Moff EZE Chapter 20

◄ EZE 20 ► ║ ═ ©

20 In the seventh year, on the tenth day of the fifth month, some sheikhs of Israel came to consult the Eternal, and sat down in front of me. 2 Then this word from the Eternal came to me: 3 “Son of man, give the sheikhs of Israel this message from the Lord the Eternal. ‘You come to consult me? By my life! says the Lord the Eternal, I will not be consulted by you.’ 4 Arraign them, son of man, arraign them; let them hear the detestable impieties of their fathers, 5 and tell them this from the Lord the Eternal: ‘On the day when I chose Israel and swore to the descendants of the household of Jacob, revealing myself to them in the land of Egypt and swearing to them that I was the Eternal their God, 6 on that day I swore to them that I would bring them from the land of Egypt to a land that I had assigned them, a land abounding in milk and honey, the glory of all lands. 7 I said to them, “Let every man of you put aside the detestable impieties you love, befoul not yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Eternal your God.” 8 But they rebelled against me, they would not listen to me; they would not put aside the detestable impieties they loved, they would not abandon the idols of Egypt. So I resolved to vent my fury upon them and to execute my anger against them within the land of Egypt. 9 Only, in dealing with them, I had regard to my own honour, lest it should be sullied in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, the nations who had seen me revealing myself to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 10 From the land of Egypt I brought them, I took them into the desert, 11 I gave them my rules and showed them my regulations, obeying which a man shall live; 12 I gave them my sabbath, to mark the tie between me and them, to teach them that it is I, the Eternal, who sets them apart. 13 But Israel rebelled against me in the desert; they would not follow my rules, and they spurned my regulations, obeying which a man shall live, and they desecrated my sabbath deeply. So I resolved to vent my fury upon them in the desert and destroy them. 14 Only, in dealing with them, I had regard to my own honour, lest it should be sullied in the sight of the nations who had seen me bring them out. 15 I did swear to them in the desert that I would not bring them to the land I had assigned them, a land abounding in milk and honey, the glory of all lands, 16 since they had spurned my regulations and refused to live by my rules, desecrating my sabbaths (their hearts set upon their idols); 17 but I pitied them and spared them, I did not destroy them in the desert. 18 I said to their children in the desert, “Live not by your fathers’ rules, follow not their regulations, do not befoul yourselves with their idols: 19 I am the Eternal your God, live by my rules, observe and obey my regulations, 20 keep my sabbath sacred and let it mark the tie between us--to teach you that I am the Eternal your God.” 21 In spite of this, the children rebelled against me; they would not live by my rules, they would not observe and obey my regulations, obeying which a man shall live, and they desecrated my sabbath. So I resolved to vent my fury upon them, to execute my anger against them in the desert. 22 However, I withheld my hand, out of regard for my own honour, lest it should be sullied in the sight of the nations who had seen me bring them out. 23 But I swore to them in the desert that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them over foreign countries, 24 because they had not carried out my orders but had spumed my laws and desecrated my sabbath, in their passion for the idols of their fathers. 25 I let them have laws that were evil and customs that could not bring them life, 26 and I made their very sacrifices befoul them, as they burned their first-born children alive--that I might destroy them. It was to teach them that I am the Eternal.’ 27 Son of man, give Israel this message from the Lord the Eternal: ‘Your fathers further blasphemed me by this act of treason. 28 After I had brought them to the land I had sworn to assign them, whenever they saw a high hill or a leafy tree, there did they offer sacrifice, there did they exasperate me with their oblations, offering their fragrant smoke and pouring out their libations. 29 I asked them, “What is the high place you hie to?” And to this day it is called ‘high place.’ 30 So tell Israel this from the Lord Eternal: You befoul yourselves like your fathers, you break your troth with me for their detestable impieties, 31 and you befoul yourselves with all your sacrifices to idols--burning your sons alive--down to this very day! And I am to be consulted by you, O Israel? By my life! says the Lord the Eternal, no!

32 You must never dream of resembling the pagans, the natives, by worshipping things of wood and stone. 33 By my life! the Lord the Eternal swears, I will be your king, with a strong hand, with arm outstretched, in overflowing fury; 34 I will bring you from the nations, I will gather you out of the lands of your dispersion, with a strong hand, with arm outstretched, and in overflowing fury; 35 I will take you into the great desert, and deal with you there face to face. 36 As I dealt with your fathers in the Egyptian desert, so will I deal with you, says the Lord the Eternal; 37 I will count you one by one and number you, 38 purging out the rebels and the traitors--they shall be brought out of the land where they were living, but they shall never enter the land of Israel. 39 It will teach you that I am the Eternal. As for the rest of you, O Israel, this is what the Lord the Eternal has to say: Go and worship your idols, all of you! Later on you will listen to me and cease to sully my sacred honour with your sacrifices and idols! 40 On my sacred hill, on the high mountain of Israel, the Lord the Eternal predicts, the whole community of Israel, every man of them, shall worship me; there I will accept them, there I will require your offerings and the very choicest of your sacred dues; 41 I will accept you when I smell this fragrant smoke, after I have brought you from the nations and gathered you out of the lands where you were scattered. So the nations shall see what a deity I am, as I deal with you, 42 and you yourselves shall learn that I am the Eternal, after I have brought you to the land of Israel, the country I swore that I would give to your fathers. 43 There you shall remember how you lived and all you did, as you befouled yourselves, and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evil you committed. 44 O Israel, you shall learn that I am the Eternal, when I have dealt with you for the sake of my own honour, not as your evil life deserved, not as your corrupt practices deserved*— says the Lord the Eternal.”

45 This word from the Eternal 46 came to me: “Son of man, turn to the south, declaim against the south, prophesy against the forest-land in the south, 47 and tell the forest in the south this message from the Eternal. ‘The Lord the Eternal declares, I will kindle a fire within you, to burn up every green tree and every dry tree in you; there will be no quenching of the blaze, and every face from south to north shall be scorched. 48 The whole world shall see that I, the Eternal, kindled the fire; it never shall be quenched.’ ”

49 “Ah, Lord Eternal!” I said, “they say of me, ‘Is he not a story-teller?’ ”

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