Ezekiel 36
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Restoration of Israel’s Mountains
36 “Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say: Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord.(A) 2 This is what the Lord God says: Because the enemy has said about you, ‘Good!(B) The ancient heights(C) have become our possession,’ 3 therefore, prophesy and say: This is what the Lord God says: Because they have made you desolate and have trampled you from every side, so that you became a possession for the rest of the nations and an object of people’s gossip and slander,(D) 4 therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. This is what the Lord God says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and abandoned cities, which have become plunder(E) and a mockery to the rest of the nations all around.
5 “This is what the Lord God says: Certainly in My burning zeal I speak against the rest of the nations and all of Edom,(F) who took[a] My land as their own possession with wholehearted rejoicing and utter contempt(G) so that its pastureland became[b] plunder. 6 Therefore, prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: This is what the Lord God says: Look, I speak in My burning zeal(H) because you have endured the insults of the nations. 7 Therefore this is what the Lord God says: I swear[c] that the nations all around you will endure their own insults.(I)
8 “You, mountains of Israel, will produce your branches(J) and bear your fruit for My people Israel, since their arrival is near. 9 Look! I am on your side; I will turn toward you,(K) and you will be tilled and sown. 10 I will fill you with people, with the whole house of Israel in its entirety.(L) The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. 11 I will fill you with people and animals,(M) and they will increase and be fruitful. I will make you inhabited as you once were and make you better off than you were before. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.(N) 12 I will cause people, My people Israel, to walk on you; they will possess you,(O) and you will be their inheritance. You will no longer deprive them of their children.
13 “This is what the Lord God says: Because people are saying to you, ‘You devour men and deprive your nation of children,’(P) 14 therefore, you will no longer devour men and deprive your nation of children.”[d] This is the declaration of the Lord God. 15 “I will no longer allow the insults of the nations to be heard against you, and you will not have to endure the reproach of the peoples anymore;(Q) you will no longer cause your nation to stumble.”[e] This is the declaration of the Lord God.
Restoration of Israel’s People
16 The word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, while the house of Israel lived in their land, they defiled it with their conduct and actions.(R) Their behavior before Me was like menstrual impurity.(S) 18 So I poured out My wrath(T) on them because of the blood they had shed on the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols. 19 I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered among the countries.(U) I judged them according to their conduct and actions.(V) 20 When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name,(W) because it was said about them, ‘These are the people of Yahweh, yet they had to leave His land in exile.’ 21 Then I had concern for My holy name,(X) which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went.
22 “Therefore, say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: It is not for your sake that I will act,(Y) house of Israel, but for My holy name,(Z) which you profaned among the nations where you went. 23 I will honor the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations—the name you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am Yahweh”—the declaration of the Lord God—“when I demonstrate My holiness through you in their sight.(AA)
24 “For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.(AB) 25 I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean.(AC) I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.(AD) 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you;(AE) I will remove your heart of stone[f] and give you a heart of flesh.(AF) 27 I will place My Spirit within you(AG) and cause you to follow My statutes and carefully observe My ordinances.(AH) 28 Then you will live in the land that I gave your fathers;(AI) you will be My people, and I will be your God.(AJ) 29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will summon the grain and make it plentiful, and will not bring famine on you.(AK) 30 I will also make the fruit of the trees and the produce of the field plentiful, so that you will no longer experience reproach among the nations on account of famine.
31 “Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good,(AL) and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and detestable practices.(AM) 32 It is not for your sake that I will act”(AN)—the declaration of the Lord God—“let this be known to you. Be ashamed and humiliated because of your ways, house of Israel!
33 “This is what the Lord God says: On the day I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the ruins will be rebuilt.(AO) 34 The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of everyone who passes by. 35 Then they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden.(AP) The cities that were once ruined, desolate, and destroyed are now fortified and inhabited.’ 36 Then the nations that remain around you will know that I, Yahweh, have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I, Yahweh, have spoken and I will do it.(AQ)
37 “This is what the Lord God says: I will respond to the house of Israel and do this for them:(AR) I will multiply them in number like a flock.[g] 38 So the ruined cities will be filled with a flock of people, just as the flock of sheep for sacrifice(AS) is filled[h] in Jerusalem during its appointed festivals. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 36:5 Lit gave
