branches were torn off and dried up, the fire devoured them. (Comparison with a vine).
13 And now she is transplanted into the wilderness, into a dry and thirsty land. (Comparison with a vine).
14 And fire came out of the trunk of her branches, devoured her fruits, and there were no strong branches left on her for the ruler’s sceptre. This is a lamentable song, and will remain for crying. (The vine symbolizes the «infidel» people of the Jews).
Chapter 20
1 In the seventh year, in the fifth [month], on the tenth day of the month, men from the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD and sat down before me. (The elders of Israel at the prophet’s «reception»).
2 And the word of the LORD came to me: (Suggestion by words).
3 son of man! Speak to the elders of Israel and say to them: Thus saith the LORD God: Have you come to inquire of me? I live, I will not give you an answer, says the Lord God. (Interested persons – secret Jewish priests «broadcast» through the prophet).
4 Do you want to sue them, do you want to sue, son of man? express to them the abominations of their fathers (The judgment, beneficial to the Jewish priesthood, consisted in declaring that earlier the Israelites and Jews worshipped «abominations», that is, idols of foreign gods).
5 And say to them, Thus saith the LORD God: On the day that I chose Israel, and lifted up my hand, and swore to the tribe of the house of Jacob, and revealed myself to them in the land of Egypt, and lifted up my hand, and said to them, «I am the LORD your God!» – (Endless references to the Egyptian captivity. God has a hand, he can swear, choose, claim that he is supposedly God. All this, of course, has been done for many centuries by interested persons – secret Jewish priests).
6 On that day, lifting up my hand, I swore to them to bring them out of the land of Egypt into the land that I had provided for them, flowing with milk and honey, the beauty of all lands, (God has a hand that he raises, this is the pass of a hypnotist, swears, brings Jewish vagabonds out of Egypt and leads them for decades in the Sinai desert, and «sees» for the «chosen ones» the land supposedly «flowing with milk and honey, the beauty of all lands», which is little true, Canaan-Israel is an unproductive land. In fact, the top of the Jewish priesthood «liked» the profitable trade routes of Canaan, which can be controlled and get huge profits from this).
7 And he said to them, «Cast away every abomination from your eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. (The main task of the prophets is to attract to the side of Yahweh, that is, the Jewish priesthood, as many supporters as possible, especially the nobility of the Jewish tribes, in particular the elders, who, in turn, would help attract to the «true» god as many «chosen ones» as possible).
8 But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; no one rejected abominations from their eyes, nor forsook the idols of Egypt. And I said, I will pour out my wrath upon them, I will exhaust my wrath upon them in the midst of the land of Egypt. (The «chosen ones», that is, those whom the god Yahweh himself «chose» for himself as a «chosen people», based on Jewish statements, were constantly indignant against their god, did not obey, did not obey, did not abandon the idols of other gods. And as an ordinary man – god, that is, interested persons – the Jewish priesthood, expressed his discontent: anger and rage. And that he did not know in advance that this would happen? Why should God express human emotions? There is only one answer: only vengeful Jewish priests who were left without a flock, that is, hungry and cold, could do this).
9 But I have acted for my name’s sake, that it should not be blasphemed before the nations among whom they were, and before whose eyes I revealed myself to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt. (God acted in such a way that his name was not blasphemed by the peoples among whom he «led» the «chosen ones», «before whose eyes I revealed Myself to them in order to bring them out of the land of Egypt» – demonstrating to the naive public of vagabonds his hocus—pocus and «miracles», which turned out to be ordinary trickery and knowledge of desert life).
10 And I brought them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness, (A constant reference to the withdrawal from Egypt and «driving» through the Sinai desert).
11 and I gave them my commandments, and announced to them my ordinances, by fulfilling which a person would live through them; (All these commandments, ordinances were beneficial to the slave—owning system of the power of the priests – hierocracy).
12 I also gave them my sabbaths, that they might be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them. (The Sabbaths serve as a kind of omen-foreshadowing).
13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they did not act according to my commandments, and rejected my ordinances, which a man would live by them, and they violated my sabbaths, and I said, I will pour out my wrath on them in the wilderness to destroy them. (The «chosen ones» behaved badly. God, that is, the priest expresses very human qualities, like rage and is ready to kill the «chosen» Jews by him).
14 But I did it for my name’s sake, so that it would not be blasphemed before the nations in whose eyes I brought them out. (So would the priests, who did not want to hear condemnation and blasphemy from various nations).
15 Even when I raised my hand against them in the wilderness, I swore that I would not bring them into the land that I had appointed, flowing with milk and honey, the beauty of all lands (God has a hand!).
16 Because they rejected my ordinances, and did not walk according to my commandments, and broke my sabbaths; for their heart longed for their idols. (The «Chosen ones» constantly violated their obligations).
17 But my eye was sorry to destroy them, and I did not destroy them in the wilderness. (God has an eye-eye!).
18 And I said to their sons in the wilderness, Do not walk according to the rules of your fathers, and do not keep their statutes, and do not defile yourself with their idols. (God spoke!).
19 I am the LORD your God: do according to my commandments, and keep my statutes, and do them. (The statement that the priest is the master-slaveholder over his slaves).
20 And hallow my sabbaths, that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God. (The Sabbaths serve as a kind of omen-foreshadowing).
21 But my sons also rebelled against me: they did not act according to my commandments and did not keep my statutes, they did not do what a person would live if they did, they violated my sabbaths, and I said: I will pour out my anger on them, I will exhaust my fury over them in the wilderness; (The «chosen ones» constantly violated their obligations).
22 But I turned away my hand and acted for my name’s sake, so that it would not be blasphemed before the nations, before whose eyes I brought them out. (God has a hand!).
23 Also, having lifted up my hand in the wilderness, I [swore] to scatter them among the nations and scatter them over the lands (God has a hand!).
24 Because they did not fulfill my decrees and rejected my commandments, and violated my Sabbaths, and their eyes turned to the idols of their fathers. (For the zealots of Yahweh, that is, the Jewish priests, it was important not to lose their flock. In Babylonia, the Jews did not have such a unifying religious center as the Jerusalem temple
