Eze 20 | NASB2020 | STEP | Now in the seventh year , in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month , men from the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord , and they sat before me.

Ezekiel 20

God’s Dealings with Israel Rehearsed

1 Now in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, men from the ^aelders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and they sat before me. 2 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord ^{▼▼Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch}God says: “Do you yourselves come to inquire of Me? As I live,” declares the Lord God, “ ^cI certainly will not be inquired of by you.”’ 4 Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? ^dMake known to them the abominations of their fathers; 5 and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “On the day when I ^echose Israel and ^{▼▼Lit lifted up My hand, and so throughout the ch}swore to the ^{▼▼Lit seed}descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I ^{▼▼Lit lifted up My hand, and so throughout the ch}swore to them, saying, ⁱI am the Lord your God, 6 on that day I swore to them, ^jto bring them out from the land of Egypt into a land that I had ^{▼▼Lit spied out}selected for them, ^lflowing with milk and honey, which is ^mthe glory of all the lands. 7 And I said to them, ‘ ⁿThrow away, each of you, the detestable things of his eyes, and ^odo not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; ^pI am the Lord your God.’ 8 But they ^qrebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me; they did not throw away, each of them, the detestable things of their eyes, nor did they abandon the ^ridols of Egypt.

“Then I ^{▼▼Lit said}resolved to ^tpour out My wrath on them, to ^{▼▼Or finish}use up My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9 But I acted ^vfor the sake of My name, that it would ^wnot be defiled in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made Myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 10 So I took them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the ^xwilderness. 11 I gave them My ^ystatutes and informed them of My ordinances, ^zwhich, if ^{▼▼Lit the person}a person ^{▼▼Lit does them}follows them, then he will live by them. 12 Also I gave them My Sabbaths to be a ^acsign between Me and them, so that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. 13 But the house of Israel ^adrebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes and they rejected My ordinances, ^aewhich, if ^{▼▼Lit the person}a person ^{▼▼Lit does them}follows them, then he will live by them; and they greatly profaned My ^ahSabbaths. Then I ^{▼▼Lit said}resolved to ^ajpour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to annihilate them. 14 But I acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be defiled before the eyes of the nations, before whose eyes I had brought them out. 15 Also ^akI swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all the lands, 16 because they rejected My ordinances, and as for My statutes, they did not walk in them; they also profaned My Sabbaths, because their ^alheart continually followed their idols. 17 Yet My eye spared them rather than destroying them, and I did not bring about their ^amannihilation in the wilderness.

18 “Instead, I said to their ^{▼▼Lit sons
,} ^aochildren in the wilderness, ‘ ^apDo not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. 19 ^aqI am the Lord your God; ^arwalk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and ^{▼▼Lit do}follow them. 20 ^atSanctify My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, so that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’ 21 But the ^auchildren rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to ^{▼▼Lit do My}follow My ordinances which, if ^{▼▼Lit the person}a person ^{▼▼Lit does them}follows them, then he will live by them; they profaned My Sabbaths. So I ^{▼▼Lit said}resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to ^{▼▼Or finish}use up My anger against them in the wilderness. 22 But I ^bawithdrew My hand and acted ^bbfor the sake of My name, so that it would not be defiled in the sight of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would ^bcscatter them among the nations and disperse them among the lands, 24 because they had not ^{▼▼Lit done My}complied with My ordinances, but had rejected My statutes and had profaned My Sabbaths, and ^betheir eyes were ^{▼▼Lit after}on the idols of their fathers. 25 I also gave them statutes that were ^bgnot good, and ordinances by which they could not live; 26 and I pronounced them ^bhunclean because of their gifts, in that they ^bimade all ^{▼▼Lit that which opens the womb}their firstborn pass through the fire so that I might make them desolate, in order that they might ^bkknow that I am the Lord.”’

27 “Therefore ^blspeak to the house of Israel, son of man, and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Again, in this your fathers have ^bmblasphemed Me by ^bnbeing disloyal to Me. 28 When I had ^bobrought them into the land which I swore to give to them, then they saw every ^bphigh hill and every tree thick with branches, and there they offered their sacrifices and there they presented the provocation of their offering. There also they made their soothing aroma and there they poured out their drink offerings. 29 Then I said to them, ‘What is the high place to which you go?’ So its name is called ^{▼▼Or High Place}Bamah to this day.”’ 30 Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Will you defile yourselves in the way of your ^brfathers and adulterously pursue their detestable things? 31 And ^{▼▼Lit in your lifting up}when you offer your gifts, when you ^btmake your sons pass through the fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, house of Israel? As I live,” declares the Lord God, “I certainly will not be inquired of by you. 32 And whatever ^bucomes ^{▼▼Lit upon your spirit}into your mind certainly will not come about, when you say: ‘We will be like the nations, like the families of the lands, ^bwserving wood and stone.’

God Will Restore Israel to Her Land

33 “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “with a mighty hand and with an ^bxoutstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I assuredly shall be ^byking over you. 34 I will ^bzbring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with ^cawrath poured out; 35 and I will bring you into the ^cbwilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 36 Just as I ^ccentered into judgment with your fathers in the ^cdwilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares the Lord God. 37 “I will make you ^cepass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; 38 and I will ^cfpurge from you the rebels and those who revolt against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they reside, but they will ^cgnot enter the ^{▼▼Lit ground; or soil}land of Israel. So you will know that I am the Lord.

39 “As for you, house of Israel,” this is what the Lord God says: “ ^ciGo, serve, everyone of you his idols; ^{▼▼Or and afterward, if you will not listen to Me, but}but later you will certainly listen to Me, and My holy name you will no longer ^ckdefile with your gifts and your idols. 40 For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel,” declares the Lord God, “there the entire house of Israel, ^clall of them, will serve Me in the land; there I will ^cmaccept them and there I will demand your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your holy things. 41 ^{▼▼Lit With}As a soothing aroma I will accept you when I ^cobring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered; and I will show Myself to be ^cpholy among you in the sight of the nations. 42 And ^cqyou will know that I am the Lord, ^crwhen I bring you into the land of Israel, into the ^csland which I swore to give to your forefathers. 43 And there you will ^ctremember your ways and all your deeds by which you have defiled yourselves; and you will ^culoathe yourselves in your own ^{▼▼Lit faces}sight for all the evil things that you have done. 44 Then ^cwyou will know that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you ^cxin behalf of My name, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds, house of Israel,” declares the Lord God.’”

45 ^{▼▼Ch 21:1 in Heb}Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 46 “Son of man, set your face toward the south, and speak prophetically against the ^czsouth and ^daprophesy against the ^dbforest ^{▼▼Lit of the field}land of the Negev, 47 and say to the forest of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of the Lord: this is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am going to ^ddkindle a fire in you, and it will consume every ^{▼▼Lit moist}green tree in you, as well as every dry tree; the blazing flame will not go out and ^{▼▼Or all the faces
,} ^dgthe entire surface from south to north will be scorched by it. 48 And all ^{▼▼Lit flesh}mankind will see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it will ^dinot go out.”’” 49 Then I said, “Oh, Lord God! They are saying of me, ‘Is he not just speaking in ^djriddles?’”