Ezekiel 36
New Living Translation
Restoration for Israel
36 “Son of man, prophesy to Israel’s mountains. Give them this message: O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord! 2 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Your enemies have taunted you, saying, ‘Aha! Now the ancient heights belong to us!’ 3 Therefore, son of man, give the mountains of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: Your enemies have attacked you from all directions, making you the property of many nations and the object of much mocking and slander. 4 Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign Lord. He speaks to the hills and mountains, ravines and valleys, and to ruined wastes and long-deserted cities that have been destroyed and mocked by the surrounding nations. 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My jealous anger burns against these nations, especially Edom, because they have shown utter contempt for me by gleefully taking my land for themselves as plunder.
6 “Therefore, prophesy to the hills and mountains, the ravines and valleys of Israel. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am furious that you have suffered shame before the surrounding nations. 7 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I have taken a solemn oath that those nations will soon have their own shame to endure.
8 “But the mountains of Israel will produce heavy crops of fruit for my people—for they will be coming home again soon! 9 See, I care about you, and I will pay attention to you. Your ground will be plowed and your crops planted. 10 I will greatly increase the population of Israel, and the ruined cities will be rebuilt and filled with people. 11 I will increase not only the people, but also your animals. O mountains of Israel, I will bring people to live on you once again. I will make you even more prosperous than you were before. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 12 I will cause my people to walk on you once again, and you will be their territory. You will never again rob them of their children.
13 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The other nations taunt you, saying, ‘Israel is a land that devours its own people and robs them of their children!’ 14 But you will never again devour your people or rob them of their children, says the Sovereign Lord. 15 I will not let you hear those other nations insult you, and you will no longer be mocked by them. You will not be a land that causes its nation to fall, says the Sovereign Lord.”
16 Then this further message came to me from the Lord: 17 “Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by the evil way they lived. To me their conduct was as unclean as a woman’s menstrual cloth. 18 They polluted the land with murder and the worship of idols,[a] so I poured out my fury on them. 19 I scattered them to many lands to punish them for the evil way they had lived. 20 But when they were scattered among the nations, they brought shame on my holy name. For the nations said, ‘These are the people of the Lord, but he couldn’t keep them safe in his own land!’ 21 Then I was concerned for my holy name, on which my people brought shame among the nations.
22 “Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. 23 I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am the Lord. 24 For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land.
25 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.[b] 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.
28 “And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will cleanse you of your filthy behavior. I will give you good crops of grain, and I will send no more famines on the land. 30 I will give you great harvests from your fruit trees and fields, and never again will the surrounding nations be able to scoff at your land for its famines. 31 Then you will remember your past sins and despise yourselves for all the detestable things you did. 32 But remember, says the Sovereign Lord, I am not doing this because you deserve it. O my people of Israel, you should be utterly ashamed of all you have done!
33 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I cleanse you from your sins, I will repopulate your cities, and the ruins will be rebuilt. 34 The fields that used to lie empty and desolate in plain view of everyone will again be farmed. 35 And when I bring you back, people will say, ‘This former wasteland is now like the Garden of Eden! The abandoned and ruined cities now have strong walls and are filled with people!’ 36 Then the surrounding nations that survive will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruins and replanted the wasteland. For I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do what I say.
37 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am ready to hear Israel’s prayers and to increase their numbers like a flock. 38 They will be as numerous as the sacred flocks that fill Jerusalem’s streets at the time of her festivals. The ruined cities will be crowded with people once more, and everyone will know that I am the Lord.”
