Ezekiel 36
1 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say: Mountains of Israel, listen to this message from the Lord.
Thou therefore. Son of man, Prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, —and thou shalt say, Ye mountains of Israel Hear ye the word of Yahweh.
2 This is what the Lord God says: The enemy said about you, ‘Aha! These old high places now belong to us,’
Thus saith My Lord, Yahweh, Because the enemy hath said concerning you Aha! Even the high places of age-past times, for a possession have become ours
3 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.
Therefore, prophesy, and thou shalt say, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh-Because even because they have desolated and panted for you on every side That ye should become a possession to the rest of the nations, And ye have come up into the talk of the tongue and the slander of the people
4 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.
Therefore ye mountains of Israel, hear ye the word of My Lord Yahweh, — Thus saith My Lord, Yahweh, To the mountains and to the hills, to the channels and to the valleys, and to the desolate waste places and to the cities that are forsaken, which have become a prey and a derision, to the rest of the nations which are on every side:
5 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.
Therefore, Thus, saith My Lord, Yahweh, Surely in the fire of my jealousy, have I spoken against the rest of the nations and against Edom all of it, — Who have given my land to themselves for a possession, In the rejoicing of all the heart In contempt of soul, To make of its produce a prey.
6 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.
Therefore prophesy, concerning the soil of Israel, —and say to the mountains and to the hills to the channels and to the valleys, Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh, Behold me! In my jealousy and in mine indignation, have I spoken, Because the insult of the nations, ye have borne;
7 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.
Therefore Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, I myself have lifted my hand, - Surely the nations which are yours round about, they their own shame, shall bear:
8 But you, mountains of Israel, will grow trees that will produce fruit for my people Israel, for soon they'll be coming home.
But ye O mountains of Israel Your boughs, shall ye shoot forth, And your fruit, shall ye bear For my people Israel, For they have drawn near to enter.
9 Look, I am for you and I will help you. Your land will be ploughed, and crops will be sown.
For lo! I am towards you, Therefore will I turn towards you, And ye shall be tilled and sown;
10 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.
And I will multiply, upon you—men, All the house of Israel All of it, Then shall the cities be inhabited, And the waste places, shall be built,
11 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.
And I will multiply upon you—man and beast, And they shall multiply and be fruitful, — And I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former estates. And will do you more good than at your beginnings, So shall ye know that am Yahweh;
12 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.
And I will bring upon you—men even my people Israel That they may possess thee, So shalt thou be theirs, as an inheritance, -And thou shalt no more again make them childless.
13 This is what the Lord God says: Because people say to you, ‘You eat people, and rob your nation of their children,’
Thus saith My Lord, Yahweh, Because they are saying to you. A devourer of men, thou art, And one that didst make childless thy nations, hast thou been
14 from now on you won't eat people or rob your nation of their children, declares the Lord God.
Therefore, men, shalt thou not devour any more, - And thy nations, shalt thou make childless no more, Declareth My Lord Yahweh;
15 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.”
And I will not suffer to be heard against thee any more, the insult of the nations, And the reproach of the peoples, shalt thou not bear any more, - And thy nations, shalt thou not cause to stumble any more, Declareth My Lord Yahweh.
16 Another message from Lord came to me, saying,
And the word of Yahweh came unto me saying:
17 “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.
Son of man The house of Israel were dwelling upon their own soil, But they defiled it by their way, and by their doings. Like the defilement of her that is removed, became their way before me.
18 So I became angry with them because of murders they committed in the country, and because they made it unclean by worshiping idols.
So I poured out mine indignation upon them, Because of the blood which they had shed upon the land, - Yea with their manufactured gods, had they defiled it.
19 I scattered them among the different nations and countries. I judged them according to the way they had behaved and what they did.
So I dispersed them among the nations, And they were scattered throughout the lands, — According to their way and according to their doings, I judged them.
20 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.’
But when they entered among the nations where they did enter, then profaned they my holy Name, —in that it was said of them The people of Yahweh, these! Yet from his land, have they come forth!
21 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.
So then I had tender regard for my holy Name, - Which the house of Israel had profaned, among the nations, where they had entered.
22 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.
Therefore say thou to the house of Israel Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, Not for your sakes, am I working. O house of Israel, But for my holy Name which ye have profaned, among the nations where ye have entered;
23 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.
Therefore will I hallow my great Name, that hath been profaned among the nations, which ye have profaned in their midst, -So shall the nations know that I am Yahweh Declareth My Lord, Yahweh, When I have hallowed myself in you, before their eyes.
24 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.
Therefore will I take you from among the nations, And gather you out of all the lands, - And will bring you upon your own soil;
25 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.
And I will throw upon you clean water and ye shall be clean, — From all your uncleannesses and from all your manufactured gods, will I cleanse you;
26 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.
And I will give you a new heart, And a new spirit, will I put within you, -And I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh, And will give you a heart of flesh;
27 I will put my Spirit inside you so you will follow my laws and remember to do what I tell you.
And my spirit, will I put within you, And will cause That in my statutes, ye shall walk, And my regulations, ye shall observe, and do;
28 Then you will live in the country I gave to your forefathers. You will be my people, and I will be your God.
And ye shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers, - And ye shall become my people, And I will become your God;
29 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.
And I will save you out of all your uncleannesses, —And will call for the corn and will increase it, And will not lay upon you famine; And I will save you out of all your uncleannesses, —And will call for the corn and will increase it, And will not lay upon you famine;
30 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.
And I will multiply The fruit of the tree, and The increase of the field, — To the end that ye may not receive any more the reproach of famine among the nations.
31 Then you will remember your evil ways and terrible things you've done, and you'll hate yourselves for your sins and disgusting actions.
Then shall ye call to mind Your ways that were wicked, and Your doings that were not good, - And shall become loathsome in your own sight. For your iniquities and For your abominations.
32 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!
Not for your sakes, am I working, Declareth My Lord Yahweh be it known to you, — Turn ye pale and then blush for your ways. O house of Israel.
33 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.
Thus saith My Lord, Yahweh, In the day when I cleanse you, from all your iniquities, Then will I cause the cities to be inhabited, And the waste places shall be built;
34 The land that was deserted will be cultivated again instead of looking abandoned to everyone passing by.
And the land that was made desolate shall be tilled, — Whereas it was a desolation, before the eyes of every passer-by;
35 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.’
And they shall say, This land that was made desolate hath become like the garden of Eden, - And the cities that were waste and deserted and thrown down, now fenced, are inhabited;
36 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.
So shall the nations that may be left remaining round about you know that, I Yahweh— Have built that which was thrown down, and Have planted that which was made desolate, — I Yahweh, have spoken and performed.
37 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.
Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh, Even yet—for this, will I be prevailed upon by the house of Israel to work for them, — I will multiply them-Like a flock—with men:
38 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.”
Like a flock of holy offerings Like the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed feasts, So, shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men, - And they shall know that, I, am Yahweh.
