Ezekiel 6

1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel and prophesy to them.

Son of man, let your face be turned to the mountains of Israel, and be a prophet to them, and say,

3 Say, 'Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord Yahweh! The Lord Yahweh says this to the mountains and to the hills, to the streambeds, and to the valleys: Behold! I am bringing a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.

You mountains of Israel, give ear to the words of the Lord: this is what the Lord has said to the mountains and the hills, to the waterways and the valleys: See, I, even I, am sending on you a sword for the destruction of your high places.

4 Then your altars will become desolate and your pillars will be destroyed, and I will throw down your dead in front of their idols.

And your altars will be made waste, and your sun-images will be broken: and I will have your dead men placed before your images.

5 I will lay the dead bodies of the people of Israel before their idols, and scatter your bones around your altars.

And I will put the dead bodies of the children of Israel in front of their images, sending your bones in all directions about your altars.

6 Everywhere you live, cities will be laid waste and the high places ruined, so that your altars will be laid waste and made desolate. Then they will be broken and disappear, your pillars will be cut down and your works will be wiped away.

In all your living-places the towns will become broken walls, and the high places made waste; so that your altars may be broken down and made waste, and your images broken and ended, and so that your sun-images may be cut down and your works rubbed out.

7 The dead will fall down in your midst and you will know that I am Yahweh.

And the dead will be falling down among you, and you will be certain that I am the Lord.

8 But I will preserve a remnant among you, and there will be some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered throughout the countries.

But still, I will keep a small band safe from the sword among the nations, when you are sent wandering among the countries.

9 Then those who escape will think of me among the nations where they will be held captive, that I was grieved by their promiscuous heart that turned away from me, and by their eyes that whored after their idols. Then they will show loathing on their face for the wickedness which they have committed with all their abominations.

And those of you who are kept safe will have me in mind among the nations where they have been taken away as prisoners, how I sent punishment on their hearts which were untrue to me, and on their eyes which were turned to their false gods: and they will be full of hate for themselves because of the evil things which they have done in all their disgusting ways.

10 So they will know that I am Yahweh. It was for a reason that I said I would bring this evil to them.

And they will be certain that I am the Lord: not for nothing did I say that I would do this evil to them.

11 The Lord Yahweh says this: Clap your hands and stomp your foot! Say, 'Alas!' because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! For they will fall by sword, famine, and plague.

This is what the Lord has said: Give blows with your hand, stamping with your foot, and say, O sorrow! because of all the evil and disgusting ways of the children of Israel: for death will overtake them by the sword and through need of food and by disease.

12 The one far away will die by plague, and the one who is near will fall by the sword. Those who remain and survive will die by famine. In this way I will accomplish my fury against them.

He who is far away will come to his death by disease; he who is near will be put to the sword; he who is shut up will come to his death through need of food; and I will give full effect to my passion against them.

13 Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when their dead lie among their idols, around their altars, on every high hill—on all the mountain peaks, and under every flourishing tree and thick oak—the places where they burned incense to all their idols.

And you will be certain that I am the Lord, when their dead men are stretched among their images round about their altars on every high hill, on all the tops of the mountains, and under every branching tree, and under every thick oak-tree, the places where they made sweet smells to all their images.

14 I will strike with my hand and make the land desolate and a waste, from the wilderness to Diblah, throughout all the places where they live. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.”

And my hand will be stretched out against them, making the land waste and unpeopled, from the waste land to Riblah, through all their living-places: and they will be certain that I am the Lord.