Ezekiel 20:33-44
33As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm ▼ and with an outpouring of rage, I will be king over you. 34I will bring you out from the nations and will gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm and with an outpouring of rage! 35I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and there I will enter into judgment with you face-to-face. 36Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Sovereign Lord. 37I will make you pass under ▼▼tn This is the same Hebrew verb used to describe the passing of the children through the fire.
the shepherd’s staff, ▼▼sn The metaphor may be based in Lev 27:32 (see also Jer 33:13 and Matt 25:32-33). A shepherd would count his sheep as they passed beneath his staff.
and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. 38I will eliminate from among you the rebels and those who revolt ▼ against me. I will bring them out from the land where they have been residing, but they will not come to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 39 “‘As for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Each of you go and serve your idols, ▼ if you will not listen to me. ▼▼tn Heb “and after, if you will not listen to me.” The translation leaves out “and after” for smoothness. The text is difficult. M. Greenberg (Ezekiel [AB], 1:374) suggests that it may mean “but afterwards, if you will not listen to me…” with an unspoken threat.
But my holy name will not be profaned ▼ again by your sacrifices ▼▼tn Or “gifts.”
and your idols. 40For there on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord, all the house of Israel will serve me, all of them ▼▼tn Heb “all of it.”
in the land. I will accept them there, and there I will seek your contributions and your choice gifts, with all your holy things. 41When I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, I will accept you along with your soothing aroma. I will display my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. 42Then you will know that I am the Lord when I bring you to the land of Israel, to the land I swore ▼▼tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”
to give to your fathers. 43And there you will remember your conduct ▼▼tn Heb “ways.”
and all your deeds by which you defiled yourselves. You will despise yourselves ▼▼tn Heb “loathe yourselves in your faces.”
because of all the evil deeds you have done. 44Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for the sake of my reputation and not according to your wicked conduct and corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
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