Ezekiel 20:3

¹ And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD, and sat before me.

² Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,

Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.

⁴ Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:

⁵ 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;

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: Have you come to inquire of Me? As surely as I live, I will not be consulted by you, declares the Lord GOD.
KJV: Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
WEB: “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and tell them, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Is it to inquire of me that you have come? As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will not be inquired of by you.”’
ASV: Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Is it to inquire of me that ye are come? As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you.
DARBY: Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Are ye come to inquire of me? [As] I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you.
BLB: “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, thus says the Lord YHWH: Have you⁺ come to inquire of Me? [As] I live, I will not be inquired of by you⁺, a declaration of the Lord YHWH.

ÅB: Menneskesønn! Tal med Israels eldste og si til dem: Så sier Herren, Israels Gud: Er dere kommet for å spørre meg? Så sant jeg lever, lar jeg meg ikke spørre av dere, sier Herren, Israels Gud.
OTB: "Menneskesønn, tal til de eldste i Israel og si til dem: ‘Så sier Herren Gud: Har dere kommet for å spørre meg? Så sant jeg lever, sier Herren Gud, jeg vil ikke la dere spørre meg.’
B1930: Menneskesønn! Tal med Israels eldste og si til dem: Så sier Herren, Israels Gud: Er I kommet for å spørre mig? Så sant jeg lever, lar jeg mig ikke spørre av eder, sier Herren, Israels Gud.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Psalms 50:15–21
And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
Read in context
Proverbs 28:9
He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.
Read in context
Matthew 15:8–9
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
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Micah 3:7
Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.
Read in context
Ezekiel 20:31
For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
Read in context
Isaiah 1:12
When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
Read in context
Proverbs 15:8
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
Read in context
Ezekiel 14:7–8
For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself:
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