|
Chapter 20 |
| 1 | And it came to
pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that
certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD, and sat before
me. |
| 2 |
Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying, |
| 3 | Son of
man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be
enquired of by you. |
| 4 | Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou
judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers: |
| 5 |
And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and
lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known
unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I
am the LORD your God; |
| 6 | In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto
them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied
for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:
|
| 7 | Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his
eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your
God. |
| 8 |
But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me:
they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did
they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon
them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of
Egypt. |
| 9 |
But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be
polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself
known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt. |
| 10 |
Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them
into the wilderness. |
| 11 | And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them
my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them. |
| 12 |
Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that
they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them. |
| 13 | But the
house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my
statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live
in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out
my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them. |
| 14 | But I
wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen,
in whose sight I brought them out. |
| 15 | Yet also I lifted up my hand
unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I
had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all
lands; |
| 16
| Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my
statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their
idols. |
| 17
| Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them,
neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness. |
| 18 | But I said
unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your
fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their
idols: |
| 19
| I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my
judgments, and do them; |
| 20 | And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a
sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.
|
| 21 | Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my
statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall
even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my
fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.
|
| 22 | Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name's sake, that
it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought
them forth. |
|
23 | I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the
wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them
through the countries; |
| 24 | Because they had not executed my judgments,
but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were
after their fathers' idols. |
|
25 | Wherefore I gave them also statutes
that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live; |
| 26 | And
I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the
fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end
that they might know that I am the LORD. |
|
27 | Therefore, son of man,
speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet
in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass
against me. |
|
28 | For when I had brought them into the land, for the
which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill,
and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there
they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their
sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings. |
| 29 | Then I
said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name whereof is
called Bamah unto this day. |
|
30 | Wherefore say unto the house of
Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye polluted after the manner of your
fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations? |
| 31 | For when
ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye
pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be
enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will
not be enquired of by you. |
|
32 | And that which cometh into your mind
shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of
the countries, to serve wood and stone. |
|
33 | As I live, saith the Lord
GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury
poured out, will I rule over you: |
| 34 | And I will bring you out from
the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered,
with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured
out. |
| 35 |
And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and
there will I plead with you face to face. |
|
36 | Like as I pleaded with
your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you,
saith the Lord GOD. |
| 37 | And I will cause you to pass under the rod,
and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: |
| 38 | And I will
purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I
will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not
enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. |
| 39 |
As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; Go ye, serve ye every
one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute
ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols. |
| 40 | For
in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord
GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me:
there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the
firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. |
| 41 | I will
accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and
gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be
sanctified in you before the heathen. |
| 42 | And ye shall know that I am
the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for
the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers. |
| 43 | And
there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been
defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils
that ye have committed. |
| 44 | And ye shall know that I am the LORD when I
have wrought with you for my name's sake, not according to your wicked ways,
nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord
GOD. |
| 45 |
Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, |
| 46 |
Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south,
and prophesy against the forest of the south field; |
| 47 | And say to
the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in
thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all
faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein. |
| 48 | And all
flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it shall not be
quenched. |
| 49
| Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not
speak parables? |
