Ezekiel 36

1 You, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, “You mountains of Israel, hear the LORD’s word.

“And you, son of man, prophesy to mountains of Israel, and you have said, O mountains of Israel, hear a word of YHWH!

2 The Lord GOD says: ‘Because the enemy has said against you, “Aha!” and, “The ancient high places are ours in possession!”’

Thus said Lord YHWH: Because the enemy said against you, Aha! The high places of old have also become our possession,

3 therefore prophesy, and say, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that you might be a possession to the residue of the nations, and you are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report of the people;”

therefore, prophesy, and you have said, Thus said Lord YHWH: Because, even because, of desolating, And of swallowing you up from all around, For your being a possession to the remnant of the nations, And you are taken up on the tip of the tongue, And [are] an evil report to the people.

4 therefore, you mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD: The Lord GOD says to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which have become a prey and derision to the residue of the nations that are all around;

Therefore, O mountains of Israel, Hear a word of Lord YHWH! Thus said Lord YHWH, to mountains, and to hills, To streams, and to valleys, And to ruins that [are] desolate, And to cities that are forsaken, That have been for a prey, And for a scorn, to the remnant of the surrounding nations,

5 therefore the Lord GOD says: “Surely in the fire of my jealousy I have spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Edom, that have appointed my land to themselves for a possession with the joy of all their heart, with despite of soul, to cast it out for a prey.”’

Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: Have I not, in the fire of My jealousy, Spoken against the remnant of the nations, And against Edom—all of it, Who gave My land to themselves for a possession, With the joy of the whole heart—with despite of soul, For the sake of casting it out for a prey?

6 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and tell the mountains, the hills, the watercourses and the valleys, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my wrath, because you have borne the shame of the nations.”

Therefore, prophesy concerning the ground of Israel, And you have said to mountains, and to hills, To streams, and to valleys, Thus said Lord YHWH: Behold, I, in My jealousy and in My fury, have spoken, Because you have borne the shame of nations.

7 Therefore the Lord GOD says: “I have sworn, ‘Surely the nations that are around you will bear their shame.’

Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: I have lifted up My hand, Do the nations who [are] surrounding you not bear their own shame?

8 “‘“But you, mountains of Israel, you shall shoot out your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they are at hand to come.

And you, O mountains of Israel, You give out your branch, And you bear your fruits for My people Israel, For they have drawn near to come.

9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will come to you, and you will be tilled and sown.

For behold, I [am] for you, and have turned to you, And you have been tilled and sown.

10 I will multiply men on you, all the house of Israel, even all of it. The cities will be inhabited and the waste places will be built.

And I have multiplied men on you, All the house of Israel—all of it, And the cities have been inhabited, And the ruins are built.

11 I will multiply man and animal on you. They will increase and be fruitful. I will cause you to be inhabited as you were before, and you will do better than at your beginnings. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

And I have multiplied man and beast on you, And they have multiplied and been fruitful, And I have caused you to dwell according to your former states, And I have done better than at your beginnings, And you have known that I [am] YHWH.

12 Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, even my people Israel. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance, and you will never again bereave them of their children.”

And I have caused man to walk over you—My people Israel, And they possess you, and you have been their inheritance, And you no longer add to bereave them.

13 “‘The Lord GOD says: “Because they say to you, ‘You are a devourer of men, and have been a bereaver of your nation;’

Thus said Lord YHWH: Because they are saying to you, You [are] a devourer of men, And you have been a bereaver of your nations,

14 therefore you shall devour men no more, and not bereave your nation any more,” says the Lord GOD.

Therefore, you no longer devour man, And you do not cause your nations to stumble anymore, A declaration of Lord YHWH.

15 “I will not let you hear the shame of the nations any more. You will not bear the reproach of the peoples any more, and you will not cause your nation to stumble any more,” says the Lord GOD.’”

And I do not proclaim the shame of the nations to you anymore, And you no longer bear the reproach of peoples, And your nations do not stumble anymore, A declaration of Lord YHWH.”

16 Moreover the LORD’s word came to me, saying,

And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and by their deeds. Their way before me was as the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.

