Ezekiel 36

1 Also thou son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear 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 saith the Lord GOD; Because the enemy had said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession:

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 saith the Lord GOD; Because they have made [you] desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession to the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and [are] an infamy of the people:

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, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that [are] around;

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 saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Edom, who have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all [their] heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.

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 Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame 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 thus saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up my hand, Surely the heathen that [are] about you, they shall bear their shame.

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 ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand 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] for you, and I will turn to you, and ye 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, all the house of Israel, [even] all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be built.

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 upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old states, and will do better [to you] than at your beginnings: and ye 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 Yes, I will cause men to walk upon you, [even] my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them [of men].

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 saith the Lord GOD; Because they say to you, Thou [land] devourest men, and hast bereaved thy nations;

This is what the Lord God says: Because people say to you, ‘You eat people, and rob your nation of their children,’

14 Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord GOD.

from now on you won't eat people or rob your nation of their children, declares the Lord God.

15 Neither will I cause [men] to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith 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 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Another message from Lord came to me, saying,

17 Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as 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 Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols [with which] they had polluted it:

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 scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.

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 when they entered among the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These [are] the people of the LORD, and are gone 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 had pity for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither 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 saith the Lord GOD; I do not [this] for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye 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 heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I [am] the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in 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 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, 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 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I 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 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I 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 within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall 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 ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your 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 I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no 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 tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.

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 Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that [were] not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities, 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], saith the Lord GOD, be it known to you: be ashamed and confounded for your own 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 saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause [you] to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be built.

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 tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all 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, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities [are become] fortified, [and] 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 Then the heathen that are left around you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined [places], [and] plant that which was desolate: I the LORD have spoken [it], and I 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 saith the Lord GOD; I will yet [for] this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do [it] for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.

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 the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with 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.”