1In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, some of the elders of Israel came to ask the LORD a question, and they sat down in front of me.
2Then the word of the LORD came to me:
3"Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: Have you come to ask me questions? As I live, says the Lord GOD, I will not be asked by you.'"
4"Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Make them know the detestable things their fathers did."
5"Say to them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: On the day when I chose Israel, I lifted up my hand to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and I made myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I lifted up my hand to them and said, I am the LORD your God."
6"'On that day I lifted up my hand to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands."
7"'Then I said to them, Every one of you, throw away the detestable things your eyes look at. Do not make yourselves unclean with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God."
8"'But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me. They did not throw away the detestable things their eyes looked at, and they did not leave the idols of Egypt. Then I said I would pour out my fury on them, and finish my anger against them in the middle of the land of Egypt."
9"'But I acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be dishonoured in front of the nations they were living among. In their sight I had made myself known to them, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt."
10"'So I made them go out of the land of Egypt, and I brought them into the wilderness."
11"'I gave them my laws and showed them my judgments. If a person does them, he will live by them."
12"'I also gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, so that they would know that I am the LORD who makes them holy."
13"'But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my laws, and they despised my judgments, which give life to anyone who does them. They made my sabbaths very unclean. Then I said I would pour out my fury on them in the wilderness, to destroy them."
14"'But I acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be dishonoured in front of the nations who saw me bring them out."
15"'Yet I also lifted up my hand to them in the wilderness and said that I would not bring them into the land I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands,"
16"'because they despised my judgments and did not walk in my laws, but made my sabbaths unclean. For their hearts went after their idols."
17"'Even so, my eye spared them, and I did not destroy them. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness."
18"'But I said to their children in the wilderness, Do not walk in the laws of your fathers, or keep their judgments, or make yourselves unclean with their idols."
19"'I am the LORD your God. Walk in my laws, and keep my judgments, and do them."
20"'Keep my sabbaths holy, and they will be a sign between me and you, so that you may know that I am the LORD your God."
21"'But the children rebelled against me too. They did not walk in my laws, and they did not keep my judgments and do them, which give life to anyone who does them. They made my sabbaths unclean. Then I said I would pour out my fury on them, and finish my anger against them in the wilderness."
22"'Even so, I held back my hand, and acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be dishonoured in the sight of the nations who saw me bring them out."
23"'I also lifted up my hand to them in the wilderness and said that I would scatter them among the nations and spread them through the countries,"
24"'because they had not carried out my judgments, but had despised my laws, and had made my sabbaths unclean, and their eyes looked to their fathers' idols."
25"'So I also gave them laws that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live."
26"'I made them unclean by their own gifts, in that they made everything that opens the womb pass through the fire, so that I might make them desolate, and so that they might know that I am the LORD.'"
27"Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: In this also your fathers insulted me, by breaking faith with me."
28"'For when I had brought them into the land that I had lifted up my hand to give them, they saw every high hill and every leafy tree, and there they offered their sacrifices. There they presented the offerings that stirred me to anger; there they made their sweet smell, and there they poured out their drink offerings."
29"'Then I said to them, What is this high place you go to? And its name is called Bamah to this day.'"
30"So say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: Are you making yourselves unclean in the same way as your fathers? Do you go after their detestable things like a prostitute?"
31"'For when you offer your gifts, when you make your sons pass through the fire, you make yourselves unclean with all your idols, even to this day. And shall I be asked anything by you, house of Israel? As I live, says the Lord GOD, I will not be asked by you."
32"'And what comes into your mind will never happen. You say, We will be like the nations, like the families of other countries, and serve wood and stone."
33"'As I live, says the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you."
34"'I will bring you out from the peoples, and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out."
35"'I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead with you face to face."
36"'Just as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead with you, says the Lord GOD."
37"'I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant."
38"'I will clear out from among you the rebels and those who sin against me. I will bring them out of the country where they are living as strangers, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD."
39"'As for you, house of Israel, this is what the Lord GOD says: Go, serve your idols, every one of you, and go on doing it afterwards too, if you will not listen to me. But do not dishonour my holy name any more with your gifts and your idols."
40"'For on my holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel, says the Lord GOD, there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, will serve me. There I will accept them, and there I will ask for your offerings, and the firstfruits of your gifts, with all your holy things."
41"'I will accept you as a sweet smell, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will be shown holy in you in the sight of the nations."
42"'Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country I lifted up my hand to give to your fathers."
43"'There you will remember your ways, and all the things you did that made you unclean. And you will hate yourselves in your own sight for all the evil things you have done."
44"'Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have dealt with you for the sake of my name, and not according to your wicked ways or your corrupt deeds, house of Israel, says the Lord GOD.'"
45The word of the LORD came to me again:
46"Son of man, set your face towards the south, and let your word fall towards the south, and prophesy against the forest of the southern field."
47"Say to the forest of the south, 'Hear the word of the LORD. This is what the Lord GOD says: Look, I will light a fire in you, and it will burn up every green tree in you and every dry tree. The blazing flame will not be put out, and every face from the south to the north will be burned by it."
48"'All flesh will see that I the LORD have lit it. It will not be put out.'"
49Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! They say about me, 'Does he not speak in parables?'"