Ezekiel 20:18-21

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.” 20:21 “‘But the children ⁵  rebelled against me, did not follow my statutes, did not observe my regulations by carrying them out (the one who obeys ⁶  them will live by them), and desecrated my Sabbaths. I decided to pour out ⁷  my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the wilderness.

[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.”

[20:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “sons.”

[20:21]  ⁶ tn Or “carries them out.”

[20:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”