Ezekiel 20:21-23

New Century Version

²¹ “‘But the children turned against me. They did not live by my rules, nor were they careful to obey my laws, by which people will live if they obey them. They dishonored my Sabbaths. So I decided to pour out my anger against them in the desert. ²² But I held back my anger. I acted for the sake of my name so it would not be dishonored in full view of the nations who watched as I brought the Israelites out. ²³ And in the desert I swore to the Israelites that I would scatter them among the nations and spread them among the countries,