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 enquire of the
Lord, and sat before me.
02 Then came the word of the Lord unto me,
saying,
03 Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel,
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Are
ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the
Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you.
04 Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou
judge them? cause them to know the abominations
of their fathers:
05 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; In
the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine
hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and
made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt,
when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I
am the Lord your God;
06 In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto
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:
07 Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man
the abominations of his eyes, and defile not
yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord
your God.
08 But they rebelled against me, and would not
hearken unto 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 upon them, to accomplish my
anger against them in the midst of the land of
Egypt.
09 But I wrought for my name's sake, that it
should not be polluted before the heathen, among
whom they were, in whose sight I made myself
known unto them, in bringing them forth out of
the land of Egypt.
10 Wherefore 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 shewed 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 upon them in the wilderness, to
consume them.
14 But I wrought for my name's 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 unto 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 mine eye spared them from
destroying them, neither did I make an end of
them in the wilderness.
18 But I said unto their children in the
wilderness, Walk ye 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 ye 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
upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in
the wilderness.
22 Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought
for my name's sake, that it should not be
polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose
sight I brought them forth.
23 I lifted up mine hand unto 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 Wherefore 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 openeth the womb, that I might make them
desolate, to the end that they might know that I
am the Lord.
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27 Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of
Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith 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 mine 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 savour, and poured out there
their drink offerings.
29 Then I said unto them, What is the high place
whereunto ye go? And the name whereof is called
Bamah unto this day.
30 Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus
saith the Lord God; Are ye polluted after the
manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredom
after their abominations?
31 For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make
your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute
yourselves with all your idols, even unto this
day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house
of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will
not be enquired of by you.
32 And that which cometh into your mind shall not
be at all, that ye say, We will be as the
heathen, as the families of the countries, to
serve wood and stone.
33 As I live, saith 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 ye
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, saith 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 ye shall know that I am the
Lord.
39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the
Lord God; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols,
and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto
me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your
gifts, and with your idols.
40 For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of
the height of Israel, saith 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
firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy
things.
41 I will accept you with your sweet savour, when
I bring you out from the people, and gather you
out of the countries wherein ye have been
scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before
the heathen.
42 And ye 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 mine hand to
give it to your fathers.
43 And there shall ye remember your ways, and all
your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye
shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all
your evils that ye have committed.
44 And ye shall know that I am the Lord when I
have wrought with you for my name's sake, not
according to your wicked ways, nor according to
your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith
the Lord God.
45 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me,
saying,
46 Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and
drop thy 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 saith the Lord God;
Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it
shall devour every green tree in thee, 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, Doth
he not speak parables?
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