Israel’s Rebellion in Egypt

¹In the seventh year, on the tenth day of the fifth month, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and they sat down before me.

²Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

³“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: Have you come to inquire of Me? As surely as I live, I will not be consulted by you, declares the Lord GOD.

⁴Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? Confront them with the abominations of their fathers

⁵and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt. With an uplifted hand I said to them, ‘I am the LORD your God.’

⁶On that day I swore to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands.

⁷And I said to them: ‘Each of you must throw away the abominations before his eyes, and you must not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’

⁸But they rebelled against Me and refused to listen. None of them cast away the abominations before their eyes, and they did not forsake the idols of Egypt. So I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and vent My anger against them in the land of Egypt.

⁹But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they were living, in whose sight I had revealed Myself to Israel by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.

Israel’s Rebellion in the Wilderness

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

¹¹And I gave them My statutes and made known to them My ordinances—for the man who does these things will live by them.

¹²I also gave them My Sabbaths as a sign between us, so that they would know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

¹³Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not follow My statutes and they rejected My ordinances—though the man who does these things will live by them—and they utterly profaned My Sabbaths. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and put an end to them in the wilderness.

¹⁴But I acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

¹⁵Moreover, with an uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land that I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands—

¹⁶because they kept rejecting My ordinances, refusing to walk in My statutes, and profaning My Sabbaths; for their hearts continually went after their idols.

¹⁷Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy them or bring them to an end in the wilderness.

¹⁸In the wilderness I said to their children: ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.

¹⁹I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them.

²⁰Keep My Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us, so that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’

²¹But the children rebelled against Me. They did not walk in My statutes or carefully observe My ordinances—though the man who does these things will live by them—and they profaned My Sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and vent My anger against them in the wilderness.

²²But I withheld My hand and acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

²³However, with an uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands.

²⁴For they did not practice My ordinances, but they rejected My statutes and profaned My Sabbaths, fixing their eyes on the idols of their fathers.

²⁵I also gave them over to statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live.

²⁶And I pronounced them unclean through their gifts—the sacrifice of every firstborn in the fire—so that I might devastate them, in order that they would know that I am the LORD.

Israel’s Rebellion in the Land

²⁷Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: In this way also your fathers blasphemed Me by their unfaithfulness against Me.

²⁸When I brought them into the land that I swore to give them and they saw any high hill or leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, presented offerings that provoked Me, sent up their fragrant incense, and poured out their drink offerings.

²⁹So I asked them: ‘What is this high place to which you go?’(And to this day it is called Bamah.)

³⁰Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: Will you defile yourselves the way your fathers did, prostituting yourselves with their abominations?

³¹When you offer your gifts, sacrificing your sons in the fire,you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. So should I be consulted by you, O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be consulted by you!

³²When you say, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the peoples of the lands, serving wood and stone,’ what you have in mind will never come to pass.

Judgment and Restoration

³³As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath I will rule over you.

³⁴With a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath I will bring you out from the peoples and gather youfrom the lands to which you have been scattered.

³⁵And I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, where I will enter into judgment with you face to face.

³⁶Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt,so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord GOD.

³⁷I will make you pass under the rod and will bring you into the bond of the covenant.

³⁸And I will purge you of those who rebel and transgress against Me. I will bring them out of the land in which they dwell, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

³⁹And as for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Lord GOD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you. But afterward, you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy name with your gifts and idols.

⁴⁰For on My holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, there the whole house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land. There I will accept them and will require your offerings and choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices.

⁴¹When I bring you from the peoples and gather you from the lands to which you have been scattered, I will accept you as a pleasing aroma. And I will show My holiness through you in the sight of the nations.

⁴²Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land that I swore to give your fathers.

⁴³There you will remember your ways and all the deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evils you have done.

⁴⁴Then you will know, O house of Israel, that I am the LORD, when I have dealt with you for the sake of My name and not according to your wicked ways and corrupt acts, declares the Lord GOD.”

A Prophecy against the South

⁴⁵Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

⁴⁶“Son of man, set your face toward the south,preach against it, and prophesy against the forest of the Negev.

⁴⁷Say to the forest of the Negev: Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says: I am about to ignite in you a fire, and it will devour all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and by it every face from south to north will be scorched.

⁴⁸Then all people will see that I, the LORD, have kindled it; it will not be quenched.”

⁴⁹Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, they are saying of me, ‘Is he not just telling parables?’”

A Lament for Tyre

¹Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

²“Now you, son of man, take up a lament for Tyre.

³Tell Tyre, who dwells at the gateway to the sea, merchant of the peoples on many coasts, that this is what the Lord GOD says:You have said, O Tyre,‘I am perfect in beauty.’

⁴Your borders are in the heart of the seas;your builders perfected your beauty.

⁵They constructed all your plankingwith cypressfrom Senir.They took a cedar from Lebanonto make a mast for you.

⁶Of oaks from Bashanthey made your oars;of wood from the coasts of Cyprusthey made your deck, inlaid with ivory.

⁷Of embroidered fine linen from Egyptthey made your sail,which served as your banner.Of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishahthey made your awning.

⁸The men of Sidon and Arvadwere your oarsmen.Your men of skill, O Tyre,were there as your captains.

⁹The elders of Gebal were aboard as shipwrights,repairing your leaks.All the ships of the sea and their sailorscame alongside to barter for your merchandise.

¹⁰Men of Persia, Lydia, and Putserved as warriors in your army.They hung their shields and helmets on your walls;they gave you splendor.

¹¹Men of Arvad and Helechmanned your walls all around,and the men of Gammadwere in your towers.They hung their shields around your walls;they perfected your beauty.

¹²Tarshish was your merchant because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your wares.

