Parallel Bible results for "ezekiel 20"

Ezekiel 20

New Living Translation NLT

1 On August 14, during the seventh year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, some of the leaders of Israel came to request a message from the LORD . They sat down in front of me to wait for his reply.

2 Then this message came to me from the LORD :

3 “Son of man, tell the leaders of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: How dare you come to ask me for a message? As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I will tell you nothing!’

4 “Son of man, bring charges against them and condemn them. Make them realize how detestable the sins of their ancestors really were.

5 Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD : When I chose Israel—when I revealed myself to the descendants of Jacob in Egypt—I took a solemn oath that I, the LORD, would be their God.

6 I took a solemn oath that day that I would bring them out of Egypt to a land I had discovered and explored for them—a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the best of all lands anywhere.

7 Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, get rid of the vile images you are so obsessed with. Do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt, for I am the LORD your God.’

8 “But they rebelled against me and would not listen. They did not get rid of the vile images they were obsessed with, or forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I threatened to pour out my fury on them to satisfy my anger while they were still in Egypt.

9 But I didn’t do it, for I acted to protect the honor of my name. I would not allow shame to be brought on my name among the surrounding nations who saw me reveal myself by bringing the Israelites out of Egypt.

10 So I brought them out of Egypt and led them into the wilderness.

11 There I gave them my decrees and regulations so they could find life by keeping them.

12 And I gave them my Sabbath days of rest as a sign between them and me. It was to remind them that I am the LORD, who had set them apart to be holy.

13 “But the people of Israel rebelled against me, and they refused to obey my decrees there in the wilderness. They wouldn’t obey my regulations even though obedience would have given them life. They also violated my Sabbath days. So I threatened to pour out my fury on them, and I made plans to utterly consume them in the wilderness.

14 But again I held back in order to protect the honor of my name before the nations who had seen my power in bringing Israel out of Egypt.

15 But I took a solemn oath against them in the wilderness. I swore I would not bring them into the land I had given them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful place on earth.

16 For they had rejected my regulations, refused to follow my decrees, and violated my Sabbath days. Their hearts were given to their idols.

17 Nevertheless, I took pity on them and held back from destroying them in the wilderness.

18 “Then I warned their children not to follow in their parents’ footsteps, defiling themselves with their idols.

19 ‘I am the LORD your God,’ I told them. ‘Follow my decrees, pay attention to my regulations,

20 and keep my Sabbath days holy, for they are a sign to remind you that I am the LORD your God.’

21 “But their children, too, rebelled against me. They refused to keep my decrees and follow my regulations, even though obedience would have given them life. And they also violated my Sabbath days. So again I threatened to pour out my fury on them in the wilderness.

22 Nevertheless, I withdrew my judgment against them to protect the honor of my name before the nations that had seen my power in bringing them out of Egypt.

23 But I took a solemn oath against them in the wilderness. I swore I would scatter them among all the nations

24 because they did not obey my regulations. They scorned my decrees by violating my Sabbath days and longing for the idols of their ancestors.

25 I gave them over to worthless decrees and regulations that would not lead to life.

26 I let them pollute themselves with the very gifts I had given them, and I allowed them to give their firstborn children as offerings to their gods—so I might devastate them and remind them that I alone am the LORD .

27 “Therefore, son of man, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign LORD : Your ancestors continued to blaspheme and betray me,

28 for when I brought them into the land I had promised them, they offered sacrifices on every high hill and under every green tree they saw! They roused my fury as they offered up sacrifices to their gods. They brought their perfumes and incense and poured out their liquid offerings to them.

29 I said to them, ‘What is this high place where you are going?’ (This kind of pagan shrine has been called Bamah—‘high place’—ever since.)

30 “Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign LORD : Do you plan to pollute yourselves just as your ancestors did? Do you intend to keep prostituting yourselves by worshiping vile images?

31 For when you offer gifts to them and give your little children to be burned as sacrifices, you continue to pollute yourselves with idols to this day. Should I allow you to ask for a message from me, O people of Israel? As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I will tell you nothing.

