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¹ And it comes to pass, in the seventh year, in the fifth [month], on the tenth of the month, men from [the] elderly of Israel have come in to seek YHWH, and they sit before me;² and there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,³ "Son of man, speak to the elderly of Israel, and you have said to them, Thus said Lord YHWH: Are you coming in to seek Me? [As] I live—I am not sought by you—a declaration of Lord YHWH.⁴ Do you judge them? Do you judge, son of man? Cause them to know the abominations of their fathers,

⁵ and you have said to them, Thus said Lord YHWH: In the day of My fixing on Israel, || I lift up My hand, || To the seed of the house of Jacob, || And am known to them in the land of Egypt, || And I lift up My hand to them, || Saying, I [am] your God YHWH.⁶ In that day I lifted up My hand to them, || To bring them forth from the land of Egypt, || To a land that I spied out for them, || Flowing with milk and honey, || It [is] a beauty to all the lands,⁷ And I say to them, Let each cast away the detestable things of his eyes, || And do not be defiled with the idols of Egypt, || I [am] your God YHWH.⁸ And they rebel against Me, || And have not been willing to listen to Me, || Each has not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, || And have not forsaken the idols of Egypt, || And I speak—to pour out My fury on them, || To complete My anger against them, || In the midst of the land of Egypt.⁹ And I do [it] for My Name's sake, || Not to defile [it] before the eyes of the nations, || In whose midst they [are in], || Before whose eyes I became known to them, || To bring them out from the land of Egypt.

¹⁰ And I bring them out of the land of Egypt, || And I bring them into the wilderness,¹¹ And I give My statutes to them, || And I caused them to know My judgments, || Which the man who does—lives by them.¹² And I have also given My Sabbaths to them, || To be for a sign between Me and them, || To know that I [am] YHWH who is sanctifying them.¹³ And the house of Israel rebels against Me in the wilderness, || They have not walked in My statutes, || And they have despised My judgments, || Which the man who does—lives by them. And they have greatly defiled My Sabbaths, || And I speak—to pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them.¹⁴ And I do [it] for My Name's sake, || Not to defile [it] before the eyes of the nations, || Before whose eyes I brought them forth.¹⁵ And also, I have lifted up My hand to them in the wilderness, || Not to bring them into the land that I had given, || Flowing with milk and honey, || It [is] a beauty to all the lands,¹⁶ Because they kicked against My judgments, || And they have not walked in My statutes, || And they have defiled My Sabbaths, || For their heart is going after their idols.¹⁷ And My eye has pity on them—against destroying them, || And I have not made an end of them in the wilderness.¹⁸ And I say to their sons in the wilderness: Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, || And do not observe their judgments, || And do not defile yourselves with their idols.¹⁹ I [am] your God YHWH, walk in My statutes, || And observe My judgments, and do them,²⁰ And sanctify My Sabbaths, || And they have been for a sign between Me and you, || To know that I [am] your God YHWH.²¹ And the sons rebel against Me, || They have not walked in My statutes, || And they have not observed My judgments—to do them, || Which the man who does—lives by them. They have defiled My Sabbaths, || And I speak—to pour out My fury on them, || To complete My anger against them in the wilderness.²² And I have turned back My hand, || And I do [it] for My Name's sake, || Not to defile [it] before the eyes of the nations, || Before whose eyes I brought them out.²³ I also, I have lifted up My hand to them in the wilderness, || To scatter them among nations, || And to spread them through lands.²⁴ Because they have not done My judgments, || And they have despised My statutes, || And they have defiled My Sabbaths, || And their eyes have been after [the] idols of their fathers.²⁵ And I also, I have given statutes to them [that are] not good, || And judgments by which they do not live.²⁶ And I defile them by their own gifts, || By causing every opener of a womb to pass away, || So that I make them desolate, || So that they know that I [am] YHWH.

²⁷ Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and you have said to them, Thus said Lord YHWH: Still in this your fathers have reviled Me, || In their committing a trespass against Me.²⁸ And I bring them into the land, || That I lifted up My hand to give to them, || And they see every high hill, and every thick tree, || And they sacrifice their sacrifices there, || And give the provocation of their offering there, || And make their refreshing fragrance there, || And they pour out their drink-offerings there.²⁹ And I say to them: What [is] the high place to where you are going in?" And its name is called "High Place" to this day.³⁰ "Therefore, say to the house of Israel, Thus said Lord YHWH: Are you defiling yourselves in the way of your fathers? And do you go whoring after their detestable things?³¹ And in the offering of your gifts, || In causing your sons to pass through fire, || You are defiled by all your idols to this day, || And I am sought by you, O house of Israel? [As] I live—a declaration of Lord YHWH, I am not sought by you.³² And that which is going up on your mind, || It is not at all—in that you are saying: We will be as the nations, as the families of the lands, || To serve wood and stone.

³³ [As] I live—a declaration of Lord YHWH, || Do I not, with a strong hand, || And with an outstretched arm, || And with poured out fury—rule over you?³⁴ And I have brought you forth from the peoples, || And assembled you from the lands || In which you have been scattered, || With a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, || And with poured out fury.³⁵ And I have brought you into the wilderness of the peoples, || And have been judged with you there face to face.³⁶ As I was judged with your fathers, || In the wilderness of the land of Egypt, || So I am judged with you, || A declaration of Lord YHWH.³⁷ And I have caused you to pass under the rod, || And brought you into the bond of the covenant,³⁸ And cleared out the rebels from you, || And those transgressing against Me, || I bring them out from the land of their sojournings, || And they do not come to the land of Israel, || And you have known that I [am] YHWH.³⁹ And you, O house of Israel, thus said Lord YHWH: Each go, serve his idols, || And afterward, if you are not listening to Me [anyway], || But you do not defile My holy Name anymore by your gifts, and by your idols.⁴⁰ For on My holy mountain, || On the mountain of the height of Israel, || A declaration of Lord YHWH, || All the house of Israel serves Me there, || All of it, in the land—I accept them there, || And I seek your raised-offerings there, || And with the first-fruit of your gifts, || With all your holy things.⁴¹ With refreshing fragrance I accept you, || In My bringing you out from the peoples, || And I have assembled you from the lands || In which you have been scattered, || And I have been sanctified in you || Before the eyes of the nations.⁴² And you have known that I [am] YHWH, || In My bringing you to the ground of Israel, || To the land that I lifted up My hand || To give it to your fathers,⁴³ And you have remembered your ways there, || And all your doings, || In which you have been defiled, || And you have been loathsome in your own faces, || For all your evils that you have done.⁴⁴ And you have known that I [am] YHWH, || In My dealing with you for My Name's sake, || Not according to your evil ways, || And according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel, || A declaration of Lord YHWH."

⁴⁵ And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,⁴⁶ "Son of man, set your face the way of Teman, and prophesy to the south, and prophesy to the forest of the field—the south;⁴⁷ and you have said to the forest of the south, Hear a word of YHWH! Thus said Lord YHWH: Behold, I am kindling a fire in you, || And it has devoured every moist tree in you, and every dry tree, || The glowing flames are not quenched, || And all faces from south to north have been burned by it.⁴⁸ And all flesh has seen, that I, YHWH, have kindled it—it is not quenched."⁴⁹ And I say, "Aah! Lord YHWH, || They are saying of me, || Is he not using allegories?"