It was the seventh year, the fifth month, and the tenth day after our deportation to Babylon. Some of the elders of Israel came to request that I ask YAHWEH for his message to them. As we sat together, YAHWEH spoke to me, saying, “Son of man, give the elders of Israel this message: ‘Lord YAHWEH says to you: Are you really coming to consult with me? As surely as I live, I will tell you nothing. I, Lord YAHWEH, have spoken.’ ”
Then he said to me, “Judge them, Ezekiel! Bring a charge against them, son of man! Confront them over the disgusting practices of their ancestors! Tell them what I, Lord YAHWEH, say: ‘On the day when I chose Israel to be my people, I pledged my word to the tribes of Jacob, and I revealed myself to them in Egypt. I pledged my word to them and said: I am YAHWEH your God. That day I promised that I would bring them out of Egypt to a land I had searched out especially for them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the most splendid land of all. And I said to them, “Every one of you, get rid of the things you love that I hate. Don’t make yourselves unfit for my presence by worshiping the idols of Egypt. For I am YAHWEH your God.” But they rebelled against me and refused to listen to me. Not one of them rejected the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they give up the idols of Egypt. So in my anger, I decided to pour out my wrath on them and vent my anger against them in the midst of Egypt.’ I acted to protect the honor of my name, so that I would not be profaned in the eyes of the surrounding nations who saw me reveal myself by bringing the Israelites out of Egypt.”
“So I brought them out of Egypt and led them into the desert. I gave them my laws and taught them my commands, so that they would follow them and live by them. And I also gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between me and them so that they might know that I, YAHWEH, am the one who sets them apart as my own. But the Israelites rebelled against me in the wilderness and refused to keep my laws and rejected my commands (the one who obeys my laws will live by them), and they completely dishonored my Sabbaths. I was about to vent my fury on them in the desert and destroy them. But I chose to withhold my punishment for the sake of my holy name, that it not be profaned in the eyes of the nations who had seen my power in bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. So, I made a vow in the desert that I would not bring that generation into the most splendid land that I had given them, a land flowing with milk and honey. For they had scorned my commands, refused to keep my laws, dishonored my Sabbaths, and their hearts were attached to idols. In spite of this, I took pity on them, so I spared them from destruction and did not make an end of them in the desert.
“I warned their children in the wilderness: ‘Do not follow the ways of your ancestors, do not practice their standard of justice, and do not defile yourselves with their foul idols. I am YAHWEH your God. Keep my laws, obey my commands, and follow them. Keep my Sabbaths as holy days. Let them be a covenant-sign between me and you, to remind you that I am YAHWEH your God.’
“However, like their parents, the next generation rebelled against me; they refused to keep my laws and did not respect or practice my standard of justice so that they would follow my laws and live by them. They also dishonored my Sabbaths. So, in my fury I decided to punish them and pour out my anger on them in the desert. But I restrained myself to protect the honor of my name so that I would not be profaned in the eyes of the surrounding nations who saw me reveal myself by bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. Moreover, I made a vow to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them throughout the nations and disperse them into foreign countries. I did this because they had broken my laws, refused to obey my commands, dishonored my Sabbaths, and their hearts chased after the idols of their ancestors. And for this reason I gave them laws and regulations that resulted in punishment, not life. And because they sacrificed their firstborn children in the fire, I declared them defiled and unfit to worship me. I did this to fill them with revulsion so that they would know that I am YAHWEH.”
“Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Israel in exile and say to them, ‘Lord YAHWEH says to you: Here is another instance of your ancestors blaspheming me by their infidelity. When I had brought them into the promised land, they discovered all sorts of high hills and all kinds of spreading trees. That is where they offered sacrifices and made offerings to false gods that provoked my anger. That is where they burned incense and poured out drink offerings to false gods. So I asked them: What is this high place where you go?’ ” (So its name is called High Place to this day.)
“Say to the Israelites in exile, ‘Lord YAHWEH says to you: Will you defile yourselves in the same way your ancestors did and act like a prostitute with your idol worship? For when you offer your gifts and sacrifice your children as sacrifices by fire, you defile yourselves with all your idol worship to this very day. Do you think you can come and consult with me? As surely as I live, I will not answer you. I, Lord YAHWEH, have spoken!
“ ‘You are saying that you want to worship idols of wood and stone and be like the nations around you. But what you have in mind will never happen. As surely as I, Lord YAHWEH, live, I warn you: I will continue to rule over you with a strong hand and with all my power and my wrath poured out!’ ”
“ ‘You have been scattered into many different nations and lands. But with a strong hand and my mighty power and outpoured wrath, I will bring you back. I will bring you into the desert of many nations, and there I will enter into judgment with you face-to-face! Just as I entered into judgment with your ancestors in the wilderness of Sinai, so I now judge you. I am Lord YAHWEH, and I declare this to you. I will make you pass under the shepherd’s rod and take note of you, as a shepherd sorts his sheep. And I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. I will purge out the rebels from among you, those who sin against me. I will remove them from the land where they are exiled, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am YAHWEH. And now, you people of Israel, Lord YAHWEH says: Go ahead, all of you, worship your foul idols, if that’s what you want to do. But later you will have to listen and obey me! Then you will no longer dishonor my holy name by worshiping your foul idols and bringing your offerings to them.’ ”
“ ‘Lord YAHWEH says: On the high mountain of Israel set apart for me, all the people of Israel—everyone in the land—will worship me. I will be pleased with you and accept your sacrifices to me. And there I will require your best offerings, all your best gifts dedicated to me, and your holy sacrifices. I will take you out from among the nations and lands where you have been scattered and gather you together. Then I will be pleased with you just as I am pleased with the sweet aroma of burning sacrifices. And I will put my holiness on display through you before the nations. And when I bring you back to the soil of Israel, the land that I pledged my word to give to your ancestors, you will know that I am YAHWEH. You will remember your ways and all the vile actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will be disgusted with yourselves for all the evil things you did. And when I deal with you, not as you deserve because of your wickedness, but in a way that brings honor to my name, then you, the people of Israel, will recognize that I am God. I, YAHWEH, have spoken.’ ”
Then YAHWEH spoke to me again, saying, “Son of man, look toward the south and prophesy against the forests of the southern land. Prophesy to the southern forest, ‘Hear the word of YAHWEH: Behold, I, Lord YAHWEH, say to you that I am about to light a fire in you that will consume every green tree and every dry tree of your land! This blazing fire will not be extinguished as it spreads to the north and consumes everything in its path. Everyone will know that it was I, YAHWEH, who started that fire, and no one will ever be able to put it out.’ ”
But I protested and said, “But Lord YAHWEH, everyone is already complaining that I only speak in riddles.”
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