32 “You say, ‘We want to be like the nations all around us, who serve idols of wood and stone.’ But what you have in mind will never happen.

33 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I will rule over you with an iron fist in great anger and with awesome power.

34 And in anger I will reach out with my strong hand and powerful arm, and I will bring you back from the lands where you are scattered.

35 I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and there I will judge you face to face.

36 I will judge you there just as I did your ancestors in the wilderness after bringing them out of Egypt, says the Sovereign LORD .

37 I will examine you carefully and hold you to the terms of the covenant.

38 I will purge you of all those who rebel and revolt against me. I will bring them out of the countries where they are in exile, but they will never enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD .

39 “As for you, O people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Go right ahead and worship your idols, but sooner or later you will obey me and will stop bringing shame on my holy name by worshiping idols.

40 For on my holy mountain, the great mountain of Israel, says the Sovereign LORD, the people of Israel will someday worship me, and I will accept them. There I will require that you bring me all your offerings and choice gifts and sacrifices.

41 When I bring you home from exile, you will be like a pleasing sacrifice to me. And I will display my holiness through you as all the nations watch.

42 Then when I have brought you home to the land I promised with a solemn oath to give to your ancestors, you will know that I am the LORD .

43 You will look back on all the ways you defiled yourselves and will hate yourselves because of the evil you have done.

44 You will know that I am the LORD, O people of Israel, when I have honored my name by treating you mercifully in spite of your wickedness. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!”

45 Then this message came to me from the LORD :

46 “Son of man, turn and face the south and speak out against it; prophesy against the brushlands of the Negev.

47 Tell the southern wilderness, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Hear the word of the LORD ! I will set you on fire, and every tree, both green and dry, will be burned. The terrible flames will not be quenched and will scorch everything from south to north.

48 And everyone in the world will see that I, the LORD, have set this fire. It will not be put out.’”

49 Then I said, “O Sovereign LORD, they are saying of me, ‘He only talks in riddles!’”

Common English Bible CEB

1 In the seventh year, on the tenth day of the fifth month, some of Israel's elders came to inquire of the LORD. As they were sitting with me,

2 the LORD's word came to me:

3 Human one, speak to Israel's elders and say to them, The LORD God proclaims: Have you come to petition me? As surely as I live, I reject your petitions. This is what the LORD God says!

4 Will you judge them, human one, will you judge them? Then expose to them the detestable practices of their ancestors.

5 Say to them, The LORD God proclaims: On the day I chose Israel, I swore a solemn pledge to the descendants of Jacob's household. When I made myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I swore a solemn pledge: I am the LORD your God.

6 On that day I swore that I would lead them out of the land of Egypt to a land that I would show them, a land full of milk and honey, the most splendid of all lands.

7 And I said to them, Every one of you must cast away your disgusting things. Don't let yourselves be defiled by Egypt's idols. I am the LORD your God.

8 But they rebelled against me and refused to listen to me. No one cast off their disgusting things or abandoned their Egyptian idols. So I declared that I would pour out my wrath on them and satisfy my anger against them in the land of Egypt.

9 But I acted for my name's sake, so that it wouldn't be degraded in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, and in whose sight I made it known that I would lead them out of the land of Egypt.

10 So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the desert.

11 I gave them my regulations and made known to them my case laws, which bring life to all who observe them.

12 I also gave them my sabbaths as a sign between us that I, the LORD, have set them apart for my purpose.

13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the desert. They didn't follow my regulations and rejected my case laws, which bring life to all who observe them. They completely degraded my sabbaths. So I declared that I would pour out my anger against them and destroy them in the desert.

14 But instead, I acted for the sake of my name so that it wouldn't be degraded in the sight of the nations who saw me lead them out of Egypt.

15 So in the desert I swore another solemn pledge, that I wouldn't bring them to the land that I had given to them, a land full of milk and honey, a land more splendid than any other,

16 because they rejected my case laws, didn't follow my regulations, and degraded my sabbaths. They had their hearts set on their idols.

