And it was in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month: men from the elders of Israel came to seek the LORD, and they sat before me.
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Son of man, speak with the elders of Israel and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: Have you come to seek me? As I live, I will not be sought by you, the utterance of the Lord GOD.
Will you judge them? Will you judge, son of man? Make them know the abominations of their fathers,
and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day I chose Israel, I lifted my hand to the seed of the house of Jacob and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt; and I lifted my hand to them, saying: I am the LORD your God.
On that day I lifted my hand to them to bring them out of the land of Egypt to a land I had searched out for them, flowing with milk and honey — it is the splendor of all the lands.
And I said to them: Each of you, cast away the detestable things of your eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. Each did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, and the idols of Egypt they did not forsake. And I said I would pour out my wrath on them, to finish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
But I acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned before 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.
Israel’s Rebellion in the Wilderness
And I brought them out of the land of Egypt and brought them to the wilderness.
And I gave them my statutes and made known to them my judgments, which if a man does, he lives by them.
And also my sabbaths I gave them, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. In my statutes they did not walk, and my judgments they rejected — which if a man does, he lives by them — and my sabbaths they greatly profaned. And I said I would pour out my wrath on them in the wilderness, to finish them.
But I acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned before the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.
And I also lifted my hand to them in the wilderness, not to bring them to the land I had given, flowing with milk and honey — it is the splendor of all the lands —
because they rejected my judgments and did not walk in my statutes, and my sabbaths they profaned; for their heart was walking after their idols.
But my eye pitied them, from destroying them; and I did not make a full end of them in the wilderness.
And I said to their sons in the wilderness: Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, and do not keep their judgments, and do not defile yourselves with their idols.
I am the LORD your God. Walk in my statutes and keep my judgments and do them.
And sanctify my sabbaths, and they will be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.
But the sons rebelled against me. In my statutes they did not walk, and my judgments they did not keep to do them — which if a man does, he lives by them — my sabbaths they profaned. And I said I would pour out my wrath on them, to finish my anger against them in the wilderness.
But I turned back my hand and acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned before the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.
I also lifted my hand to them in the wilderness, to scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the lands,
because they did not do my judgments and rejected my statutes and profaned my sabbaths, and their eyes were after the idols of their fathers.
And I also gave them statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live.
And I defiled them by their own gifts, in passing over every opener of the womb, so that I might make them desolate, so that they would know that I am the LORD.
Israel’s Rebellion in the Land
Therefore speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: In this also your fathers reviled me, in their unfaithfulness by which they were unfaithful to me.
For I brought them to the land that I had lifted my hand to give to them; and they saw every high hill and every leafy tree, and they sacrificed there their sacrifices and gave there the provocation of their offering, and set there their soothing aroma, and poured out there their drink offerings.
And I said to them: What is the high place you are going to? And its name is called Bamah to this day.
Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD: Are you defiling yourselves in the way of your fathers, and whoring after their detestable things?
And in lifting up your gifts, in passing your sons through the fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day — and shall I be sought by you, house of Israel? As I live, the utterance of the Lord GOD, I will not be sought by you.
And what rises in your spirit will surely not be — what you say: We will be like the nations, like the clans of the lands, serving wood and stone.
Judgment and Restoration
As I live, the utterance of the Lord GOD, surely with a firm hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out I will reign over you.
And I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you were scattered, with a firm hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out.
And I will bring you to 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 I will enter into judgment with you, the utterance of the Lord GOD.
And I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.
And I will purge out from you the rebels and those transgressing against me. From the land of their sojourning I will bring them out, but to the land of Israel they will not come; and you will know that I am the LORD.
And you, house of Israel, thus says the Lord GOD: Go, each of you, serve his idols — and afterward, if you are not listening to me; but my holy name you will no longer profane with your gifts and with your idols.
For on my holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel, the utterance of the Lord GOD, there all the house of Israel, all of it, will serve me in the land. There I will be pleased with them, and there I will require your contributions and the firstfruits of your offerings, with all your holy things.
With a soothing aroma I will be pleased with you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you were scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the eyes of the nations.
And you will know that I am the LORD, when I bring you to the land of Israel, to the land I lifted my hand to give to your fathers.
And there you will remember your ways and all your deeds by which you defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves to your own faces for all your evils that you did.
And you will know that I am the LORD, when I act with you for the sake of my name — not according to your evil ways or your corrupt deeds, house of Israel, the utterance of the Lord GOD.
A Prophecy against the South
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Son of man, set your face the way of Teman, and drop a word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the field, the Negev.
And say to the forest of the Negev: Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD: See, I am kindling a fire in you, and it will devour in you every green tree and every dry tree. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from the south to the north will be scorched by it.
And all flesh will see that I the LORD have kindled it; it will not be quenched.
And I said: Ah, Lord GOD! They are saying of me: Is he not a maker of proverbs?
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