World English Bible · Babylon and the exile
Ezekiel 20
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In the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, some of the came to inquire of , and sat before me. 2 word came to me, saying, ", speak to the , and tell them, ' says: "Is it to inquire of me that you have come? As I live," , "I will not be inquired of by you."' "Will you judge them, ? Will you judge them? Cause them to know the of their fathers. Tell them, ' says: "In the day when I chose Israel, and to the of the house of , and made myself known to them in the land of , when I to them, saying, 'I am your ;' in that day I to them to bring them out of the land of into a land that I had searched out for them, , which is the of all lands. I said to them, 'Each of you throw away the of his eyes. Don't defile yourselves with the idols of . I am your .' "'"But they rebelled against me and wouldn't listen to me. They didn't all throw away the of their eyes. They also didn't forsake the idols of . Then I said I would pour out my on them, to accomplish my against them in the middle of the land of . But I worked for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among which they were, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of . So I caused them to go out of the land of and brought them into . I gave them and showed them my ordinances, which if a man does, he will live in them. Moreover also I gave them my , to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am who sanctifies them. "'"But the rebelled against me in . They didn't walk in and they rejected my ordinances, which if a man keeps, he shall live in them. They greatly profaned my . Then I said I would pour out my on them in , to consume them. But I worked for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out. Moreover also I to them in that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, , which is the of all lands, because they rejected my ordinances, and didn't walk in , and profaned my ; for their went after their idols. Nevertheless my eye spared them, and I didn't destroy them. I didn't make a full end of them in . I said to their children in , 'Don't walk in the of your fathers. Don't observe their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. I am your . Walk in , keep my ordinances, and do them. Make my . They shall be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am your .' "'"But the children rebelled against me. They didn't walk in , and didn't keep my ordinances to do them, which if a man does, he shall live in them. They profaned my . Then I said I would pour out my on them, to accomplish my against them in . Nevertheless I withdrew my hand and worked for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out. Moreover I to them in , that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the countries, because they had not executed my ordinances, but had rejected , and had profaned my , and their eyes were after their fathers' idols. Moreover also I gave them that were not good, and ordinances in which they couldn't live. I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused all that opens the to pass through the , that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am ."' "Therefore, , speak to the , and tell them, ' says: "Moreover, in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me. For when I had brought them into the land which I to give to them, then they saw every high hill and every thick tree, and they offered there their , and there they presented the provocation of their . There they also made their pleasant aroma, and there they poured out their drink . Then I said to them, 'What does the where you go mean?' So its name is called to this day."' "Therefore tell the , ' says: "Do you pollute yourselves in of your fathers? Do you play the after their ? When you offer your gifts, when you make your sons pass through the , do you pollute yourselves with all your idols to this day? Should I be inquired of by you, ? As I live, , I will not be inquired of by you! "'"That which comes into will not be at all, in that you say, 'We will be as the nations, as the families of the countries, to wood and stone.' As I live," , "surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with poured out, I will be king over you. I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries in which you are scattered with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with poured out. I will bring you into of the peoples, and there I will enter into with you to . as I entered into with your fathers in of the land of , so I will enter into with you," . "I will cause you to pass under the , and I will bring you into the bond of . I will purge out from among you the rebels and those who disobey me. I will bring them out of the land where they live, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am ." "'As for you, , says: "Go, everyone his idols, and hereafter also, if you will not listen to me; but you shall no more profane my name with your gifts and with your idols. For in my mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel," , "there all the , all of them, shall me in the land. There I will accept them, and there I will require your and the of your , with all your things. I will accept you as a pleasant aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries in which you have been scattered. I will be in you in the sight of the nations. You will know that I am when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country which I to give to your fathers. There you will remember your ways, and all your deeds in which you have polluted yourselves. Then you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that you have committed. You will know that I am , when I have dealt with you for my name's sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, you ," .'" 45 word came to me, saying, ", set your toward the south, and preach toward the south, and against the forest of the field in the south. Tell the forest of the south, 'Hear word: says, "Behold, I will kindle a in you, and it will devour every green tree in you, and every dry tree. The burning flame will not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north will be burned by it. will see that I, , have kindled it. It will not be quenched."'" Then I said, "Ah ! They say of me, 'Isn't he a speaker of ?'"
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Babylon and the exile, 612 BC to 539 BC ›
Babylon replaces Assyria, Jerusalem and its temple are destroyed in 586 BC, and the leadership of Judah lives in Mesopotamia without a king, a temple, or a country.
- Babylon
- Nebuchadnezzar II rebuilds the city on a scale meant to be seen from a distance: the Ishtar Gate in glazed blue brick, the processional way, the ziggurat, and gardens later counted among the wonders of the world. Babylonian tablets record rations issued to the captive king Jehoiachin of Judah by name, which is one of the tidier points of contact between the Bible and the archives.
- Egypt
- Briefly resurgent. Pharaoh Neco marches north, kills King Josiah at Megiddo, and installs and deposes kings in Jerusalem, until Babylon beats him decisively at Carchemish in 605 BC. Jeremiah spends his career saying that betting on Egypt is suicide, and is proved right.
- Judah
- Deported in stages, then destroyed. The temple is burned, the walls broken, and the leadership marched to Mesopotamia. What happens next is one of the strangest survivals in history: a people keeps its identity without land, king, or sanctuary, and comes out of it with its scriptures more central than before.
- Further afield
- An extraordinary century for ideas everywhere at once. Thales and the first Greek philosophers, Solon's reforms at Athens, the Buddha in India, Confucius and Lao Tzu in China, and Zoroaster in Persia all fall within a few generations of the exile.
All of Ezekiel