Ezekiel 20:18-20

20:18 “‘But I said to their children ¹  in the wilderness, “Do not follow the practices of your fathers; do not observe their regulations, ²  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 ³  and they will be a reminder of our relationship, ⁴  and then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”

Ezekiel 20:24

20:24 I did this ⁵  because they did not observe my regulations, they rejected my statutes, they desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on ⁶  their fathers’ idols.

Ezekiel 20:30

20:30 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves like your fathers ⁷  and engage in prostitution with detestable idols?

[20:18]  ¹ tn Heb “sons,” reflecting the patriarchal idiom of the culture.

[20:18]  ² tn Or “standard of justice.” See Ezek 7:27.

[20:20]  ³ tn Or “set apart my Sabbaths.”

[20:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “and they will become a sign between me and you.”

[20:24]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Or “they worshiped” (NCV, TEV, CEV); Heb “their eyes were on” or “were after” (cf. v. 16).

[20:30]  ⁷ tn Heb “in the way of your fathers.”