Yehezkiel 20:32-33

20:32 “‘What you plan ¹  will never happen. You say, “We will be ²  like the nations, like the clans of the lands, who serve gods of wood and stone.” ³  20:33 As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm, ⁴  and with an outpouring of rage, I will be king over you.

Yehezkiel 20:39

20:39 “‘As for you, O house of Israel, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Each of you go and serve your idols, ⁵  if you will not listen to me. ⁶  But my holy name will not be profaned ⁷  again by your sacrifices ⁸  and your idols.

[20:32]  ¹ tn Heb “what comes upon your mind.”

[20:32]  ² tn The Hebrew could also read: “Let us be.”

[20:32]  ³ tn Heb “serving wood and stone.”

[20:32]  sn This verse echoes the content of 1 Sam 8:20.

[20:33]  ⁴ sn This phrase occurs frequently in Deuteronomy (Deut 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 11:2; 26:8).

[20:39]  ⁵ sn Compare the irony here to Amos 4:4 and Jer 44:25.

[20:39]  ⁶ tn Heb “and after, if you will not listen to me.” The translation leaves out “and after” for smoothness. The text is difficult. M. Greenberg (Ezekiel [AB], 1:374) suggests that it may mean “but afterwards, if you will not listen to me…” with an unspoken threat.

[20:39]  ⁷ sn A similar concept may be found in Lev 18:21; 20:3.

[20:39]  ⁸ tn Or “gifts.”