He said:“ Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day.

他对我说：“人子啊，我差你往悖逆的国民以色列人那里去。他们是悖逆我的，他们和他们的列祖违背我，直到今日。

他对我说：“人子啊，我差你往悖逆我的国家，以色列人那里去，他们是悖逆我的。他们和他们的祖先违背我，直到今日。

他对我说：“人子啊，我差你往悖逆我的国家，以色列人那里去，他们是悖逆我的。他们和他们的祖先违背我，直到今日。

“人子啊，我派你去那背叛我的以色列人那里。他们和他们的祖先至今仍背叛我。

他对我说：“人子啊！我差派你到以色列人那里去，就是到那背叛我的叛逆国民那里去！他们和他们的列祖都得罪了我，直到今日。

他對我說：「人子啊，我差你往悖逆的國民以色列人那裏去。他們是悖逆我的，他們和他們的列祖違背我，直到今日。

他對我說：「人子啊，我差你往悖逆我的國家，以色列人那裏去，他們是悖逆我的。他們和他們的祖先違背我，直到今日。

他對我說：「人子啊，我差你往悖逆我的國家，以色列人那裏去，他們是悖逆我的。他們和他們的祖先違背我，直到今日。

「人子啊，我派你去那背叛我的以色列人那裡。他們和他們的祖先至今仍背叛我。

他對我說：“人子啊！我差派你到以色列人那裡去，就是到那背叛我的叛逆國民那裡去！他們和他們的列祖都得罪了我，直到今日。

他對我說：『人子啊，我差遣你去找背叛之國以色列人，就是背叛我的：他們和他們的列祖都悖逆了我、直到今天這日子。

人子歟、我遣爾詣以色列人、彼乃悖逆之邦、悖逆乎我、彼與列祖、獲罪於我、迄至今日、

曰、人子、我遣汝至以色列族、彼所行忤逆、自列祖迄今、干犯罪戾、

諭我曰、人子、我遣爾就以色列人、即悖逆之族、悖逆我者、彼與其列祖獲罪於我、迄於今日、

He said,“ Son of man, I am sending you to the people of Israel. That nation has refused to obey me. They have turned against me. They and their people of long ago have been against me to this day.

And he said to me,“ Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day.

“ Son of man,” he said,“ I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me to this very day.

He said to me,“ Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebellious pagans who have rebelled against me. The Israelites and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this day.

Then He said to me,“ Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have revolted against Me to this very day.

And He said to me:“ Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day.

And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to nations that are rebellious, which have rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me even unto this very day.

He said to me:“ Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebellious pagans who have rebelled against Me. The Israelites and their ancestors have transgressed against Me to this day.

And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me,[ even] unto this very day.

He said to me,“ Son of man, I am sending you to the house of Israel, to rebellious nations who have rebelled against me; both they and their fathers have revolted against me to this very day.

He said to me,“ Son of man, I send you to the children of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me even to this very day.

Let us lie down in our shame, and let our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the Lord our God, both we and our ancestors; from our youth till this day we have not obeyed the Lord our God.”

And the Lord told him:“ Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.

You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you.

we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.“ Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame— the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you.We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you.The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets.All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.“ Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you.You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,“ Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said,“ Here am I. Send me!”He said,“ Go and tell this people:“‘ Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

