], and there will I have respect to your first-fruits, and the first-fruits of your offerings, in all your holy things.
In my holy mountain, in the high mountain of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel serve me; all of them I say, in the land in which they shall please me, and there will I require your firstfruits, and the chief of your tithes with all your sanctifications.
41 I will accept you with a sweet-smelling savour, when I bring you out from the nations, and take you out of the countries wherein ye have been dispersed; and I will be sanctified among you in the sight of the nations.
I will accept of you for an odour of sweetness, when I shall have brought you out from the people, and shall have gathered you out of the lands into which you are scattered, and I will be sanctified in you in the sight of the nations.
42 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have brought you into the land of Israel, into the land concerning which I lifted up my hand to give it to your fathers.
And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have brought you into the land of Israel, into the land for which I lifted up my hand to give it to your fathers.
43 And ye shall there remember your ways, and your devices wherewith ye defiled yourselves; and ye shall bewail yourselves for all your wickedness.
And there you shall remember your ways, and all your wicked doings with which you have been defiled; and you shall be displeased with yourselves in your own sight, for all your wicked deeds which you committed.
44 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have done thus to you, that my name may not be profaned in your evil ways, and in your corrupt devices, saith the Lord.
And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have done well by you for my own name’s sake, and not according to your evil ways, nor according to your wicked deeds, O house of Israel, saith the Lord God.
45 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
46 Son of man, set thy face against Thaeman, and look toward Darom, and prophesy against the chief forest of Nageb,
Son of man, set thy face against the way of the south, and drop towards the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field.
47 and thou shalt say to the forest of Nageb, Hear the word of the Lord; thus saith the Lord, [even] the Lord; Behold, I [will] kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour in thee every green tree, and every dry tree: the flame that is kindled shall not be quenched, and every face shall be scorched with it from the south to the north.
And any to the south forest: Hear the word of the Lord: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will kindle a fire in thee, and will burn in thee every green tree, and every dry tree: the dame of the fire shall not be quenched: and every face shall be burned in it, from the south even to the north.
48 And all flesh shall know that I the Lord have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.
And all flesh shall see, that I the Lord have kindled it, and it shall not be quenched.
49 And I said, Not so, O Lord God! they say to me, Is not this that is spoken a parable?
And I said: Ah, ah, ah, O Lord God: they say of me: Doth not this man speak by parables?
