< Ezekiel 35 >
1 Moreover the LORD’s word 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 tell it, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you. I will make you a desolation and an astonishment.
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 I will lay your cities waste, and you will be desolate. Then you will 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 had a perpetual hostility, and have given over the children of Israel to the power of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time of the iniquity of the end,
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, “I will prepare you for blood, and blood will pursue you. Since you have not hated blood, therefore blood will 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 Thus I will make Mount Seir an astonishment and a desolation. I will cut off from it him who passes through and him who returns.
I will turn Mount Seir into a ruined wasteland. I will wipe out anyone who leaves or who tries to return.
8 I will fill its mountains with its slain. The slain with the sword will fall in your hills and in your valleys and in all your watercourses.
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 will not be inhabited. Then you will 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 have said, ‘These two nations and these two countries will be mine, and we will possess it,’ although the LORD was 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 GOD, “I will do according to your anger, and according to your envy which you have shown out of your hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them when I 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 You will know that I, the LORD, have heard all your insults which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They have been laid desolate. They have been given to us to devour.’
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 You have magnified yourselves against me with your mouth, and have multiplied your words against me. I have heard it.”
You made a lot of boasts attacking me—you had much to say against me. I heard it for myself!
14 The Lord GOD says: “When the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate.
This is what the Lord God says: I will destroy you as everyone else in the world celebrates.
15 As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so I will do to you. You will be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Edom, even all of it. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”
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.”