1It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that certain men of the elders of Israel came to inquire of Jehovah, and sat before me. 2Then the Word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 3Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live, says the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you. 4Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then cause them to know the abominations of their fathers. 5And say to them, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: On the day when I chose Israel and raised My hand and swore to the seed of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand and swore to them, saying, I am Jehovah your God. 6On that day I raised My hand and swore to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all the earth. 7Then I said to them, Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am Jehovah your God. 8But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not, each man, cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, I will pour out My fury upon them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt. 10Therefore I made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, which, if a man does, he shall even live by them. 12Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am Jehovah who sets them apart. 13But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, which, if a man does, he shall even live by them; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said, I will pour out My fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them. 14But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out. 15So I also raised My hand and swore to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all the earth, 16because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols. 17Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness. 18But I said to their children in the wilderness, Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor keep their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. 19I am Jehovah your God. Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; 20set apart My Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am Jehovah your God. 21Nevertheless, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and did not keep My judgments, which, if a man does, he shall even live by them; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness. 22Nevertheless I withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out. 23And I raised My hand and swore to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the earth, 24because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes followed after their fathers’ idols. 25Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live; 26and I defiled them by their gifts, in that they caused all that open the womb to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am Jehovah. 27Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed Me, by being treacherously unfaithful to Me. 28For when I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand and sworn to give it to them, and they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their soothing aroma and poured out their drink offerings. 29Then I said to them, What is this high place to which you go? And its name is called Bamah to this day. 30Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Are you defiling yourselves in the manner of your fathers, and committing adultery with their abominations? 31For when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you. 32What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, We will be like the nations, like the families in other lands, serving wood and stone. 33As I live, declares the Lord Jehovah, surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. 34And I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. 35And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead with you face to face. 36Just as I judged your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Lord Jehovah. 37I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; 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 dwell, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel. And you will know that I am Jehovah. 39As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord Jehovah: Go, serve every one of you his idols, even hereafter, if you will not obey me. But profane My holy name no more with your gifts and your idols. 40For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel, says the Lord Jehovah, there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices, together with all your holy things. 41I will accept you as a soothing aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the lands where you have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the nations. 42And you shall know that I am Jehovah, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the land for which I raised My hand and swore to give it to your fathers. 43And there you shall remember your ways and all your evil deeds with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have done. 44And you shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel, declares the Lord Jehovah. 45Furthermore the Word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 46Son of man, set your face toward the south; drop a word toward the south and prophesy against the forest land, the South, 47and say to the forest of the South, Hear the Word of Jehovah! Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will kindle a fire in 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. 48All flesh shall see that I, Jehovah, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched. 49Then I said, Ah, Lord Jehovah! They say of me, Does he not speak parables?