1And on the tenth day of the fifth month of the seventh year, certain elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD, and sat before me (Ezekiel). 2Then this word of the LORD came to me, 3“Son of man, say to the elders of Israel, ‘Thus says the LORD God: “Have you come to enquire of Me? As surely as I live,” says the LORD God, “I will not let you enquire of Me.”’ 4Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Confront them with the detestable practices of their ancestors, 5And say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD God: “In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up My hand and swore to the people of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up My hand to them, and said, ‘I am the LORD, your God’; 6In the day that I reached out My hand to them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands; 7Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, get rid of the vile images, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.’ 8But they rebelled against Me, and would not listen to Me; they did not rid themselves of those detestable images, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will pour out My fury upon them, to vent My anger against them in the land of Egypt.’ 9But for the sake of My Name, that it should not be discredited before the surrounding nations, in whose sight I made Myself known to them, I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt.

10“Therefore, I led them out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness. 11And I advised them of My laws, statutes, and ordinances, which, if abided and lived by, men shall live and prosper. 12I also gave them My Sabbaths, as a sign between Me and them, that they might know and remember that I am the LORD Who sanctifies them. 13But these people of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not abide by My statutes, and they despised My ordinances, which, if abided by, they shall even live by them; but they violated and profaned My Sabbaths. Therefore, I said I would pour out My fury upon them in the wilderness, to destroy them. 14But for the sake of My Name, I acted so that it would not be profaned before the other nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. 15But I also lifted up My hand and swore to them, there in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey - the most beautiful of all lands - that I had promised to give them 16Because they rejected My ordinances, disobeyed My statutes, and polluted My Sabbaths; for their heart was devoted to their idols. 17And still, I looked upon them with pity and I restrained Myself from destroying them, and I did not annihilate them in the wilderness.

18“But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not follow the example of your parents. Do not observe their practices, nor defile yourselves with their idols. 19I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes, and keep My ordinances, and do them; 20Keep and honor My Sabbaths; that they may be a sign between Me and you, that you acknowledge that I am the LORD your God.’ 21But then, the children also rebelled against Me; disobeying My statutes, and My ordinances, which if a man abides by, he shall even live well in them; and they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury upon them, and vent My anger upon them in the wilderness. 22But yet, again, I withheld My hand, and did this for My name’s sake, that it would not be profaned in the sight of other nations, in whose sight I brought them out. 23I also lifted up My hand and swore to them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations, and disperse them throughout other countries, 24Because they had disobeyed My ordinances and had despised My statutes, had profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes lusted after their parents' idols. 25So I gave them over to worthless statutes, and ordinances by which they could not live;

26“And I pronounced them unclean because of their gifts – the sacrifices in which they caused all their first-born to pass through the fire (to Molech) – that they might feel horror, revulsion, and be devastated by that repugnant practice, in order that they might repent and acknowledge that I, alone, am the LORD.

27“Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD God: “In this, also, your fathers have blasphemed Me, in acting treacherously against Me. 28When I had brought them into the land, which I had sworn to give to them, then at every high hill, and every leafy tree that they saw, they offered their sacrifices, and presented the provocation of their offering, including the soothing aroma and their drink offerings that they poured out there. 29Then I said to them, ‘What is the high place that you go to?’ And the name of this kind of pagan shrine to this day, is called Bamah.

30“Therefore, say to the Israelites, ‘Thus says the LORD God: “Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers and lust after their detestable images? 31When you offer your gifts – the sacrifice of your children in the fire - you persist in defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. And then, after all this, am I to let you enquire of Me, O people of Israel? As I live,” says the LORD God, “I will not be enquired of by you.

32“What you imagine - when you say, ‘We want to be like other nations, like the people of the lands, serving wood and stone’ - that shall never be. 33As surely as I live,” says the LORD God, “I will rule over you with a mighty hand, and an out-stretched arm, and with outpoured fury; 34And I will bring you out from the nations, and will gather you out of the countries in which you are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with an out-stretched arm, and with outpoured fury. 35And I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and there I will pronounce judgement upon you, face to face. 36As I judged your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you,” says the LORD God. 37“And I will cause you to pass under My rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. 38And I will purge you of the rebels that are among you - those that transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they are living, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.

39“As for you, people of Israel, thus says the LORD God: ‘Go, and serve your idols, each of you; but afterward, you will listen to Me, and no longer profane My holy name with your gifts, and your idols. 40For in My holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel,’ says the LORD God, ‘There all the people in the land of Israel shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings, and the first fruits of your oblations, along with all your holy sacrifices. 41I will accept you like a sweet savor, when I gather you out from the nations, and out of the countries in which you have been scattered; and I will be sanctified by you in the sight of the other nations. 42And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, the land that I swore to give to your fathers. 43And there shall you remember your former ways, and actions by which you have been defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that you have committed. 44And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have dealt with you for My Name’s sake, and not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your former corrupt actions, O you people of Israel’, says the LORD God.”’”’”’”

45Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 46“Son of man, turn your face toward the south, and preach this word against the south, and prophesy against the forest of the Negev (southland), 47And say to the forest of the Negev (south), ‘Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD God: “Behold, I will set fire to you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree in you; the blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be scorched by it. 48And everyone in the world shall see that I, the LORD, have set this fire; it shall not be quenched.”’”

49Then I said, “Ah LORD God! They say of me, ‘Isn’t he just telling parables?’”