Ezekiel 20:5

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore an oath to the descendants of Jacob’s house and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore to them, saying, “I am the Lord your God.”

Hebrew Names Version
and tell them, Thus says the Lord GOD: In the day when I chose Yisra'el, and swore to the seed of the house of Ya`akov, and made myself known to them in the land of Mitzrayim, when I swore to them, saying, I am the LORD your God;

King James Version
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;

English Standard Version
and say to them, Thus says the Lord God : On the day when I chose Israel, I swore to the offspring of the house of Jacob, making myself known to them in the land of Egypt; I swore to them, saying, I am the Lord your God.

New American Standard Bible
and say to them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: "On the day when I chose Israel and swore to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, I am the LORD your God,

New Century Version
Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: When I chose Israel, I made a promise to the descendants of Jacob. I made myself known to them in Egypt, and I promised them, "I am the Lord your God."

Amplified Bible
and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "On the day when I chose Israel and lifted up My hand and swore to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, I am the LORD your God,

World English Bible
and tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: In the day when I chose Israel, and swore to the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, I am Yahweh your God;

Geneva Bible (1587)
And say vnto them, Thus saith the Lorde God, In the day when I chose Israel, and lift vp mine hand vnto the seede of the house of Iaakob, and made my selfe knowen vnto them in the land of Egypt, when I lift vp mine hand vnto them, and sayd, I am the Lord your God,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "On the day when I chose Israel and swore to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, I am the LORD your God,

Legacy Standard Bible
and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, "On the day when I chose Israel and swore to the seed of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, I am Yahweh your God,

Berean Standard Bible
and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: 'On the day I chose Israel, I swore an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt. With an uplifted hand I said to them, "I am the LORD your God."

Contemporary English Version
Tell them that long ago I, the Lord God, chose Israel to be my own. I appeared to their ancestors in Egypt and made a solemn promise that I would be their God and the God of their descendants.

Complete Jewish Bible
Tell them that Adonai Elohim says this: ‘Back on the day when I chose Isra'el, I raised my hand to the descendants of the house of Ya‘akov. I revealed myself to them in the land of Egypt when I raised my hand to them and said, "I am Adonai your God."

Darby Translation
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up my hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up my hand unto them, saying, I [am] Jehovah your God,

Easy-to-Read Version
You must tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: On the day I chose Israel, I raised my hand to Jacob's family and made a promise to them in Egypt. When I let them know who I was, I raised my hand and said, "I am the Lord your God."

George Lamsa Translation
And say to them, Thus says the LORD God: In the day when I chose Israel and swore by lifting up my hand to the descendants of the house of Jacob and revealed myself to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them and said to them, I am the LORD your God;

Good News Translation
Tell them what I am saying. When I chose Israel, I made them a promise. I revealed myself to them in Egypt and told them: I am the Lord your God.

Lexham English Bible
And you must say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "On the day of my choosing Israel I swore to the offspring of the house of Jacob, and I made myself known to them in the land of Egypt, and I swore to them, saying, ‘I am Yahweh your God.'

Literal Translation
And say to them, So says the Lord Jehovah: In the day I chose Israel and lifted My hand to the seed of the house of Jacob, and I was made known to them in the land of Egypt, when I liftedup My hand to them, saying, I am Jehovahyour God.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
& tell the: Thus saieth the LORDE God: In the daye when I chose Israel, and lift vp myne honde vpon the sede of the house of Iacob, & shewed my self vnto them in the londe of Egipte: Yee when I lifte vp myne honde ouer the, and sayde: I am the LORDE youre God,

American Standard Version
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day when I chose Israel, and sware unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I sware unto them, saying, I am Jehovah your God;

Bible in Basic English
And say to them, This is what the Lord has said: In the day when I took Israel for myself, when I made an oath to the seed of the family of Jacob, and I gave them knowledge of myself in the land of Egypt, saying to them with an oath, I am the Lord your God;

JPS Old Testament (1917)
and say unto them: Thus saith the Lord GOD: In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up My hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up My hand unto them, saying: I am the LORD your God;

