1 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Loʀᴅ. 2  ‘Thus says the Lord 1Heb YHWH, usually rendered Loʀᴅ, and so throughout the chGoᴅ, “Because the enemy has spoken against you, ‘Aha!’ and, ‘The everlasting 2Heb BamothADeut 32:13; Ps 78:69; Is 58:14; Hab 3:19heights have become our possession,’ 3 therefore prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord Goᴅ, “1Lit Because; or By the causeFor good reason they have made you AJer 2:15desolate and crushed you from every side, that you would become a possession of the rest of the nations and you have been taken up in the 2Lit lip of the tongueBPs 44:13, 14; Jer 18:16; Ezek 35:13talk and the whispering of the people.” ’ ” 4  ‘Therefore, O ADeut 11:11; Ezek 36:1, 6, 8mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Goᴅ. Thus says the Lord Goᴅ to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the forsaken cities which have become a BEzek 34:8, 28prey and a derision to the rest of the nations which are round about, 5 therefore thus says the Lord Goᴅ, “Surely in the fire of My AEzek 5:13; 36:6; 38:19jealousy I have spoken against the BJer 25:9, 15-29; Ezek 36:3rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who 1Lit gaveappropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted CJer 50:11; Ezek 35:15; Mic 7:8joy and with scorn of soul, to drive it out for a prey.” 6  ‘Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, “Thus says the Lord Goᴅ, ‘Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My wrath because you have APs 74:10; 123:3, 4; Ezek 34:29endured the insults of the nations.’ 7  “Therefore thus says the Lord Goᴅ, ‘I have 1Lit lifted up My handsworn that surely the nations which are around you will themselves endure their insults. 8  ‘But you, O mountains of Israel, you will AIs 4:2; 27:6; Ezek 17:23; 34:26-29put forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel; for they will soon come. 9  ‘For, behold, I am for you, and I will ALev 26:9turn to you, and you will be BEzek 28:26; 34:14; 36:34cultivated and sown. 10  ‘I will multiply men on you, AIs 27:6; 49:17-23; Ezek 37:21, 22all the house of Israel, all of it; and the BJer 31:27, 28; 33:12; Ezek 36:33cities will be inhabited and the waste places will be rebuilt. 11  ‘I will multiply on you man and beast; and they will increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited as you were AJer 30:18; Ezek 16:55; Mic 7:14formerly and will 1Lit cause goodtreat you BJob 42:12; Is 51:3better than at the first. Thus you will know that I am the Loʀᴅ. 12  ‘Yes, I will cause AEzek 34:13, 14men—My people Israel—to walk on you and possess you, so that you will become their BEzek 47:14inheritance and never again CJer 15:7; Ezek 22:12, 27bereave them of children.’

13 “Thus says the Lord Goᴅ, ‘Because they say to you, “You are a ANum 13:32devourer of men and have bereaved your 1Or nations, and so throughout the chnation of children,” 14 therefore you will no longer devour men and no longer bereave your nation of children,’ declares the Lord Goᴅ. 15 “I will not let you hear AIs 60:14; Ezek 34:29; 36:7insults from the nations anymore, nor will you bear BPs 89:50; Is 54:4; Ezek 22:4disgrace from the peoples any longer, nor will you cause your nation to CIs 63:13; Jer 13:16; 18:15stumble any longer,” declares the Lord Goᴅ.’ ”

16 Then the word of the Loʀᴅ came to me saying, 17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land, they AJer 2:7defiled it by their ways and their deeds; their way before Me was like BLev 15:19the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity. 18  “Therefore I A2 Chr 34:21, 25; Lam 2:4; 4:11; Ezek 22:20, 22poured out My wrath on them for the blood which they had shed on the land, because they had defiled it with their idols. 19  “Also I ADeut 28:64; Ezek 5:12; 22:15; Amos 9:9scattered them among the nations and they were dispersed throughout the lands. BEzek 24:14; 39:24; Rom 2:6According to their ways and their deeds I judged them. 20  “When they came to the nations where they went, they AIs 52:5; Ezek 12:16; Rom 2:24profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, ‘These are the BJer 33:24people of the Loʀᴅ; yet they have come out of His land.’ 21  “But I had 1Lit compassionconcern for My APs 74:18; Is 48:9; Ezek 20:44holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went.

22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord Goᴅ, “It is ADeut 7:7, 8; 9:5, 6; Ezek 36:32not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. 23  “I will AIs 5:16; Ezek 20:41; 38:23; 39:7, 25vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the BPs 102:15; 126:2nations will know that I am the Loʀᴅ,” declares the Lord Goᴅ, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. 24  “For I will AIs 43:5, 6; Ezek 34:13; 37:21take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. 25  “Then I will ANum 19:17-19; Ps 51:7; Titus 3:5, 6; Heb 9:13, 19; 10:22sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your BIs 4:4; Zech 13:1filthiness and from all your CIs 2:18, 20; Hos 14:3, 8idols. 26  “Moreover, I will give you a APs 51:10; Ezek 11:19; 18:31; John 3:3, 5; 2 Cor 5:17new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the BEzek 11:19; Zech 7:12heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27  “I will AIs 44:3; 59:21; Ezek 37:14; 39:29; Joel 2:28, 29put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. 28  “You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be AEzek 14:11; 37:23, 27My people, and I will be your God. 29  “Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I AEzek 34:27, 29; Hos 2:21-23will not 1Lit putbring a famine on you. 30  “I will ALev 26:4; Ezek 34:27multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31  “Then you will AEzek 16:61-63; 20:43remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations. 32  “I am not doing this ADeut 9:5for your sake,” declares the Lord Goᴅ, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!”

33 ‘Thus says the Lord Goᴅ, “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the AEzek 36:10; Zech 8:7, 8cities to be inhabited, and the BIs 58:12waste places will be rebuilt. 34  “The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by. 35  “They will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the AIs 51:3; Ezek 31:9; Joel 2:3garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’ 36  “Then the nations that are left round about you will know that I, the Loʀᴅ, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, the Loʀᴅ, have spoken and AEzek 17:24; 22:14; 37:14; Hos 14:4-9will do it.”

37 ‘Thus says the Lord Goᴅ, “This also I will let the house of Israel ask Me to do for them: I will increase their men like a flock. 38  “Like the A1 Kin 8:63; 2 Chr 35:7-9; John 2:14flock 1Lit of holy thingsfor sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so will the waste cities be filled with BPs 74:1; 100:3; Jer 23:1; John 10:7, 9, 16flocks of men. Then they will know that I am the Loʀᴅ.” ’ ”