Ezekiel 20:27-49

“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.”