King James Version (1611)
And say vnto them, Thus saith the Lord God, In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted vp mine hand vnto the seed of the house of Iacob, and made my selfe knowen vnto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted vp mine hand vnto them, saying, I am the Lord your God,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And tell them, thus saith the Lorde God, In the day when I chose Israel, and lift vp mine hande vpon the seede of the house of Iacob, and was knowen vnto them in the lande of Egypt, yea when I lift vp mine hande ouer them, and sayde, I am the Lorde your God:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord;

English Revised Version
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;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thou schalt seie to hem, The Lord God seith these thingis, In the dai in which Y chees Israel, and reiside myn hond for the generacioun of the hous of Jacob, and Y apperide to hem in the lond of Egipt, and Y reiside myn hond for hem, and Y seide, Y am youre Lord God,

Update Bible Version
and say to them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: In the day when I chose Israel, and swore to the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, I am Yahweh your God;

Webster's Bible Translation
And say to them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up my hand to the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up my hand to them, saying, I [am] the LORD your God;

New English Translation
and say to them: "‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel I swore to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore to them, "I am the Lord your God."

New King James Version
"Say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD: "On the day when I chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, "I am the LORD your God.'

New Living Translation
Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord : When I chose Israel—when I revealed myself to the descendants of Jacob in Egypt—I took a solemn oath that I, the Lord , would be their God.

New Life Bible
Tell them, ‘The Lord God says, "On the day I chose Israel, I raised My hand and made a promise to the children of the family of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I made a promise to them, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God.'

New Revised Standard
and say to them: Thus says the Lord God : On the day when I chose Israel, I swore to the offspring of the house of Jacob—making myself known to them in the land of Egypt—I swore to them, saying, I am the Lord your God.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So then thou shalt say unto them Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh, In the day when I made choice of Israel, then lifted I up my hand. to the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known to them, in the land of Egypt,- Yea I lifted up my hand to them, saying, Yahweh am your God.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up my hand for the race of the house of Jacob: and appeared to them in the land of Egypt, and lifted up my hand for them, saying: I am the Lord your God:

Revised Standard Version
and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day when I chose Israel, I swore to the seed of the house of Jacob, making myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I swore to them, saying, I am the LORD your God.

Young's Literal Translation
and thou hast said unto them: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: In the day of My fixing on Israel, I lift up My hand, To the seed of the house of Jacob, And am known to them in the land of Egypt, And I lift up My hand to them, Saying, I [am] Jehovah your God.

Contextual Overview

⁶Get Rid of All the Things You've Become Addicted To In the seventh year, the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, some of the leaders of Israel came to ask for guidance from God . They sat down before me. Then God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, talk with the leaders of Israel. Tell them, ‘ God , the Master, says, "Have you come to ask me questions? As sure as I am the living God, I'll not put up with questions from you. Decree of God , the Master."' "Son of man, why don't you do it? Yes, go ahead. Hold them accountable. Confront them with the outrageous obscenities of their parents. Tell them that God , the Master, says: "‘On the day I chose Israel, I revealed myself to them in the country of Egypt, raising my hand in a solemn oath to the people of Jacob, in which I said, "I am God , your personal God." On the same day that I raised my hand in the solemn oath, I promised them that I would take them out of the country of Egypt and bring them into a country that I had searched out just for them, a country flowing with milk and honey, a jewel of a country. ⁷ "‘At that time I told them, "Get rid of all the vile things that you've become addicted to. Don't make yourselves filthy with the Egyptian no-god idols. I alone am God , your God." ⁸"‘But they rebelled against me, wouldn't listen to a word I said. None got rid of the vile things they were addicted to. They held on to the no-gods of Egypt as if for dear life. I seriously considered inflicting my anger on them in force right there in Egypt. Then I thought better of it. I acted out of who I was, not by how I felt. And I acted in a way that would evoke honor, not blasphemy, from the nations around them, nations who had seen me reveal myself by promising to lead my people out of Egypt. And then I did it: I led them out of Egypt into the desert.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

