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.

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 Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day.

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 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.

We lie down in our shame, And our reproach covers us. For we have sinned against the Lord our God, We and our fathers, From our youth even to this day, And have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.”

And the Lord said to Samuel,“ Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day— with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods— so they are doing to you also.

You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you.

we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments.Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land.O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day— to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.“ O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him.We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets.Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him.And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.“ As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:“ Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said,“ Here am I! Send me.”And He said,“ Go, and tell this people:‘ Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’“ Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.”

The word of the Lord came again to me, saying:“ Son of man, there were two women, The daughters of one mother.They committed harlotry in Egypt, They committed harlotry in their youth; Their breasts were there embraced, Their virgin bosom was there pressed.Their names: Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister; They were Mine, And they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.“ Oholah played the harlot even though she was Mine; And she lusted for her lovers, the neighboring Assyrians,Who were clothed in purple, Captains and rulers, All of them desirable young men, Horsemen riding on horses.Thus she committed her harlotry with them, All of them choice men of Assyria; And with all for whom she lusted, With all their idols, she defiled herself.She has never given up her harlotry brought from Egypt, For in her youth they had lain with her, Pressed her virgin bosom, And poured out their immorality upon her.“ Therefore I have delivered her Into the hand of her lovers, Into the hand of the Assyrians, For whom she lusted.They uncovered her nakedness, Took away her sons and daughters, And slew her with the sword; She became a byword among women, For they had executed judgment on her.“ Now although her sister Oholibah saw this, she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister’s harlotry.“ She lusted for the neighboring Assyrians, Captains and rulers, Clothed most gorgeously, Horsemen riding on horses, All of them desirable young men.Then I saw that she was defiled; Both took the same way.But she increased her harlotry; She looked at men portrayed on the wall, Images of Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,Girded with belts around their waists, Flowing turbans on their heads, All of them looking like captains, In the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, The land of their nativity.As soon as her eyes saw them, She lusted for them And sent messengers to them in Chaldea.“ Then the Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love, And they defiled her with their immorality; So she was defiled by them, and alienated herself from them.She revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness. Then I alienated Myself from her, As I had alienated Myself from her sister.“ Yet she multiplied her harlotry In calling to remembrance the days of her youth, When she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.For she lusted for her paramours, Whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys, And whose issue is like the issue of horses.Thus you called to remembrance the lewdness of your youth, When the Egyptians pressed your bosom Because of your youthful breasts.“ Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord GOD:‘ Behold, I will stir up your lovers against you, From whom you have alienated yourself, And I will bring them against you from every side:The Babylonians, All the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, Koa, All the Assyrians with them, All of them desirable young men, Governors and rulers, Captains and men of renown, All of them riding on horses.And they shall come against you With chariots, wagons, and war-horses, With a horde of people. They shall array against you Buckler, shield, and helmet all around.‘ I will delegate judgment to them, And they shall judge you according to their judgments.I will set My jealousy against you, And they shall deal furiously with you; They shall remove your nose and your ears, And your remnant shall fall by the sword; They shall take your sons and your daughters, And your remnant shall be devoured by fire.They shall also strip you of your clothes And take away your beautiful jewelry.‘ Thus I will make you cease your lewdness and your harlotry Brought from the land of Egypt, So that you will not lift your eyes to them, Nor remember Egypt anymore.’“ For thus says the Lord God:‘ surely I will deliver you into the hand of those you hate, into the hand of those from whom you alienated yourself.They will deal hatefully with you, take away all you have worked for, and leave you naked and bare. The nakedness of your harlotry shall be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotry.I will do these things to you because you have gone as a harlot after the Gentiles, because you have become defiled by their idols.You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will put her cup in your hand.’“ Thus says the Lord GOD:‘ You shall drink of your sister’s cup, The deep and wide one; You shall be laughed to scorn And held in derision; It contains much.You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, The cup of horror and desolation, The cup of your sister Samaria.You shall drink and drain it, You shall break its shards, And tear at your own breasts; For I have spoken,’ Says the Lord GOD.“ Therefore thus says the Lord God:‘ Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, Therefore you shall bear the penalty Of your lewdness and your harlotry.’”The Lord also said to me:“ Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them.Moreover they have done this to Me: They have defiled My sanctuary on the same day and profaned My Sabbaths.For after they had slain their children for their idols, on the same day they came into My sanctuary to profane it; and indeed thus they have done in the midst of My house.“ Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and there they came. And you washed yourself for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments.You sat on a stately couch, with a table prepared before it, on which you had set My incense and My oil.The sound of a carefree multitude was with her, and Sabeans were brought from the wilderness with men of the common sort, who put bracelets on their wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads.Then I said concerning her who had grown old in adulteries,‘ Will they commit harlotry with her now, and she with them?’Yet they went in to her, as men go in to a woman who plays the harlot; thus they went in to Oholah and Oholibah, the lewd women.But righteous men will judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.“ For thus says the Lord GOD:‘ Bring up an assembly against them, give them up to trouble and plunder.The assembly shall stone them with stones and execute them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn their houses with fire.Thus I will cause lewdness to cease from the land, that all women may be taught not to practice your lewdness.They shall repay you for your lewdness, and you shall pay for your idolatrous sins. Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.’”