- Ezekiel 36:5 Or contempt, to empty it of; Hb obscure
- Ezekiel 36:7 Lit lift up My hand
- Ezekiel 36:14 Alt Hb tradition reads and cause your nation to stumble
- Ezekiel 36:15 Some Hb mss, Tg read no longer bereave your nation of children
- Ezekiel 36:26 Lit stone from your flesh
- Ezekiel 36:37 Lit flock of people
- Ezekiel 36:38 Lit the flock of consecrated things, as the flock
Ezekiel 36
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
36 Also you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord.
2 Thus says the Lord God: Because the enemy has said over you, Aha! and, The ancient heights have become our possession,
3 Therefore prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord God: Because, yes, because they made you a desolation, and they snapped after and crushed you from every side so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and you became the talk and evil gossip of the people,
4 Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God: Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate wastes and the cities that are forsaken, that have become a prey and derision to the rest of the nations that are round about;
5 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Surely in the fire of My hot jealousy have I spoken against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who have given to themselves My land with wholehearted joy and with uttermost contempt, that they might empty it out and possess it for a prey and a spoil.
6 Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My wrath because you have suffered the shame and reproach of the nations;
7 Therefore thus says the Lord God: I have lifted up My hand and sworn, Surely the nations that are round about you shall themselves suffer shame and reproach.
8 But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are soon to come [home].
9 For behold, I am for you and I will turn to you; and you shall be tilled and sown,
10 And I will multiply men upon you, the whole house of Israel, even all of it; the cities shall be inhabited and the waste places shall be rebuilt,
11 And I will multiply upon you man and beast, and they shall increase and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited according to your former estate and I will do better for you than at your beginnings; and you shall know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service].
12 Yes, [O mountains of Israel] I will cause men to walk upon you, even My people Israel, and they shall possess you, and you shall be their inheritance; and you shall no more after this bereave them of children [for idol sacrifices].
13 Thus says the Lord God: Because they say to you, You [O land] are a devourer of men and have bereaved your nation of children [offered to idols],
14 Therefore you shall devour men no more, neither bereave your nation or cause it to stumble any more, says the Lord God.
15 Neither will I let you hear any more the reproach of the nations, nor shall you suffer the dishonor of the peoples any more, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble and fall any more [through idolatry], says the Lord God.
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, they defiled it by [doing] their [own] way and by their [idolatrous] doings. Their conduct before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman during her [physical] impurity.
18 So I poured out My wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land and for their idols with which they had defiled it.
19 And I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries; according to their conduct and their [idolatrous] deeds I judged and punished them.
20 And when they came to the nations to which they went, they profaned My holy name in that men said of them, These are the people of the Lord, and yet they had to go forth out of His land.
21 But I had regard, concern, and compassion for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they went.
22 Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: I do not do this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations to which you went.
23 And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name and separate it for its holy purpose from all that defiles it—My name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them—and the nations will know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service], when I shall be set apart by you and My holiness vindicated in you before their eyes and yours.
24 For I will [a]take you from among the nations and gather you out of all countries and bring you into your own land.
25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness; and from all your idols will I cleanse you.
26 A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them.
28 And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and you shall be My people, and I will be your God.
29 I will also save you from all your uncleannesses, and I will call forth the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine on you.
30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field, that you may no more suffer the reproach and disgrace of famine among the nations.
31 Then you shall [earnestly] remember your own evil ways and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominable deeds.
32 Not for your sake do I do this, says the Lord God; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your [own] wicked ways, O house of Israel!
33 Thus says the Lord God: In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities I will [also] cause [Israel’s] cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt.
34 And the desolate land shall be tilled, that which had lain desolate in the sight of all who passed by.
35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.
36 Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.
37 Thus says the Lord God: For this also I will let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do it for them; I will increase their men like a flock.
38 Like the flock of holy things for sacrifice, like the flock of Jerusalem in her [solemn] appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service].
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 36:24 No person needs to be reminded of the startling way in which this prophecy has been in the process of fulfillment since World War II. The Jews have for centuries been dispersed among all the nations with only a few left in the homeland which lay waste and desolate. It was said that travelers in Palestine had no difficulty in recognizing the appropriateness of Ezekiel’s label for the country: a “valley... full of bones” (Ezek. 37:1). But by a.d. 1960 one-sixth of the Jewish population of the world was in Palestine. Already they had been made “one nation” (Ezek. 37:22a)—between sunrise of one day and sunset of the next—“a nation born in one day” (Isa. 66:8)! But the greatest event of all is yet to come (Ezek. 37:22b-25). This prophecy will be fulfilled in its entirety.
以西結書 36
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
預言賜福以色列
36 「人子啊，你要向以色列的山嶺發預言說，『以色列的山嶺啊，你們要聽耶和華的話！ 2 主耶和華這樣說，仇敵說，哈哈，這古老的山峰歸我們了！』 3 所以你要發預言，宣告主耶和華這樣說，『你們被蹂躪、掠奪，歸了列國所有，成了外族人的話柄和笑談。 4 因此，以色列的山嶺、溪流、幽谷、荒地、廢墟以及那些被外族人擄掠和譏諷的城邑啊，你們要聽主耶和華的話。』 5 主耶和華說，『我要在怒火中斥責列國和以東，他們幸災樂禍，滿腹憤恨，把我的土地據為己有，侵佔其中的草場。』 6 所以你要對以色列說預言，告訴以色列的山岡溪谷，耶和華這樣說，『因為你們曾遭受外族人的羞辱，我為你們滿懷義憤。 7 所以我誓言要讓你們四圍的外族人也受羞辱。這是主耶和華說的。
8 「『以色列的山嶺啊，你們要為我的以色列子民長出枝葉，結出果子，因為他們快要回來了。 9 看啊，我要幫助你們，垂顧你們，使你們被耕種。 10 我要增加居住在你們那裡的以色列人，使城邑有人居住，廢墟得以重建。 11 我要使你們那裡的人畜興旺，多多繁衍，我要使人們居住在你們那裡，好像以前一樣，讓你們比以前更興盛。這樣，你們就知道我是耶和華。 12 我要引領我的以色列子民在你們那裡出入，使你們成為他們的產業，不再奪走他們的兒女。』 13 主耶和華說，『雖然人們說你們吞吃以色列人、奪走他們的兒女。 14 但你們今後必不再吞吃以色列人，不再奪走他們的兒女。這是主耶和華說的。 15 我必不再使你們聽見外族人的辱罵和嘲笑，也不再使你們的國民喪失子女。這是主耶和華說的。』」
16 耶和華對我說： 17 「人子啊，當以色列人住在本土時，他們的惡行玷污了那裡，他們的行為在我眼中就像經期的婦女一樣污穢。 18 他們殺人流血，祭拜偶像，玷污了那地方，所以我要把我的烈怒傾倒在他們身上， 19 把他們驅散到列國，分散到列邦，照他們的行為報應他們。 20 他們無論分散到何處，都使我的聖名受到褻瀆，因為外族人都談論他們說，『這些人是耶和華的子民，卻不得不離開耶和華的土地。』 21 我顧惜我的聖名，就是以色列人在所去的列國褻瀆的聖名。
22 「因此，你要告訴以色列人，主耶和華這樣說，『以色列人啊，我要行這事並非因為你們的緣故，而是因為我聖名的緣故，就是你們在所去列國褻瀆的聖名。 23 我要使我偉大的名，就是你們在列國中所褻瀆的名，彰顯它的聖潔。我要當著列國的面在你們身上彰顯我的聖潔，那時他們就知道我是耶和華。這是主耶和華說的。 24 我要從列邦列國招聚你們，領你們返回故土。 25 我要在你們身上灑清水潔淨你們，洗淨你們所有的污穢，除掉你們心中一切的偶像。 26 我要賜你們一顆新心，把新的靈放在你們裡面。我要除去你們的石心，賜給你們一顆肉心。 27 我要把我的靈放在你們裡面，使你們恪守我的律例，謹遵我的典章。 28 你們必安居在我賜給你們祖先的土地上。你們要做我的子民，我要做你們的上帝。 29 我要拯救你們脫離各樣的污穢之事。我要使你們五穀豐登，不讓饑荒侵害你們。 30 我要使樹木碩果纍纍，田間出產豐盛，免得你們因饑荒再被外族人譏笑。 31 那時，你們便會想起自己邪惡的行徑，並因自己的罪惡和可憎行為而厭惡自己。 32 主耶和華說，你們應當知道，我這樣做並不是為了你們。以色列人啊，你們應當為自己的行為抱愧蒙羞。』
33 「主耶和華說，『在我洗淨你們一切罪惡的日子，我要使你們的城邑有人居住，廢墟得以重建。 34 荒涼之地必有人耕種，路人再也看不見荒地。 35 他們會說，以前的荒涼之地如今竟變得像伊甸園，被毀壞廢棄的荒涼城邑已經設防，有人居住。 36 這樣，你們四周其餘的民族便知道我耶和華已重建毀壞之處，重新耕種荒廢之地。我耶和華言出必行。』
37 「主耶和華說，『我要再次答應以色列人的懇求，使他們的人口增加，多如羊群。 38 我要使毀壞的城邑住滿人，多如耶路撒冷在節期所獻上的羊群。這樣，他們就知道我是耶和華。』」
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