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¹In the seventh year, on the tenth day of the fifth month, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and they sat down before me.[ † ]Ezekiel 8:1-11, 12Ezekiel 14:1

²Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ³“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and tell them that this is what the Lord God says: Have you come to inquire of Me? As surely as I live, I will not be consulted by you, declares the Lord God.[ † ]Ezekiel 7:26Ezekiel 14:3

⁴Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? Confront them with the abominations of their fathers[ † ]Ezekiel 16:2Ezekiel 22:2Matthew 23:32 ⁵and tell them that this is what the Lord God says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt. With an uplifted hand I said to them, ‘I am the Lord your God.’[ † ]Exodus 6:6-8Deuteronomy 7:6Exodus 3:8Exodus 4:31Deuteronomy 4:34Exodus 20:2

⁶On that day I swore to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands.[ † ]Exodus 3:8-17Deuteronomy 8:7-9Jeremiah 32:22Exodus 3:8Exodus 13:5Exodus 33:3Psalms 48:2Jeremiah 11:5Ezekiel 20:15Daniel 8:9Zechariah 7:14 ⁷And I said to them: ‘Each of you must throw away the abominations before his eyes, and you must not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’[ † ]Ezekiel 18:312 Chronicles 15:8Leviticus 18:3Deuteronomy 29:16Joshua 24:14

⁸But they rebelled against Me and refused to listen. None of them cast away the abominations before their eyes, and they did not forsake the idols of Egypt. So I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and vent My anger against them in the land of Egypt.[ † ]Ezekiel 7:8 ⁹But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they were living, in whose sight I had revealed Myself to Israel by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.[ † ]Numbers 14:13Joshua 2:10Joshua 9:9-10

¹⁰So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them into the wilderness.[ † ]Exodus 13:18 ¹¹And I gave them My statutes and made known to them My ordinances—for the man who does these things will live by them.[ † ]Deuteronomy 4:8Nehemiah 9:13Psalms 147:19Leviticus 18:5Ezekiel 20:13Romans 10:5Galatians 3:12 ¹²I also gave them My Sabbaths as a sign between us, so that they would know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.[ † ]Exodus 20:8Deuteronomy 5:12Nehemiah 9:14

¹³Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not follow My statutes and they rejected My ordinances—though the man who does these things will live by them—and they utterly profaned My Sabbaths. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and put an end to them in the wilderness.[ † ]Numbers 14:22Psalms 78:40Ezekiel 20:8Proverbs 1:25Leviticus 18:5Exodus 16:27Numbers 14:29Psalms 106:23 ¹⁴But I acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.[ † ]Ezekiel 20:9-20

¹⁵Moreover, with an uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land that I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands—[ † ]Numbers 14:28Psalms 95:11Psalms 106:26Exodus 3:8Ezekiel 20:6 ¹⁶because they kept rejecting My ordinances, refusing to walk in My statutes, and profaning My Sabbaths; for their hearts continually went after their idols.[ † ]Ezekiel 20:13-24Numbers 15:39Psalms 78:37Amos 5:25Acts 7:42 ¹⁷Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy them or bring them to an end in the wilderness.[ † ]Psalms 78:38

¹⁸In the wilderness I said to their children: ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. ¹⁹I am the Lord your God; walk in My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them.[ † ]Deuteronomy 5:32 ²⁰Keep My Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us, so that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’[ † ]Isaiah 58:13-14Jeremiah 17:22

²¹But the children rebelled against Me. They did not walk in My statutes or carefully observe My ordinances—though the man who does these things will live by them—and they profaned My Sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and vent My anger against them in the wilderness.[ † ]Numbers 25:1Deuteronomy 9:23Leviticus 18:5 ²²But I withheld My hand and acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

²³However, with an uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands.[ † ]Leviticus 26:33Deuteronomy 28:64Psalms 106:27Jeremiah 15:4 ²⁴For they did not practice My ordinances, but they rejected My statutes and profaned My Sabbaths, fixing their eyes on the idols of their fathers.[ † ]Ezekiel 20:13-16Ezekiel 6:9

²⁵I also gave them over to statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live.[ † ]Psalms 81:12Romans 1:242 Thessalonians 2:11 ²⁶And I pronounced them unclean through their gifts—the sacrifice of every firstborn in the fire—so that I might devastate them, in order that they would know that I am the Lord.[ † ]2 Kings 17:172 Chronicles 28:3Jeremiah 32:35Ezekiel 16:20Ezekiel 6:7Ezekiel 20:12-20