17 But I had too much compassion to destroy them, so I didn't put an end to them in the desert.

18 In the desert, I said to their children, Don't follow your parents' regulations or observe their case laws or become defiled by their idols.

19 I am the LORD your God! Follow my regulations! Observe my case laws and do them!

20 Make my sabbaths holy, and let them be a sign between us that I am the LORD your God.

21 But the children rebelled against me. They didn't follow my regulations or observe my case laws, which bring life to all who observe them. They also degraded my sabbaths. So I declared that I would pour out my wrath on them and satisfy my anger against them in the desert.

22 But I restrained myself and acted for the sake of my name so that it wouldn't be diminished in the sight of the nations who saw me lead them out of Egypt.

23 And I swore yet another solemn pledge in the desert, that I would disperse them among the nations and scatter them throughout the earth,

24 because they didn't observe my case laws, they rejected my regulations, and they degraded my sabbaths while they kept looking to their parents' idols.

25 I also issued regulations that were not good and case laws by which they could not live.

26 I defiled them with their very gifts when they offered up all their oldest children. They were supposed to be so horrified that they would acknowledge that I am the LORD.

27 Therefore, human one, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, The LORD God proclaims: Yet again your ancestors defamed me by rebelling against me!

28 I brought them into the land that I swore to give to them. But when they saw all the high hills and lofty trees, there they made their sacrifices: irksome offerings here, pleasing aromas there, and drink offerings elsewhere!

29 I said to them, What shrine are you going to now? So it's called Shrine to this very day.

30 So now say to the house of Israel, The LORD God proclaims: Will you defile yourselves as your ancestors did, and will you prostitute yourself after their disgusting things?

31 When you offer up your gifts and make your children pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this very day. Should I let you seek me out, house of Israel? This is what the LORD God says: As surely as I live, I won't let you seek me.

32 What is in your minds will never happen! You've been saying, "Let's be like the nations and the clans of the lands in the service of wood and stone."

33 This is what the LORD God says: As surely as I live, with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, I will be your king!

34 I will lead you out from the peoples and gather you from the countries where you've been scattered—yes, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out!

35 I will march you out to the wilderness nations, and there I will judge you face-to-face.

36 Just as I judged your ancestors in the desert of the land of Egypt, so will I judge you. This is what the LORD God says.

37 I will make you walk under the rod, and I will bring you into the covenant bond.

38 I will remove from among you those who rebel and transgress against me. I will lead them out from the land where they lived as immigrants, but they won't enter Israel's fertile land. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

39 But to you, house of Israel, the LORD God proclaims: Go ahead and serve your idols, all of you! But afterward, if any of you are left to listen to me, you will no longer make my holy name impure with your gifts or your idols!

40 On my holy mountain, on the high mountain in Israel, the whole house of Israel will serve me there—every one of them in the land! This is what the LORD God says. There I will accept them, and there I will ask for their offerings, their finest gifts, and all their holy things.

41 When I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you are scattered, I will accept you as a pleasing aroma. Through you I will be made holy in the sight of the nations.

42 Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I bring you to Israel's fertile land, to the land that I swore to give to your ancestors.

43 There you will remember how your ways and all your wicked deeds defiled you, and you will loathe yourselves for all the wicked things that you've done.

44 Then, house of Israel, you will know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for the sake of my name and not according to your wicked ways and ruinous deeds. This is what the LORD God says.

45 The LORD's word came to me:

46 Human one, face Teman, preach against the south, and prophesy against the thicket in the arid southern plain.

47 Say to the thicket in the arid southern plain: Hear the LORD God's word. This is what the LORD God says: I'm about to set a fire in you, and it will consume every green and every dry tree in you. Its blazing flame won't be put out, and everything from south to north will be scorched.

48 Everyone will see that I, the LORD, have set it on fire. It won't be quenched.

49 Then I said, "Oh, LORD God! They say about me, ‘Isn't he one for making metaphors?'"