1 And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me.
2 Then came the word of the LORD to me, saying,
3 Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus said the Lord GOD; Are you come to inquire of me? As I live, said the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you.
4 Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:
5 And say to them, Thus said the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up my hand to the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up my hand to them, saying, I am the LORD your God;
6 In the day that I lifted up my hand to them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:
7 Then said I to them, Cast you away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
8 But they rebelled against me, and would not listen to me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury on them, to accomplish my anger against them in the middle of the land of Egypt.
9 But I worked for my name' sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known to them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.
10 Why I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.
11 And I gave them my statutes, and showed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.
12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.
13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them.
14 But I worked for my name' sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.
15 Yet also I lifted up my hand 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 lands;
16 Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.
17 Nevertheless my eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.
18 But I said to their children in the wilderness, Walk you not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:
19 I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them;
20 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.
21 Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury on them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.
22 Nevertheless I withdrew my hand, and worked for my name' sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.
23 I lifted up my hand to them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries;
24 Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers'idols.
25 Why I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;
26 And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that opens the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD.
27 Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, Thus said the Lord GOD; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.
28 For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up my hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet smell, and poured out there their drink offerings.
29 Then I said to them, What is the high place whereunto you go? And the name whereof is called Bamah to this day.
30 Why say to the house of Israel, Thus said the Lord GOD; Are you polluted after the manner of your fathers? and commit you prostitution after their abominations?
31 For when you offer your gifts, when you make your sons to pass through the fire, you pollute yourselves with all your idols, even to this day: and shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, said the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you.
32 And that which comes into your mind shall not be at all, that you say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.
33 As I live, said the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you:
34 And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein you are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.
35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
36 Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, said the Lord GOD.
37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:
38 And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and you shall know that I am the LORD.
39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus said the Lord GOD; Go you, serve you every one his idols, and hereafter also, if you will not listen to me: but pollute you my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.
40 For in my holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, said the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the first fruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.
41 I will accept you with your sweet smell, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein you have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.
42 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up my hand to give it to your fathers.
43 And there shall you remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein you have been defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that you have committed.
44 And you shall know that I am the LORD when I have worked with you for my name' sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O you house of Israel, said the Lord GOD.
45 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
46 Son of man, set your face toward the south, and drop your word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus said the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree in you, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
48 And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.
49 Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Does he not speak parables?
1 It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that certain men of the elders of Israel came to inquire of Jehovah, and sat before me.
2 Then the Word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
3 Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live, says the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you.
4 Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then cause them to know the abominations of their fathers.
5 And say to them, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: On the day when I chose Israel and raised My hand and swore to the seed of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand and swore to them, saying, I am Jehovah your God.
6 On that day I raised My hand and swore to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all the earth.
7 Then I said to them, Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am Jehovah your God.
8 But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not, each man, cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, I will pour out My fury upon them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
9 But I acted for My names sake, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
10 Therefore I made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.
11 And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, which, if a man does, he shall even live by them.
12 Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am Jehovah who sets them apart.
13 But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, which, if a man does, he shall even live by them; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said, I will pour out My fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.
14 But I acted for My names sake, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.
15 So I also raised My hand and 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, the glory of all the earth,
16 because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols.
17 Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.
18 But I said to their children in the wilderness, Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor keep their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
19 I am Jehovah your God. Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them;
20 set apart My Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am Jehovah your God.
21 Nevertheless, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and did not keep My judgments, which, if a man does, he shall even live by them; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness.
22 Nevertheless I withdrew My hand and acted for My names sake, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.
23 And I raised My hand and swore to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the earth,
24 because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes followed after their fathers idols.
25 Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live;
26 and I defiled them by their gifts, in that they caused all that open the womb to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am Jehovah.
27 Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed Me, by being treacherously unfaithful to Me.
28 For when I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand and sworn to give it to them, and they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their soothing aroma and poured out their drink offerings.
29 Then I said to them, What is this high place to which you go? And its name is called Bamah to this day.
30 Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Are you defiling yourselves in the manner of your fathers, and committing adultery with their abominations?
31 For when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you.
32 What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, We will be like the nations, like the families in other lands, serving wood and stone.
33 As I live, declares the Lord Jehovah, surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you.
34 And I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out.
35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead with you face to face.
36 Just as I judged your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Lord Jehovah.
37 I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;
38 I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me. I will bring them out of the land where they dwell, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel. And you will know that I am Jehovah.
39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord Jehovah: Go, serve every one of you his idols, even hereafter, if you will not obey me. But profane My holy name no more with your gifts and your idols.
40 For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel, says the Lord Jehovah, there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices, together with all your holy things.
41 I will accept you as a soothing aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the lands where you have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the nations.
42 And you shall know that I am Jehovah, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the land for which I raised My hand and swore to give it to your fathers.
43 And there you shall remember your ways and all your evil deeds with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have done.
44 And you shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have dealt with you for My names sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel, declares the Lord Jehovah.
45 Furthermore the Word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
46 Son of man, set your face toward the south; drop a word toward the south and prophesy against the forest land, the South,
47 and say to the forest of the South, Hear the Word of Jehovah! Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree in you; the blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be scorched by it.
48 All flesh shall see that I, Jehovah, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.
49 Then I said, Ah, Lord Jehovah! They say of me, Does he not speak parables?