Ezekiel 20

1 And it comes to pass, in the seventh year, in the fifth [month], on the tenth of the month, men from [the] elderly of Israel have come in to seek YHWH, and they sit before me;

And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of Jehovah, and sat before me.

2 and there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

Then came the word of Jehovah to me, saying:

3 “Son of man, speak to the elderly of Israel, and you have said to them, Thus said Lord YHWH: Are you coming in to seek Me? [As] I live—I am not sought by you—a declaration of Lord YHWH.

Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Are ye come to inquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you.

4 Do you judge them? Do you judge, son of man? Cause them to know the abominations of their fathers,

Punish them, punish them, son of man, cause them to know the abominations of their fathers, and say to them,

5 and you have said to them, Thus said Lord YHWH: 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] your God YHWH.

Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: At the time when I chose Israel, I lifted up my hand to the race of the house of Jacob, and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt; I lifted up my hand to them, and said, I am Jehovah, your God.

6 In that day I lifted up My hand to them, To bring them forth from the land of Egypt, To a land that I spied out for them, Flowing with milk and honey, It [is] a beauty to all the lands,

At that time I lifted up my hand to them, that I would bring them forth out of the land of Egypt, into a land which I had looked out for them, flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands.

7 And I say to them, Let each cast away the detestable things of his eyes, And do not be defiled with the idols of Egypt, I [am] your God YHWH.

And I said to them, Cast ye away from you every one the abomination of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt! I am Jehovah, your God.

8 And they rebel against Me, And have not been willing to listen to Me, Each has not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, And have not forsaken the idols of Egypt, And I speak—to pour out My fury on them, To complete My anger against them, In the midst of the land of Egypt.

But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken to me; they did not cast away every one the abominations of his eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said that I would pour out my fury upon them, that I would accomplish mine anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

9 And I do [it] for My Name’s sake, Not to defile [it] before the eyes of the nations, In whose midst they [are in], Before whose eyes I became known to them, To bring them out from the land of Egypt.

But I acted for my name's sake, that it might not be polluted in the sight of the nations, in the midst of whom they were; and before their eyes I made myself known to them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.

10 And I bring them out of the land of Egypt, And I bring them into the wilderness,

And I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and led them into the wilderness.

11 And I give My statutes to them, And I caused them to know My judgments, Which the man who does—lives by them.

And I gave them my statutes, and made known to them my laws, through which the man that keepeth them shall live.

12 And I have also given My Sabbaths to them, To be for a sign between Me and them, To know that I [am] YHWH who is sanctifying them.

Also I gave them my sabbaths, that they might be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I, Jehovah, sanctify them.

13 And the house of Israel rebels against Me in the wilderness, They have not walked in My statutes, And they have despised My judgments, Which the man who does—lives by them. And they have greatly defiled My Sabbaths, And I speak—to pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them.

But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the desert; they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my laws, through which the man that keepeth them shall live, and my sabbaths they greatly polluted. Then I said that I would pour out my fury upon them in the desert, to consume them.

14 And I do [it] for My Name’s sake, Not to defile [it] before the eyes of the nations, Before whose eyes I brought them forth.

But I acted for my name's sake, that it might not be polluted before the nations, in whose sight I brought them forth.

15 And also, I have lifted up My hand to them in the wilderness, Not to bring them into the land that I had given, Flowing with milk and honey, It [is] a beauty to all the lands,

Yet I lifted up my hand to them in the desert, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, the beauty of all lands;

16 Because they kicked against My judgments, And they have not walked in My statutes, And they have defiled My Sabbaths, For their heart is going after their idols.

because they despised my laws, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols.

17 And My eye has pity on them—against destroying them, And I have not made an end of them in the wilderness.

Nevertheless mine eye spared them, so that I did not destroy them; neither did I make an end of them in the desert.

18 And I say to their sons in the wilderness: Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, And do not observe their judgments, And do not defile yourselves with their idols.

And I said to their sons in the desert, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols!

19 I [am] your God YHWH, walk in My statutes, And observe My judgments, and do them,

I am Jehovah, your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my ordinances, and do them.

20 And sanctify My Sabbaths, And they have been for a sign between Me and you, To know that I [am] your God YHWH.

And hallow my sabbaths, that they may be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am Jehovah, your God.

21 And the sons rebel against Me, They have not walked in My statutes, And they have not observed My judgments—to do them, Which the man who does—lives by them. They have defiled My Sabbaths, And I speak—to pour out My fury on them, To complete My anger against them in the wilderness.

But the sons rebelled against me; they walked not in my statutes, neither kept they my ordinances to do them, through which the man that doeth them shall live, and they polluted my sabbaths. Then I said that I would pour out my fury upon them, and accomplish mine anger upon them in the desert.

22 And I have turned back My hand, And I do [it] for My Name’s sake, Not to defile [it] before the eyes of the nations, Before whose eyes I brought them out.

Nevertheless I held back my hand, and acted for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the nations, in whose sight I brought them forth.

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.

