Study Desk

'But he revolted against him by sending his messengers to Egypt so that they might give him horses and many troops. Will he succeed? Will he who does these things escape? Can he indeed break the covenant and escape?

"On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it, so that it may bring forth branches and bear fruit, and become a stately cedar. And birds of every kind will nest under it; they will nest in the shade of its branches.

if he walks in My statutes and keeps My ordinances so as to deal faithfully—he is righteous and will certainly live," declares the Lord GOD.

"Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, each according to his conduct," declares the Lord GOD. "Repent and turn away from all your offenses, so that wrongdoing does not become a stumbling block to you.

'They put him in a wooden collar with hooks And brought him to the king of Babylon; They brought him in hunting nets So that his voice would no longer be heard On the mountains of Israel.

'And it had strong stems fit for scepters of rulers, And its height was raised above the clouds So that it was seen in its height with the mass of its branches.

'But it was uprooted in fury; It was thrown down to the ground; And the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong stem was torn out So that it withered; The fire consumed it.

'And fire has gone out from its stem; It has consumed its shoots and fruit, So that there is no strong stem in it, A scepter to rule.'" This is a song of mourning, and has become a song of mourning.

"So I took them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.

"Also I gave them My Sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, so that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

"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.

'Sanctify My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, so that you may know that I am the LORD your God.'

"But the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to follow My ordinances which, if a person follows them, then he will live by them; they profaned My Sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to use up My anger against them in the wilderness.

"But I withdrew My hand and acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be defiled in the sight of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

and I pronounced them unclean because of their gifts, in that they made all their firstborn pass through the fire so that I might make them desolate, in order that they might know that I am the LORD."'

"Then I said to them, 'What is the high place to which you go?' So its name is called Bamah to this day."'

"And when you offer your gifts, when you make your sons pass through the fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, house of Israel? As I live," declares the Lord GOD, "I certainly will not be inquired of by you.

"Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you," declares the Lord GOD.

and I will purge from you the rebels and those who revolt against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they reside, but they will not enter the land of Israel. So you will know that I am the LORD.

"So humanity will know that I, the LORD, have drawn My sword from its sheath. It will not return to its sheath again."'