Ezekiel 36
Lexham English Bible
Prophecy to the Mountains of Israel and of Israel’s Restoration
36 “And you, son of man,[a] prophesy to the mountains of Israel; and so you must say, ‘Mountains of Israel, hear the word of Yahweh; 2 thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Because the enemy said concerning you, ‘Ah, and[b] the ancient high places will be to us as a possession!’”’ 3 Therefore prophesy, and you must say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Because indeed[c] when you were desolate,[d] then they crushed you from all around, so that you became a possession to the remainder[e] of the nations, and you became a byword and object of slander for the people.”[f] 4 Therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Yahweh; thus says the Lord Yahweh to the mountains and to the hills, to the river channels and to the valleys and to the ruins that are desolate and to the cities that are abandoned and that have become as plunder and as scorn for the remainder[g] of the nations that are from all around. 5 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Certainly[h] in the fire of my passion I spoke against the rest of the nations and against all[i] Edom, who made my land as a possession, because of[j] its pastureland for plunder, for themselves in all of the joy of their whole heart and in their inner disdain.”[k] 6 Therefore prophesy against the land of Israel, and you must say to the mountains and to the hills, to the river channels and to the valleys, thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I spoke in my passion and in my anger the insult of the peoples you have endured.” 7 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: “I swear[l] certainly[m] that the nations that are all around you,[n] they indeed will endure their disgrace.
8 “‘“But you, mountains of Israel, your branch you will shoot, and your fruit you will carry[o] for my people Israel, for they are soon to come. 9 For look! I am for you, and I will turn you, and you will be tilled, and you will be planted. 10 And I will cause your population[p] to increase for you, all of the house of Israel, all of it, and the towns will be inhabited, and the ruins will be built. 11 And I will cause your population[q] to increase for you, and domestic animals, even they will be numerous, and they will be fruitful, and I will cause you to be inhabited like your ancient times,[r] and I will do good things more than in your former times, and you will know that I am Yahweh. 12 And I will send over you my people Israel, and they will take possession of you, and you will be for them as an inheritance, and you will no longer bereave them of their children.”[s]
13 “‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh, because they are saying to you, “You are an eater of humans,[t] and you are one who makes childless[u] your people.”[v] 14 Therefore humans[w] you will not eat any longer, and your nation you will not make childless[x] any longer,” declares[y] the Lord Yahweh. 15 “And I will not let you hear any longer the insult of the nations, and the disgrace of the peoples you will not bear any longer; you yourself will not cause your nation to stumble,” declares[z] the Lord Yahweh.’”
16 And the word of Yahweh came[aa] to me, saying,[ab] 17 “Son of man,[ac] the house of Israel, they were dwelling on their soil, and they defiled it with their way and with their deeds; like the uncleanness of menstruation was their way before me.[ad] 18 And I poured out my rage on them for the blood that they poured on the land and for their idols with which they defiled it. 19 And I scattered them among the nations, and I dispersed them in the countries according to their way, and according to their deeds I judged them. 20 And they came[ae] into the nations to which they went,[af] and they profaned my holy name[ag] when they said to them, ‘These are the people of Yahweh, and from his land they went out.’ 21 And I was concerned for my holy name,[ah] which, the house of Israel defiled among the nations to which they went.[ai]
22 “Therefore thus say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Not for your sake [aj] am I about to act, house of Israel, but[ak] for my holy name,[al] which you defiled among the nations to which you went.[am] 23 And I will consecrate my great name, which was profaned among the nations and which you have profaned in the midst of them, and the nations will know that I am Yahweh!”’ a declaration of the Lord Yahweh, when I show myself holy[an] before[ao] their eyes.
24 “‘And I will take you from the nations, and I will gather you from all of the lands, and I will bring you to your land. 25 And I will sprinkle on you pure water, and you will be clean from all of your uncleanness, and I will cleanse you from all of your idols. 26 And I will give a new heart to you, and a new spirit I will give[ap] into your inner parts, and I will remove the[aq] heart of stone from your flesh, and I will give to you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will give[ar] my spirit into your inner parts, and I will make it so that you will go[as] in my rules, and my regulations you will remember, and you will do them. 28 And you will dwell in the land that I gave to your ancestors,[at] and you will be to me as a people, and I will be to you as[au] God. 29 And I will save you from all of your uncleanness, and I will call to the grain, and I will cause it to increase, and I will not bring famine upon you. 30 And I will cause the fruit of the tree and the crop of the field to increase, so that you will not suffer again the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 And you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourself[av] over[aw] your iniquities and over your detestable things. 32 But not for your sake am I acting,” declares[ax] the Lord Yahweh. “Let it be known to you, be ashamed, and be put to shame because of your ways, house of Israel.