The word of the Lord came to me:“ Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother.They became prostitutes in Egypt, engaging in prostitution from their youth. In that land their breasts were fondled and their virgin bosoms caressed.The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.“ Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was still mine; and she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians— warriorsclothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men, and mounted horsemen.She gave herself as a prostitute to all the elite of the Assyrians and defiled herself with all the idols of everyone she lusted after.She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when during her youth men slept with her, caressed her virgin bosom and poured out their lust on her.“ Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, the Assyrians, for whom she lusted.They stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women, and punishment was inflicted on her.“ Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister.She too lusted after the Assyrians— governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen, all handsome young men.I saw that she too defiled herself; both of them went the same way.“ But she carried her prostitution still further. She saw men portrayed on a wall, figures of Chaldeans portrayed in red,with belts around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers, natives of Chaldea.As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. After she had been defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust.When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her naked body, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister.Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt.There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled.“ Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will stir up your lovers against you, those you turned away from in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side—the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, the men of Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, all of them governors and commanders, chariot officers and men of high rank, all mounted on horses.They will come against you with weapons, chariots and wagons and with a throng of people; they will take up positions against you on every side with large and small shields and with helmets. I will turn you over to them for punishment, and they will punish you according to their standards.I will direct my jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and your ears, and those of you who are left will fall by the sword. They will take away your sons and daughters, and those of you who are left will be consumed by fire.They will also strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry.So I will put a stop to the lewdness and prostitution you began in Egypt. You will not look on these things with longing or remember Egypt anymore.“ For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to deliver you into the hands of those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust.They will deal with you in hatred and take away everything you have worked for. They will leave you stark naked, and the shame of your prostitution will be exposed. Your lewdness and promiscuityhave brought this on you, because you lusted after the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.You have gone the way of your sister; so I will put her cup into your hand.“ This is what the Sovereign Lord says:“ You will drink your sister’s cup, a cup large and deep; it will bring scorn and derision, for it holds so much.You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, the cup of ruin and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria.You will drink it and drain it dry and chew on its pieces— and you will tear your breasts. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.“ Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Since you have forgotten me and turned your back on me, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.”The Lord said to me:“ Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront them with their detestable practices,for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them.They have also done this to me: At that same time they defiled my sanctuary and desecrated my Sabbaths.On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated it. That is what they did in my house.“ They even sent messengers for men who came from far away, and when they arrived you bathed yourself for them, applied eye makeup and put on your jewelry.You sat on an elegant couch, with a table spread before it on which you had placed the incense and olive oil that belonged to me.“ The noise of a carefree crowd was around her; drunkards were brought from the desert along with men from the rabble, and they put bracelets on the wrists of the woman and her sister and beautiful crowns on their heads.Then I said about the one worn out by adultery,‘ Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is.’And they slept with her. As men sleep with a prostitute, so they slept with those lewd women, Oholah and Oholibah.But righteous judges will sentence them to the punishment of women who commit adultery and shed blood, because they are adulterous and blood is on their hands.“ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Bring a mob against them and give them over to terror and plunder.The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses.“ So I will put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you.You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”

The Lord’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.“ And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel.

Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness and their sin.

They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;

He then said to me:“ Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them.You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language, but to the people of Israel—not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate.But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are.

“ This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord. Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word.Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil ways. Then I will relent and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done.Say to them,‘ This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen to me and follow my law, which I have set before you,and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again( though you have not listened),then I will make this house like Shiloh and this city a curse among all the nations of the earth.’”

“ But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff- necked, and they did not obey your commands.They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them,even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said,‘ This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.

He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them,“ Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”

And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written:“ How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.

and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.You are witnesses of these things.

At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed.Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully.He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.

“ You stiff- necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!

“ Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now.

Again Jesus said,“ Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”And with that he breathed on them and said,“ Receive the Holy Spirit.

The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place.But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.

In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly.Our kings, our leaders, our priests and our ancestors did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the statutes you warned them to keep.Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways.

By the waters of Meribah they angered the Lord, and trouble came to Moses because of them;for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses’ lips.They did not destroy the peoples as the Lord had commanded them,but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to false gods.They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.Therefore the Lord was angry with his people and abhorred his inheritance.

In the camp they grew envious of Moses and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the Lord.The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it buried the company of Abiram.Fire blazed among their followers; a flame consumed the wicked.At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal.They exchanged their glorious God for an image of a bull, which eats grass.They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt,

then say to them,‘ It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the Lord,‘ and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law.But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors. See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts instead of obeying me.

“ But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they turned their backs on your law. They killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies.

But the Lord said to me,“ Do not say,‘ I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.

For twenty-three years— from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day— the word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.And though the Lord has sent all his servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention.They said,“ Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land the Lord gave to you and your ancestors for ever and ever.Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you.”“ But you did not listen to me,” declares the Lord,“ and you have aroused my anger with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves.”

