Ezekiel 6

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

The LORD’s word came to me, saying,

2 Son of man, let your face be turned to the mountains of Israel, and be a prophet to them, and say,

“Son of man, set your face towards the mountains of Israel, and prophesy to them,

3 You mountains of Israel, give ear to the words of the Lord: this is what the Lord has said to the mountains and the hills, to the waterways and the valleys: See, I, even I, am sending on you a sword for the destruction of your high places.

and say, ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD! The Lord GOD says to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys: “Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword on you, and I will destroy your high places.

4 And your altars will be made waste, and your sun-images will be broken: and I will have your dead men placed before your images.

Your altars will become desolate, and your incense altars will be broken. I will cast down your slain men before your idols.

5 And I will put the dead bodies of the children of Israel in front of their images, sending your bones in all directions about your altars.

I will lay the dead bodies of the children of Israel before their idols. I will scatter your bones around your altars.

6 In all your living-places the towns will become broken walls, and the high places made waste; so that your altars may be broken down and made waste, and your images broken and ended, and so that your sun-images may be cut down and your works rubbed out.

In all your dwelling places, the cities will be laid waste and the high places will be desolate, so that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.

7 And the dead will be falling down among you, and you will be certain that I am the Lord.

The slain will fall amongst you, and you will know that I am the LORD.

8 But still, I will keep a small band safe from the sword among the nations, when you are sent wandering among the countries.

“‘“Yet I will leave a remnant, in that you will have some that escape the sword amongst the nations, when you are scattered through the countries.

9 And those of you who are kept safe will have me in mind among the nations where they have been taken away as prisoners, how I sent punishment on their hearts which were untrue to me, and on their eyes which were turned to their false gods: and they will be full of hate for themselves because of the evil things which they have done in all their disgusting ways.

Those of you that escape will remember me amongst the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken with their lewd heart, which has departed from me, and with their eyes, which play the prostitute after their idols. Then they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.

10 And they will be certain that I am the Lord: not for nothing did I say that I would do this evil to them.

They will know that I am the LORD. I have not said in vain that I would do this evil to them.”’

11 This is what the Lord has said: Give blows with your hand, stamping with your foot, and say, O sorrow! because of all the evil and disgusting ways of the children of Israel: for death will overtake them by the sword and through need of food and by disease.

“The Lord GOD says: ‘Strike with your hand, and stamp with your foot, and say, “Alas!”, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel; for they will fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.

12 He who is far away will come to his death by disease; he who is near will be put to the sword; he who is shut up will come to his death through need of food; and I will give full effect to my passion against them.

He who is far off will die of the pestilence. He who is near will fall by the sword. He who remains and is besieged will die by the famine. Thus I will accomplish my wrath on them.

13 And you will be certain that I am the Lord, when their dead men are stretched among their images round about their altars on every high hill, on all the tops of the mountains, and under every branching tree, and under every thick oak-tree, the places where they made sweet smells to all their images.

You will know that I am the LORD when their slain men are amongst their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the tops of the mountains, under every green tree, and under every thick oak—the places where they offered pleasant aroma to all their idols.

14 And my hand will be stretched out against them, making the land waste and unpeopled, from the waste land to Riblah, through all their living-places: and they will be certain that I am the Lord.

I will stretch out my hand on them and make the land desolate and waste, from the wilderness towards Diblah, throughout all their habitations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”