33 “Thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘On the day when I cleanse you from all of your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the ruins will be rebuilt. 34 And the land that was desolate will be cultivated in the very place that[ay] it was desolate before the eyes of all of the persons crossing over. 35 And they will say, “This desolate land[az] has become like the garden of Eden, and the wasted and desolate and destroyed cities, now being refortified, are inhabited.” 36 And the nations who are left all around, you will know that I, Yahweh, I built that which was destroyed;[ba] I planted the desolate land; I, Yahweh, I have spoken, and I will act.’
37 “Thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Again this time I will let myself be inquired of[bb] by the house of Israel, to do something for them; I will cause them to increase their population like a flock.[bc] 38 Like the flock of the sanctuary, like the flock of Jerusalem at its festival, so the desolate cities will be filled with flocks[bd] of people; and they will know that I am Yahweh.’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 36:1 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 36:2 Or “now”
- Ezekiel 36:3 Literally “with because”
- Ezekiel 36:3 Literally “you being desolate”
- Ezekiel 36:3 Or “the rest of”
- Ezekiel 36:3 Literally “on lips of the tongue and slander of the people”
- Ezekiel 36:4 Or “the rest of”
- Ezekiel 36:5 Literally “if not”
- Ezekiel 36:5 Literally “against Edom all of it”
- Ezekiel 36:5 Or “in order to plunder its pastureland”
- Ezekiel 36:5 Or “malice/disrespect”
- Ezekiel 36:7 Literally “I, raise my hand”
- Ezekiel 36:7 Literally “if not”
- Ezekiel 36:7 Literally “that are to you from all around”
- Ezekiel 36:8 Or “bear”
- Ezekiel 36:10 Literally “humans/humankind”
- Ezekiel 36:11 Literally “humans/humankind”
- Ezekiel 36:11 Literally “past days/times/ancient times”
- Ezekiel 36:12 Literally “not you will again longer to bring bereavement for them”
- Ezekiel 36:13 Or “peoples”
- Ezekiel 36:13 Literally “maker of childless”
- Ezekiel 36:13 That is, Israel and Judah; Cf. Ezek 37:15–22
- Ezekiel 36:14 Or “peoples”
- Ezekiel 36:14 According to the reading tradition (Qere)
- Ezekiel 36:14 Literally “declaration of”
- Ezekiel 36:15 Literally “declaration of”
- Ezekiel 36:16 Literally “was”
- Ezekiel 36:16 Literally “to say”
- Ezekiel 36:17 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 36:17 Literally “to the face of me”
- Ezekiel 36:20 Or “went”
- Ezekiel 36:20 Literally “who/which they went there”
- Ezekiel 36:20 Literally “the name of my holiness”
- Ezekiel 36:21 Literally “the name of my holiness”
- Ezekiel 36:21 Literally “which they went there”
- Ezekiel 36:22 Literally “not for the sake of/on behalf of you”
- Ezekiel 36:22 Literally “for it”
- Ezekiel 36:22 Literally “for the name of holiness my”
- Ezekiel 36:22 Literally “which you went there”
- Ezekiel 36:23 Literally “at/in showing/to show self holy my”
- Ezekiel 36:23 Literally “to their eyes”
- Ezekiel 36:26 Or “put/place”
- Ezekiel 36:26 Or “your”
- Ezekiel 36:27 Or “place/put”
- Ezekiel 36:27 Or “walk”
- Ezekiel 36:28 Or “fathers”
- Ezekiel 36:28 Hebrew “to”
- Ezekiel 36:31 Literally “for face your”
- Ezekiel 36:31 Or “because of”
- Ezekiel 36:32 Literally “declaration of”
- Ezekiel 36:34 Literally “in the place that/which/where”
- Ezekiel 36:35 Literally “the land this the being desolate”
- Ezekiel 36:36 Literally “the destroyed”
- Ezekiel 36:37 Literally “I will be/let me be searched”
- Ezekiel 36:37 Literally “them as the flock humankind”
- Ezekiel 36:38 Hebrew “flock”
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