Ezekiel Chapter 20
Showing all 49 verses for Ezekiel Chapter 20.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD, and sat before me. "
"In the seventh year of the exile, in the fifth month, on the tenth day, some of the elders of Israel came to consult the LORD and sat down in front of Ezekiel."
Sometimes I won't simply answer the question you bring me, because there's something more urgent I need you to see first. Trust that a delay or a redirection from me isn't rejection - it's care for what you actually need.
"Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying, "
"Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:"
I still speak into situations today, often through unexpected means - a moment of clarity, an honest friend, a hard truth you can't shake. Stay open to hearing it, even when it's not what you were expecting.
"Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you. "
"Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and tell them: This is what the Sovereign LORD says - have you come to consult me? As surely as I am alive, I will not let you consult me, declares the Sovereign LORD."
I'm not interested in being consulted for reassurance while you're avoiding the real issue in your life. Come to me honestly, ready to actually change something, and you'll find me far more willing to speak.
"Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers: "
"Will you judge them, son of man? Will you judge them? Make them face the disgusting things their ancestors did."
Sometimes real help starts with an uncomfortable, honest look backwards, not a quick answer forward. I'd rather walk through that honesty with you than hand you a shortcut that doesn't actually fix anything.
"And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the LORD your God; "
"Say to them: This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On the day I chose Israel, I lifted my hand in a solemn oath to the descendants of Jacob and made myself known to them in Egypt. I lifted my hand and said, 'I am the LORD your God.'"
I chose you long before you had done anything to earn it, and that choice was never conditional on your performance. Remembering that you were loved first, not because you'd proven yourself, can change how you see everything that came after.
"In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands: "
"On that day I lifted my hand and swore to bring them out of Egypt into a land I had scouted out for them, flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands."
Whatever difficult road I lead you through, there's always a good destination in mind, even when you can't see it yet. Trust that the hard parts of the journey aren't the whole story.
"Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. "
"Then I told them: Each of you, get rid of the disgusting things your eyes are drawn to, and don't defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God."
Leaving an unhealthy environment physically isn't the same as leaving it in your heart - old attachments can follow you long after you've walked away. I ask you to actually let go of what's still quietly shaping you, not just change your address.
"But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. "
"But they rebelled against me and refused to listen. Not one of them got rid of what their eyes were drawn to, and they didn't abandon the idols of Egypt. So I said I would pour out my fury on them and vent my anger against them right there in Egypt."
Old habits can be remarkably stubborn, resisting even the promise of freedom itself. I understand how hard genuine change is - which is exactly why I keep offering patience rather than giving up on you at the first failure.
"But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt. "
"But I acted for the sake of my own reputation, so it wouldn't be disgraced in front of the nations they were living among - the nations who had watched me make myself known to Israel. So I brought them out of Egypt anyway."
Sometimes I keep a promise to you not because you've earned it in the moment, but because I am faithful to who I am. You can rely on my consistency even on the days you don't feel like you deserve it.
"Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness. "
"So I brought them out of Egypt and led them into the wilderness."
A fresh start doesn't automatically fix an old pattern - the same choices tend to show up again in the new setting. I'd rather help you deal with what's underneath than just relocate the problem.
"And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them. "
"I gave them my laws and taught them my rules - the kind that, if a person actually lives by them, brings life."
The guidance I give isn't there to restrict your life - it's there because it genuinely leads somewhere good, if you actually put it into practice. Try trusting the instructions before assuming they're just rules for their own sake.
"Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them. "
"I also gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, so they would know that I am the LORD who sets them apart as holy."
Rest isn't laziness - it's a statement that your worth and security don't depend on constantly producing. I want you to build real rhythms of rest into your life, not as an afterthought, but as something sacred in itself.
"But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them. "
"But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They didn't live by my laws; they despised my rules - even though following them would have brought life - and they thoroughly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my fury on them in the wilderness and destroy them completely."
Knowing the right thing to do was never the hard part for most people - actually choosing it consistently is. I don't give up on you at the first, second, or hundredth failure, even though each one genuinely grieves me.
"But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out. "
"But again I acted for the sake of my own reputation, so it wouldn't be disgraced in front of the nations who had watched me bring them out."
My patience with you isn't a reward for good behaviour - it's simply who I am, again and again, even when you keep making the same mistake. Let that consistency be something you can actually rest in.
"Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands; "
"Yet I also lifted my hand and swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them - the one flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands."
I can love you deeply and still let you live with the real consequences of your choices - that's not contradiction, it's respect for the fact your choices actually matter. Don't mistake my patience for there being no consequences at all.
"Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols. "
"This was because they despised my rules, didn't live by my laws, and desecrated my Sabbaths - because their hearts were devoted to their idols."
The real question is never just what rules you're breaking, but what your heart is actually devoted to underneath it all. I want your genuine loyalty, not just outward compliance while your heart is somewhere else.
"Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness. "
"Even so, I looked on them with pity and didn't destroy them; I didn't put an end to them in the wilderness."