The word of the Lord came to me:“ Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable practicesand say,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem: Your ancestry and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths.No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised.“‘ Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you,“ Live!”I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew and developed and entered puberty. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, yet you were stark naked.“‘ Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.“‘ I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you.I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments.I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck,and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen.And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.“‘ But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his.You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places, where you carried on your prostitution. You went to him, and he possessed your beauty.You also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them.And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil and incense before them.Also the food I provided for you— the flour, olive oil and honey I gave you to eat— you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is what happened, declares the Sovereign Lord.“‘ And you took your sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough?You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols.In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, kicking about in your blood.“‘ Woe! Woe to you, declares the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness,you built a mound for yourself and made a lofty shrine in every public square.At every street corner you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty, spreading your legs with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed by.You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your neighbors with large genitals, and aroused my anger with your increasing promiscuity.So I stretched out my hand against you and reduced your territory; I gave you over to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were shocked by your lewd conduct.You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied.Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia, a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied.“‘ I am filled with fury against you, declares the Sovereign Lord, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute!When you built your mounds at every street corner and made your lofty shrines in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you scorned payment.“‘ You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband!All prostitutes receive gifts, but you give gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.So in your prostitution you are the opposite of others; no one runs after you for your favors. You are the very opposite, for you give payment and none is given to you.“‘ Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the Lord!This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you poured out your lust and exposed your naked body in your promiscuity with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children’s blood,therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and will strip you in front of them, and they will see you stark naked.I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and who shed blood; I will bring on you the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger.Then I will deliver you into the hands of your lovers, and they will tear down your mounds and destroy your lofty shrines. They will strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry and leave you stark naked.They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and hack you to pieces with their swords.They will burn down your houses and inflict punishment on you in the sight of many women. I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers.Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you; I will be calm and no longer angry.“‘ Because you did not remember the days of your youth but enraged me with all these things, I will surely bring down on your head what you have done, declares the Sovereign Lord. Did you not add lewdness to all your other detestable practices?“‘ Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you:“ Like mother, like daughter.”You are a true daughter of your mother, who despised her husband and her children; and you are a true sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.Your older sister was Samaria, who lived to the north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you with her daughters, was Sodom.You not only followed their ways and copied their detestable practices, but in all your ways you soon became more depraved than they.As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.“‘ Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have done more detestable things than they, and have made your sisters seem righteous by all these things you have done.Bear your disgrace, for you have furnished some justification for your sisters. Because your sins were more vile than theirs, they appear more righteous than you. So then, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.“‘ However, I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them,so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in giving them comfort.And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to what they were before; and you and your daughters will return to what you were before.You would not even mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride,before your wickedness was uncovered. Even so, you are now scorned by the daughters of Edom and all her neighbors and the daughters of the Philistines— all those around you who despise you.You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your detestable practices, declares the Lord.“‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant.Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both those who are older than you and those who are younger. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on the basis of my covenant with you.So I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord.Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

“ Stand at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message:“‘ Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord.

“ Did not the Lord remember and call to mind the incense burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem by you and your ancestors, your kings and your officials and the people of the land?

They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left,and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced.Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.

In the seventh year, in the fifth month on the tenth day, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and they sat down in front of me.Then the word of the Lord came to me:“ Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Have you come to inquire of me? As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me, declares the Sovereign Lord.’“ Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Then confront them with the detestable practices of their ancestorsand say to them:‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore with uplifted hand to the descendants of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them,“ I am the Lord your God.”On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands.And I said to them,“ Each of you, get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”“‘ But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in Egypt.But for the sake of my name, I brought them out of Egypt. I did it to keep my name from being profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites.Therefore I led them out of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, by which the person who obeys them will live.Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy.“‘ Yet the people of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not follow my decrees but rejected my laws— by which the person who obeys them will live— and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and destroy them in the wilderness.But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them— a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands—because they rejected my laws and did not follow my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts were devoted to their idols.Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy them or put an end to them in the wilderness.I said to their children in the wilderness,“ Do not follow the statutes of your parents or keep their laws or defile yourselves with their idols.I am the Lord your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”“‘ But the children rebelled against me: They did not follow my decrees, they were not careful to keep my laws, of which I said,“ The person who obeys them will live by them,” and they desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness.But I withheld my hand, and for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries,because they had not obeyed my laws but had rejected my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes lusted after their parents’ idols.So I gave them other statutes that were not good and laws through which they could not live;I defiled them through their gifts— the sacrifice of every firstborn— that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the Lord.’“ Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Israel and say to them,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In this also your ancestors blasphemed me by being unfaithful to me:When I brought them into the land I had sworn to give them and they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, made offerings that aroused my anger, presented their fragrant incense and poured out their drink offerings.Then I said to them: What is this high place you go to?’”( It is called Bamah to this day.)“ Therefore say to the Israelites:‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves the way your ancestors did and lust after their vile images?When you offer your gifts— the sacrifice of your children in the fire— you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. Am I to let you inquire of me, you Israelites? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will not let you inquire of me.“‘ You say,“ We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.” But what you have in mind will never happen.As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will reign over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath.I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered— with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath.I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations and there, face to face, I will execute judgment upon you.As I judged your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Sovereign Lord.I will take note of you as you pass under my rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.I will purge you of those who revolt and rebel against me. Although I will bring them out of the land where they are living, yet they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.“‘ As for you, people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and idols.For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord, there in the land all the people of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them. There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices.I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy through you in the sight of the nations.Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors.There you will remember your conduct and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil you have done.You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”The word of the Lord came to me:“ Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest of the southland.Say to the southern forest:‘ Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to set fire to you, and it will consume all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from south to north will be scorched by it.Everyone will see that I the Lord have kindled it; it will not be quenched.’”Then I said,“ Sovereign Lord, they are saying of me,‘ Isn’t he just telling parables?’”