Judgment on Mount Seir

35 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, set your face against ^(A)Mount Seir and ^(B)prophesy against it, ³ and say to it, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

^5 (D)“Because you have had an ^[b]ancient hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, ^(E)when their iniquity came to an end, ⁶ therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will prepare you for ^(F)blood, and blood shall pursue you; ^(G)since you have not hated ^[c]blood, therefore blood shall pursue you. ⁷ Thus I will make Mount Seir ^[d]most desolate, and cut off from it the ^(H)one who leaves and the one who returns. ⁸ And I will fill its mountains with the slain; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those who are slain by the sword shall fall. ^9 (I)I will make you ^[e]perpetually desolate, and your cities shall be uninhabited; ^(J)then you shall know that I am the Lord.

¹⁰ “Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will ^(K)possess them,’ although ^(L)the Lord was there, ¹¹ therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will do ^(M)according to your anger and according to the envy which you showed in your hatred against them; and I will make Myself known among them when I judge you. ^12 (N)Then you shall know that I am the Lord. I have ^(O)heard all your ^(P)blasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They are desolate; they are given to us to consume.’ ¹³ Thus ^(Q)with your mouth you have ^[f]boasted against Me and multiplied your ^(R)words against Me; I have heard them.”

¹⁴ ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(S)“The whole earth will rejoice when I make you desolate. ^15 (T)As you rejoiced because the inheritance of the house of Israel was desolate, ^(U)so I will do to you; you shall be desolate, O Mount Seir, as well as all of Edom—all of it! Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’

Blessing on Israel

36 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the ^(V)mountains of Israel, and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord! ² Thus says the Lord God: “Because ^(W)the enemy has said of you, ‘Aha! ^(X)The ^[g]ancient heights ^(Y)have become our possession,’ ” ’ ³ therefore prophesy, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, ^(Z)and you are taken up by the lips of ^(AA)talkers and slandered by the people”— ⁴ therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, the hills, the ^[h]rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which ^(AB)became plunder and ^(AC)mockery to the rest of the nations all around— ⁵ therefore thus says the Lord God: ^(AD)“Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, ^(AE)who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and ^[i]spiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country.” ’

⁶ “Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you have ^(AF)borne the shame of the nations.” ⁷ Therefore thus says the Lord God: “I have ^(AG)raised My hand in an oath that surely the nations that are around you shall ^(AH)bear their own shame. ⁸ But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come. ⁹ For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. ¹⁰ I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and ^(AI)the ruins rebuilt. ^11 (AJ)I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and ^[j]bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do ^(AK)better for you than at your beginnings. ^(AL)Then you shall know that I am the Lord. ¹² Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, My people Israel; ^(AM)they shall take possession of you, and you shall be their inheritance; no more shall you ^(AN)bereave them of children.”

¹³ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because they say to you, ^(AO)‘You devour men and bereave your nation of children,’ ¹⁴ therefore you shall devour men no more, nor bereave your nation anymore,” says the Lord God. ^15 (AP)“Nor will I let you hear the taunts of the nations anymore, nor bear the reproach of the peoples anymore, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble anymore,” says the Lord God.’ ”

The Renewal of Israel

¹⁶ Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ¹⁷ “Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, ^(AQ)they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like ^(AR)the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. ¹⁸ Therefore I poured out My fury on them ^(AS)for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. ¹⁹ So I ^(AT)scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them ^(AU)according to their ways and their deeds. ²⁰ When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they ^(AV)profaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and yet they have gone out of His land.’ ²¹ But I had concern ^(AW)for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.

²² “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, ^(AX)but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. ²³ And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am ^(AY)hallowed in you before their eyes. ²⁴ For ^(AZ)I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. ^25 (BA)Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you ^(BB)from all your filthiness and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a ^(BC)new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will put My ^(BD)Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. ^28 (BE)Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; ^(BF)you shall be My people, and I will be your God. ²⁹ I will ^(BG)deliver you from all your uncleannesses. ^(BH)I will call for the grain and multiply it, and ^(BI)bring no famine upon you. ^30 (BJ)And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. ³¹ Then ^(BK)you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you ^(BL)will ^[k]loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. ^32 (BM)Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord God, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”

³³ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, ^(BN)and the ruins shall be rebuilt. ³⁴ The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. ³⁵ So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of ^(BO)Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ ³⁶ Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. ^(BP)I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.”

³⁷ ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(BQ)“I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will ^(BR)increase their men like a flock. ³⁸ Like a ^[l]flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its ^[m]feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

The Dry Bones Live

37 The ^(BS)hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out ^(BT)in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. ² Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. ³ And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

So I answered, “O Lord God, ^(BU)You know.”

⁴ Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will ^(BV)cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. ⁶ I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. ^(BW)Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

⁹ Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the ^[n]breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(BX)“Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as He commanded me, ^(BY)and ^[o]breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

¹¹ Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the ^(BZ)whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ^(CA)‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, ^(CB)O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and ^(CC)bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. ¹⁴ I ^(CD)will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’ ”

One Kingdom, One King

¹⁵ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁶ “As for you, son of man, ^(CE)take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for ^(CF)the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ ¹⁷ Then ^(CG)join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.

¹⁸ “And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ^(CH)‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’— ^19 (CI)say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take ^(CJ)the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.” ’ ²⁰ And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand ^(CK)before their eyes.

²¹ “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely ^(CL)I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; ²² and ^(CM)I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and ^(CN)one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. ^23 (CO)They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but ^(CP)I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

^24 (CQ)“David My servant shall be king over them, and ^(CR)they shall all have one shepherd; ^(CS)they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. ^25 (CT)Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, ^(CU)forever; and ^(CV)My servant David shall be their prince forever. ²⁶ Moreover I will ^[p]make ^(CW)a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and ^(CX)multiply them, and I will set My ^(CY)sanctuary in their midst forevermore. ^27 (CZ)My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be ^(DA)their God, and they shall be My people. ^28 (DB)The nations also will know that I, the Lord, ^(DC)sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” ’ ”