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Saturday, June 7th, 2025
Eve of Pentacost
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Read the Bible

Legacy Standard Bible

Ezekiel 20:18

"I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers and do not keep their judgments and do not defile yourselves with their idols.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Example;   Thompson Chain Reference - Children;   Evil;   Example;   Home;   Influence;   Parental;   Parents;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Children;   Defilement;   Jews, the;   Parents;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Repentance;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Joshua;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ezekiel;   Sabbath;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Lead;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Sabbath;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Hafá¹­arah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“‘Then I said to their children in the wilderness, “Don’t follow the statutes of your fathers, defile yourselves with their idols, or keep their ordinances.
Hebrew Names Version
I said to their children in the wilderness, Don't you walk in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
King James Version
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:
English Standard Version
"And I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor keep their rules, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
New American Standard Bible
"Instead, I said to their children in the wilderness, 'Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.
New Century Version
I said to their children in the desert, "Don't live by the rules of your parents, or obey their laws. Don't make yourselves unclean with their idols.
Amplified Bible
"But I said to their children in the wilderness, 'Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers nor observe their ordinances nor defile yourselves with their idols.
World English Bible
I said to their children in the wilderness, Don't you walk in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But I said vnto their children in the wildernes, Walke ye not in the ordinances of your fathers, neither obserue their maners, nor defile your selues with their idoles.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"I said to their children in the wilderness, 'Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.
Berean Standard Bible
In the wilderness I said to their children: "Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.
Contemporary English Version
So I warned the children not to act like their parents or follow their evil ways or worship their idols.
Complete Jewish Bible
"‘I said to their children in the desert, "Don't live by the laws of your fathers, observe their rulings or defile yourselves with their idols.
Darby Translation
And I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk not in the statutes of your fathers, neither keep their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
Easy-to-Read Version
I spoke to their children and told them, "Don't be like your parents. Don't make yourselves filthy with their filthy idols. Don't follow their laws or obey their commands.
George Lamsa Translation
But I said to their children in the wilderness, Walk not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments nor defile yourselves with their idols;
Good News Translation
Instead, I warned the young people among them: Do not keep the laws your ancestors made; do not follow their customs or defile yourselves with their idols.
Lexham English Bible
"And I said to their children in the desert, ‘You must not go in the statutes of your parents; you must not keep their regulations, and you must not make yourself unclean with their idols.
Literal Translation
But I said to their sons in the wilderness, Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers and do not keep their judgments, and do not defile yourselves with their idols.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Morouer, I sayde vnto their sonnes in ye wildernesse: walke not in the statutes of yor forefathers, kepe not their ordinaunces, and defyle not youre selues with their Idols,
American Standard Version
And I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
Bible in Basic English
And I said to their children in the waste land, Do not be guided by the rules of your fathers or keep their orders or make yourselves unclean with their images:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And I said unto their children in the wilderness: Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols;
King James Version (1611)
But I said vnto their children in the wildernesse; Walke ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither obserue their iudgements, nor defile your selues with their idoles.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Moreouer, I sayde vnto their sonnes in the wildernesse, Walke not in the statutes of your fathers, kepe not their iudgementes, and defile not your selues with their idols.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And I said to their children in the wilderness, Walk not ye in the customs of your fathers, and keep not their ordinances, and have no fellowship with their practices, nor defile yourselves with them.
English Revised Version
And 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:
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe Y seide to the sones of hem in wildirnesse, Nyle ye go in the comaundementis of youre fadris, nether kepe ye the domes of hem, nethir be ye defoulid in the idols of hem.
Update Bible Version
And I said to their sons in the wilderness, Don't walk in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
Webster's Bible Translation
But I said to their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:
New English Translation
"‘But I said to their children in the wilderness, "Do not follow the practices of your fathers; do not observe their regulations, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
New King James Version
"But I said to their children in the wilderness, "Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
New Living Translation
"Then I warned their children not to follow in their parents' footsteps, defiling themselves with their idols.
New Life Bible
"And I said to their children in the desert, ‘Do not keep the laws of your fathers, or follow their ways, or make yourselves sinful with their false gods.
New Revised Standard
I said to their children in the wilderness, Do not follow the statutes of your parents, nor observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But I said unto their children in the desert, In the statutes of your fathers, let it not be that ye walk, And their regulations, let it not be that ye observe, - And with their manufactured gods, let it not be that ye defile yourselves.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I said to their children in the wilderness: Walk not in the statutes of your fathers, and observe not their judgments, nor be ye defiled with their idols:
Revised Standard Version
"And I said to their children in the wilderness, Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
Young's Literal Translation
And I say to their sons in the wilderness: In the statutes of your fathers ye walk not, And their judgments ye do not observe, And with their idols ye are not defiled.
THE MESSAGE
"‘Then I addressed myself to their children in the desert: "Don't do what your parents did. Don't take up their practices. Don't make yourselves filthy with their no-god idols. I myself am God , your God: Keep my statutes and live by my laws. Keep my Sabbaths as holy rest days, signposts between me and you, signaling that I am God , your God."

