A Message for Israel's Mountains
1 The Lord said:
Ezekiel, son of man, tell the mountains of Israel 2 that I, the Lord God, am saying:
Your enemies sneered and said that you mountains belonged to them. 3 They ruined and crushed you from every side, and foreign nations captured and made fun of you. 4 So all you mountains and hills, streams and valleys, listen to what I will do. Your towns may now lie in ruins, and nations may laugh and insult you. 5 But in my fierce anger, I will turn against those nations, and especially the Edomites, because they laughed at you the loudest and took over your pasturelands. 6 You have suffered long enough, and, I, the Lord God, am very angry! Nations have insulted you, 7 so I will now insult and disgrace them. That is my solemn promise.
8 Trees will grow on you mountains of Israel and produce fruit for my people, because they will soon come home. 9 I will take care of you by plowing your soil and planting crops on your fertile slopes. 10 The people of Israel will return and rebuild your ruined towns and live in them. 11 Children will be born, and animals will give birth to their young. You will no longer be deserted as you are now, but you will be covered with people and treated better than ever. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
12 I will bring my people Israel home, and they will live on you mountains, because you belong to them, and your fertile slopes will never again let them starve. 13 It's true that you have been accused of not producing enough food and of letting your people starve. 14-15 But I, the Lord, promise that you won't hear other nations laugh and sneer at you ever again. From now on, you will always produce plenty of food for your people. I, the Lord God, have spoken.
The Lord Will Be Honored
16 The Lord said:
17 Ezekiel, son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own country, they made the land unclean by the way they behaved, just as a woman's monthly period makes her unclean. 18 They committed murders and worshiped idols, which made the land even worse. So in my anger, I punished my people 19 and scattered them throughout the nations, just as they deserved. 20 Wherever they went, my name was disgraced, because foreigners insulted my people by saying I had forced them out of their own land.
21 I care what those foreigners think of me, 22 so tell the Israelites that I am saying:
You have disgraced my holy name among the nations where you now live. So you don't deserve what I'm going to do for you. I will lead you home to bring honor to my name 23 and to show foreign nations that I am holy. Then they will know that I am the Lord God. I have spoken.
24 I will gather you from the foreign nations and bring you home. 25 I will sprinkle you with clean water, and you will be clean and acceptable to me. I will wash away everything that makes you unclean, and I will remove your disgusting idols. 26 I will take away your stubborn heart and give you a new heart and a desire to be faithful. You will have only pure thoughts, 27 because I will put my Spirit in you and make you eager to obey my laws and teachings. 28 You will once again live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.
29 I will protect you from anything that makes you unclean. Your fields will overflow with grain, and no one will starve. 30 Your trees will be filled with fruit, and crops will grow in your fields, so that you will never again feel ashamed for not having enough food. 31 You will remember your evil ways and hate yourselves for what you've done. 32 People of Israel, I'm not doing these things for your sake. You sinned against me, and you must suffer shame and disgrace for what you have done. I, the Lord God, have spoken.
33 After I have made you clean, I will let you rebuild your ruined towns and let you live in them. 34 Your land will be plowed again, and nobody will be able to see that it was once barren. 35 Instead, they will say that it looks as beautiful as the garden of Eden. They won't see towns lying in ruins, but they will see your strong cities filled with people. 36 Then the nearby nations that survive will know that I am the one who rebuilt the ruined places and replanted the barren fields. I, the Lord, make this promise.
