Ezekiel
36
- "Son of man, prophesy to the mountains
of Israel and say, 'O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD.
- This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The
enemy said of you, "Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession."
'
- Therefore prophesy and say, 'This is what
the Sovereign LORD says: Because they ravaged and hounded you from every side
so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and the object
of people's malicious talk and slander,
- therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the
word of the Sovereign LORD: This is what the Sovereign LORD says to the mountains
and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and the deserted
towns that have been plundered and ridiculed by the rest of the nations around
you --
- this is what the Sovereign LORD says: In
my burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against
all Edom, for with glee and with malice in their hearts they made my land
their own possession so that they might plunder its pastureland.'
- Therefore prophesy concerning the land of
Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: 'This
is what the Sovereign LORD says: I speak in my jealous wrath because you have
suffered the scorn of the nations.
- Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD
says: I swear with uplifted hand that the nations around you will also suffer
scorn.
- "'But you, O mountains of Israel, will
produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home.
- I am concerned for you and will look on
you with favor; you will be plowed and sown,
- and I will multiply the number of people
upon you, even the whole house of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and
the ruins rebuilt.
- I will increase the number of men and animals
upon you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people
on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you
will know that I am the LORD.
- I will cause people, my people Israel, to
walk upon you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you
will never again deprive them of their children.
- "'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
Because people say to you, "You devour men and deprive your nation of
its children,"
- therefore you will no longer devour men
or make your nation childless, declares the Sovereign LORD.
- No longer will I make you hear the taunts
of the nations, and no longer will you suffer the scorn of the peoples or
cause your nation to fall, declares the Sovereign LORD.'"
- Again the word of the LORD came to me:
- "Son of man, when the people of Israel
were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their
actions. Their conduct was like a woman's monthly uncleanness in my sight.
- So I poured out my wrath on them because
they had shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their
idols.
- I dispersed them among the nations, and
they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their
conduct and their actions.
- And wherever they went among the nations
they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, 'These are the LORD'S
people, and yet they had to leave his land.'
- I had concern for my holy name, which the
house of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone.
- "Therefore say to the house of Israel,
'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of
Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name,
which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.
- I will show the holiness of my great name,
which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among
them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign
LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.
- "'For I will take you out of the nations;
I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own
land.
- I will sprinkle clean water on you, and
you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all
your idols.
- I will give you a new heart and put a new
spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart
of flesh.
- And I will put my Spirit in you and move
you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
- You will live in the land I gave your forefathers;
you will be my people, and I will be your God.
- I will save you from all your uncleanness.
I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine
upon you.
- I will increase the fruit of the trees and
the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the
nations because of famine.
- Then you will remember your evil ways and
wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable
practices.
- I want you to know that I am not doing this
for your sake, declares the Sovereign LORD. Be ashamed and disgraced for your
conduct, O house of Israel!
- "'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and
the ruins will be rebuilt.
- The desolate land will be cultivated instead
of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it.
- They will say, "This land that was
laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying
in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited."
- Then the nations around you that remain
will know that I the LORD have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted
what was desolate. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.'
- "This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for
them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep,
- as numerous as the flocks for offerings
at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts. So will the ruined cities be filled
with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD."
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