Even in your worst seasons, I have looked on you with more compassion than you probably realise. Judgement was never my first instinct towards you - mercy consistently was.
"But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols: "
"Then I said to their children in the wilderness: Don't live by your parents' rules, and don't follow their customs or defile yourselves with their idols."
You are not obligated to repeat your family's patterns just because they're familiar. I speak directly to you, in your own generation, offering you the same fresh chance your parents once had.
"I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; "
"I am the LORD your God: live by my laws, keep my rules, and put them into practice."
The invitation to live well is renewed for you, personally, right now - not just something offered to people long before you. Take it as freshly meant for you as it was for anyone before.
"And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God. "
"And keep my Sabbaths holy, so they will be a sign between me and you, so that you'll know I am the LORD your God."
The practices that keep you connected to what matters most need to be renewed regularly, not just experienced once. Build that rhythm into your life deliberately - it's how a relationship stays real over time.
"Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness. "
"But the children also rebelled against me. They didn't live by my laws or keep my rules - even though following them would have brought life - and they desecrated my Sabbaths too. So I said I would pour out my fury on them and vent my anger against them in the wilderness."
A clean slate alone doesn't guarantee a different outcome - what matters is what you actually choose to do with it. I offer you fresh starts again and again, but the choosing still has to be yours.
"Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth. "
"But I held back my hand and acted for the sake of my own reputation, so it wouldn't be disgraced in front of the nations who had watched me bring them out."
My patience with humanity has never been a one-time exception - it's a pattern I've kept up again and again, across every generation, including yours. Don't assume you've finally exhausted it; you haven't.
"I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries; "
"I also lifted my hand and swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the countries."
Sometimes what looks like a sudden crisis in your life has actually been building for a long time - it helps to see the fuller picture rather than treating it as random bad luck. I want to help you understand where you actually are, not just comfort you without truth.
"Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols. "
"This was because they hadn't followed my rules, but had despised my laws and desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their ancestors' idols."
When I name hard truths about consequences, it's never to shame you but to help you actually understand your own story clearly. Understanding what led here is the first step towards a different ending.
"Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live; "
"So I also gave them over to laws that were not good, and rules that would not bring life."
Sometimes the hardest consequence isn't a punishment sent from outside, but simply being allowed to fully experience where your own choices actually lead. I would always rather stop you sooner, but I also respect your freedom to choose, even when the results are painful.
"And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD. "
"I let them defile themselves through their own offerings, by making every firstborn child pass through the fire, so that I might devastate them, and so that they would know that I am the LORD."
When people abandon what's genuinely good, the alternatives they turn to can become horrifying, even when they seemed reasonable to those doing them at the time. I plead with you to examine what you've come to accept as normal, because some things that feel normalised are still deeply wrong.
"Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me. "
"Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and tell them: This is what the Sovereign LORD says - in this way also your ancestors insulted me, by being unfaithful to me."
A long history of good intentions followed by repeated failure doesn't have to be the end of the story - but it does need to be honestly acknowledged before anything changes. I'm willing to walk through that honesty with you, however long the list.
"For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings. "
"When I brought them into the land I had sworn to give them, they saw every high hill and every leafy tree, and there they offered their sacrifices and presented their offensive offerings; there they made their pleasing aromas and poured out their drink offerings."
A change of scenery or circumstances rarely fixes an unresolved issue inside you - it tends to follow you into the new place too. I want to help you deal with what's actually underneath, wherever you are.
"Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day. "
"Then I asked them: What is this high place you keep going to? (It has been called Bamah - meaning 'high place' - to this very day.)"
It's worth asking yourself plainly, from time to time, what exactly you're devoted to and why - sometimes the honest answer reveals there's less substance there than you assumed. I'd rather you ask that question honestly than keep going through motions that don't actually mean anything.
"Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations? "
"So say to the house of Israel: This is what the Sovereign LORD says - are you defiling yourselves the way your ancestors did? Are you being unfaithful to me the way their disgusting practices were?"
History lessons are only useful if you let them ask you a real question about your own life today. I'm not interested in you simply agreeing that your ancestors got it wrong - I want to know what you're doing with your own choices right now.
"For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you. "
"When you offer your gifts and make your children pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, right up to this day. So should I let myself be consulted by you, house of Israel? As surely as I am alive, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will not let you consult me."
I can't give you clear direction while you're still holding onto the very thing that's causing your confusion. Real guidance starts with letting go of what you already know is wrong, not with a shortcut around it.
"And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone. "
"What's in your mind will never happen - your idea that you'll become like the other nations, like the families of other countries, worshipping wood and stone."
When your life feels like it's fallen apart, the temptation to just give up on who you are and blend into whatever's around you is real - but I'm not willing to let you lose yourself that easily. I still have a purpose for you, even in the wreckage.
"As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: "
"As surely as I am alive, declares the Sovereign LORD, with a mighty hand, an outstretched arm, and fury poured out, I will rule over you."
