Ezekiel
Chapter 20
1 In the seventh year, on the tenth day of the fifth month, some of the leaders of Israel came to ask God, and they sat down in front of me.
2 Then God spoke to me, saying,
3 Human, talk to Israel’s leaders and tell them, “God says, ‘Have you come to ask me something? As I live, says God, I will not answer you.’”
4 Will you judge them, human, will you judge them? Show them their fathers’ wrongdoings.
5 Tell them this is what God says: On the day I picked Israel, raised my hand to Jacob’s descendants, and revealed myself to them in Egypt, I raised my hand and told them, ‘I am God, your God.’
6 On the day I raised my hand to them, to lead them out of Egypt into a land I had chosen for them, a land filled with milk and honey, the finest of all lands.
7 I said to them, “Throw away every bad thing you set your eyes on, and do not make yourselves dirty with the idols of Egypt: I am God your God.”
8 They resisted me and wouldn’t listen: they each kept the hateful things they saw, nor did they leave Egypt’s idols behind; then I decided to unleash my anger on them there in Egypt.
9 I acted for the sake of my reputation, so it would not be tarnished in front of the nations where they lived, where I revealed myself to them by leading them out of Egypt.
10 So I made them leave Egypt and led them into the desert.
11 I gave them my laws and taught them my rulings, which if a person follows, they will live by them.
12 I also gave them my days of rest, as a sign between us, so they would know that I am God who makes them holy.
13 The people of Israel disobeyed me in the desert. They did not follow my laws, and they did not respect my decisions, which would give life to anyone who followed them. They badly disrespected my rest days. So, I thought to release my anger on them in the desert and to destroy them.
14 I acted for my own reputation so that it would not be tarnished in the eyes of the nations from whom I rescued my people.
15 I promised them in the wilderness that I would not take them to the land I had given them, a land rich with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands.
16 Because they disrespected my laws, did not follow my rules, and made my holy days unclean: for their hearts followed their false gods.
17 But my eye pitied them and did not destroy them or wipe them out in the desert.
18 I told their children in the desert, “Do not follow your fathers’ customs, do not keep their rules, and do not make yourselves unclean with their idols.”
19 I am God, your God; follow my rules, obey my decisions, and carry them out.
20 Honor my rest days; they will be a sign between us so that you will know that I am your God.
21 Despite this, the children disobeyed me: they did not follow my rules or keep my decisions, which would bring life if followed; they disrespected my rest days: so I decided to fully unleash my anger on them in the desert.
22 Even so, I held back and acted for the sake of my name, so it would not be tarnished in the eyes of the nations among whom I had brought them out.
23 I raised my hand to them in the desert, promising that I would scatter them among the nations and spread them out across the lands.
24 Because they did not follow my decisions, but hated my rules, and did not respect my special rest days, and they desired their ancestors’ false gods.
25 So I gave them rules that were not good, and laws that did not bring life.
26 I let them become unclean through their own gifts when they burned their firstborn, which made them empty, so they would know I am God.
27 So, human, talk to the people of Israel and tell them this: God says, ‘Your ancestors insulted me by doing wrong against me.’
28 When I brought them to the land I promised to give them, they saw every tall hill and all the dense trees. There they made their sacrifices, presented their offerings to provoke me, made offerings that smelled sweet, and poured out their drink offerings.
29 Then I asked them, “What is the high place you go to?” It is named Bamah to this day.
30 Tell the people of Israel, God says; Are you dirty like your ancestors? Do you act badly like they did?
31 When you give your gifts and burn your children as sacrifices, you make yourselves unclean with all your gods, even now. Should you expect me to answer your questions, people of Israel? I swear, says God, I will not answer you.
32 What you are thinking won’t happen—you won’t say, ‘Let’s be like other nations, serving idols made of wood and stone.’
33 I am alive, says God, and I will rule over you with great power, a reaching arm, and intense anger.
34 I will take you away from the people and collect you from the countries where you are spread out, with great power, with an outreached arm, and with strong anger.
35 I will take you to the people’s desert, and there I will talk with you directly.
36 Just as I spoke to your ancestors in the desert of Egypt, I will speak to you, says God.
37 I will make you follow the rules, and I will bring you into the agreement’s commitment.
38 I will remove the rebels from among you and those who disobey me: I will take them out of the country where they live, and they will not enter the land of Israel: and you will know that I am God.
39 Israel, this is what God says: Go and worship your idols if you wish, but if you won’t listen to me, stop disrespecting my holy name with your gifts and idols.
40 In my holy mountain, on Israel’s highest mountain, God says, all of Israel, everyone in the land, will serve me. There I will accept them, and there I will ask for your gifts, the first of your offerings, along with all your sacred items.
41 I will welcome you because of your pleasing aroma when I rescue you from the peoples and collect you from the countries where you were spread out; and I will show my holiness through you to the nations.
42 You will know that I am God when I bring you to Israel, the land I promised to give your ancestors.
43 There, you will remember your actions and everything you have done that made you impure; and you will hate yourselves for all the wrongs you have done.
44 You will understand that I am God when I act for the sake of my name, not based on your bad ways or your wrong actions, people of Israel, says God.
45 Also, God’s message came to me, saying,
46 Human, look toward the south, speak toward the south, and predict against the forest in the southern land.
47 Tell the southern forest to listen to God’s message: God says, “Look, I will start a fire in you. It will burn up all the green trees and all the dry trees. The blazing fire won’t be put out, and it will scorch everything from the south to the north.”
48 Everyone will see that I, God, have started this fire; it will not be put out.
49 Then I said, “Ah God! They are saying about me, ‘Doesn’t he just speak in puzzles?’”