Ezekiel 20:10-26

20:10 “‘So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them to the wilderness. 20:11 I gave them my statutes ¹  and revealed my regulations to them. The one ²  who carries ³  them out will live by them! ⁴  20:12 I also gave them my Sabbaths ⁵  as a reminder of our relationship, ⁶  so that they would know that I, the Lord, sanctify them. ⁷  20:13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not follow my statutes and they rejected my regulations (the one who obeys them will live by them), and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I decided to pour out ⁸  my rage on them in the wilderness and destroy them. ⁹  20:14 I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 20:15 I also swore ¹⁰  to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them to the land I had given them – a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. 20:16 I did this ¹¹  because they rejected my regulations, did not follow my statutes, and desecrated my Sabbaths; for their hearts followed their idols. ¹²  20:17 Yet I had pity on ¹³  them and did not destroy them, so I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

20:18 “‘But I said to their children ¹⁴  in the wilderness, “Do not follow the practices of your fathers; do not observe their regulations, ¹⁵  nor defile yourselves with their idols. 20:19 I am the Lord your God; follow my statutes, observe my regulations, and carry them out. 20:20 Treat my Sabbaths as holy ¹⁶  and they will be a reminder of our relationship, ¹⁷  and then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” 20:21 “‘But the children ¹⁸  rebelled against me, did not follow my statutes, did not observe my regulations by carrying them out (the one who obeys ¹⁹  them will live by them), and desecrated my Sabbaths. I decided to pour out ²⁰  my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the wilderness. 20:22 But I refrained from doing so, ²¹  and acted instead for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 20:23 I also swore ²²  to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands. ²³  20:24 I did this ²⁴  because they did not observe my regulations, they rejected my statutes, they desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on ²⁵  their fathers’ idols. 20:25 I also gave ²⁶  them decrees ²⁷  which were not good and regulations by which they could not live. 20:26 I declared them to be defiled because of their sacrifices ²⁸  – they caused all their first born to pass through the fire ²⁹  – so that I would devastate them, so that they will know that I am the Lord.’ ³⁰ 

[20:11]  ¹ sn The laws were given at Mount Sinai.

[20:11]  ² tn Heb “the man.”

[20:11]  ³ tn Heb “does.”

[20:11]  ⁴ tn The wording and the concept is contained in Lev 18:5 and Deut 30:15-19.

[20:12]  ⁵ sn Ezekiel’s contemporary, Jeremiah, also stressed the importance of obedience to the Sabbath law (Jer 17).

[20:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “to become a sign between me and them.”

[20:12]  ⁷ tn Or “set them apart.” The last phrase of verse 12 appears to be a citation of Exod 31:13.

[20:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”

[20:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “to bring them to an end.”

[20:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”

[20:16]  ¹¹ tn The words “I did this” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons. Verses 15-16 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text. The translation divides this sentence into two for stylistic reasons.

[20:16]  ¹² tn Heb “for after their idols their heart was going.” The use of the active participle (“was going”) in the Hebrew text draws attention to the ongoing nature of their idolatrous behavior.

[20:17]  ¹³ tn Heb “my eye pitied.”

[20:18]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “sons,” reflecting the patriarchal idiom of the culture.

[20:18]  ¹⁵ tn Or “standard of justice.” See Ezek 7:27.

[20:20]  ¹⁶ tn Or “set apart my Sabbaths.”

[20:20]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and they will become a sign between me and you.”

[20:21]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “sons.”

[20:21]  ¹⁹ tn Or “carries them out.”

[20:21]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”

[20:22]  ²¹ tn Heb “drew my hand back.” This idiom also occurs in Lam 2:8 and Ps 74:11.

[20:23]  ²² tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”

[20:23]  ²³ sn Though the Pentateuch does not seem to know of this episode, Ps 106:26-27 may speak of God’s oath to exile the people before they had entered Canaan.

[20:24]  ²⁴ tn The words “I did this” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons. Verses 23-24 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text. The translation divides this sentence into two for stylistic reasons.

[20:24]  ²⁵ tn Or “they worshiped” (NCV, TEV, CEV); Heb “their eyes were on” or “were after” (cf. v. 16).

[20:25]  ²⁶ tn Or “permitted.”

[20:25]  ²⁷ tn The Hebrew term חֻקּוֹת (khuqot; translated “statutes” elsewhere in this chapter) is normally feminine. Here Ezekiel changes the form to masculine: חֻקִּים (khuqim). Further, they are not called “my decrees” as vv. 11 and 13 refer to “my statutes.” The change is a signal that Ezekiel is not talking about the same statutes in vv. 11 and 13, which lead to life.

[20:26]  ²⁸ tn Or “gifts.”

[20:26]  ²⁹ sn This act is prohibited in Deut 12:29-31 and Jer 7:31; 19:5; 32:35. See also 2 Kgs 21:6; 23:10. This custom indicates that the laws the Israelites were following were the disastrous laws of pagan nations (see Ezek 16:20-21).

[20:26]  ³⁰ sn God sometimes punishes sin by inciting the sinner to sin even more, as the biblical examples of divine hardening and deceit make clear. See Robert B. Chisholm, Jr., “Divine Hardening in the Old Testament,” BSac 153 (1996): 410-34; idem, “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 11-28. For other instances where the Lord causes individuals to act unwisely or even sinfully as punishment for sin, see 1 Sam 2:25; 2 Sam 17:14; 1 Kgs 12:15; 2 Chr 25:20.