1 And it came to be in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, that certain of the elders of Yisra’ĕl came to inquire of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and sat before me.
2 And the word of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 came to me, saying,
3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘Thus said the Aḏon 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live, I am not being inquired of by you,” declares the Aḏon 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.
4 “Judge them, son of man, judge them! Make known to them the abominations of their fathers.
5 “And you shall say to them, ‘Thus said the Aḏon 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, “On the day when I chose Yisra’ĕl and lifted My hand in an oath to the seed of the house of Ya’aqoḇ, and made Myself known to them in the land of Mitsrayim, I lifted My hand in an oath to them, saying, ‘I am 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Elohim.’
6 “On that day I lifted My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Mitsrayim into a land that I had searched out for them, flowing with milk and honey, the splendour of all lands.
7 “And I said to them, ‘Each one of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Mitsrayim! I am 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Elohim.’
8 “But they rebelled against Me, and would not obey Me. All of them did not throw away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Mitsrayim. So I resolved to pour out My wrath on them to complete My displeasure against them in the midst of the land of Mitsrayim.
9 “But I acted for My Name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the eyes of the gentiles among whom they were – before whose eyes I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Mitsrayim.
10 “So I took them out of the land of Mitsrayim, and I brought them into the wilderness.
11 “And I gave them My Laws and showed them My Right-Rulings, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’
12 “And I also gave them My Shabbathoth, to be a sign between them and Me, to know that I am 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 who makes them qadosh.
13 “But the house of Yisra’ĕl rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My Laws, and they rejected My Right-Rulings, which, if a man does, he shall live by them. And they greatly profaned My Shabbathoth. Then I said I would pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to consume them.
14 “But I acted for My Name’s sake, not to profane it before the gentiles, before whose eyes I had brought them out.
15 “And I Myself also lifted My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, not to bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, the splendour of all lands,
16 because they rejected My Right-Rulings and did not walk in My Laws, and they profaned My Shabbathoth. For their heart went after their idols.
17 “And My eye pardoned them, from destroying them. And I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.
18 “And I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the laws of your fathers, nor observe their rulings, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
19 ‘I am 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Elohim. Walk in My Laws, and guard My Right-Rulings, and do them.
20 ‘And qadosh My Shabbathoth, and they shall be a sign between Me and you, to know that I am 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Elohim.’
21 “But the children rebelled against Me. They did not walk in My Laws, and My Right-Rulings they did not guard to do them, which, if a man does, he shall live by them. They profaned My Shabbathoth, so I resolved to pour out My wrath on them to complete My displeasure against them in the wilderness.
22 “But I held back My hand and acted for My Name’s sake, not to profane it before the eyes of the gentiles, before whose eyes I had brought them out.
23 “Also, I Myself lifted My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, to scatter them among the gentiles and disperse them throughout the lands,
24 because they had not done My Right-Rulings, and they rejected My Laws, and they profaned My Shabbathoth, and their eyes were on their fathers’ idols.
25 “And I also gave them up to laws that were not good, and right-rulings by which they would not live.
26 “And I defiled them by their own gifts, as they passed all their first-born through the fire, so that I might stun them, so that they know that I am 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.” ’
27 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Yisra’ĕl, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus said the Aḏon 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, “In this your fathers have further reviled Me, by committing trespass against Me.
28 “When I brought them into the land for which I had lifted My hand in an oath to give them, and they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, they offered their slaughterings there and provoked Me with their offerings there. And they sent up their sweet fragrance there and poured out their drink offerings there.
29 “And I said to them, ‘What is this high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.” ’
30 “Therefore say to the house of Yisra’ĕl, ‘Thus said the Aḏon 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, “Are you defiling yourselves in the way of your fathers? And do you whore after their abominations?
31 “For when you lift up your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Yisra’ĕl? As I live,” declares the Aḏon 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, “I am not being inquired of by you.
32 “And what comes up in your spirit shall never be, when you say, ‘Let us be like the gentiles, like the tribes in other lands, serving wood and stone.’
33 “As I live,” declares the Aḏon 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, “do not I, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, reign over you?
34 “And I shall bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out.
35 “And I shall bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and shall enter into judgment with you face to face there.
36 “As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Mitsrayim, so I shall enter into judgment with you,” declares the Aḏon 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.
37 “And I shall make you pass under the rod, and shall bring you into the bond of the Covenant,
38 and purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me. From the land where they sojourn I bring them out, but they shall not come into the land of Yisra’ĕl. And you shall know that I am 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.
39 “As for you, O house of Yisra’ĕl,” thus said the Aḏon 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, “Go, serve each of you his idols, and afterwards, if you are not listening to Me. But do not profane My qodesh Name any more with your gifts and your idols.
40 “For on My qodesh mountain, on the mountain height of Yisra’ĕl,” declares the Aḏon 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, “there all the house of Yisra’ĕl, all of them in the land, shall serve Me. There I shall accept them, and there I shall require your offerings and the first-fruits of your offerings, together with all your qodesh gifts.
41 “As a sweet fragrance I shall accept you when I bring you out from the peoples. And I shall gather you out of the lands where you have been scattered. And I shall be qadosh in you before the gentiles.
42 “And you shall know that I am 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, when I bring you into the land of Yisra’ĕl, into the land for which I lifted My hand in an oath to give to your fathers.
43 “And there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you were defiled. And you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you did.
44 “And you shall know that I am 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, when I have dealt with you for My Name’s sake, not according to your evil ways nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Yisra’ĕl,” declares the Aḏon 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.’ ”
45 And the word of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 came to me, saying,
46 “Son of man, turn your face toward the south, and preach against the south and naḇa against the forest land, the Negeḇ.
47 “And you shall say to the forest of the Negeḇ, ‘Hear the word of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄! Thus said the Aḏon 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, “See, I am kindling a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree in you – the blazing flame is not quenched. And it shall burn all faces from the south to the north.
48 “And all flesh shall see that I, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, have kindled it, it is not quenched.” ’ ”
49 And I said, “Ah, Aḏonai 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄! They are saying of me, ‘Is he not speaking parables?’ ”