So the LORD’s anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone.And look! You have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel.

Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; do not look on the stubbornness of this people, or on their wickedness or their sin,

They joined themselves also to Baal of Peor, And ate sacrifices made to the dead.

Then He said to me:“ Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them.For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel,not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you.But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted.Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads.

“ Thus says the Lord:‘ stand in the court of the LORD’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’s house, all the words that I command you to speak to them. Do not diminish a word.Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may relent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings.’And you shall say to them,‘ Thus says the Lord:“ If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you,to heed the words of My servants the prophets whom I sent to you, both rising up early and sending them( but you have not heeded),then I will make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.”’”

“ But they and our fathers acted proudly, Hardened their necks, And did not heed Your commandments.They refused to obey, And they were not mindful of Your wonders That You did among them. But they hardened their necks, And in their rebellion They appointed a leader To return to their bondage. But You are God, Ready to pardon, Gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, Abundant in kindness, And did not forsake them.“ Even when they made a molded calf for themselves, And said,‘ This is your god That brought you up out of Egypt,’ And worked great provocations,

And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them,“ Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?”

And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:“ How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day.

and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.And you are witnesses of these things.

Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.

“ You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.

“ Take a scroll of a book and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah even to this day.

So Jesus said to them again,“ Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them,“ Receive the Holy Spirit.

And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place.But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.

However You are just in all that has befallen us; For You have dealt faithfully, But we have done wickedly.Neither our kings nor our princes, Our priests nor our fathers, Have kept Your law, Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies, With which You testified against them.For they have not served You in their kingdom, Or in the many good things that You gave them, Or in the large and rich land which You set before them; Nor did they turn from their wicked works.

They angered Him also at the waters of strife, So that it went ill with Moses on account of them;Because they rebelled against His Spirit, So that he spoke rashly with his lips.They did not destroy the peoples, Concerning whom the Lord had commanded them,But they mingled with the Gentiles And learned their works;They served their idols, Which became a snare to them.They even sacrificed their sons And their daughters to demons,And shed innocent blood, The blood of their sons and daughters, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with blood.Thus they were defiled by their own works, And played the harlot by their own deeds.Therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against His people, So that He abhorred His own inheritance.

When they envied Moses in the camp, And Aaron the saint of the Lord,The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan, And covered the faction of Abiram.A fire was kindled in their company; The flame burned up the wicked.They made a calf in Horeb, And worshiped the molded image.Thus they changed their glory Into the image of an ox that eats grass.They forgot God their Savior, Who had done great things in Egypt,

then you shall say to them,‘ Because your fathers have forsaken Me,’ says the Lord;‘ they have walked after other gods and have served them and worshiped them, and have forsaken Me and not kept My law.And you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, each one follows the dictates of his own evil heart, so that no one listens to Me.

“ Nevertheless they were disobedient And rebelled against You, Cast Your law behind their backs And killed Your prophets, who testified against them To turn them to Yourself; And they worked great provocations.

But the Lord said to me:“ Do not say,‘ I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak.

“ From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, this is the twenty-third year in which the word of the Lord has come to me; and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened.And the Lord has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear.They said,‘ repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers forever and ever.Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not harm you.’Yet you have not listened to Me,” says the Lord,“ that you might provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.

Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,“ Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,and say,‘ Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem:“ Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born.“ And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood,‘ Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood,‘ Live!’I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare.“ When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord God.“ Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil.I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk.I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck.And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty.Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you,” says the Lord GOD.“ But you trusted in your own beauty, played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it.You took some of your garments and adorned multicolored high places for yourself, and played the harlot on them. Such things should not happen, nor be.You have also taken your beautiful jewelry from My gold and My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images and played the harlot with them.You took your embroidered garments and covered them, and you set My oil and My incense before them.Also My food which I gave you— the pastry of fine flour, oil, and honey which I fed you— you set it before them as sweet incense; and so it was,” says the Lord GOD.“ Moreover you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your acts of harlotry a small matter,that you have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?And in all your abominations and acts of harlotry you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, struggling in your blood.“ Then it was so, after all your wickedness—‘ Woe, woe to you!’ says the Lord GOD—that you also built for yourself a shrine, and made a high place for yourself in every street.You built your high places at the head of every road, and made your beauty to be abhorred. You offered yourself to everyone who passed by, and multiplied your acts of harlotry.You also committed harlotry with the Egyptians, your very fleshly neighbors, and increased your acts of harlotry to provoke Me to anger.“ Behold, therefore, I stretched out My hand against you, diminished your allotment, and gave you up to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior.You also played the harlot with the Assyrians, because you were insatiable; indeed you played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied.Moreover you multiplied your acts of harlotry as far as the land of the trader, Chaldea; and even then you were not satisfied.“ How degenerate is your heart!” says the Lord God,“ seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot.“ You erected your shrine at the head of every road, and built your high place in every street. Yet you were not like a harlot, because you scorned payment.You are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband.Men make payment to all harlots, but you made your payments to all your lovers, and hired them to come to you from all around for your harlotry.You are the opposite of other women in your harlotry, because no one solicited you to be a harlot. In that you gave payment but no payment was given you, therefore you are the opposite.”‘ Now then, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord!Thus says the Lord GOD:“ Because your filthiness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your harlotry with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them,surely, therefore, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved, and all those you hated; I will gather them from all around against you and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness.And I will judge you as women who break wedlock or shed blood are judged; I will bring blood upon you in fury and jealousy.I will also give you into their hand, and they shall throw down your shrines and break down your high places. They shall also strip you of your clothes, take your beautiful jewelry, and leave you naked and bare.“ They shall also bring up an assembly against you, and they shall stone you with stones and thrust you through with their swords.They shall burn your houses with fire, and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women; and I will make you cease playing the harlot, and you shall no longer hire lovers.So I will lay to rest My fury toward you, and My jealousy shall depart from you. I will be quiet, and be angry no more.Because you did not remember the days of your youth, but agitated Me with all these things, surely I will also recompense your deeds on your own head,” says the Lord GOD.“ And you shall not commit lewdness in addition to all your abominations.“ Indeed everyone who quotes proverbs will use this proverb against you:‘ Like mother, like daughter!’You are your mother’s daughter, loathing husband and children; and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children; your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.“ Your elder sister is Samaria, who dwells with her daughters to the north of you; and your younger sister, who dwells to the south of you, is Sodom and her daughters.You did not walk in their ways nor act according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you became more corrupt than they in all your ways.“ As I live,” says the Lord God,“ neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done.Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.“ Samaria did not commit half of your sins; but you have multiplied your abominations more than they, and have justified your sisters by all the abominations which you have done.You who judged your sisters, bear your own shame also, because the sins which you committed were more abominable than theirs; they are more righteous than you. Yes, be disgraced also, and bear your own shame, because you justified your sisters.“ When I bring back their captives, the captives of Sodom and her daughters, and the captives of Samaria and her daughters, then I will also bring back the captives of your captivity among them,that you may bear your own shame and be disgraced by all that you did when you comforted them.When your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters return to their former state, then you and your daughters will return to your former state.For your sister Sodom was not a byword in your mouth in the days of your pride,before your wickedness was uncovered. It was like the time of the reproach of the daughters of Syria and all those around her, and of the daughters of the Philistines, who despise you everywhere.You have paid for your lewdness and your abominations,” says the Lord.For thus says the Lord GOD:“ I will deal with you as you have done, who despised the oath by breaking the covenant.“ Nevertheless I will remember My covenant 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 older and your younger sisters; for I will give them to you for daughters, but not because of My covenant with you.And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the Lord,that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord God.’”

“ Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say,‘ Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the Lord!’”

“ The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them, and did it not come into His mind?

And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone.Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.And the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them from His sight.

It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me.Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,“ Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them,‘ Thus says the Lord God:“ Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” says the Lord God,“ I will not be inquired of by you.”’Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations of their fathers.“ Say to them,‘ Thus says the Lord God:“ On the day when I chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying,‘ I am the Lord your God.’On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them,‘ flowing with milk and honey,’ the glory of all lands.Then I said to them,‘ Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said,‘ I will pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.“ Therefore I made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments,‘ which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments,‘ which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them.But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out.So I also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them,‘ flowing with milk and honey,’ the glory of all lands,because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols.Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.“ But I said to their children in the wilderness,‘ Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols.I am the Lord your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them;hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’“ Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments,‘ which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness.Nevertheless I withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out.Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries,because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.“ Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live;and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they might know that I am the Lord.”’“ Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them,‘ Thus says the Lord GOD:“ In this too your fathers have blasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me.When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their sweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings.Then I said to them,‘ What is this high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.”’Therefore say to the house of Israel,‘ Thus says the Lord GOD:“ Are you defiling yourselves in the manner of your fathers, and committing harlotry according to their abominations?For when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” says the Lord GOD,“ I will not be inquired of by you.What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say,‘ We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone.’“ As I live,” says the Lord GOD,“ surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you.I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out.And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face.Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord GOD.“ I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.“ As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord GOD:“ Go, serve every one of you his idols— and hereafter— if you will not obey me; but profane My holy name no more with your gifts and your idols.For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel,” says the Lord GOD,“ there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices, together with all your holy things.I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles.Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers.And there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed.Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord God.’”Furthermore the word of the Lord came to me, saying,“ Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the South,and say to the forest of the South,‘ Hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord GOD:“ Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree in you; the blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be scorched by it.All flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.”’”Then I said,“ Ah, Lord God! They say of me,‘ Does he not speak parables?’”