Ezekiel 20

And it happened in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, that men from the elders of the house of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and they sat before me.

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them: Thus says the Lord: Have you come to inquire of me? As I live, I will not answer you, says the Lord.

Shall I surely take vengeance on them, son of man? Testify to them concerning the lawless deeds of their fathers,

and say to them: Thus says the Lord: On the day when I chose the house of Israel and made myself known to the seed of the house of Iakob and was made known to them in the land of Egypt, I took hold of them with my hand, saying: I am the Lord your God.

On that day I took hold of them with my hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into the land which I had prepared for them, a land flowing with milk and honey — it is a honeycomb beyond every land.

And I said to them: Let each one cast away the abominations of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the practices of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

But they revolted from me and were unwilling to listen to me; they did not cast away the abominations of their eyes, nor did they forsake the practices of Egypt. And I said I would pour out my wrath upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

But I acted so that my name should not be profaned at all before the nations among whom they are, in whose sight I made myself known to them, so as to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

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

And I gave them my ordinances and made known to them my judgments, which if a person does them, he shall also live by them.

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

And I said to the house of Israel in the wilderness: Walk in my ordinances. But they did not walk in them, and they rejected my judgments, which if a person does them he shall also live by them; and they utterly profaned my sabbaths. And I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to consume them utterly.

But I acted so that my name should not be profaned at all before the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.

And I lifted up my hand against them in the wilderness, that I would not at all bring them into the land which I had given them, a land flowing with milk and honey — it is a honeycomb beyond every land;

because they rejected my judgments and did not walk in my ordinances, and they profaned my sabbaths, and they went after the notions of their hearts.

Yet my eye spared them from wiping them out, and I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

And I said to their children in the wilderness: Do not walk in the customs of your fathers, and do not keep their ordinances, and do not mingle yourselves with their practices, and do not defile yourselves.

I am the Lord your God; walk in my ordinances and keep my judgments and do them.

And keep my sabbaths holy, and let it be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.

But their children embittered me; they did not walk in my ordinances and did not keep my judgments so as to do them, which if a person does he shall also live by them; and they profaned my sabbaths. And I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to accomplish my anger against them.

But I acted so that my name should not be profaned at all before the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.

And I lifted up my hand against them in the wilderness, to scatter them among the nations and to disperse them among the lands;

because they did not do my judgments and rejected my ordinances and profaned my sabbaths, and their eyes were after the notions of their fathers.

And I myself gave them ordinances that were not good, and judgments by which they would not live.

And I will defile them in their gifts, when I pass through everything that opens the womb, so that I may destroy them.

Therefore speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and say to them: Thus says the Lord: Thus far your fathers provoked me to anger in their transgressions by which they fell away against me.

And I brought them into the land which I lifted up my hand to give to them; and they saw every high hill and every shady tree, and they sacrificed there to their gods and set there an aroma of fragrance and poured out there their drink offerings.

And I said to them: What is Abama, that you go in there? And they called its name Abama to this day.

Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord: Are you defiling yourselves in the lawless deeds of your fathers, and playing the whore after their abominations?

And in the firstfruits of your gifts, in your separations, you defile yourselves with all your notions to this day. And shall I answer you, O house of Israel? As I live, says the Lord, I will not answer you, nor shall this come up upon your spirit.

And it shall not be as you say: We will be like the nations and like the tribes of the earth, serving wood and stone.

Therefore, as I live, says the Lord, with a mighty hand and with an uplifted arm and with outpoured wrath I will reign over you.

And I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands in which you were scattered, with a mighty hand and with an uplifted arm and with outpoured wrath.

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

As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I judge you, says the Lord.

And I will make you pass under my rod, and I will bring you in by number.

And I will select from among you the impious and those who have fallen away; for I will bring them out from the land of their sojourning, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord.

And as for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord, the Lord: Each of you, remove your practices! And after this, if you do not listen to me, yet you shall no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and with your practices.

For on my holy mountain, on a high mountain, says the Lord, the Lord, there the whole house of Israel shall serve me to the end; and there I will accept them, and there I will look upon your firstfruits and the firstfruits of your separations, with all your holy things.

As a fragrant aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and receive you from the lands in which you were scattered; and I will be sanctified among you in the sight of the peoples.

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

And there you shall remember your ways and your practices by which you defiled yourselves, and you shall beat your faces because of all your evil deeds.

And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you in this way, so that my name may not be profaned according to your evil ways and according to your corrupt practices, says the Lord.