¹³Javan,Tubal, and Meshech were your merchants. They exchanged slaves and bronze utensils for your merchandise.

¹⁴The men of Beth-togarmah exchanged horses, war horses, and mules for your wares.

¹⁵The men of Dedanwere your clients; many coastlands were your market; they paid you with ivory tusks and ebony.

¹⁶Aramwas your customer because of your many products; they exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your wares.

¹⁷Judah and the land of Israel traded with you; they exchanged wheat from Minnith, cakes and honey, oil and balm for your merchandise.

¹⁸Because of your many products and your great wealth of goods, Damascus traded with you wine from Helbon, wool from Zahar,

¹⁹and casks of wine from Izal for your wares.Wrought iron, cassia, and sweet canewere exchanged for your merchandise.

²⁰Dedan was your merchant in saddlecloths for riding.

²¹Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your customers, trading in lambs, rams, and goats.

²²The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; for your wares they exchanged gold, the finest of all spices, and precious stones.

²³Haran, Canneh, and Eden traded with you, and so did the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad.

²⁴In your marketplace they traded with you fine garments of blue, embroidered work, and multicolored rugs with cords tightly twisted and knotted.

²⁵The ships of Tarshishcarried your merchandise.And you were filled with heavy cargoin the heart of the sea.

²⁶Your oarsmen have brought youonto the high seas,but the east wind will shatter youin the heart of the sea.

²⁷Your wealth, wares, and merchandise,your sailors, captains, and shipwrights,your merchants and all the warriors within you,with all the other people on board,will sink into the heart of the seaon the day of your downfall.

²⁸The countryside will shakewhen your sailors cry out.

²⁹All who handle the oarswill abandon their ships.The sailors and all the captains of the seawill stand on the shore.

³⁰They will raise their voices for youand cry out bitterly.They will throw dust on their headsand roll in ashes.

³¹They will shave their heads for youand wrap themselves in sackcloth.They will weep over youwith anguish of soul and bitter mourning.

³²As they wail and mourn over you,they will take up a lament for you:‘Who was ever like Tyre,silenced in the middle of the sea?

³³When your wares went out to sea,you satisfied many nations.You enriched the kings of the earthwith your abundant wealth and merchandise.

³⁴Now you are shattered by the seasin the depths of the waters;your merchandise and the people among youhave gone down with you.

³⁵All the people of the coastlandsare appalled over you.Their kings shudder with fear;their faces are contorted.

³⁶Those who trade among the nationshiss at you;you have come to a horrible endand will be no more.’”

The Soul Who Sins Will Die

¹Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

²“What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,and the teeth of the children are set on edge’?

³As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel.

⁴Behold, every soul belongs to Me; both father and son are Mine. The soul who sins is the one who will die.

⁵Now suppose a man is righteous and does what is just and right:

⁶He does not eat at the mountainor look to the idols of the house of Israel.He does not defile his neighbor’s wifeor approach a woman during her period.

⁷He does not oppress another,but restores the pledge to the debtor.He does not commit robbery,but gives his bread to the hungryand covers the naked with clothing.

⁸He does not engage in usuryor take excess interest,but he withholds his hand from iniquityand executes true justice between men.

⁹He follows My statutesand faithfully keeps My ordinances.That man is righteous;surely he will live,declares the Lord GOD.

¹⁰Now suppose that man has a violent son, who sheds blood or does any of these things,

¹¹though the father has done none of them:Indeed, the son eats at the mountainand defiles his neighbor’s wife.

¹²He oppresses the poor and needy;he commits robberyand does not restore a pledge.He lifts his eyes to idols;he commits abominations.

¹³He engages in usuryand takes excess interest.Will this son live? He will not! Since he has committed all these abominations, he will surely die; his blood will be on his own head.

¹⁴Now suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father has committed, considers them, and does not do likewise:

¹⁵He does not eat at the mountainor look to the idols of the house of Israel.He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.

¹⁶He does not oppress another,or retain a pledge, or commit robbery.He gives his bread to the hungryand covers the naked with clothing.

¹⁷He withholds his hand from harming the poorand takes no interest or usury.He keeps My ordinancesand follows My statutes.Such a man will not die for his father’s iniquity. He will surely live.

¹⁸As for his father, he will die for his own iniquity, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what was wrong among his people.

¹⁹Yet you may ask, ‘Why shouldn’t the son bear the iniquity of his father?’Since the son has done what is just and right, carefully observing all My statutes, he will surely live.

²⁰The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him.

²¹But if the wicked man turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die.

²²None of the transgressions he has committed will be held against him. Because of the righteousness he has practiced, he will live.

²³Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I prefer that he turn from his ways and live?

²⁴But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, committing the same abominations as the wicked, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness and sin he has committed, he will die.

²⁵Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’Hear now, O house of Israel: Is it My way that is unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

²⁶If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, he will die for this. He will die because of the iniquity he has committed.

²⁷But if a wicked man turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life.

²⁸Because he considered and turned from all the transgressions he had committed, he will surely live; he will not die.

²⁹Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’Are My ways unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

³⁰Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your iniquity will not become your downfall.

³¹Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel?

³²For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death, declares the Lord GOD. So repent and live!

Who May Dwell on Your Holy Mountain?

¹O LORD, who may abide in Your tent?Who may dwell on Your holy mountain?

²He who walks with integrityand practices righteousness,who speaks the truth from his heart,

³who has no slander on his tongue,who does no harm to his neighbor,who casts no scorn on his friend,

⁴who despises the vilebut honors those who fear the LORD,who does not revise a costly oath,

⁵who lends his money without interestand refuses a bribe against the innocent.He who does these thingswill never be shaken.