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: Mountains of Israel, listen to this message from 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: The enemy said about you, ‘Aha! These old high places now belong to us,’
3 therefore prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God; Because you have been dishonored, 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:
so you must prophesy and announce that this is what the Lord God says: They have turned you into a wasteland, attacking you from every direction, so that you became the property of other nations and people gossiped about you and slandered you.
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;
So now, mountains of Israel, listen to the message from the Lord God. This is what the Lord God says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the deserted ruins and abandoned towns, that the other nations around you have looted and mocked.
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:
Yes, this is what the Lord God says: I have spoken passionately against these other nations, and against all the Edomites, who took over my country and made it theirs, happily celebrating as they looted the land and treated me with complete contempt.
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:
So prophesy concerning the country of Israel and tell the mountains and hills, the ravines and valleys, that this is what the Lord God says: Just watch, for I have spoken passionately about this because you have had to put up with this mockery from other nations.
7 therefore I will lift up my hand against the nations that are round about you; they shall bear their reproach.
This is what the Lord God says: I hold up my hand and swear that the other nations around you will suffer their own shame.
8 But your grapes and your fruits, O mountains of Israel, shall my people eat; for they are hoping to come.
But you, mountains of Israel, will grow trees that will produce fruit for my people Israel, for soon they'll be coming home.
9 For, behold, I am toward you, and I will have respect to you, and you shall be tilled and sown:
Look, I am for you and I will help you. Your land will be ploughed, and crops will be 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.
You will support the people of Israel as they return and grow in number. People will live in the towns again and rebuild the ruins.
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.
The number of your people will grow— they will have many children. The animals too will have many young. I will make sure that you're inhabited just as you used to be, and I will make you more prosperous that you were 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.
I will have my people Israel walk on you mountains. You will be theirs; you will belong to them, and you will no longer rob your nation 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;
This is what the Lord God says: Because people say to you, ‘You eat people, and rob your nation of their children,’
14 therefore you shall no more devour men, and you shall no more bereave your nation, says the Lord God.
from now on you won't eat people or rob your nation of their 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'm going to stop these nations insulting you, and you won't have to put up with their taunts any more, or make the nation fall, declares the Lord God.”
16 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
Another message from 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 were living in their country, they made it unclean by the way they behaved, by what they did. The way they were behaving in my presence was like the ceremonial uncleanness of a woman's period.
18 So I poured out my wrath upon them:
So I became angry with them because of murders they committed in the country, and because they made it unclean by worshiping idols.
19 and I dispersed them among the nations, and utterly scattered them through the countries: I judged them according to their way and according to their sin.
I scattered them among the different nations and countries. I judged them according to the way they had behaved and what they did.
20 And they went in among the nations, among 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.
But wherever they went among the nations, they ruined my reputation, because people said about them, ‘These are the Lord's people, but they had to leave his country.’
21 But I spared them for the sake of my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations, among whom they went.
So I had to take care of my reputation for holiness which the people of Israel had ruined among the nations where they'd 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 among the nations, among whom you went.
Tell the people of Israel that this is what the Lord God says: I'm not doing this for you, people of Israel, but for my reputation for holiness, which you ruined among the nations where you went.
23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the nations, which you profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, when I am sanctified among you before their eyes.
I will reveal the holy nature and importance of my reputation, which has been ruined among the nations, the reputation you have ruined among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when I reveal my holiness through you as they watch.
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 bring you back from among the nations, gathering you from all the different countries, and I will lead you back into your own country.
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 pour pure water over you, and you will be clean. I will wash you clean from all your uncleanness and from 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 mind and I will put a new spirit inside you. I will take away your stubborn mind and I will give you a loving mind.
27 And I will put my Spirit in you, and will cause you to walk in mine ordinances, and to keep my judgments, and do [them].
I will put my Spirit inside you so you will follow my laws and remember to do what I tell you.
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 country I gave to 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 everything that makes you unclean. I will make sure you have plenty of grain. I won't send you any famines.
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 among the nations.
I will also make sure you have good harvests from your orchards and fields, so that you won't be mocked by other nations anymore because 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 terrible things you've done, and you'll hate yourselves for your sins and disgusting actions.
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.
You need to realize that I'm not doing this for your sake, declares the Lord God. You should be ashamed and embarrassed for what you've done, people 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 make you clean from all your sins, I will have you live in your towns again and make sure the ruins are rebuilt.
34 and the desolate land shall be cultivated, whereas it was desolate in the eyes of every one that passed by.
The land that was deserted will be cultivated again instead of looking abandoned to everyone passing by.
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 deserted land is now like the garden of Eden. The towns that were demolished, abandoned, and destroyed have been restored and strengthened, and people are living in them.’
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 those nations around you that are left will acknowledge that I, the Lord, have rebuilt what was demolished, and that I have replanted what was destroyed. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will carry it out.
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: I will once again answer the prayers of the people of Israel. This is what I will do for them: I will have them increase in number 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.
Just like all the many flocks that are brought to Jerusalem to be sacrificed during the religious festivals, so the towns that were once demolished will be full of flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
