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Ezekiel 20 :: English Standard Version (ESV)

Israel’s Continuing Rebellion

Eze 20:1

Eze 20:1In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me.

Eze 20:2

Eze 20:2And the word of the LORD came to me:

Eze 20:3

Eze 20:3“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD, Is it to inquire of me that you come? As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you.

Eze 20:4

Eze 20:4Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Let them know the abominations of their fathers,

Eze 20:5

Eze 20:5and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day when I chose Israel, I swore[fn] to the offspring of the house of Jacob, making myself known to them in the land of Egypt; I swore to them, saying, I am the LORD your God.

Eze 20:6

Eze 20:6On that day I swore to them that I would 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 most glorious of all lands.

Eze 20:7

Eze 20:7And I said to them, ‘Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.’

Eze 20:8

Eze 20:8But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. “Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

Eze 20:9

Eze 20:9But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt.

Eze 20:10

Eze 20:10So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.

Eze 20:11

Eze 20:11I gave them my statutes and made known to them my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live.

Eze 20:12

Eze 20:12Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

Eze 20:13

Eze 20:13But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned. “Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make a full end of them.

Eze 20:14

Eze 20:14But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.

Eze 20:15

Eze 20:15Moreover, 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 most glorious of all lands,

Eze 20:16

Eze 20:16because they rejected my rules and did not walk in my statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols.

Eze 20:17

Eze 20:17Nevertheless, my eye spared them, and I did not destroy them or make a full end of them in the wilderness.

Eze 20:18

Eze 20:18“And I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor keep their rules, nor defile yourselves with their idols.

Eze 20:19

Eze 20:19I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules,

Eze 20:20

Eze 20:20and keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’

Eze 20:21

Eze 20:21But the children rebelled against me. They did not walk in my statutes and were not careful to obey my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; they profaned my Sabbaths. “Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness.

Eze 20:22

Eze 20:22But I withheld my hand and acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.

Eze 20:23

Eze 20:23Moreover, I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the countries,

Eze 20:24

Eze 20:24because they had not obeyed my rules, but had rejected my statutes and profaned my Sabbaths, and their eyes were set on their fathers’ idols.

Eze 20:25

Eze 20:25Moreover, I gave them statutes that were not good and rules by which they could not have life,

Eze 20:26

Eze 20:26and I defiled them through their very gifts in their offering up all their firstborn, that I might devastate them. I did it that they might know that I am the LORD.

Eze 20:27

Eze 20:27“Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: In this also your fathers blasphemed me, by dealing treacherously with me.

Eze 20:28

Eze 20:28For when I had brought them into the land that I swore to give them, then wherever they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices and there they presented the provocation of their offering; there they sent up their pleasing aromas, and there they poured out their drink offerings.

Eze 20:29

Eze 20:29(I said to them, ‘What is the high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah[fn] to this day.)

Eze 20:30

Eze 20:30“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers and go whoring after their detestable things?

Eze 20:31

Eze 20:31When you present your gifts and offer up your children in fire,[fn] you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you.

Eze 20:32

Eze 20:32“What is in your mind shall never happen—the thought, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, and worship wood and stone.’

The Lord Will Restore Israel

Eze 20:33

Eze 20:33“As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out I will be king over you.

Eze 20:34

Eze 20:34I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out.

Eze 20:35

Eze 20:35And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face.

Eze 20:36

Eze 20:36As 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.

Eze 20:37

Eze 20:37I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.

Eze 20:38

Eze 20:38I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Eze 20:39

Eze 20:39“As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord GOD: Go serve every one of you his idols, now and hereafter, if you will not listen to me; but my holy name you shall no more profane with your gifts and your idols.

Eze 20:40

Eze 20:40“For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, there all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land. There I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your sacred offerings.

Eze 20:41

Eze 20:41As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations.

Eze 20:42

Eze 20:42And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that I swore to give to your fathers.

Eze 20:43

Eze 20:43And there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed.

Eze 20:44

Eze 20:44And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.”

Eze 20:45

Eze 20:45[fn] And the word of the LORD came to me:

Eze 20:46

Eze 20:46“Son of man, set your face toward the southland;[fn] preach against the south, and prophesy against the forest land in the Negeb.

Eze 20:47

Eze 20:47Say to the forest of the Negeb, Hear the word of the LORD: Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree in you and every dry tree. The blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from south to north shall be scorched by it.

Eze 20:48

Eze 20:48All flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.”

Eze 20:49

Eze 20:49Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! They are saying of me, ‘Is he not a maker of parables?’”
See the ESV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
ESV Footnotes
Hebrew I lifted my hand; twice in this verse; also verses 6, 15, 23, 28, 42
Bamah means high place
Hebrew and make your children pass through the fire
Ch 21:1 in Hebrew
Or toward Teman
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Books and Bibles, a Publishing Ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

See detailed copyright information.

For more information on this translation, see the ESV Preface.

Ezekiel Chapter 20 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New Living Translation New International Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Westminster Leningrad Codex Septuagint Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Brenton's English Septuagint Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras

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