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¹ And it was in the seventh year, in the fifth month , the tenth of the month, men came from the elders of Israel to inquire of Jehovah, and sat before me.² And the Word of Jehovah was to me, saying,³ Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, So says the Lord Jehovah: Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live, declares the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you.⁴ Will you judge them , will you judge, son of man? Cause them to know the abominations of their fathers.

⁵ And say to them, So says the Lord Jehovah: In the day I chose Israel and lifted My hand to the seed of the house of Jacob, and I was made known to them in the land of Egypt, when I liftedup My hand to them, saying, I am Jehovahyour God.⁶ In that day I lifted up My hand to them to bring them out from the land of Egypt into a land flowing with milk and honey that I had searched out for them, the glory of it is to all lands.⁷ Then I said to them, Let each man cast away the filthy idols of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am Jehovah your God.⁸ But they rebelled against Me and would not listen to Me. They did not each man throw away the filthy idols of their eyes, and they did not forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, I will pour out My fury against them, to complete My anger againstthem in the midst of the land of Egypt.⁹ But I worked for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they were, for I made Myself known to them in their eyes, by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁰ I caused them to go out from the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.¹¹ And I gave them My statutes, and I made them know My judgments, which if a man does them, he will even live by them.¹² And I also gave them My sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am Jehovah who sets them apart.¹³ But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes, and they despised My judgments, which if a man does them he will even live by them. And theygreatly profaned My sabbaths. Then I said,¹⁴ But I worked for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations, before whom I brought them out, in their eyes.¹⁵ And I also lifted up My hand to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey which I had given; it is the glory to all the lands,¹⁶ because they despised My judgments, and they did not walk in My statutes, and they profaned My sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols.¹⁷ And My eye spared them, from destroying them, and I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.¹⁸ But I said to their sons in the wilderness, Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers and do not keep their judgments, and do not defile yourselves with their idols.¹⁹ I am Jehovah your God, walk in My statutes, and keep My judgments, and do them.²⁰ And keep My sabbaths holy, and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am Jehovah your God.²¹ But the sons rebelled against Me. They did not walk in My statutes, and they did not keep My judgments, to do them, which if a man does them, he shall live by them. They profaned My sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out Myfury on them, to fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness.²² But I withdrew My hand and acted for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations, from whom I brought them out in their eyes.²³ And I lifted up My hand to them in the wilderness, to scatter them among the nations and sow them among the lands,²⁴ because they had not done My judgments and had despised My statutes and had profaned My sabbaths. And their eyes were after their fathers' idols.²⁵ Therefore I also gave them statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live.²⁶ And I defiled them by their own gifts, by making all that open the womb to cross the fire , so that I might waste them, to the end that they might know that I am Jehovah.

²⁷ So speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and say to them, So says the Lord Jehovah: Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed Me, by acting unfaithfully in an act of unfaithfulness against Me.²⁸ When I had brought them into the land for which I lifted up My hand, to give it to them, then they saw every high hill and every leafy tree; and they offered their sacrifices there. And theyhave their provoking offering there. Theyalso made their soothing aroma there and poured out their drink offerings there.²⁹ Then I said to them, What is the high place to which you go there? And its name is called High Place to this day.³⁰ For this reason, say to the house of Israel, So says the Lord Jehovah: Are you being defiled in the way of your fathers? And do you go whoring after their filthy idols?³¹ For when you lift up your gifts, when you pass your sons through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. And I will not be inquired of by you, O house of Israel. I will not be inquired of by you.³² And what comes up on your spirit shall surely not occur, that you say, We will be like the nations, like the families of the lands, to serve wood and stone.

³³ As I live, says the Lord Jehovah, Surely with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will reign over you.³⁴ And I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands in which you are scattered among them with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out.³⁵ And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and I will be judging face to face there with you.³⁶ Just as I was judging your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will be judging you, declares the Lord Jehovah.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 from among you the rebels and the transgressors against Me. I will bring them out of the land where they reside, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am Jehovah.³⁹ And you, O house of Israel, so says the Lord Jehovah: Every man go, serve his idols, even hereafter, if you will not listen to Me. But you will not still profane My holy name with your gifts and with your idols.⁴⁰ For in My holy mountain in the mountain height of Israel, declares the Lord Jehovah, all the house of Israel shall serve Me there, all of them in the land. There I will accept them, and thereI will seek your heave offerings and thefirstfruits of your offerings, with all your holy things.⁴¹ I will accept you with a soothing aroma when I bring you from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you have been scattered in them. And I will be sanctified among you in the eyes of the nations.⁴² And you shall know that I am Jehovah when I bring you into the land of Israel, to the land for which I lifted up My hand to give it to your fathers.⁴³ And you shall remember there your ways and all your evils by which you have been defiled in them. And you will hate yourselves to your faces for all your evils which you have done.⁴⁴ And you shall know that I am Jehovah when I have worked with you for My name's sake, and not by your evil ways, nor by your evil doings, O house of Israel, declares the Lord Jehovah.

⁴⁵ And the Word of Jehovah was to me, saying,⁴⁶ Son of man, set your face the way of the south, and drop a word toward the Negeb, and prophesy against the forest of the field of the Negeb.⁴⁷ And say to the forest of the Negeb, Hear the Word of Jehovah. So says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it will eat up every moist tree and every dry tree among you. The glowingof the flame shall not be put out, andby it shall be scorched all the faces from the Negeb to the north.⁴⁸ And all flesh shall see that I, Jehovah, have kindled it; it shall not be put out.⁴⁹ Then I said, Ah, Lord Jehovah! They are saying of me, Does he not speak in parables?