Ezekiel 35

1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,

A message from the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “You human, turn toward Edom and prophesy what will happen to its people. Say that this is what Yahweh says to them:

“Son of man, face towards Mount Seir and prophesy against it

3 ‘You who live near Seir Mountain [in Edom], I am opposed to you, and I will use my power [MTY] to strike you and cause your country to become a wasteland.

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 cause your country to be ruined and desolate. When that happens, people will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].

I will ruin your towns; you will be completely devastated. Then you will acknowledge that I am the Lord.

5 You have always been enemies of the Israeli people. You [rejoiced] when they experienced a great disaster: [their enemies attacked them with] swords, when I punished them [for the sins that they had committed].

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, I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that as surely as I am alive, I will allow [your enemies] to slaughter [MTY] you and continue to slaughter you. You were happy when [LIT] others were slaughtered;

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 so I will cause Seir Mountain to be abandoned/deserted, and I will get rid of anyone who enters it or leaves it.

I will turn Mount Seir into a ruined wasteland. I will wipe out anyone who leaves or who tries to return.

8 I will cause your mountains to be filled with [the corpses of] those who have been killed. The corpses of those who have been killed by [your enemies’] swords will lie on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines.

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 cause your land to be deserted forever. No one will live in your towns again. When that happens, you will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].

I will ruin you forever. Your towns will not be inhabited again. Then you will acknowledge that I am the Lord.

10 You people said, “Israel and Judah will become ours. We will take over their territory!” You said that even though I, Yahweh, was still there [and protecting them].

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, I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that as surely as I am alive, I will punish [MTY] you for being angry with my people, envying them, and hating them.

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 Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have heard all the disgusting things that you have said about the mountains in Israel. You said that they have been ruined/devastated, and that they have been given to you to occupy [MET].

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 When you insulted me, I heard all that you said about me.

You made a lot of boasts attacking me—you had much to say against me. I heard it for myself!

14 So this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: You people who live on Seir Mountain and in all the other places in Edom, when I cause your land to become desolate, everyone in the entire world will rejoice.

This is what the Lord God says: I will destroy you as everyone else in the world celebrates.

15 You were happy when the land [MTY] of the Israeli people became desolate, so I will cause your land to become desolate. When that happens, people will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].’”

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.”