1‘Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, “Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord.2This is what the Sovereign Lord says: the enemy said of you, ‘Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession.’ ”3Therefore prophesy and say, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: because they ravaged and crushed you from every side so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and the object of people’s malicious talk and slander,4therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign Lord: this is what the Sovereign Lord says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and the deserted towns that have been plundered and ridiculed by the rest of the nations around you –5this is what the Sovereign Lord says: in my burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against Edom, for with glee and with malice in their hearts they made my land their own possession so that they might plunder its pasture-land.”6Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I speak in my jealous wrath because you have suffered the scorn of the nations.7Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I swear with uplifted hand that the nations around you will also suffer scorn.8‘ “But you, mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home.9I am concerned for you and will look on you with favour; you will be ploughed and sown,10and I will cause many people to live on you – yes, all of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.11I will increase the number of people and animals living on you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the Lord.12I will cause people, my people Israel, to live on you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children.13‘ “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: because some say to you, ‘You devour people and deprive your nation of its children,’14therefore you will no longer devour people or make your nation childless, declares the Sovereign Lord.15No longer will I make you hear the taunts of the nations, and no longer will you suffer the scorn of the peoples or cause your nation to fall, declares the Sovereign Lord.” ’
Israel’s restoration assured
16Again the word of the Lord came to me:17‘Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. Their conduct was like a woman’s monthly uncleanness in my sight.18So I poured out my wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their idols.19I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions.20And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, “These are the Lord’s people, and yet they had to leave his land.”21I had concern for my holy name, which the people of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone.22‘Therefore say to the Israelites, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: it is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.23I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.24‘ “For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.25I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.26I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.27And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.28Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.29I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the corn and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you.30I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.31Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices.32I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel!33‘ “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: on the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt.34The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it.35They will say, ‘This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.’36Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.”37‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: once again I will yield to Israel’s plea and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep,38as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed festivals. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’
Ezekiel 36
English Standard Version
Prophecy to the Mountains of Israel
1“And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. (Eze 2:1; Eze 6:2)2Thus says the Lord God: Because the enemy said of you, ‘Aha!’ and, ‘The ancient heights have become our possession,’ (De 32:13; Eze 25:3; Eze 26:2; Eze 35:10; Eze 35:12; Eze 36:5)3therefore prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God: Precisely because they made you desolate and crushed you from all sides, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you became the talk and evil gossip of the people, (La 2:15; Eze 6:3)4therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God: Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and the hills, the ravines and the valleys, the desolate wastes and the deserted cities, which have become a prey and derision to the rest of the nations all around, (Eze 6:3; Eze 7:21; Eze 33:24; Eze 33:27)5therefore thus says the Lord God: Surely I have spoken in my hot jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who gave my land to themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and utter contempt, that they might make its pasturelands a prey. (De 4:24; Eze 25:6; Eze 35:10; Eze 35:15; Eze 36:3)6Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I have spoken in my jealous wrath, because you have suffered the reproach of the nations. (Eze 32:24; Eze 36:1; Eze 36:5)7Therefore thus says the Lord God: I swear that the nations that are all around you shall themselves suffer reproach. (Eze 20:5; Eze 36:6)8“But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel, for they will soon come home. (Isa 56:1; Eze 12:23; Eze 17:23)9For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. (Eze 5:8; Eze 36:34)10And I will multiply people on you, the whole house of Israel, all of it. The cities shall be inhabited and the waste places rebuilt. (Jer 30:19; Eze 36:33; Eze 36:35; Eze 36:37; Eze 37:26)11And I will multiply on you man and beast, and they shall multiply and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than ever before. Then you will know that I am the Lord. (Ge 1:28; Job 42:12; Jer 31:27; Jer 33:12; Eze 6:7; Eze 16:55)12I will let people walk on you, even my people Israel. And they shall possess you, and you shall be their inheritance, and you shall no longer bereave them of children. (Eze 5:17; Ob 1:17)13Thus says the Lord God: Because they say to you, ‘You devour people, and you bereave your nation of children,’ (Nu 13:32)14therefore you shall no longer devour people and no longer bereave your nation of children, declares the Lord God.15And I will not let you hear anymore the reproach of the nations, and you shall no longer bear the disgrace of the peoples and no longer cause your nation to stumble, declares the Lord God.” (Eze 36:6)
The Lord’s Concern for His Holy Name
16The word of the Lord came to me:17“Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds. Their ways before me were like the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity. (Le 18:19; Le 18:25; Eze 2:1)18So I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed in the land, for the idols with which they had defiled it. (Eze 5:11; Eze 7:8; Eze 16:36; Eze 22:3)19I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries. In accordance with their ways and their deeds I judged them. (Eze 5:10; Eze 18:30)20But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, they profaned my holy name, in that people said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and yet they had to go out of his land.’ (Isa 52:5; Eze 22:26; Ro 2:24)21But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came. (Isa 43:25; Isa 48:11; Eze 20:9)
I Will Put My Spirit Within You
22“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. (De 9:5; Eze 36:20; Eze 36:32)23And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. (Eze 6:7; Eze 20:41; Eze 30:19; Eze 30:26; Eze 38:23; Eze 39:7; Eze 39:21)24I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. (Ps 44:11; Eze 11:17; Eze 37:12; Eze 37:21)25I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. (Isa 4:4; Isa 52:15; Jer 33:8; Eze 36:17; Eze 37:23; Heb 10:22)26And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Eze 11:19)27And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.[1] (Eze 36:26; Eze 37:14; Eze 37:24)28You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. (Eze 11:20; Eze 28:25)29And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. (Eze 34:29; Eze 37:23; Joe 2:19; Zec 9:17; Mt 1:21)30I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. (Eze 34:27; Eze 36:29)31Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. (Eze 6:9)32It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord God; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel. (Eze 36:22)33“Thus says the Lord God: On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. (Eze 36:9; Eze 36:25)34And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by.35And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ (Isa 51:3)36Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the Lord; I have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it. (Ps 126:2; Eze 17:24; Eze 34:29)37“Thus says the Lord God: This also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them: to increase their people like a flock. (Eze 14:3; Eze 34:31; Eze 36:10)38Like the flock for sacrifices,[2] like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.” (2Ch 35:7; Eze 6:7; Eze 36:33)