“Son of man, The house of Israel are dwelling on their land, And they defile it by their way and by their doings, Their way has been as the uncleanness of a separated one before Me.

18 Therefore I poured out my wrath on them for the blood which they had poured out on the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols.

And I pour out My fury on them For the blood that they shed on the land, And they have defiled it with their idols.

19 I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries. I judged them according to their way and according to their deeds.

And I scatter them among nations, And they are spread through lands, According to their way, and according to their doings, I have judged them.

20 When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned my holy name, in that men said of them, ‘These are the LORD’s people, and have left his land.’

And one goes to the nations to where they have gone, And they defile My holy Name by saying to them, These [are] the people of YHWH, And they have gone forth from His land.

21 But I had respect for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went.

And I have pity on My holy Name, That the house of Israel has defiled Among the nations to where they have gone in.

22 “Therefore tell the house of Israel, ‘The Lord GOD says: “I do not do this for your sake, house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.

Therefore, say to the house of Israel, Thus said Lord YHWH: I am not working for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy Name That you have defiled Among the nations to where you have gone in.

23 I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD,” says the Lord GOD, “when I am proven holy in you before their eyes.

And I have sanctified My great Name, That is profaned among the nations, That you have defiled in your midst, And the nations have known that I [am] YHWH, A declaration of Lord YHWH, In My being sanctified in you before your eyes.

24 “‘“For I will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.

And I have taken you out of the nations, And have gathered you out of all the lands, And I have brought you into your land,

25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.

And I have sprinkled clean water over you, And you have been clean; I cleanse you from all your uncleannesses, And from all your idols.

26 I will also give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.

And I have given a new heart to you, And I give a new spirit in your midst, And I have turned aside the heart of stone out of your flesh, And I have given a heart of flesh to you.

27 I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes. You will keep my ordinances and do them.

And I give My Spirit in your midst, And I have done this, so that you walk in My statutes, And you keep My judgments, and have done them.

28 You will dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers. You will be my people, and I will be your God.

And you have dwelt in the land that I have given to your fathers, And you have been to Me for a people, And I am to you for God.

29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and will multiply it, and lay no famine on you.

And I have saved you from all your uncleannesses, And I have called to the grain, and multiplied it, And I have put no famine on you.

30 I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field, that you may receive no more the reproach of famine among the nations.

And I have multiplied the fruit of the tree, And the increase of the field, So that you do not receive a reproach of famine among nations anymore.

31 “‘“Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

And you have remembered your ways that [are] evil, And your doings that [are] not good, And have been loathsome in your own faces, For your iniquities, and for your abominations.

32 I do not do this for your sake,” says the Lord GOD. “Let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, house of Israel.”

I am not working for your sake, A declaration of Lord YHWH, Be it known to you, Be ashamed and confounded, because of your ways, O house of Israel.

33 “‘The Lord GOD says: “In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited and the waste places will be built.

Thus said Lord YHWH: In the day of My cleansing you from all your iniquities, I have caused the cities to be inhabited, And the ruins have been built,

34 The land that was desolate will be tilled instead of being a desolation in the sight of all who passed by.

And the desolate land is tilled, Instead of which it was a desolation before the eyes of everyone passing by,

35 They will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden. The waste, desolate, and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’

And they have said: This land, that was desolated, Has been as the Garden of Eden, And the cities—the dried up, And the desolated, and the broken down, [And the] fortified have remained.

36 Then the nations that are left around you will know that I, the LORD, have built the ruined places and planted that which was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it.”

And the nations who are left around you have known That I, YHWH, have built the thrown down, I have planted the desolated: I, YHWH, have spoken, and I have done [it].

37 “‘The Lord GOD says: “For this, moreover, I will be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them: I will increase them with men like a flock.

Thus said Lord YHWH: Yet this I am inquired of by the house of Israel to do for them: I multiply them as a flock of men,

38 As the flock for sacrifice, as the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed feasts, so the waste cities will be filled with flocks of men. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”

As a flock of holy ones, as a flock of Jerusalem, In her appointed times, So the dried up cities are full of flocks of man, And they have known that I [am] YHWH!”