Ezekiel 36

Blessing on 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!2 Thus says the Lord God: Because the enemy has said of you, Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession,3 therefore prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God: Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you are taken up by the lips of talkers and slandered by the people4 therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which became plunder and mockery to the rest of the nations all around5 therefore thus says the Lord God: Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and spiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country.6 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you have borne the shame of the nations.7 Therefore thus says the Lord God: I have raised My hand in an oath that surely the nations that are around you shall bear their own shame.8 But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come.9 For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown.10 I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.11 I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.12 Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, My people Israel; they shall take possession of you, and you shall be their inheritance; no more shall you bereave them of children. 13 Thus says the Lord God: Because they say to you, You devour men and bereave your nation of children, 14 therefore you shall devour men no more, nor bereave your nation anymore, says the Lord God.15 Nor will I let you hear the taunts of the nations anymore, nor bear the reproach of the peoples anymore, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble anymore, says the Lord God.

The Renewal of Israel

16 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying:17 Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity.18 Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it.19 So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds.20 When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy namewhen they said of them, These are the people of the Lord, and yet they have gone out of His land.21 But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.22 Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy names sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.23 And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 28 Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.29 I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you.30 And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations.31 Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations.32 Not for your sake do I do this, says the Lord God, let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!33 Thus says the Lord God: On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt.34 The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by.35 So they will say, This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.36 Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it. 37 Thus says the Lord God: I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock.38 Like a flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.

EZEKIEL 36

A Message //for Israel's Mountains

1 The [Lord] said:
Ezekiel, son of man, tell the mountains of Israel

2 that I, the [Lord] God, am saying:
Your enemies sneered and said that you mountains belonged to them. 3 They ruined and crushed you from every side, and foreign nations captured and made fun of you. 4 So all you mountains and hills, streams and valleys, listen to what I will do. Your towns may now lie in ruins, and nations may laugh and insult you. 5 But in my fierce anger, I will turn against those nations, and especially the Edomites, because they laughed at you the loudest and took over your pasturelands. 6 You have suffered long enough, and, I, the [Lord] God, am very angry! Nations have insulted you,

7 so I will now insult and disgrace them. That is my solemn promise.
8 Trees will grow on you mountains of Israel and produce fruit for my people, because they will soon come home. 9 I will take care of you by plowing your soil and planting crops on your fertile slopes. 10 The people of Israel will return and rebuild your ruined towns and live in them.

11 Children will be born, and animals will give birth to their young. You will no longer be deserted as you are now, but you will be covered with people and treated better than ever. Then you will know that I am the [Lord].
12 I will bring my people Israel home, and they will live on you mountains, because you belong to them, and your fertile slopes will never again let them starve. 13 It's true that you have been accused of not producing enough food and of letting your people starve.

14-15 But I, the [Lord], promise that you won't hear other nations laugh and sneer at you ever again. From now on, you will always produce plenty of food for your people. I, the [Lord] God, have spoken.

The [Lord] Will Be Honored

16 The [Lord] said:
17 Ezekiel, son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own country, they made the land unclean by the way they behaved, just as a woman's monthly period makes her unclean. 18 They committed murders and worshiped idols, which made the land even worse. So in my anger, I punished my people 19 and scattered them throughout the nations, just as they deserved.

20 Wherever they went, my name was disgraced, because foreigners insulted my people by saying I had forced them out of their own land.
21 I care what those foreigners think of me,

22 so tell the Israelites that I am saying:
You have disgraced my holy name among the nations where you now live. So you don't deserve what I'm going to do for you. I will lead you home to bring honor to my name

23 and to show foreign nations that I am holy. Then they will know that I am the [Lord] God. I have spoken.
24 I will gather you from the foreign nations and bring you home. 25 I will sprinkle you with clean water, and you will be clean and acceptable to me. I will wash away everything that makes you unclean, and I will remove your disgusting idols. 26 t I will take away your stubborn heart and give you a new heart and a desire to be faithful. You will have only pure thoughts, 27 because I will put my Spirit in you and make you eager to obey my laws and teachings.

28 You will once again live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.
29 I will protect you from anything that makes you unclean. Your fields will overflow with grain, and no one will starve. 30 Your trees will be filled with fruit, and crops will grow in your fields, so that you will never again feel ashamed for not having enough food. 31 You will remember your evil ways and hate yourselves for what you've done.

32 People of Israel, I'm not doing these things for your sake. You sinned against me, and you must suffer shame and disgrace for what you have done. I, the [Lord] God, have spoken.
33 After I have made you clean, I will let you rebuild your ruined towns and let you live in them. 34 Your land will be plowed again, and nobody will be able to see that it was once barren. 35 Instead, they will say that it looks as beautiful as the garden of Eden. They won't see towns lying in ruins, but they will see your strong cities filled with people.

36 Then the nearby nations that survive will know that I am the one who rebuilt the ruined places and replanted the barren fields. I, the [Lord], make this promise.
37 I will once again answer your prayers, and I will let your nation grow until you are like a large flock of sheep. 38 The towns that now lie in ruins will be filled with people, just as Jerusalem was once filled with sheep to be offered as sacrifices during a festival. Then you will know that I am the [Lord].