Jezekiel 36

1 And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say to the mountains of Israel, Hear you the word of the Lord:

“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 against you, Aha, the old waste places are become a possession for us:

This is what the Lord GOD says: 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 you have been dishonoured, and hated by those round about you, that you might be a possession to the remainder of the nations, and you became a byword, and a reproach to the nations:

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,

4 therefore, you mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord; Thus says the Lord to the mountains, and to the hills, and to the streams, and to the valleys, and to [the places] that have been made desolate and destroyed, and to the cities that have been deserted, and have become a spoil and a trampling to the nations that were left round about;

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.

5 therefore, thus says the Lord; Verily in the fire of my wrath have I spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Idumea, because they have appropriated my land to themselves for a possession with joy, disregarding the lives [of the inhabitants], to destroy [it] by plunder:

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.

6 therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, and to the hills, and to the valleys, and to the forests, Thus says the Lord; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my wrath, because you have borne the reproaches of the heathen:

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.

7 therefore I will lift up my hand against the nations that are round about you; they shall bear their reproach.

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.

8 But your grapes and your fruits, O mountains of Israel, shall my people eat; for they are hoping to come.

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

9 For, behold, I am towards you, and I will have respect to you, and you shall be tilled and sown:

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

10 and I will multiply men upon you, [even] all the house of Israel to the end: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the desolate land shall be built upon.

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

11 And I will multiply men and cattle upon you; and I will cause you to dwell as at the beginning, and will treat you well, as in your former [times]: and you shall know that I am the Lord.

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.

12 And I will increase men upon you, [even] my people Israel; and they shall inherit you, and you shall be to them for a possession; and you shall no more be bereaved of them.

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.

13 Thus says the Lord God: Because they said to you, You [land] devour men, and have been bereaved of your nation;

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

14 therefore you shall no more devour men, and you shall no more bereave your nation, says the Lord God.

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

15 And there shall no more be heard against you the reproach of the nations, and you shall no more bear the revilings of the peoples, says the Lord God.

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.”

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

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

17 Son of man, the house of Israel lived upon their land, and defiled it by their way, and with their idols, and with their uncleannesses; and their way was before me like the uncleanness of a removed woman.

“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.

18 So I poured out my wrath upon them:

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.

19 and I dispersed them amongst the nations, and utterly scattered them through the countries: I judged them according to their way and according to their sin.

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

20 And they went in amongst the nations, amongst which they went, and they profaned my holy name, while it was said of them, These are the people of the Lord, and they came forth out of his land.

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.’

21 But I spared them for the sake of my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned amongst the nations, amongst whom they went.

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

22 Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord; I do not this, O house of Israel, for your sakes, but because of my holy name, which you have profaned amongst the nations, amongst whom you went.

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.

23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned amongst the nations, which you profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, when I am sanctified amongst you before their eyes.

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.

24 And I will take you out from the nations, and will gather you out of all the lands, and will bring you into your own land:

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.

25 and I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be purged from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols, and I will cleanse you.

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.

26 And I will give you a new heart, and will put a new spirit in you: and I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh.

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.

27 And I will put my Spirit in you, and will cause you to walk in mine ordinances, and to keep my judgements, and do [them].

And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.

28 And you shall dwell upon the land which I gave to your fathers; and you shall be to me a people, and I will be to you a God.

Then you will live in the land that I gave your forefathers; you will 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 corn, and multiply it, and will not bring famine upon you.

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.

30 And I will multiply the fruit of the trees, and the produce of the field, that you may not bear the reproach of famine amongst the nations.

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.

31 And you shall remember your evil ways and your practices that were not good, and you shall be hateful in your own sight for your transgressions and for your abominations.

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

32 Not for your sakes do I [this], says the Lord God, [as] it is known to you: be you ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.

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!

33 Thus says the Lord God; In the day wherein I shall cleanse you from all your iniquities I will also cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste [places] shall be built upon:

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.

34 and the desolate land shall be cultivated, whereas it was desolate in the eyes of every one that passed by.

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

35 And they shall say, That desolate land is become like a garden of delight; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are inhabited.

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.’

36 And the nations, as many as shall have been left round about you, shall know that I the Lord have built the ruined [cities] and planted the waste [lands]: I the Lord have spoken, and will do [it].

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.

37 Thus says the Lord God; Yet [for] this will I be sought by the house of Israel, to establish them; I will multiply them [even] men as sheep;

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.

38 as holy sheep, as the sheep of Jerusalem in her feasts; thus shall the desert cities be full of flocks of men: and they shall know that I [am] the Lord.

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.”