< Jezekiel 35 >
1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
A message from the Lord came to me, saying,
2 Son of man, set your face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it,
“Son of man, face towards Mount Seir and prophesy against it
3 and say to it, Thus says the Lord God; Behold, I am against you, O mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you, and will make you a waste, and you shall be made desolate.
Announce that this is what the Lord God says: Watch out, because I'm condemning you, Mount Seir. I'm going to attack you and turn you into a wasteland.
4 And I will cause desolation in your cities, and you shall be desolate, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
I will ruin your towns; you will be completely devastated. Then you will acknowledge that I am the Lord.
5 Because you have been a perpetual enemy, and have laid wait craftily for the house of Israel, with the hand of enemies with a sword, in the time of injustice, at the last:
Because of your lasting hatred for the Israelites you let them be attacked with swords as they went through terrible disasters when the time of their punishment was coming to an end.
6 Therefore, as I live, says the Lord God, verily you have sinned even to blood, therefore blood shall pursue you.
So as I live, declares the Lord God, I will let you be violently attacked and chased down. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will come after you.
7 And I will make mount Seir a waste, and desolate, and I will destroy from off it men and cattle:
I will turn Mount Seir into a ruined wasteland. I will wipe out anyone who leaves or who tries to return.
8 and I will fill your hills and your valleys with slain men, and in all your plains there shall fall in you men slain with the sword.
I will fill its mountains with the dead. Those killed by the sword will fall in your hills, valleys, and all your ravines.
9 I will make you a perpetual desolation, and your cities shall not be inhabited any more: and you shall know that I am the Lord.
I will ruin you forever. Your towns will not be inhabited again. Then you will acknowledge that I am the Lord.
10 Because you said, The two nations and the two countries shall be mine, and I shall inherit them; whereas the Lord is there:
Because you said, ‘These two nations and their lands belong to us, and we will take them over, even though the Lord was there with them,’
11 therefore, [as] I live, says the Lord, I will even deal with you according to your enmity, and I will be made known to you when I shall judge you:
then as I live, declares the Lord God, I will deal with you in the same way that you showed anger and jealousy to them in your hatred of them. They will realize that I'm punishing you because of the way you treated them.
12 and you shall know that I am the Lord. I have heard the voice of your blasphemies, whereas you have said, The desert mountains of Israel are given to us for food;
You will also realize that I, the Lord, heard all the nasty things you said about the mountainous land of Israel when you announced, ‘The mountains have been left empty; they're ours to take!’
13 and you have spoken swelling words against me with your mouth: I have heard [them].
You made a lot of boasts attacking me—you had much to say against me. I heard it for myself!
14 Thus says the Lord; When all the earth is rejoicing, I will make you desert.
This is what the Lord God says: I will destroy you as everyone else in the world celebrates.
15 You shall be desert, O mount Seir, and all Idumea; and it shall be utterly consumed: and you shall know that I am the Lord their God.
Just as you celebrated when Israel was destroyed, I will do the same to you. Mount Seir, you will become a wasteland, and so will the rest of Edom. Then they will acknowledge that I am the Lord.”