In the: Exodus 6:6, Exodus 6:7, Exodus 19:4-6, Deuteronomy 4:37, Deuteronomy 7:6, Deuteronomy 14:2, Psalms 33:12, Isaiah 41:8, Isaiah 41:9, Isaiah 43:10, Isaiah 44:1, Isaiah 44:2, Jeremiah 33:24, Mark 13:20

lifted up mine hand: or, sware - and so Ezekiel 20:6, etc. Exodus 6:8, Exodus 6:9. Ezekiel 20:15, Ezekiel 20:23, Ezekiel 47:14, Genesis 14:22, Deuteronomy 32:40, Revelation 10:5

and made: Ezekiel 35:11, Exodus 3:8, Exodus 4:31, Deuteronomy 4:34, Deuteronomy 11:2-7, Psalms 103:7

I am: Exodus 3:6, Exodus 3:16, Exodus 20:2, Exodus 20:3

Reciprocal: Exodus 29:46 - I am Leviticus 18:2 - General Judges 6:8 - a prophet Psalms 50:7 - I am Isaiah 1:2 - I have Isaiah 62:8 - sworn Jeremiah 7:25 - the day Ezekiel 16:6 - Live Ezekiel 16:8 - I sware Ezekiel 36:7 - I have lifted Micah 6:4 - I brought

Cross-References

Psalms 25:21
Use all your skill to put me together; I wait to see your finished product.

Psalms 26:6
I scrub my hands with purest soap, then join hands with the others in the great circle, dancing around your altar, God , Singing God-songs at the top of my lungs, telling God-stories.

Proverbs 11:3
The integrity of the honest keeps them on track; the deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin.

Proverbs 20:7
God-loyal people, living honest lives, make it much easier for their children.

2 Corinthians 1:12
Now that the worst is over, we're pleased we can report that we've come out of this with conscience and faith intact, and can face the world—and even more importantly, face you with our heads held high. But it wasn't by any fancy footwork on our part. It was God who kept us focused on him, uncompromised. Don't try to read between the lines or look for hidden meanings in this letter. We're writing plain, unembellished truth, hoping that you'll now see the whole picture as well as you've seen some of the details. We want you to be as proud of us as we are of you when we stand together before our Master Jesus.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And say unto them, thus saith the Lord God,.... Here begins the account of their fathers; of God's unmerited goodness to them, and of their sins and transgressions against him, and how it fared with them:

in the day when I chose Israel; to be his peculiar people, above all people on the face of the earth; when he declared his choice of them, and made it appear that he had chosen them, and distinguished them, by special blessings and favours bestowed on them:

and lifted up mine hand to the seed of the house of Jacob; the posterity of Jacob or Israel, to whom the Lord swore that he would do such and such things for them; of which the lifting up the hand was a token; it is a gesture used in swearing, Daniel 12:7; and so the Targum,

"and I swore unto them by my word:''

and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt: by his name Jehovah; by the prophets he sent unto them, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam; and by the miracles he wrought among them:

when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I [am] the Lord your God: making promise of it, declaring it unto them, confirming it with an oath; see Hebrews 6:17.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The children of Israel in Egypt were warned to abstain from the idolatry of the pagan. This purpose they lost sight of, yet God spared them and brought them into another state of probation.

Ezekiel 20:5

Lifted up mine hand - i. e., sware, because the hand was lifted up in adjuration.

Ezekiel 20:8

Idols of Egypt - These incidental notices show the children of Israel in Egypt to have been addicted to idolatry. Compare Joshua 24:14.

Ezekiel 20:9

I wrought for my name’s sake - Lest it should appear to the Egyptians that Yahweh was a God who would, but could not, save.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 20:5. I chose Israel — They did not choose me for their God, till I had chosen them to be my people.

I lifted up mine hand — I bound myself In a covenant to them to continue to be their God, if they should be faithful, and continue to be my people. Among the Jews the juror lifted up his right hand to heaven; which explains Psalms 144:8: "Their right hand is a right hand of falsehood." This is a form used in England, Scotland, and Ireland.