1   And it came to passe in ^note the seuenth yeare, in the fifth, the tenth of the moneth: there came men of the ancients of Israel to aske our Lord, & they sate before me.

2   And the word of our Lord was made to me, saying:

3   Sonne of man, speake to the ancients of Israel, & thou shalt say to them: Thus saith our Lord God: Why, are you come to aske me? Liue I, that I wil not answer you, saith our Lord God.

4   Doest thou iudge them, doest thou iudge ô sonne of man? shew to them the abominations of their fathers.

5   And thou shalt say to them: Thus saith our Lord God: In the day that I chose Israel, & lifted vp my hand for the stocke of the house of Iacob: and appeared to them in the Land of Ægypt, and lifted vp my hand for them, saying; I the Lord your God:

6   in that day I lifted vp my hand for them, that I might bring them out of the Land of Ægypt, into a Land which I had prouided for them, flowing with milke and honie, which is excellent among al landes.

7   And I said to them, Let euerie man cast away the scandals of his eyes, and in the idols of Ægypt be ye not polluted: I the Lord your God.

8   And they prouoked me, and would not heare me: euerie one did not cast away the abominations of his eyes, neither did they leaue the idols of Ægypt: and I said I would powre out mine indignation vpon them, and fil my wrath in them, in the middes of the Land of Ægypt.

9   And ^note I did for my name sake, that it might not be violated before the Gentils, in the middes of whom they were, and among whom I appeared to them, to bring them out of the Land of Ægypt.

10   I cast them out therfore of the Land of Ægypt, and brought them forth into the desert.

11   And I gaue them my precepts, and I shewed to them my iudgements, which a man doing, shal liue in them.

12   Moreouer also my sabbathes I gaue to them, to be a signe betwen me and them: and that they might know that I am the Lord sanctifying

them.

13   And the houses of Israel prouoked me in the desert; they walked not in my precepts, and my iudgements they reiected, which a man doing shal liue in them: and my sabbathes they violated excedingly. I said therfore I would powre out my furie vpon them in the desert, and would consume them.

14   And ^note I did for my name sake, lest it should be violated before the Gentils, from which I cast them out, in their sight.

15   I therfore lifted vp my hand vpon them in the desert, not to bring them into the Land, which I gaue them flowing with milke and honie, the chiefe of al landes.

16   Because they reiected my iudgements, and walked not in my precepts, and violated my sabbathes: for their hart went after idols.

17   And mine eye was merciful on them, that I killed them not: neither did I consume them in the desert.

18   But I said to their children in the wildernes: In the precepts of your fathers walke not, neither keepe ye their iudgements, nor be polluted in their idols:

19   I the Lord your God: walke ye in my precepts, and keepe my iudgements, and doe them.

20   And sanctifie ye my sabbathes, that they may be a signe betwen me and you: and ye may knowe that I am the Lord your God.

21   And the children exasperated me, in my precepts they walked not: and my iudgements they kept not, to doe them: which when a man shal doe, he shal liue in them: and they violated my sabbathes: and I threatned to powre out my furie vpon them, and to fil my wrath in them in the desert.

22   But I turned away my hand, & did for my names sake, that it might not be violated before the Gentils, out of which I did cast them forth in their eyes.

23    ^noteAgaine I lifted vp my hand vpon them in the wildernes, that I might disperse them into nations, and scatter them into landes:

24   for that they had not done my iudgements, and had reiected my precepts, and had violated my sabbathes, and their eyes had bene after the idols of their fathers.

25   Therfore I also gaue them precepts ^note not good, and iudgements, in which they shal not liue.

26   And I polluted them in their giftes, when they offered al that opened the matrice, for their offences: and they shal know that I am the Lord.

27   Wherfore speake to the house of Israel, ô sonne of man: and thou shalt say to them: Thus saith our Lord God: Yet also in this did your fathers blaspheme me, when contemning they had despised me:

28   and I had brought them into the Land, vpon which I lifted vp my hand to geue it them:

they saw euerie high hil, and euerie wooddie tree, and there they immolated their victims: and there they gaue the irritation of their oblation, and there they put the odour of their sweetnes, and offered their libations.

29   And I said to them: What is ^note the excelse, vnto which you goe? & the name therof was called Excelse euen to this day.

30   Therfore say to the house of Israel: Thus saith our Lord God: Surely in the way of your fathers you are pulluted, and after their scandals you doe fornicate.

31   And in the oblation of your giftes, when you make your children passe through the fire, you are polluted in al your idols vnto this day: and shal I answer you ô house of Israel? Liue I, saith our Lord God, that I wil not answer you

32   Neither shal the cogitation of your minde come to passe, saying: We wil be as the Gentils, and as the kinreds of the earth, that we may worship wood, and stones.

33   Liue I, saith our Lord God, that in a strong hand, & in a streched out arme, and in furie powred forth wil I reigne ouer you.

34   And I wil bring you out of the peoples, and I wil gather you out of the landes, in which you are dispersed, in a strong hand, and in a streched out arme and in furie powred forth wil I reigne ouer you.

35   And I wil bring you into the desert of peoples, and wil be iudged there with you face to face.

36   As I contended in iudgement against your fathers in the desert of the Land of Ægypt: so wil I iudge you, saith our Lord God.

37   And I wil subdue you to my scepter, & wil bring you into the bandes of couenant.

38   And I wil choose out of you the transgressours, and impious, and wil bring them out of the land of their seiourning, and into the land of Israel they shal not enter: and you shal know that I am the Lord.

39   And you ô house of Israel, Thus saith our Lord God: ^note Walke you euerie one after your idols, and serue them. But and if in this also you heare me not, and shal pollute my holie name any more in your giftes, and in your idols:

40   in my holie mount, in the high mount of Israel, saith our Lord God, there shal al the house of Israel serue me; al I say in the land, wherin they shal please me, and there wil I require your first fruites, and the beginning of your tithes in al your sanctifications.

41   I wil receiue you for an odour of sweetnes, when I shal haue brought you out of the peoples, and shal haue gathered you out of the landes, into which you are dispersed, and I wil be sanctified in you in the eyes of the nations. ^note

42   And you shal know that I am the Lord,

when I shal haue brought you into the land of Israel, into the Land, for which I lifted vp my hand to geue it to your fathers.

43   And there you shal remember your wayes, and al your wicked deedes, in which you were polluted: and you shal mislike yourselues in your owne sight, in al your malices, which you haue done.

44   And you shal know that I am the Lord, when I shal haue done you good for my name sake, and not according to your euil wayes, nor according to your most wicked deedes ô house of Israel, saith our Lord God.

45   And the word of our Lord was made to me, saying:

46   Sonne of man, set thy face against the way ^note of the south, and droppe toward the sotherne winde, and prophecie to the forrest of the sotherne filde.

47   And thou shalt say to the sotherne forrest: Heare the word of our Lord: Thus saith our Lord God: Behold I wil kindle a fire in thee, and wil burne in thee euerie greene tree, and euerie drie tree: the flame of the fire shal not be quenched: and euerie face shal be burned in it, from the South euen to the North.

48   And al flesh shal see, that I the Lord kindled it, neither shal it be quenched.

49   And I said: A a a, ô Lord God: they say of me: ^note Doth not this man speake by parables?

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