The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 On the tenth day of the fifth month of the seventh year, some of Isra'el's leaders came to consult ADONAI and sat with me;
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Now it came about in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that certain of the responsible men of Israel came to get directions from the Lord and were seated before me.
2 and the word of ADONAI came to me:
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Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
3 "Human being, speak to Isra'el's leaders; tell them that Adonai ELOHIM asks, 'Have you come to consult me? As I live,' says Adonai ELOHIM, 'I swear that I will not let you consult me.'
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Son of man, say to the responsible men of Israel, This is what the Lord has said: Have you come to get directions from me? By my life, says the Lord, you will get no directions from me.
4 "Are you going to judge them? Human being, are you going to judge them? Then have them realize how disgusting their ancestors' practices were.
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Will you be their judge, O son of man, will you be their judge? make clear to them the disgusting ways of their fathers,
5 Tell them that Adonai ELOHIM says this: 'Back on the day when I chose Isra'el, I raised my hand to the descendants of the house of Ya'akov. I revealed myself to them in the land of Egypt when I raised my hand to them and said, "I am ADONAI your God."
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And say to them, This is what the Lord has said: In the day when I took Israel for myself, when I made an oath to the seed of the family of Jacob, and I gave them knowledge of myself in the land of Egypt, saying to them with an oath, I am the Lord your God;
6 On the day I raised my hand to them, pledging to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land I had reconnoitered for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands,
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In that day I gave my oath to take them out of the land of Egypt into a land which I had been searching out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands:
7 I told them, "Each of you is to throw away the detestable things that draw your eyes. Do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am ADONAI your God."
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And I said to them, Let every man among you put away the disgusting things to which his eyes are turned, and do not make yourselves unclean with the images of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.
8 "'But they rebelled against me and wouldn't listen to me; they did not, each of them, throw away the detestable things that drew their eyes; and they did not abandon the idols of Egypt. Then I said I would pour out my fury on them and spend my anger on them there in the land of Egypt.
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But they would not be controlled by me, and did not give ear to me; they did not put away the disgusting things to which their eyes were turned, or give up the images of Egypt: then I said I would let loose my passion on them to give full effect to my wrath against them in the land of Egypt.
9 But concern for my own reputation kept me from letting it be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they were living, in the sight of whom I had made myself known to them, in order to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
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And I was acting for the honour of my name, so that it might not be made unclean before the eyes of the nations among whom they were, and before whose eyes I gave them knowledge of myself, by taking them out of the land of Egypt.
10 So I had them leave the land of Egypt and brought them into the desert.
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So I made them go out of the land of Egypt and took them into the waste land.
11 I gave them my laws and showed them my rulings; if a person obeys them, he will have life through them.
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And I gave them my rules and made clear to them my orders, which, if a man keeps them, will be life to him.
12 I gave them my shabbats as a sign between me and them, so that they would know that I, ADONAI, am the one who makes them holy.
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And further, I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, so that it might be clear that I, who make them holy, am the Lord.
13 "'But the house of Isra'el rebelled against me in the desert. They did not live by my laws; and they rejected my rulings, which, if a person does, he will have life through them; moreover, they greatly profaned my shabbats. Then I said I would pour out my fury on them in the desert, in order to destroy them.
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But the children of Israel would not be controlled by me in the waste land: they were not guided by my rules, and they were turned away from my orders, which, if a man does them, will be life to him; and they had no respect for my Sabbaths: then I said that I would let loose my passion on them in the waste land, and put an end to them.
14 But concern for my own reputation kept me from letting it be profaned in the sight of the nations who had seen when I brought them out.
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And I was acting for the honour of my name, so that it might not be made unclean in the eyes of the nations, before whose eyes I had taken them out.
15 Yet I also raised my hand and swore to them in the desert that I would not bring them into the land I was giving them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands;
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And further, I gave my oath to them in the waste land, that I would not take them into the land which I had given them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands;
16 because they had rejected my rulings, did not live by my laws and profaned my shabbats; since their hearts went after their idols.
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Because they were turned away from my orders, and were not guided by my rules, and had no respect for my Sabbaths: for their hearts went after their images.
17 However, I spared them from complete destruction; I did not completely finish them off in the desert.
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But still my eye had pity on them and I kept them from destruction and did not put an end to them completely in the waste land.
