And it came to pass in the seventhyear, in the fifthmonth, the tenth day of the month, thatcertain of the elders of Israelcame to enquire of the LORD, and sat before me.
Son of man, speakunto the elders of Israel, and say untothem, Thussaith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
And say untothem, Thussaith the Lord GOD; In the day when I choseIsrael, and lifted up minehandunto the seed of the house of Jacob, and mademyselfknownuntothem in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up minehanduntothem, saying, I am the LORDyour God;
In the day that I lifted up minehanduntothem, to bringthemforth of the land of Egyptinto a landthat I had espied for them, flowingwithmilk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:
But theyrebelledagainst me, and would not hearkenunto me: they did not every man castaway the abominations of theireyes, neither did theyforsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I willpour out my furyuponthem, to accomplish my angeragainstthem in the midst of the land of Egypt.
But I wrought for my name’ssake, that it should not be pollutedbefore the heathen, amongwhomtheywere, in whosesight I mademyselfknownuntothem, in bringingthemforth out of the land of Egypt.
But the house of Israelrebelledagainst me in the wilderness: theywalked not in my statutes, and theydespised my judgments, which if a man do, he shallevenlive in them; and my sabbathstheygreatlypolluted: then I said, I wouldpour out my furyuponthem in the wilderness, to consumethem.
Yet also I lifted up my handuntothem in the wilderness, that I would not bringtheminto the landwhich I had giventhem, flowingwithmilk and honey, which is the glory of all lands;
But I saiduntotheirchildren in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of yourfathers, neitherobservetheirjudgments, nor defileyourselveswiththeiridols:
Notwithstanding the childrenrebelledagainst me: theywalked not in my statutes, neitherkept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shallevenlive in them; theypolluted my sabbaths: then I said, I wouldpour out my furyuponthem, to accomplish my angeragainstthem in the wilderness.
Nevertheless I withdrewminehand, and wrought for my name’ssake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whosesight I broughtthemforth.
And I pollutedthem in their own gifts, in thattheycaused to passthrough the fire all thatopeneth the womb, that I mightmakethemdesolate, to the end thattheymightknowthat I am the LORD.
Therefore, son of man, speakunto the house of Israel, and say untothem, Thussaith the Lord GOD; Yet in thisyourfathershaveblasphemed me, in thattheyhavecommitted a trespassagainst me.
For when I had broughttheminto the land, for the which I lifted up minehand to give it to them, thenthey saw everyhighhill, and all the thicktrees, and theyofferedtheretheirsacrifices, and theretheypresented the provocation of theiroffering: therealsotheymadetheirsweetsavour, and poured out theretheirdrinkofferings.
Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thussaith the Lord GOD; Are ye pollutedafter the manner of yourfathers? and commit ye whoredomaftertheirabominations?
For when ye offeryourgifts, when ye makeyoursons to passthrough the fire, ye polluteyourselveswith all youridols, evenuntothis day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
And I willbring you out from the people, and willgather you out of the countrieswherein ye are scattered, with a mightyhand, and with a stretched out arm, and withfurypoured out.
And I willpurge out fromamong you the rebels, and themthattransgressagainst me: I willbringthemforth out of the countrywheretheysojourn, and theyshall not enterinto the land of Israel: and ye shallknowthat I am the LORD.
As for you, O house of Israel, thussaith the Lord GOD; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafteralso, if ye will not hearkenunto me: but pollute ye my holyname no morewithyourgifts, and withyouridols.
For in mineholymountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, thereshall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: therewill I acceptthem, and therewill I requireyourofferings, and the firstfruits of youroblations, with all yourholythings.
I willaccept you withyoursweetsavour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countrieswherein ye havebeenscattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.
And ye shallknowthat I am the LORD, when I shallbring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up minehand to give it to yourfathers.
And thereshall ye rememberyourways, and all yourdoings, wherein ye havebeendefiled; and ye shallloatheyourselves in your own sight for all yourevilsthat ye havecommitted.
And ye shallknowthat I am the LORD, when I havewroughtwith you for my name’ssake, not according to yourwickedways, nor according to yourcorruptdoings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thussaith the Lord GOD; Behold, I willkindle a fire in thee, and it shalldevoureverygreentree in thee, and every dry tree: the flamingflameshall not be quenched, and all facesfrom the south to the northshall be burnedtherein.