1In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, men from the elders of Israel came to seek the LORD, and they sat before me.2Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,3Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Are you coming to seek me? As I live, if I will be sought by you, declares the Lord GOD.4Will you judge them? Will you judge, son of man? Make known to them the abominations of their fathers.5Say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day I chose Israel, I raised my hand to the seed of the house of Jacob and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt; I raised my hand to them, saying, "I am the LORD your God."6On that day I raised my hand to them to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey; it is the beauty of all lands.7I said to them, "Let each man cast away the abominations of his eyes and not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the LORD your God."8But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me. Each man did not cast away the abominations of his eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I said I would pour out my rage on them to finish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.9Yet I acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned before the eyes of the nations among whom they were, in whose eyes I had made myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.10I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them into the wilderness.11I gave them my statutes and made my judgments known to them, by which the man who does them shall live in them.12I also gave them my Sabbaths to be a sign between me and them, to know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.13But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes and rejected my judgments, by which the man who does them shall live in them, and they profaned my Sabbaths greatly. So I said I would pour out my rage on them in the wilderness to destroy them.14Yet I acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned in the sight of the nations before whom I had brought them out.15Moreover, I raised my hand against them in the wilderness so that I would not bring them into the land I had given them, a land flowing with milk and honey; it is the beauty of all lands.16Because they rejected my judgments and did not walk in my statutes and profaned my Sabbaths, for their heart went after their idols.17Nevertheless my eye spared them from destroying them, and I did not make a complete end of them in the wilderness.18I said to their sons in the wilderness, Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, do not keep their judgments, and do not defile yourselves with their idols.19I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, keep my judgments, and do them.20Sanctify my Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between me and you, to know that I am the LORD your God.21But the sons rebelled against me. They did not walk in my statutes and did not keep my judgments to do them, by which the man who does them shall live in them; they profaned my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my rage on them to finish my anger against them in the wilderness.22I returned my hand and acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned before the eyes of the nations before whom I had brought them out.23I also raised my hand against them in the wilderness to scatter them among the nations and to disperse them through the lands.24Because they had not kept my judgments, had rejected my statutes, and had profaned my Sabbaths, and because their eyes went after the idols of their fathers.25I also gave them statutes that were not good and judgments by which they would not live in them.26I defiled them through their gifts by making every firstborn of the womb pass through, in order to desolate them, so that they might know that I am the LORD.27Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: This also your fathers have blasphemed me by their unfaithfulness against me.28I brought them into the land that I had raised my hand to give them. They saw every high hill and every leafy tree, and they sacrificed their sacrifices there, gave their provoking offerings there, set their soothing aromas there, and poured their drink offerings there.29I said to them, "What is the high place to which you are coming?" So its name has been called Bamah to this day.