²⁷Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and tell them that this is what the Lord God says: In this way also your fathers blasphemed Me by their unfaithfulness against Me.[ † ]Numbers 15:30Isaiah 65:7Romans 2:24 ²⁸When I brought them into the land that I swore to give them and they saw any high hill or leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, presented offerings that provoked Me, sent up their fragrant incense, and poured out their drink offerings.[ † ]1 Kings 14:23Psalms 78:58Isaiah 57:5-7Jeremiah 3:6Ezekiel 6:13Ezekiel 16:19

²⁹So I asked them: ‘What is this high place to which you go?’ (And to this day it is called Bamah.)

³⁰Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord God says: Will you defile yourselves the way your fathers did, prostituting yourselves with their abominations?[ † ]Judges 2:19Jeremiah 7:26Jeremiah 16:12 ³¹When you offer your gifts, sacrificing your sons in the fire, you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. So should I be consulted by you, O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be consulted by you![ † ]Psalms 106:37-39Jeremiah 7:31Ezekiel 16:20Ezekiel 20:26Ezekiel 20:3

³²When you say, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the peoples of the lands, serving wood and stone,’ what you have in mind will never come to pass.[ † ]Ezekiel 11:5

³³As surely as I live, declares the Lord God, with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath I will rule over you.[ † ]Jeremiah 21:5 ³⁴With a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands to which you have been scattered. ³⁵And I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, where I will enter into judgment with you face to face.[ † ]Jeremiah 2:9-35Ezekiel 17:20

³⁶Just 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 the Lord God.[ † ]Numbers 14:21-23, 28 ³⁷I will make you pass under the rod and will bring you into the bond of the covenant.[ † ]Leviticus 27:32Jeremiah 33:13Psalms 89:30-34Ezekiel 16:60-62 ³⁸And I will purge you of those who rebel and transgress against Me. I will bring them out of the land in which they dwell, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.[ † ]Ezekiel 34:17Amos 9:9-10Zechariah 13:8-9Malachi 3:3Malachi 4:1-3Matthew 25:32Jeremiah 44:14

³⁹And 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 defile My holy name with your gifts and idols.[ † ]Judges 10:14Psalms 81:12Amos 4:4Isaiah 1:13-15Ezekiel 23:38

⁴⁰For on My holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Lord God, there the whole house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land. There I will accept them and will require your offerings and choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices.[ † ]Isaiah 2:2-3Ezekiel 17:23Micah 4:1Ezekiel 37:22Isaiah 56:7Isaiah 60:7Ezekiel 43:27Zechariah 8:20-22Malachi 3:4Romans 12:1

⁴¹When I bring you from the peoples and gather you from the lands to which you have been scattered, I will accept you as a pleasing aroma. And I will show My holiness through you in the sight of the nations.[ † ]Ephesians 5:2Philippians 4:18 ⁴²Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land that I swore to give your fathers.[ † ]Ezekiel 36:23Ezekiel 38:23Ezekiel 11:17Ezekiel 34:13Ezekiel 36:24

⁴³There you will remember your ways and all the deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evils you have done.[ † ]Ezekiel 16:61Leviticus 26:39Ezekiel 6:9Hosea 5:15 ⁴⁴Then you will know, O house of Israel, that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you for the sake of My name and not according to your wicked ways and corrupt acts, declares the Lord God.”[ † ]Ezekiel 24:24Ezekiel 36:22

⁴⁵Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁴⁶“Son of man, set your face toward the south, preach against it, and prophesy against the forest of the Negev.[ † ]Ezekiel 21:2Amos 7:16 ⁴⁷Say to the forest of the Negev: Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says: I am about to ignite in you a fire, and it will devour all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and by it every face from south to north will be scorched.[ † ]Isaiah 9:18-19Jeremiah 21:14Luke 23:31Ezekiel 21:4 ⁴⁸Then all people will see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it will not be quenched.”

⁴⁹Then I said, “Ah, Lord God, they are saying of me, ‘Is he not just telling parables?’”[ † ]Ezekiel 12:9Ezekiel 17:2Matthew 13:13John 16:25