Ezekiel 36

Blessings for the Mountains of Israel

1 The Lord said, “Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel. Tell them, ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord.

2 This is what the Almighty Lord says: Your enemies said this about you, “Aha! The ancient worship sites now belong to us.” ’
3 “So prophesy. Say, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: Your enemies turned you into ruins and crushed you from every side. You became the possession of the rest of the nations, and people began to talk and gossip about you.4 “ ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Almighty Lord. This is what the Almighty Lord says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, and to the empty ruins and abandoned cities that have become prey and are mocked by the rest of the surrounding nations:

5 In my fiery anger I have spoken against the rest of the nations and against all of Edom. The Edomites have taken possession of my land with wholehearted joy and with complete scorn. They forced out the people and took their land.’
6 “So prophesy about Israel. Tell the mountains and hills and the ravines and valleys, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I am speaking in my anger and fury because you have been insulted by the nations.

7 So this is what the Almighty Lord says: I raise my hand and swear that the nations which surround you will be insulted.
8 “ ‘But you, mountains of Israel, will grow branches and bear fruit for my people Israel. My people will come home soon.9 I am for you. I will turn to you, and you will be plowed and planted.10 I will increase the number of people who live on you. All the people of Israel, all of them, will live on you. The cities will be inhabited, and the ruins will be rebuilt.11 I will increase the number of people and animals that live on you. They will grow and become many. I will let people live on you as in the past, and I will make you better off than ever before. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

12 I will bring people, my people Israel, to you. They will take possession of you, and you will be their inheritance. You will no longer take their children away from them.
13 “ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: People say that you devour your people and take the children away from your nation.14 So you will no longer devour your people or take the children away from your nation, declares the Almighty Lord.

15 I will no longer let you hear the insults from the nations. You will no longer suffer the disgrace of the people. You will never again take the children away from your own nation, declares the Almighty Lord.’ ”
16 The Lord spoke his word to me. He said,17 “Son of man, when the people of Israel lived in their land, they dishonored it by the way they lived and by everything they did. Their ways were as uncleant as a woman’s menstrual period.18 So I poured out my fury on them because they poured out blood on the land and they dishonored the land with their idols.19 I forced them into other nations, and they became scattered among the nations. I judged them based on the way that they lived and based on everything that they had done.20 But wherever they went among the nations, they dishonored my holy name. People said about them, ‘These are the Lord’s people, yet they had to leave his land.’

21 I became concerned about my holy name because my people dishonored it among the nations wherever they went.
22 “So tell the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I am about to do something, people of Israel. I will not do this for your sake but for the sake of my holy name, which you have dishonored among the nations wherever you have gone.

23 I will reveal the holiness of my great name, which has been dishonored by the nations, the name that you have dishonored among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, because I will reveal my holiness among you as they watch, declares the Almighty Lord.
24 “ ‘I will take you from the nations and gather you from every country. I will bring you back to your own land.25 I will sprinkle clean water on you and make you cleant instead of unclean. Then I will cleanse you from all your idols.26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove your stubborn hearts and give you obedient hearts.27 I will put my Spirit in you. I will enable you to live by my laws, and you will obey my rules.28 Then you will live in the land that I gave your ancestors. You will be my people, and I will be your God.29 I will rescue you from all your uncleanness. I will make the grain grow so that you will never again have famines.30 I will make fruit grow on the trees and crops grow in the fields so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famines.31 Then you will remember your evil ways and the bad things that you did, and you will hate yourselves for all these wicked and disgusting things.

32 I want you to know that I’m not doing this for your sake, declares the Almighty Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced because of your ways, people of Israel.
33 “ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: On the day that I cleanse you from all your wickedness, I will cause your cities to be lived in again, and your ruins will be rebuilt.34 The wasteland will be plowed. It will no longer remain empty for everyone passing by to see.35 People will say, “This wasteland has become like the garden of Eden. The cities were destroyed. They were empty and ruined, but now they are fortified and have people living in them.”

36 The surrounding nations that are left will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted crops in the land that was empty. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it.’
37 “This is what the Almighty Lord says: I will also let the people of Israel ask me to make them as numerous as sheep.

38 They will be like the sheep for sacrifices, like the sheep in Jerusalem during the appointed festivals. Their ruined cities will be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Ezekiel 36

1 And thou, son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of Jehovah.2 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha! and, The ancient high places are ours in possession;3 therefore prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the nations, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report of the people;4 therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which are become a prey and derision to the residue of the nations that are round about;5 therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Edom, that have appointed my land unto themselves for a possession with the joy of all their heart, with despite of soul, to cast it out for a prey.6 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my wrath, because ye have borne the shame of the nations:7 therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I have sworn, saying, Surely the nations that are round about you, they shall bear their shame.8 But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they are at hand to come.9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn into you, and ye shall be tilled and sown;10 and I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded;11 and I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited after your former estate, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.12 Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of children.13 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because they say unto you, Thou land art a devourer of men, and hast been a bereaver of thy nation;14 therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nation any more, saith the Lord Jehovah;15 neither will I let thee hear any more the shame of the nations, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the peoples any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nation to stumble any more, saith the Lord Jehovah.16 Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,17 Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their way and by their doings: their way before me was as the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.18 Wherefore I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood which they had poured out upon the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols;19 and I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.20 And when they came unto the nations, whither they went, they profaned my holy name; in that men said of them, These are the people of Jehovah, and are gone forth out of his land.21 But I had regard for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations, whither they went.22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I do not this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name, which ye have profaned among the nations, whither ye went.23 And I will sanctify my great name, which hath been profaned among the nations, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, saith the Lord Jehovah, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.24 For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.25 And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep mine ordinances, and do them.28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.29 And I will save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the grain, and will multiply it, and lay no famine upon you.30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye may receive no more the reproach of famine among the nations.31 Then shall ye remember your evil ways, and your doings that were not good; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.32 Nor for your sake do I this, saith the Lord Jehovah, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.33 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded.34 And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, whereas it was a desolation in the sight of all that passed by.35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.36 Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I, Jehovah, have builded the ruined places, and planted that which was desolate: I, Jehovah, have spoken it, and I will do it.37 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: For this, moreover, will I be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them: I will increase them with men like a flock.38 As the flock for sacrifice, as the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.