But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me: Despite God’s command not to worship idols, the people did not obey. They rebelled against me may be rendered “they turned against me” (New Century Version) or “they acted stubbornly toward me.” Would not listen to me may be expressed as “would not obey me.”

They did not every man cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt: This sentence repeats most of God’s command in verse 7, adding the negative to show that the people did not obey it. It may be rendered “None of them got rid of the things they loved that I hate. They did not stop worshiping the Egyptian idols.”

Then I thought I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt: The Israelites’ disobedience prompted God to punish them. I thought may be rendered “I decided” (Contemporary English Version, New Century Version) or “I resolved” (New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Moffatt). I would pour out my wrath upon them pictures God pouring out his anger as if it were a hot liquid (see 7.8). This clause may be translated “I would make them feel the consequences of my anger.” Spend my anger against them means he would punish them until he was no longer angry with them (see 7.8). In the midst of the land of Egypt means while they were still in Egypt. This whole sentence can be shortened by saying “In my anger I decided to punish the Israelites in Egypt until I was no longer angry” (similarly Contemporary English Version). But the next verse says that God in fact did not punish them in Egypt. In those languages where this causes a logical problem, it is possible to say “I was so angry with them that I came close to punishing them there in Egypt.” However, it is best to convey all the elements of the original text; for example, one model that does this is “Then I decided while they were still in Egypt to make them feel the consequences of my anger and punish them until I had no more anger.”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .