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, ¹  if you will not listen to me. ²  But my holy name will not be profaned ³  again by your sacrifices ⁴  and your idols.

Amos 5:21-22

5:21 “I absolutely despise ⁵  your festivals!

I get no pleasure ⁶  from your religious assemblies!

5:22 Even if you offer me burnt and grain offerings, ⁷  I will not be satisfied;

I will not look with favor on your peace offerings of fattened calves. ⁸ 

[20:39]  ¹ sn Compare the irony here to Amos 4:4 and Jer 44:25.

[20:39]  ² 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]  ³ sn A similar concept may be found in Lev 18:21; 20:3.

[20:39]  ⁴ tn Or “gifts.”

[5:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “I hate”; “I despise.”

[5:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “I will not smell.” These verses are full of vivid descriptions of the Lord’s total rejection of Israelite worship. In the first half of this verse two verbs are used together for emphasis. Here the verb alludes to the sense of smell, a fitting observation since offerings would have been burned on the altar ideally to provide a sweet aroma to God (see, e.g., Lev 1:9, 13, 17; Num 29:36). Other senses that are mentioned include sight and hearing in vv. 22-23.

[5:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “burnt offerings and your grain offerings.”

[5:22]  ⁸ tn Heb “Peace offering[s], your fattened calves, I will not look at.”