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the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and they sat down in front of me.
2 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live”, says the Lord God, “I will allow you to inquire of Me” ’.
4 “Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then explain to them the abominations of their fathers. 5 Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: “On that day I chose Israel, I lifted up My hand and swore an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I lifted up My hand to them in oath, and said, ‘I am the Lord your God’. 6 On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. 7 I also said to them, ‘Each of you must throw away their detestable things you have set your eyes on, and do not defile 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 get rid of the detestable things that were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I said, ‘I will pour out My wrath on them, and exhaust My anger against them in the land of Egypt’. 9 But I acted for the sake of My name, so it would not be profaned in the sight of the nations they were living among, and in whose sight I had revealed Myself to Israel by bringing them out of Egypt.
10 “Therefore I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11 I gave them My statutes and taught them My ordinances, for the man who does them will live by them. 12 I also gave them My Sabbaths to serve as a sign between Me and them, so they would know that I am the Lord who sets them apart as holy.
13 “Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not follow My statutes and they rejected My ordinances—for the man who does them will live by them—and they also completely profaned My Sabbaths. So I said I would pour it out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to make an end of them. 14 But I acted for the sake of My name, so it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. 15 So I lifted up My hand and swore an oath to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. 16 For they rejected My ordinances and did not follow My statutes, and they profaned My Sabbaths, because their hearts were devoted to their idols. 17 Yet I looked on them and spared them from destruction, and I did not bring them to an end in the wilderness. 18 I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not follow the statutes of your fathers, or keep their ordinances and defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am the Lord your God; follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. 20 Keep My Sabbaths holy, and they will be a sign between Me and you, so that you will know that I am the Lord your God’.
21 “But the children rebelled against Me. They did not follow My statutes, nor were they careful to observe My ordinances—for the man who does them will live by them, and they profaned My Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out My wrath upon them and spend My anger against them in the wilderness. 22 But I withheld My hand and acted for the sake of My name, so it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 I lifted up My hand and swore an oath to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. 24 For they had not practised My ordinances, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols. 25 I also gave them over to statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live. 26 I defiled them through their gifts—passing their firstborn through the fire—to fill them with horror so they would know that I am the Lord” ’.
27 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “In this way also your fathers have blasphemed Me, by been unfaithful to Me. 28 When I brought them into the land that I had sworn to give them and they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me to anger with their offerings. They also sent up their fragrant aromas and poured out their drink offerings. 29 So I asked them: ‘What is this high place to which you are going?’ And it is called Bamah to this day” ’.
30 “Therefore say to the house of Israel: ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Are you defiling yourselves the way your fathers did, and prostituting yourselves with their vile images? 31 When you offer your gifts in making your sons pass through the fire, you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. So am I to let you inquire of Me, O house of Israel? As I live”, says the Lord God, “I will not be consulted by you.
32 “When you say, ‘We will be like the nations, like the peoples of the other countries, serving wood and stone’, what you have in mind will never happen. 33 As I live”, says the Lord God, “I will rule over you with a mighty hand, an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. 34 I will bring you out from the peoples, and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, with a mighty hand, and outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. 35 I will lead you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you there face to face. 36 Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will also enter into judgment with you”, says the Lord God. 37 “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. 38 I will purge you of those who rebel and transgress against Me. I will bring them out of the land where they now live as foreigners, but they will not enter 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 Lord God says: ‘Go and serve your idols, every one of you. But afterward you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer profane My holy name anymore with your gifts and your idols. 40 For on My holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel’, says the Lord God, ‘there in the land all of the house of Israel will serve Me. There I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, along with all your holy offerings. 41 As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from among the peoples, and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered. Then I will show Myself holy through you in the sight of the nations. 42 When I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I swore to give your fathers, then you will know that I am the Lord. 43 There you will remember your ways and all your deeds that you have defiled yourselves with, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil you have committed. 44 You will know that I am the Lord, O house of Israel, when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt deeds’, says the Lord God” ’.”
45 The word of the Lord came to me: 46 “Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land in the Negev. 47 Say to the forest of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I will set a fire ablaze in you, and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The blazing fire will not be quenched, and every face from the south to the north will be scorched by it. 48 Then all flesh will see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it will not be quenched” ’.”
49 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! They are saying of me, ‘Doesn’t he just speak in riddles?’ ”