Ezekiel 20:27-49 ▼

27 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed Me by acting unfaithfully against Me.

28 Indeed, I brought them into the land which I swore to give to them, and they saw every high hill and every leafy tree, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they gave the provocation of their offering. There also they made their soothing aroma, and there they poured out their drink offerings.

29 Then I said to them, ‘What is the high place to which you are going?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.”’

30 Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Will you defile yourselves in the way of your fathers and play the harlot after their detestable things?

31 And when you offer your gifts, when you cause your sons to pass through the fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “I will not be inquired of by you.

32 And what comes upon your spirit will not happen, when you say: ‘We will be like the nations, like the families of the lands, to minister to wood and stone.’

33 “As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “surely with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be king over you.

34 And I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out;

35 and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face.

36 As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares Lord Yahweh.

37 “And I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;

38 and I will purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am Yahweh.

39 “As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says Lord Yahweh, “Go, serve everyone his idols; but after this you will surely listen to Me, and My holy name you will profane no longer with your gifts and with your idols.

40 For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel,” declares Lord Yahweh, “there the whole house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land; there I will accept them, and there I will seek your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your holy things.

41 As a soothing aroma I will accept you when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered; and I will prove Myself holy among you in the sight of the nations.

42 And you will know that I am Yahweh, when I bring you onto the ground of Israel, into the land which I swore to give to your fathers.

43 And there you will remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves; and you will loathe yourselves to your own faces for all the evil things that you have done.

44 Then you will know that I am Yahweh when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel,” declares Lord Yahweh.’”

45 Now the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

46 “Son of man, set your face toward Teman and speak, dripping out words, against the south and prophesy against the forest land of the Negev

47 and say to the forest of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh: thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I am about to kindle a fire in you, and it will consume every green tree in you, as well as every dry tree; the blazing flame will not be quenched, and the whole surface from south to north will be scorched by it.

48 And all flesh will see that I, Yahweh, have made it burn; it shall not be quenched.”’”

49 Then I said, “Ah Lord Yahweh! They are saying of me, ‘Is he not just speaking parables?’”