37 I will once again answer your prayers, and I will let your nation grow until you are like a large flock of sheep. 38 The towns that now lie in ruins will be filled with people, just as Jerusalem was once filled with sheep to be offered as sacrifices during a festival. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
1 Also thou sonne of man, prophesie vnto the mountaines of Israel, and say, Ye mountaines of Israel, heare the word of the Lord. 2 Thus saith the Lord God, because the enemie hath sayde against you, Aha, euen the hye places of the world are ours in possession, 3 Therefore prophesie, and say, Thus sayth the Lord God, Because that they haue made you desolate, and swallowed you vp on euery side, that ye might be a possession vnto the residue of the heathen, and ye are come vnto the lippes and tongues of men, and vnto the reproch of the people, 4 Therefore ye mountaines of Israel, heare the worde of the Lord God, Thus sayth the Lord God to the mountaines and to the hilles, to the riuers, and to the valleys, and to the waste, and desolate places, and to the cities that are forsaken: which are spoyled and had in derision of the residue of the heathen that are round about. 5 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Surely in the fire of mine indignation haue I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which haue taken my lande for their possession, with the ioy of all their heart, and with despitefull mindes to cast it out for a pray. 6 Prophesie therfore vpon the land of Israel, and say vnto the mountaines, and to the hilles, to the riuers, and to the valleys, Thus sayth the Lord God, Behold, I haue spoken in mine indignation, and in my wrath, because yee haue suffered the shame of the heathen, 7 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, I haue lifted vp mine hand, surely the heathen that are about you, shall beare their shame. 8 But you, O mountaines of Israel, yee shall shoote forth your branches, and bring foorth your fruite to my people of Israel: for they are ready to come. 9 For behold, I come vnto you, and I wil turne vnto you, and ye shalbe tilled and sowen. 10 And I wil multiply the men vpon you, euen all the house of Israel wholly, and the cities shalbe inhabited, and the desolate places shalbe builded. 11 And I wil multiply vpon you man and beast, and they shall encrease, and bring fruite, and I will cause you to dwell after your olde estate, and I will bestowe benefites vpon you more then at the first, and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 12 Yea, I wil cause men to walke vpon you, euen my people Israel, and they shall possesse you, and ye shalbe their inheritance, and ye shall no more henceforth depriue them of men. 13 Thus sayth the Lord God, because they say vnto you, Thou land deuourest vp men, and hast bene a waster of thy people, 14 Therefore thou shalt deuoure men no more, neither waste thy people henceforth, sayth the Lord God, 15 Neither will I cause men to heare in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou beare the reproche of the people any more, neither shalt cause thy folke to fal any more, saith the Lord God. 16 Moreouer the word of the Lord came vnto me, saying, 17 Sonne of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their owne lande, they defiled it by their owne wayes, and by their deedes: their way was before me as the filthinesse of the menstruous. 18 Wherfore I powred my wrath vpon them, for the blood that they had shed in the land, and for their idoles, wherewith they had polluted it. 19 And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries for according to their wayes, and according to their deedes, I iudged them. 20 And when they entred vnto the heathen, whither they went, they polluted mine holy Name, when they sayd of them, These are the people of the Lord, and are gone out of his land. 21 But I fauoured mine holy Name which the house of Israel had polluted among the heathen, whither they went. 22 Therfore say vnto the house of Israel, Thus saith ye Lord God, I doe not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy Names sake, which yee polluted among the heathen whither ye went. 23 And I wil sanctifie my great Name, which was polluted among the heathen, among whome you haue polluted it, and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, sayth the Lord God, when I shalbe sanctified in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your owne land. 25 Then wil I powre cleane water vpon you, and ye shalbe cleane: yea, from all your filthines, and from all your idoles wil I clense you. 26 A newe heart also will I giue you, and a new spirit wil I put within you, and I will take away the stonie heart out of your body, and I will giue you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirite within you, and cause you to walke in my statutes, and ye shall keepe my iudgements and do them. 28 And ye shall dwell in the land, that I gaue to your fathers, and ye shalbe my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will also deliuer you from all your filthinesse, and I will call for corne, and will increase it, and lay no famine vpon you. 30 For I will multiplie the fruite of the trees, and the increase of the fielde, that ye shall beare no more the reproch of famine among the heathen. 31 Then shall ye remember your owne wicked wayes, and your deedes that were not good, and shall iudge your selues worthie to haue bene destroyed for your iniquities, and for your abominations. 32 Be it knowen vnto you that I do not this for your sakes, sayth the Lord God: therefore, O ye house of Israel, be ashamed, and confounded for your owne wayes. 33 Thus sayth the Lord God, What time as I shall haue clensed you from all your iniquities, I will cause you to dwel in the cities, and the desolate places shalbe builded. 34 And the desolate land shalbe tilled, whereas it lay waste in the sight of all that passed by. 35 For they sayd, This waste land was like the garden of Eden, and these waste and desolate and ruinous cities were strong, and were inhabited. 36 Then the residue of the heathen that are left round about you, shall know that I the Lord builde the ruinous places, and plant the desolate places: I the Lord haue spoken it, and wil do it. 37 Thus saith the Lord God, I will yet for this be sought of ye house of Israel, to performe it vnto them: I wil encrease them with men like a flocke. 38 As the holy flocke, as the flocke of Ierusalem in their solemne feastes, so shall the desolate cities be filled with flockes of men, and they shall know, that I am the Lord.