# General Information:

Yahweh continues giving Ezekiel his message to the house of Israel.

# went far from me ... wandered away from me, going after their idols

The way a person lives is spoken of as walking on a path. AT: "stopped worshiping me ... stopped doing what I wanted them to do. Instead, they worshiped their idols" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# are servants in my sanctuary

"will be the servants in my temple"

# watching the gates of the house

"performing guard duty at the gates of the house"

# they will stand before the people and serve them

"these Levites will stand before the people, so that they can serve the people"

# became stumbling blocks for sin for the house of Israel

A person who causes another person to sin is spoken of as if he were something on a path over which people stumble. AT: "became people who caused the house of Israel to sin" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# the house of Israel

The word "house" is a metonym for the family that lives in the house, in this case the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob over many years. See how you translated this in [Ezekiel 3:1](../03/01.md). AT: "the Israelites" or "the Israelite people group" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])

# I will lift up my hand to swear an oath

In those days a person would raise his right hand to show that he realized that God would punish him if he did not do what he swore to do. See how you translated these words in [Ezekiel 20:6](../20/04.md). AT: "I will solemnly swear" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction]])

# against them

"that I will punish them"

# this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration

Yahweh speaks of himself by name to express the certainty of what he is declaring. See how you translated this in [Ezekiel 5:11](../05/11.md). AT: "this is what the Lord Yahweh has declared" or "this is what I, the Lord Yahweh, have declared" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-123person]])

# they will bear their punishment

The abstract noun "punishment" can be translated as a verb. AT: "I will certainly punish them" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])

# translationWords

* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/names/levite]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/idol]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/servant]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/house]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/serve]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/slaughter]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/burntoffering]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/sacrifice]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/stumblingblock]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/oath]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/declare]]