Ezekiel 20:14

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But I acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

Hebrew Names Version
But I worked for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.

King James Version
But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.

English Standard Version
But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.

New American Standard Bible
"But I acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be defiled before the eyes of the nations, before whose eyes I had brought them out.

New Century Version
But I acted for the sake of my name so it would not be dishonored in full view of the nations who watched as I had brought the Israelites out of Egypt.

Amplified Bible
"But I acted for My Name's sake, that it would not be profaned in the sight of the [pagan] nations in whose sight I had brought them out [of slavery].

World English Bible
But I worked for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.

Geneva Bible (1587)
But I had respect to my Name, that it shoulde not bee polluted before the heathen in whose sight I brought them out.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But 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.

Legacy Standard Bible
But 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.

Berean Standard Bible
But I acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

Contemporary English Version
But that would have disgraced me, because many other nations had seen me bring the Israelites out of Egypt.

Complete Jewish Bible
But concern for my own reputation kept me from letting it be profaned in the sight of the nations who had seen when I brought them out.

Darby Translation
But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.

Easy-to-Read Version
But I did not destroy them. The other nations saw me bring Israel out of Egypt. I did not want to ruin my good name, so I did not destroy Israel in front of those other people.

George Lamsa Translation
But I pitied them for my names sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose presence I brought them out.

Good News Translation
But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me lead Israel out of Egypt.

Lexham English Bible
and I acted for the sake of my name, that it not be profaned before the eyes of the nations before whom I brought them out.

Literal Translation
But I worked for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations, before whom I brought them out, in their eyes.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yet I wolde not do it, for my names sake: lest it shulde be dishonoured before the Heithe, from the which I had caried them awaye.

American Standard Version
But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.

Bible in Basic English
And I was acting for the honour of my name, so that it might not be made unclean in the eyes of the nations, before whose eyes I had taken them out.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
But I wrought for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.

King James Version (1611)
But I wrought for my names sake, that it should not bee polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And I wrought for my names sake, lest it shoulde be defiled before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But I wrought so that my name should not be at all profaned before the Gentiles, before whose eyes I brought them out.

English Revised Version
But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and Y dide for my name, lest it were defoulid bifor hethene men, fro whiche Y castide hem out in the siyt of tho.

Update Bible Version
But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.

Webster's Bible Translation
But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.

New English Translation
I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

New King James Version
But I acted for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out.

New Living Translation
But again I held back in order to protect the honor of my name before the nations who had seen my power in bringing Israel out of Egypt.

New Life Bible
But I acted for the good of My name. I did what would keep My name clean in the eyes of the nations who saw Me bring them out of Egypt.

New Revised Standard
But I acted for the sake of my name, so that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Howbeit I wrought with effect for the sake of mine own Name, - that it should not b profaned in the eyes of the nations, in whose eyes I had brought them forth.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But I spared them for the sake of my name, lest it should be profaned before the nations, from which I brought them out, in their sight.

Revised Standard Version
But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.

Young's Literal Translation
And I do [it] for My name's sake, Not to pollute [it] before the eyes of the nations, Before whose eyes I brought them forth.

Contextual Overview

¹¹"‘I gave them laws for living, showed them how to live well and obediently before me. I also gave them my weekly holy rest days, my "Sabbaths," a kind of signpost erected between me and them to show them that I, God , am in the business of making them holy. ¹³"‘But Israel rebelled against me in the desert. They didn't follow my statutes. They despised my laws for living well and obediently in the ways I had set out. And they totally desecrated my holy Sabbaths. I seriously considered unleashing my anger on them right there in the desert. But I thought better of it and acted out of who I was, not by what I felt, so that I might be honored and not blasphemed by the nations who had seen me bring them out. But I did lift my hand in a solemn oath there in the desert and promise them that I would not bring them into the country flowing with milk and honey that I had chosen for them, that jewel among all lands. I canceled my promise because they despised my laws for living obediently, wouldn't follow my statutes, and went ahead and desecrated my holy Sabbaths. They preferred living by their no-god idols. But I didn't go all the way: I didn't wipe them out, didn't finish them off in the desert. ¹⁸"‘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." ²¹"‘But the children also rebelled against me. They neither followed my statutes nor kept my laws for living upright and well. And they desecrated my Sabbaths. I seriously considered dumping my anger on them, right there in the desert. But I thought better of it and acted out of who I was, not by what I felt, so that I might be honored and not blasphemed by the nations who had seen me bring them out. ²³"‘But I did lift my hand in solemn oath there in the desert, and swore that I would scatter them all over the world, disperse them every which way because they didn't keep my laws nor live by my statutes. They desecrated my Sabbaths and remained addicted to the no-god idols of their parents. Since they were determined to live bad lives, I myself gave them statutes that could not produce goodness and laws that did not produce life. I abandoned them. Filthy in the gutter, they perversely sacrificed their firstborn children in the fire. The very horror should have shocked them into recognizing that I am God .'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Ezekiel 20:9, Ezekiel 20:22, Ezekiel 36:22, Ezekiel 36:23, Ephesians 1:6, Ephesians 1:12

Reciprocal: Exodus 32:12 - should Leviticus 26:45 - in the sight Numbers 14:13 - Then the Deuteronomy 9:5 - that he may Deuteronomy 9:28 - Because Deuteronomy 32:27 - lest their Judges 16:24 - praised 1 Samuel 12:22 - for his great 1 Kings 20:13 - Hast thou 1 Kings 20:28 - therefore will Nehemiah 9:19 - in thy Psalms 23:3 - for his Psalms 74:18 - the foolish Psalms 78:38 - many Psalms 79:9 - for thy Psalms 106:8 - he saved Psalms 106:23 - he said Psalms 115:1 - unto us Isaiah 26:12 - in us Isaiah 43:25 - for mine Isaiah 48:9 - my name's Isaiah 52:5 - my name Jeremiah 14:7 - do Jeremiah 31:2 - found Lamentations 3:22 - of Ezekiel 20:16 - they Ezekiel 20:44 - when I Ezekiel 36:21 - General Ezekiel 39:7 - and I will Daniel 9:19 - thine Hosea 11:9 - not execute

Cross-References

Genesis 12:16
Because of her, Abram got along very well: he accumulated sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, men and women servants, and camels. But God hit Pharaoh hard because of Abram's wife Sarai; everybody in the palace got seriously sick.

Genesis 20:11
Abraham said, "I just assumed that there was no fear of God in this place and that they'd kill me to get my wife. Besides, the truth is that she is my half sister; she's my father's daughter but not my mother's. When God sent me out as a wanderer from my father's home, I told her, ‘Do me a favor; wherever we go, tell people that I'm your brother.'"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the Heathen,.... :-; who would be ready to say it was for want of power, or faithfulness, or, goodness, that he did not bring them into the promised land; or there was no such land to bring them to God's own glory was concerned, and that is his ultimate end in all he does; and is of more weight with him than any other argument whatever:

in whose sight I brought them out; from Egypt, into the wilderness; this was done publicly in the sight of the Egyptians, they urging them to be gone.

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.