Sometimes the same strength that once rescued you is also the strength that will hold you accountable - it's the same character either way, not two different gods. I want you to know I'm consistent, even when that consistency feels uncomfortable.
"And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. "
"I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the countries where you've been scattered, with a mighty hand, an outstretched arm, and fury poured out."
Even the hardest seasons I allow into your life are never the end of the story - they're often the very thing working towards eventually bringing you home to where you belong. Don't mistake the difficulty of the process for a lack of purpose in it.
"And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. "
"I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and there I will confront you face to face."
I don't deal with you from a distance - even my hardest conversations with you are personal, face to face, because I actually care how this lands for you. Let me be that direct with you; it's a sign of relationship, not rejection.
"Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD. "
"Just as I confronted your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will confront you, declares the Sovereign LORD."
History can genuinely repeat, but that also means the same door to change that was open before is open again for you now. I'm giving you another honest reckoning, not because I expect you to fail again, but because I believe you can choose differently.
"And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: "
"I will make you pass under the shepherd's rod, and bring you into the bond of the covenant."
I know you individually, not just as part of a crowd - when I bring you back, I'm looking at you specifically, not glossing over the details. That kind of close attention is exactly what real relationship looks like.
"And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. "
"I will purge out from among you those who rebel and those who sin against me. I will bring them out of the country where they are living, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD."
A fresh start isn't something forced on you against your will - it still requires your genuine participation, not just proximity to where good things are happening. I want you fully in, not just geographically present while your heart stays elsewhere.
"As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols. "
"As for you, house of Israel, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Go on, then - each of you go and serve your idols! But afterwards, you will listen to me, and you will no longer defile my holy name with your gifts and your idols."
Sometimes I let you keep choosing the thing that isn't good for you for a while, because I trust that the experience itself will eventually teach you what my words couldn't. I haven't given up on you even when it looks like I've stepped back.
"For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstiruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. "
"For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD, there the whole house of Israel, everyone in the land, will serve me. There I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings, the best of your gifts, and all your sacred things."
The same longing that drove people towards empty, scattered substitutes can, eventually, be genuinely satisfied in the real thing. I don't just forbid the counterfeits - I offer you something actually worth your devotion instead.
"I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen. "
"I will accept you as a pleasing offering when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the countries where you've been scattered, and I will show myself holy through you in the sight of the nations."
Your restoration isn't just good news for you privately - it can genuinely become a testimony that encourages other people watching your life. What I do in you has a wider ripple than you might realise.
"And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers. "
"You will know that I am the LORD when I bring you into the land of Israel - the country I swore with a lifted hand to give to your ancestors."
A promise I've made doesn't expire just because it takes generations, or because the people it was made to keep failing along the way. What I have said I will do, I will do - hold onto that even through a long wait.
"And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed. "
"There you will remember your conduct and all the things you did that defiled you, and you will be disgusted with yourselves because of all the evil you have done."
Coming home to a better life doesn't erase the memory of how you got lost - and it shouldn't. I'd rather you feel the honest weight of your own past mistakes once, fully, than carry vague, unprocessed guilt forever.
"And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have wrought with you for my name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD. "
"You will know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for the sake of my own name, not according to your evil ways or your corrupt actions, house of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD."
What I do for you was never a reward for your good behaviour, and that means it also can't be cancelled by your worst mistakes. Rest in that; you don't have to perform your way into being loved.
"Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, "
"The word of the LORD came to me, saying:"
I speak in fresh moments, even close together in time - each one worth hearing in its own right, not just as a footnote to what came before. Stay attentive; there's always more I want to say to you.
"Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field; "
"Son of man, turn your face towards the south; preach against the south, and prophesy against the forest region in the southern territory."
Sometimes conviction needs to be expressed with your whole self, not just your words - where you turn, what you do with your body and attention, communicates as much as what you say. I ask for that same wholehearted commitment from you when something truly matters.
"And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein. "
"Say to the forest of the south: Hear the word of the LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to set a fire in you, and it will consume every green tree and every dry tree in you. The blazing flame will not be put out, and every face from south to north will be scorched by it."
When a whole community's direction has gone badly wrong for long enough, the fallout doesn't always sort neatly between the more and less guilty - everyone can be caught up in the consequences together. I want you to care not just about your own choices, but about the direction of the community you're part of.
"And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it shall not be quenched. "
"Everyone will see that I, the LORD, have set this fire; it will not be put out."
I want you to see the connections in your own life clearly, not just experience consequences as random bad luck disconnected from your choices. Understanding the 'why' is what makes real change possible afterwards.
"Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables? "
"Then I said, 'Ah, Sovereign LORD! They're saying about me, "Isn't he just speaking in riddles?"'"
I know what it's like to be misunderstood or dismissed even when you're telling the truth as clearly as you can. If people brush off what matters most to you as 'just a story,' don't let that silence you - keep speaking it anyway, because the truth in it doesn't depend on how it's received.