Yechezkel 20:2-26 יחזקאל כ׳:ב׳-כ״ו

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.