I also lifted up my hand against them in the desert, that I would scatter them among the nations, and disperse them through the countries,

24 Because they have not done My judgments, And they have despised My statutes, And they have defiled My Sabbaths, And their eyes have been after [the] idols of their fathers.

because they did not observe mine ordinances, but despised my statutes, and polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after the idols of their fathers.

25 And I also, I have given statutes to them [that are] not good, And judgments by which they do not live.

Moreover I gave them statutes that were not good, and ordinances by which they should not live.

26 And I defile them by their own gifts, By causing every opener of a womb to pass away, So that I make them desolate, So that they know that I [am] YHWH.

And I polluted them in their offerings, in that they caused every first-born child to pass through the fire, that I might destroy them, to the end that they might know that I am Jehovah.

27 Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and you have said to them, Thus said Lord YHWH: Still in this your fathers have reviled Me, In their committing a trespass against Me.

Therefore speak to the house of Israel, O son of man, and say to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Yet in this your fathers dishonored me, and trespassed against me.

28 And I bring them into the land, That I lifted up My hand to give to them, And they see every high hill, and every thick tree, And they sacrifice their sacrifices there, And give the provocation of their offering there, And make their refreshing fragrance there, And they pour out their drink-offerings there.

For when I had brought them into the land concerning which I lifted up my hand, that I would give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick tree's, and there they offered their sacrifices, and there they presented their provoking oblation, and there they brought their sweet savor, and there they poured out their drink-offerings.

29 And I say to them: What [is] the high place to where you are going in?” And its name is called “High Place” to this day.

Then I said to them, What is the high place to which ye go? And it is called The High Place unto this day.

30 “Therefore, say to the house of Israel, Thus said Lord YHWH: Are you defiling yourselves in the way of your fathers? And do you go whoring after their detestable things?

Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers, and do ye commit fornication according to their abominations,

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? [As] I live—a declaration of Lord YHWH, I am not sought by you.

and by offering your gifts, and causing your sons to pass through the fire, —are ye polluted with all your idols even to this day, and shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of 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.

And that which cometh into your mind shall not come to pass, when ye say, “We will be as the nations, as the families of the countries, worshipping wood and stone.”

33 [As] I live—a declaration of Lord YHWH, Do I not, with a strong hand, And with an outstretched arm, And with poured out fury—rule over you?

As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out will I 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 an outstretched arm, And with poured out fury.

And I will bring you forth from the nations, and gather you from the countries, wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.

35 And I have brought you into the wilderness of the peoples, And have been judged with you there face to face.

And I will bring you into the desert of the nations, and there will I contend with you 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, A declaration of Lord YHWH.

Even as I contended with your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt, so also will I contend with you, saith the Lord Jehovah.

37 And I have caused you to pass under the rod, And brought you into the bond of the covenant,

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

38 And cleared out the rebels from you, And those transgressing against Me, I bring them out from the land of their sojournings, And they do not come to the land of Israel, And you have known that I [am] YHWH.

And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me; out of the country where they sojourn will I bring them forth, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.

39 And you, O house of Israel, thus said Lord YHWH: Each go, serve his idols, And afterward, if you are not listening to Me [anyway], But you do not defile My holy Name anymore by your gifts, and by your idols.

As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Go ye, serve ye every one his idols in future also, if ye will not obey me! But pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts and your idols!

40 For on My holy mountain, On the mountain of the height of Israel, A declaration of Lord YHWH, All the house of Israel serves Me there, All of it, in the land—I accept them there, And I seek your raised-offerings there, And with the first-fruit of your gifts, With all your holy things.

For upon my holy mountain, upon the lofty mountain of Israel, there shall all the house of Israel, all that are in the land, serve me; there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the first fruits of your oblations, with all things which ye consecrate to me.

41 With refreshing fragrance I 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.

I will accept you as a sweet savor, when I bring you forth from the nations, and gather you from the countries, wherein ye have been scattered, and will through you be honored before the eyes of the nations.

42 And you have known that I [am] YHWH, In My bringing you to the ground of Israel, To the land that I lifted up My hand To give it to your fathers,

And ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country concerning which I lifted up my hand, that I would give it to your fathers.

43 And you have remembered your ways there, 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.

And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been polluted; and ye shall loathe yourselves for all your evil deeds which ye have committed.

44 And you have known that I [am] YHWH, 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, A declaration of Lord YHWH.”

And ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I deal with you for my name's sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah.

45 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

46 “Son of man, set your face the way of Teman, and prophesy to the south, and prophesy to the forest of the field—the south;

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

47 and you have said to the forest of the south, Hear a word of YHWH! Thus said Lord YHWH: Behold, I am kindling a fire in you, And it has devoured every moist tree in you, and every dry tree, The glowing flames are not quenched, And all faces from south to north have been burned by it.

and say to the forest of the South, Hear the word of Jehovah! Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will kindle in thee a fire, which shall devour every green tree and every dry tree within thee; the fierce flame shall not be quenched, and all parts from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

48 And all flesh has seen, that I, YHWH, have kindled it—it is not quenched.”

And all flesh shall see that I, Jehovah, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.

49 And I say, “Aah! Lord YHWH, They are saying of me, Is he not using allegories?”

And I said, Ah, Lord Jehovah, they say of me, “Doth he not speak in parables?”