Contextual Overview

10So I took them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11I gave them My statutes and made them know My judgments, which, if a man does them, he will live by them. 12And I also gave them My sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies them. 13But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes, and they rejected My judgments, which, if a man does them, he will live by them; and My sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I said I would pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to completely destroy them. 14But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, before whose sight I had brought them out. 15Also I swore to 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, 16because they rejected My judgments, and as for My statutes, they did not walk in them; they even profaned My sabbaths, for their heart continually walked after their idols. 17Yet My eye had pity on them rather than bringing them to ruin, and I did not make of them a complete destruction in the wilderness. 18"I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers and do not keep their judgments and do not defile yourselves with their idols. 19I am Yahweh your God; walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I said: Numbers 14:32, Numbers 14:33, Numbers 32:13-15, Deuteronomy 4:3-6, Psalms 78:6-8

the statutes: Zechariah 1:2-4, Luke 11:47, Luke 11:48, Acts 7:51, 1 Peter 1:18

defile: Ezekiel 20:7, Jeremiah 2:7, Jeremiah 3:9

Reciprocal: Joshua 24:14 - put 1 Kings 15:12 - all the idols 2 Chronicles 33:22 - as did Manasseh Psalms 1:1 - walketh Psalms 78:8 - as their Psalms 106:39 - defiled Jeremiah 11:8 - obeyed Jeremiah 11:10 - iniquities Jeremiah 32:23 - but Ezekiel 2:3 - rebelled Ezekiel 18:14 - that seeth Ezekiel 18:17 - he shall not Ezekiel 18:19 - When Amos 2:4 - after Mark 12:1 - and set Acts 7:53 - and have

Cross-References

Genesis 12:17
But Yahweh struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.
Genesis 16:2
So Sarai said to Abram, "Now behold, Yahweh has shut my womb from bearing children. Please go in to my servant-woman; perhaps I will obtain children through her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
Genesis 20:7
So now, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours."
Genesis 30:2
Then Jacob's anger burned against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"
1 Samuel 1:6
Her rival, however, would provoke her bitterly to irritate her because Yahweh had closed her womb.
1 Samuel 5:10
So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And as the ark of God came to Ekron the Ekronites cried out, saying, "They have brought the ark of the God of Israel around to us, to put us and our people to death."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But I said unto their children in the wilderness,.... Or, "then I said" k; his judgments and statutes being neglected and despised by them, and good instructions and kind providences being of no use unto them, the Lord turns to their posterity while yet in the wilderness: what follows seems to refer to those directions, instructions, and exhortations given in the book of Deuteronomy by Moses, in the plains of Moab, a little before the children of Israel went over Jordan into the land of Canaan:

walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments; they were not only not to imitate their parents in their open sins and transgressions of God's law; but they were not to follow them in the observance of such rules of worship, which were of their own devising, and they had formed into a law: this makes greatly against such who think it a very heinous sin to relinquish the religion of their ancestors, or that in which they were brought up; but if this does not appear to be according to the word of God, the statutes and judgments of our fathers should stand for nothing, yea, should be rejected:

nor defile yourselves with their idols; idolatry, as it is abominable to God, is defiling to men, and renders them loathsome to him; and it being what their fathers practised will not excuse them; for, as it was defiling to their fathers, it is no less so to their children.

k ואמר "postea dixi", Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The probation in the wilderness. The promise was forfeited by those to whom it was first conditionally made, but was renewed to their children.

Ezekiel 20:11

The “statutes” were given on Mount Sinai, and repeated by Moses before his death (Exodus 20:1 ff; Deuteronomy 4:8).

In them - Or, through them: and in Ezekiel 20:13.

Ezekiel 20:12

See Exodus 31:13. The Sabbath was a sign of a special people, commemorative of the work of creation, and hallowed to the honor of Yahweh, the covenant-God. As man honored God by keeping the Sabbath holy, so by the Sabbath, God “sanctified” Israel and marked them as a holy people. Therefore to profane the Sabbath was to abjure their Divine Governor.

Ezekiel 20:13

My sabbaths they greatly polluted - Not by actual non-observance of the sabbatical rest in the wilderness, but in failing to make the day holy in deed as well as in name by earnest worship and true heart service.

Ezekiel 20:18

The book of Deuteronomy contains the address to “the children” of those who perished in the wilderness. The whole history of Israel was a repetition of this course. The covenant was made with one generation, broken by them, and then renewed to the next.

Ezekiel 20:25

The “judgments whereby they should not live” are those spoken of in Ezekiel 20:18, and are contrasted with the judgments in Ezekiel 20:13, Ezekiel 20:21, laws other than divine, to which God gives up those whom He afflicts with judicial blindness, because they have willfully closed their eyes, Psalms 81:12; Romans 1:24.

Ezekiel 20:26

To pass through - The word also means to “set apart,” as the firstborn to the Lord Exodus 13:12. They were bidden to “set apart” their firstborn males to the Lord. They “caused them to pass through the fire” to Moloch. An instance of their perversion of God’s laws.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 20:18. But I said unto their children — These I chose in their fathers' stead; and to them I purposed to give the inheritance which their fathers by disobedience lost.


 
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