18 "'I said to their children in the desert, "Don't live by the laws of your fathers, observe their rulings or defile yourselves with their idols.
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And I said to their children in the waste land, Do not be guided by the rules of your fathers or keep their orders or make yourselves unclean with their images:
19 I am ADONAI your God; live by my laws, observe my rulings, and obey them,
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I am the Lord your God; be guided by my rules and keep my orders and do them:
20 and keep my shabbats holy; and they will be a sign between me and you, so that you will know that I am ADONAI your God."
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And keep my Sabbaths holy; and they will be a sign between me and you so that it may be clear to you that I am the Lord your God.
21 "'But the children too rebelled against me. They did not live by my laws or observe my rulings, to obey them, which, if a person does, he will have life by them; and they profaned my shabbats. Then I said I would pour out my fury on them and spend my anger on them in the desert.
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But the children would not be controlled by me; they were not guided by my rules, and they did not keep and do my orders, which, if a man does them, will be life to him; and they had no respect for my Sabbaths: then I said I would let loose my passion on them to give full effect to my wrath against them in the waste land.
22 Nevertheless, I withdrew my hand and allowed concern for my own reputation to keep me from letting it be profaned in the sight of the nations who had seen when I brought them out.
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And I was acting for the honour of my name, so that it might not be made unclean in the eyes of the nations, before whose eyes I had taken them out.
23 "'I also raised my hand and swore to them in the desert that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the countries;
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Further, I gave my oath to them in the waste land that I would send them wandering among the nations, driving them out among the countries;
24 because they hadn't obeyed my rulings but had rejected my laws and profaned my shabbats, and their eyes had turned toward their fathers' idols.
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Because they had not done my orders, but had been turned away from my rules, and had not given respect to my Sabbaths, and their eyes were turned to the images of their fathers.
25 I also gave them laws which did them no good and rulings by which they did not live;
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And further, I gave them rules which were not good and orders in which there was no life for them;
26 and I let them become defiled by their own gifts, in that they offered up their firstborn sons, so that I could fill them with revulsion, so that they would [finally] realize that I am ADONAI.'
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I made them unclean in the offerings they gave, causing them to make every first child go through the fire, so that I might put an end to them.
27 "Therefore, human being, speak to the house of Isra'el; tell them that Adonai ELOHIM says, 'Moreover, your ancestors blasphemed me by breaking faith with me in still another way:
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For this cause, son of man, say to the children of Israel, This is what the Lord has said: In this your fathers have further put shame on my name by doing wrong against me.
28 for after I had brought them into the land, which I had raised my hand in pledge to give them, they noted all its high hills and leafy trees and offered there their sacrifices; there they made offerings that provoked my anger, there they set out their sweet aromas, and there they poured out their drink offerings.
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For when I had taken them into the land which I made an oath to give to them, then they saw every high hill and every branching tree and made their offerings there, moving me to wrath by their offerings; and there the sweet smell of their offerings went up and their drink offerings were drained out.
29 When I asked them, "This high place where you go, what is the meaning of it?" they gave it the name Bamah which it retains to this day.'
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Then I said to them, What is this high place where you go to no purpose? And it is named Bamah to this day.
30 "So tell the house of Isra'el that Adonai ELOHIM says, 'You are defiling yourselves in the same way as your ancestors, following their abominations and fornicating with them;
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For this cause say to the children of Israel, This is what the Lord has said: Are you making yourselves unclean as your fathers did? are you being untrue to me by going after their disgusting works?
31 and when offering your gifts, you make your children pass through the fire and defile yourselves with all your idols - to this day. So, am I supposed to allow you to consult me, house of Isra'el? As I live,' says Adonai ELOHIM, 'I swear that I won't have you consult me,
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And when you give your offerings, causing your sons to go through the fire, you make yourselves unclean with all your images to this day; and will you come to me for directions, O children of Israel? By my life, says the Lord, you will get no direction from me.
32 and that what you have in mind when you say, "We will be like the Goyim, like the families of the other countries, serving wood and stone," will certainly not happen.
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And that which comes into your minds will never take place; when you say, We will be like the nations, like the families of the countries, servants of wood and stone;
33 As I live,' says Adonai ELOHIM, 'I swear that surely with a mighty hand, with a stretched-out arm and with poured-out fury I myself will be king over you.
