Ezekiel 36

1 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say: O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD.

But thou, son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, O mountains of Israel, hear ye the word of the Lord.

2 This is what the Lord GOD says: Because the enemy has said of you, ‘Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession,’

Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Because the enemy hath said regarding you, Aha, even the ancient high-places are become ours as a possession:

3 therefore prophesy and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: Because they have made you desolate and have trampled you on every side, so that you became a possession of the rest of the nations and were taken up in slander by the lips of their talkers,

Therefore prophesy and say, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Because, even because men have made you desolate, and sought to swallow you up on every side, that ye might become a possession unto the residue of the nations, and ye are taken up as a talk for tongues, and an evil report of the people:

4 therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD. This is what the Lord GOD says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and abandoned cities, which have become a spoil and a mockery to the rest of the nations around you.

Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear ye the word of the Lord Eternal, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal to the mountains, and to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys, to the desolate ruins, 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 this is what the Lord GOD says: Surely in My burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who took My land as their own possession with wholehearted joy and utter contempt, so that its pastureland became plunder.

Therefore thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Idumea, that have appropriated my land unto themselves as a possession with the joy of all their heart, with derision in their soul, in order to drive it out that it may be for a prey.

6 Therefore, prophesy concerning the land of Israel and tell the mountains and hills, the ravines and valleys, that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I have spoken in My burning zeal because you have endured the reproach of the nations.

Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Behold, In my zealousness and in my fury have I spoken, because ye have borne the reproach of the nations:

7 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I have sworn with an uplifted hand that surely the nations around you will endure reproach of their own.

Therefore thus hath said the Lord Eternal, I have indeed lifted up my hand, that the nations who are round about you— these shall bear their shame.

8 But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and bear fruit for My people Israel, for they will soon come home.

But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall send forth your boughs, and your fruit shall ye bear for my people Israel, for they are near at hand to come.

9 For behold, I am on your side; I will turn toward you, and you will be tilled and sown.

For, behold, I will be for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and ye shall be sown;

10 I will multiply the people upon you—the house of Israel in its entirety. The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.

And I will multiply upon you men, all the house of Israel— altogether; and the cities shall be inhabited again, and the ruins shall be rebuilt;

11 I will fill you with people and animals, and they will multiply and be fruitful. I will make you as inhabited as you once were, and I will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

And I will multiply upon you men and beast, and they shall increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited after your old estates, and will do more good unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

12 Yes, I will cause My people Israel to walk upon you; they will possess you, and you will be their inheritance, and you will no longer deprive them of their children.

Yea, I will cause to walk upon you men, even my people Israel, and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be unto them as an inheritance, and thou shalt not any more henceforth cast them out.

13 For this is what the Lord GOD says: Because people say to you, ‘You devour men and deprive your nation of its children,’

Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast been one that hath ever cast out thy nations:

14 therefore you will no longer devour men or deprive your nation of its children, declares the Lord GOD.

Therefore shalt thou not devour up men any more, and thy nations shalt thou not cast out any more, saith the Lord Eternal.

15 I will no longer allow the taunts of the nations to be heard against you, and you will no longer endure the reproach of the peoples or cause your nation to stumble, declares the Lord GOD.”

And I will not let be heard against thee any more the reproach of the nations, and the disgrace of the people shalt thou not bear any more, and thy nations shalt thou not cast out any more, saith the Lord Eternal.

16 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

17 “Son of man, when the people of Israel lived in their land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds. Their behavior before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman’s impurity.

Son of man, the house of Israel, when they dwelt in their own land, defiled it through their way and through their doings: like the uncleanness of a woman in her separation was their way before me.

18 So I poured out My wrath upon them because of the blood they had shed on the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols.

And I poured out my fury over them because of the blood that they had shed in the land, and because through their idols they had polluted it;

19 I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered throughout the lands. I judged them according to their ways and deeds.

And I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings did I judge them.

20 And wherever they went among the nations, they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, yet they had to leave His land.’

And when they were come unto the nations, whither they were gone, they profaned my holy name; because they said of them, These are the people of the Lord, and out of his land are they gone forth.

21 But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they had gone.

But I had pity for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations, whither they were gone.

22 Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you went.

Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Not for your sake do I this, O house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy name, which ye have profaned among the nations, whither ye are gone.

23 I 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 Lord GOD, when I show My holiness in you before their eyes.

And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the nations, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord Eternal, when I will be sanctified through you before your eyes.

24 For I will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all the countries, and I will bring you back into your own land.

And I will take you from among the nations, and I will gather you out of all the countries, and I will bring you unto your own land.

25 I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.

And I will sprinkle upon you clean water, and ye shall be clean: from all your impurities, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will remove the heart of stone out of your body, 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 to carefully observe My ordinances.

And my spirit I will put within you, and I will cause that you shall walk in my statutes, and that my ordinances ye shall keep, and do them.

28 Then you will live in the land that I gave your forefathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God.

And ye shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be unto me for a people, and I truly will be unto you as a God.

29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will summon the grain and make it plentiful, and I will not bring famine upon you.

And I will save you from all kinds of your impurities; and I will call unto the corn, and increase it, and I will not lay famine upon you.

30 I will also make the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field plentiful, so that you will no longer bear reproach among the nations on account of famine.

And I will multiply the fruit of the trees, and the products of the field: in order that ye may receive no more reproach on account of famine among the nations.

31 Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and abominations.

Then shall ye remember your ways that they were evil, and your doings that were not good; and ye shall loathe yourselves on account of your iniquities and on account of your abominations.

32 It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord GOD—let it be known to you. Be ashamed and disgraced for your ways, O house of Israel!

Not for your sake do I this, saith the Lord Eternal, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded because of your ways, O house of Israel.

33 This is what the Lord GOD says: On the day I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be resettled and the ruins to be rebuilt.

Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, On the day of my cleansing you from all your iniquities, when I cause the cities to be inhabited, and when the ruins are built up,

34 The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through.

And when the desolate land is tilled, instead that it was a waste before the eyes of every passer by:

35 Then they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden. The cities that were once ruined, desolate, and destroyed are now fortified and inhabited.’

Then shall they say, This land, that was desolate, is become like the garden of 'Eden; and the cities that were ruined, and desolate, and broken down, are become fortified, and inhabited.

36 Then the nations around you that remain will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt what was destroyed, and I have replanted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it.

And the nations that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord have built up the broken-down [places], have planted the desolate [land]: I the Lord have spoken this, and have done it.

37 This is what the Lord GOD says: Once again I will hear the plea of the house of Israel and do for them this: I will multiply their people like a flock.

Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Also in this will I yet suffer myself to be entreated of by the house of Israel, to do it for them, I will increase them with men like flocks [in multitude].

38 Like the numerous flocks for sacrifices at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so the ruined cities will be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

As the flocks of the holy things, as the flocks of Jerusalem on her appointed feasts, so shall the ruined cities be full of flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord.