Ezekiel 36
Expanded Bible
Israel to Come Home
36 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say: ‘Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. 2 This is what the Lord God says: The enemy has said about you, “[L Aha!] ·Now the old places to worship gods [The ancient heights] have become ·ours [L our possession].”’ 3 So prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Lord God says: They have made you an ·empty ruin [desolation] and have crushed you from all around. So you became a possession of the ·other [rest of the] nations. People have ·talked [gossiped] and ·whispered [slandered] against you. 4 So, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. The Lord God speaks to the mountains, hills, ravines, and valleys, to the ·empty ruins [desolate wasteland] and abandoned cities that have ·been ·robbed [plundered] and ·laughed at [ridiculed; derided] by the other nations. 5 This is what the Lord God says: I speak ·in hot anger [with burning zeal] against the other nations. I speak against the people of Edom, who took my land for themselves with joy and with ·hate [contempt] in their hearts. They ·forced out the people and took their pastureland [seized their pastureland as spoil].’ 6 So prophesy about the land of Israel and say to the mountains, hills, ravines, and valleys: ‘This is what the Lord God says: I speak in my jealous anger, because you have suffered the ·insults [scorn; reproach] of the nations. 7 So this is what the Lord God says: I ·promise [vow] that the nations around you will also have to suffer ·insults [scorn; reproach].
8 “‘But you, mountains of Israel, will grow branches and fruit for my people, who will soon come home. 9 [L Look; T Behold] I am ·concerned about [for] you; I ·am on your side [L will turn to you]. You will be plowed, and seed will be planted in you. 10 I will increase the number of people who live on you, all the ·people [L house] of Israel. The cities will ·have people living in them [be inhabited], and the ruins will be rebuilt. 11 I will ·increase the number of people and animals living [multiply man and beast] on you. They will grow and ·have many young [be fruitful]. You will have people living on you as ·you did before [in former times], and I will make you better off than at the beginning. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 12 I will cause my people Israel to ·walk [live] on you and ·own [possess] you, and you will ·belong to them [become their inheritance]. You will never again ·take their children away from them [bereave them of their children].
13 “‘This is what the Lord God says: People say about you, “You ·eat [devour] people and ·take children [bereave children] from your nation.” 14 But you will not ·eat [devour] people anymore or ·take away the [bereave your nation of] children, says the Lord God. 15 I will not make you listen to ·insults [taunts] from the nations anymore; you will not ·suffer shame [endure scorn/disgrace] from them anymore. You will not cause your nation to ·fall [stumble] anymore, says the Lord God.’”
The Lord Acts for Himself
16 The ·Lord spoke his word to me [L word of the Lord came] again, saying: 17 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], when the ·nation [L house] of Israel was living in their own land, they ·made it unclean [defiled it; C ritually] by their ways and the things they did. Their ways were like ·a woman’s uncleanness in her time of monthly bleeding [menstrual impurity; C ritually]. 18 So I poured out my anger against them, because they ·murdered in [shed blood on] the land and because they made the land ·unclean [defiled] with their idols. 19 I scattered them among the nations, and they were ·spread [dispersed] through the countries. I ·punished [judged] them for how they lived and what they did. 20 They ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] my holy name in the nations where they went. The nations said about them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, but they had to leave the land which he gave them.’ 21 But I had concern for my holy name, which the ·nation [L house] of Israel had ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] among the nations where they went.
22 “So say to the ·people [L house] of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: [L house of] Israel, I am going to act, but not for your sake. I will do something to help my holy name, which you have ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] among the nations where you went. 23 I will prove the holiness of my great name, which has been ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] among the nations. You have ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] it among these nations, but the nations will know that I am the Lord when I ·prove myself holy [vindicate my holiness] before their eyes, says the Lord God.
24 “‘I will take you from the nations and gather you out of all the lands and bring you back into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness [C ritual impurity] and your idols. 26 Also, I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new ·way of thinking [L spirit] inside you. I will ·take out [remove from you] ·the stubborn hearts of stone from your bodies [L your heart of stone], and I will give you ·obedient hearts [L a heart] of flesh. 27 I will put my ·Spirit [or spirit] ·inside you [or among you; C the pronoun is plural] and ·help you [cause you to] ·live by [walk in] my ·rules [statutes] and carefully obey my ·laws [rules; judgments]. 28 You will live in the land I gave to your ·ancestors [fathers], and you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 So I will save you from all your ·uncleanness [defilement; C ritual]. I will ·command [summon; call for] the grain to ·come and grow [multiply]; I will not ·allow a time of hunger to hurt [bring famine upon] you. 30 I will increase the harvest of fruit trees and the crops in the field so you will never again suffer ·shame [disgrace] among the nations because of ·hunger [famine]. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and actions that were not good, and you will ·hate [loathe] yourselves because of your sins and your ·terrible acts that I hate [detestable/abominable acts]. 32 I want you to know that I am not going to do this for your sake, says the Lord God. Be ashamed and embarrassed about your ways, [L house of] Israel.
33 “‘This is what the Lord God says: This is what will happen on the day I cleanse you from all your sins: I will ·cause the cities to have people living in them again [repopulate/resettle your towns/cities], and the ·destroyed places [ruins] will be rebuilt. 34 The ·empty [desolate] land will be plowed so it will no longer be a ·ruin [desolation] for everyone who passes by to see. 35 They will say, “This land was ·ruined [desolate], but now it has become like the garden of Eden. The cities were destroyed, empty, and ruined, but now they are ·protected [fortified] and ·have people living in them [inhabited].” 36 Then those nations still around you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt ·what was destroyed [the ruins] and have planted what was ·empty [desolate]. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it.’
37 “This is what the Lord God says: I will let myself be asked by the ·people [L house] of Israel to do this for them again: I will ·make their people grow in number [multiply their people] like a flock. 38 They will be as many as the flocks ·brought to Jerusalem during her holy feasts [for offerings]. Her ruined cities will be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Ezekiel 36
New American Standard Bible
The Mountains of Israel to Be Blessed
36 “Now you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. 2 This is what the Lord [a]God says: “Since the enemy has spoken against you, ‘Aha!’ and, ‘The everlasting [b](A)heights have become our possession,’ 3 therefore prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “[c]For good reason they have made you (B)desolate and harassed you from every side, so that you would become a possession of the rest of the nations; and you have been taken up in the [d](C)talk and the rumor of the people.”’” 4 Therefore, you (D)mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. This is what the Lord God says to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, to the desolate ruins and to the abandoned cities which have become (E)plunder and an object of ridicule to the rest of the nations which are all around— 5 therefore the Lord God says this: “Certainly in the fire of My (F)jealousy I have spoken against the (G)rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who [e]appropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted (H)joy and with contempt of soul, in order to make its pastureland plunder.” 6 Therefore prophesy in regard to the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, “This is what the Lord God says: ‘Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My wrath because you have (I)endured the insults of the nations.’ 7 Therefore the Lord God says this: ‘I have [f]sworn that the nations that are around you will certainly endure their insults themselves. 8 But as for you, mountains of Israel, you will [g](J)grow your branches and bear fruit for My people Israel; for they are about to come. 9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will (K)turn to you, and you will be (L)cultivated and sown. 10 And I will multiply people on you, (M)all the house of Israel, all of it; and the (N)cities will be inhabited and the ruins will be rebuilt. 11 I will multiply on you people and animals, and they will increase and be fruitful; and I will populate you as you were (O)previously, and treat you (P)better than at the beginning. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 12 Yes, I will have (Q)people—My people Israel—walk on you and possess you, so that you will become their (R)inheritance and never again (S)bereave them of children.’
13 “The Lord God says this: ‘Since they say to you, “You are a (T)devourer of people and have bereaved your nation of children,” 14 for that reason you will no longer devour people and no longer bereave your nation of children,’ declares the Lord God. 15 I will not let you hear (U)insults from the nations anymore, nor will you suffer (V)disgrace from the peoples any longer, nor will you make your nation (W)stumble any longer,” declares the Lord God.’”
16 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel was living on their own land, they (X)defiled it by their ways and their deeds; their way before Me was like (Y)the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity. 18 Therefore I (Z)poured out My wrath on them for the blood which they had shed on the land, because they had defiled it with their idols. 19 I also (AA)scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the lands. (AB)According to their ways and their deeds I judged them. 20 When they came to the nations where they went, they (AC)profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, ‘These are the (AD)people of the Lord, yet they have left His land.’ 21 But I had [h]concern for My (AE)holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went.
Israel to Be Renewed for His Name’s Sake
22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “It is (AF)not for your sake, 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 And I will (AG)vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them. Then the (AH)nations will know that I am the Lord,” declares the Lord God, “when I show Myself holy among you in their sight. 24 For I will (AI)take you from the nations, and gather you from all the lands; and I will bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will (AJ)sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your (AK)filthiness and from all your (AL)idols. 26 Moreover, I will give you a (AM)new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the (AN)heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will (AO)put My Spirit within you and bring it about that you walk in My statutes, and are careful and [i]follow My ordinances. 28 And you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be (AP)My 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 (AQ)will not [j]bring a famine on you. 30 Instead, I will (AR)multiply 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 (AS)remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your wrongdoings and your abominations. 32 I am not doing this (AT)for your sake,” declares the Lord God; “let that be known to you. Be ashamed and humiliated for your ways, house of Israel!”
33 ‘This is what the Lord God says: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your wrongdoings, I will populate the (AU)cities, and the (AV)places of ruins will be rebuilt. 34 The desolated land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by. 35 And they will say, ‘This desolated land has become like the (AW)Garden of Eden; and the waste, desolated and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’ 36 Then the nations around you that are left will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolated; I, the Lord, have spoken, and I (AX)will do it.”
37 ‘This is what the Lord God says: “This too I will let the house of Israel ask Me to do for them: I will increase their people like a flock. 38 Like the (AY)flock [k]for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so will the waste cities be filled with (AZ)flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 36:2 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Ezekiel 36:2 Heb bamoth
- Ezekiel 36:3 Lit Because; or By the cause
- Ezekiel 36:3 Lit lip of the tongue
- Ezekiel 36:5 Lit gave
- Ezekiel 36:7 Lit lifted up My hand
- Ezekiel 36:8 Lit give
- Ezekiel 36:21 Lit compassion
- Ezekiel 36:27 Lit do My
- Ezekiel 36:29 Lit give
- Ezekiel 36:38 Lit of holy things
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New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