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By my life, says the Lord, truly, with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with burning wrath let loose, I will be King over you:
34 I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you were scattered, with a mighty hand, with a stretched-out arm and with poured-out fury;
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And I will take you out from the peoples and get you together out of the countries where you are wandering, with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with burning wrath let loose:
35 then I will bring you into the desert of the peoples and judge you face to face.
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And I will take you into the waste land of the peoples, and there I will take up the cause with you face to face.
36 Just as I judged your ancestors in the desert of the land of Egypt, so will I judge you,' says Adonai ELOHIM.
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As I took up the cause with your fathers in the waste land of the land of Egypt, so will I take up the cause with you says the Lord.
37 'I will make you pass under the crook and bring you into the obligations of the covenant.
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And I will make you go under the rod and will make you small in number:
38 I will rid you of the rebels who are in revolt against me - I will bring them out from the land where they are living, but they will not enter the land of Isra'el; then you will know that I am ADONAI.'
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Clearing out from among you all those who are uncontrolled and who are sinning against me; I will take them out of the land where they are living, but they will not come into the land of Israel: and you will be certain that I am the Lord.
39 "As for you, house of Isra'el, here is what Adonai ELOHIM says: 'Go on serving your idols, every one of you! But afterwards, [I swear that] you will listen to me, and you will no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and with your idols.
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As for you, O children of Israel, the Lord has said: Let every man completely put away his images and give ear to me: and let my holy name no longer be shamed by your offerings and your images.
40 For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Isra'el,' says Adonai ELOHIM, 'the whole house of Isra'el, all of them, will serve me in the land. I will accept them there, and there I will require your contributions, your best gifts and all your consecrated things.
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For in my holy mountain, in the high mountain of Israel, says the Lord, there all the children of Israel, all of them, will be my servants in the land; there I will take pleasure in them, and there I will be worshipped with your offerings and the first-fruits of the things you give, and with all your holy things.
41 I will accept you with your sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you were scattered; and through you I will manifest my holiness in the sight of the nations.
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I will take pleasure in you as in a sweet smell, when I take you out from the peoples and get you together from the countries where you have been sent in flight; and I will make myself holy in you before the eyes of the nations.
42 "'You will know that I am ADONAI when I bring you into the land of Isra'el, into the country which I pledged, by raising my hand, to give to your ancestors.
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And you will be certain that I am the Lord, when I take you into the land of Israel, into the country which I made an oath to give to your fathers.
43 There you will remember your behavior and all the things you did by which you defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evils you committed.
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And there, at the memory of your ways and of all the things you did to make yourselves unclean, you will have bitter hate for yourselves because of all the evil things you have done.
44 You will know that I am ADONAI when I have dealt with you in a manner that preserves my reputation, and not according to your evil ways and corrupt actions, house of Isra'el' says Adonai ELOHIM." The Hebrew word bamah means "high place"; the etymology suggested here relates it to Hebrew ba ("go") and mah ("what").
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And you will be certain that I am the Lord, when I take you in hand for the honour of my name, and not for your evil ways or your unclean doings, O children of Israel, says the Lord.
45 The word of ADONAI came to me:
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Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
46 "Human being, turn your face southward, preach to the south and prophesy to the scrublands of the Negev;
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Son of man, let your face be turned to the south, let your words be dropped to the south, and be a prophet against the woodland of the South;
47 say to the Negev forest: 'Hear the word of ADONAI. Adonai ELOHIM says, "I will light a fire in you; it will devour every tree in you, green and dry alike; a blazing, unquenchable flame that will scorch every face from the Negev to the north.
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And say to the woodland of the South, Give ear to the words of the Lord: this is what the Lord has said: See, I will have a fire lighted in you, for the destruction of every green tree in you and every dry tree: the flaming flame will not be put out, and all faces from the south to the north will be burned by it.
48 All humanity will see that I, ADONAI, lit it; it will not be put out."'"
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And all flesh will see that I the Lord have had it lighted: it will not be put out.
49 I said, "Oh, Adonai ELOHIM! They complain that I speak only in parables."
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Then I said, Ah, Lord! they say of me, Is he not a maker of stories?
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.