Yechezkel 20 יחזקאל כ׳

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 Yisra᾽el came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me.

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

Son of man, speak to the elders of Yisra᾽el, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God; Are you come to inquire of me? As I live, says the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:

and say to them, Thus says the Lord God; In the day when I chose Yisra᾽el and lifted up my hand to the seed of the house of Ya῾aqov, and made myself known to them in the land of Miżrayim, when I lifted up my hand to them, saying, I am the Lord your God;

in the day that I lifted up my hand to them, to bring them out of the land of Miżrayim into a land that I had spied out for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is an ornament for all the lands:

then I said to them, Cast away every man the abominations of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Miżrayim: I am the Lord your God.

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

But I acted for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known to them, in bringing them out of the land of Miżrayim.

And I caused them to go out of the land of Miżrayim, and brought them into the wilderness.

And I gave them my statutes, and made my judgments known to them, which if a man do, he may live by them.

Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.

But the house of Yisra᾽el rebelled against me in the wilderness: they did not follow my statutes, and they rejected my judgments, which if a man do, he may live by them; and my sabbaths they greatly profaned: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

But I acted for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.

Indeed, I also lifted up my hand to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, one flowing with milk and honey, which is the ornament of all the lands;

because they rejected my judgments, and did not follow my statutes, but profaned my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.

Nevertheless my eye spared them, and I did not destroy them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.

But I said to their children in the wilderness, Do not follow the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:

I am the Lord your God; follow my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them;

and hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.

But the children rebelled against me: they did not follow my statutes, nor did they keep my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he may live by them; they profaned my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to spend my anger against them in the wilderness.

Nevertheless I withdrew my hand, and acted for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.

I lifted up my hand to them also in the wilderness, declaring that I would scatter them among the nations, and disperse them through the countries;

because they had not executed my judgments, but had rejected my statutes, and had profaned my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols.

So I too gave them statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;

and I polluted them by their gifts, in that they caused to pass (through the fire) all that opens the womb, that I might blight them, that they might know that I am the Lord.

Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Yisra᾽el, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.

For when I had brought them into the land, about which I lifted up my hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick leaved trees, and there they offered their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocations of their offering: there also they made their sweet savour, and there they poured out their drink offerings.

Then I said to them, What is the high place to which you go? And its name is called Bama to this day.

Therefore say to the house of Yisra᾽el, Thus says the Lord God; Are you polluted after the manner of your fathers? and do you go astray after their abominations?

For when you offer your gifts, and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, to this day: and shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Yisra᾽el? As I live, says the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

And that which comes into your mind shall never come about, that you say, We will be like the nations, like the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.

As I live, says the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with anger poured out, will I be king over you:

and I will bring you out from the peoples and will gather you out of the countries in which you are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with anger poured out.

And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there will remonstrate with you face to face.

As I remonstrated with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Miżrayim, so will I remonstrate with you, says the Lord God.

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

and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Yisra᾽el: and you shall know that I am the Lord.

As for you, O house of Yisra᾽el, thus says the Lord God; Go serve every man his idols; but afterwards you will surely hearken to me, and profane my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.

For in my holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Yisra᾽el, says the Lord God, there shall all the house of Yisra᾽el all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your gifts, with all your holy things.

I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the peoples, and gather you out of the countries in which you have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the nations.

And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall bring you into the land of Yisra᾽el, into the country about which I lifted up my hand to give it to your fathers.

And there shall you remember your ways, and all your doings, in which you have been defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that you have committed.

And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have acted with you for my name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Yisra᾽el, says the Lord God.