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
Legacy Standard Bible
Mountains of Israel Will Bear Fruit
36 “Now as for you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of Yahweh. 2 Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Because the enemy has spoken against you, ‘Aha!’ and, ‘The everlasting [a](A)heights have become our possession,’ 3 therefore prophesy and say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “[b]For good reason they have made you (B)desolate and bruised you from every side, that you would become a possession of the rest of the nations, and you have been taken up in the [c](C)speech of their tongue and the rumors of the people.”’” 4 Therefore, O (D)mountains of Israel, hear the word of Lord Yahweh. Thus says Lord Yahweh to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the forsaken cities which have become (E)plunder and objects of scoffing to the rest of the nations which are round about, 5 therefore thus says Lord Yahweh, “Surely in the fire of My (F)jealousy I have spoken against the (G)rest of the nations and against all Edom, who gave My land to themselves as a possession with wholehearted (H)gladness and with scorn of soul, to drive it out for plunder.” 6 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, “Thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My wrath because you have (I)borne the dishonor of the nations.’ 7 Therefore thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘I have [d]sworn that surely the nations which are around you will themselves bear their dishonor. 8 But you, O mountains of Israel, you will (J)put forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel; for they will soon come. 9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will (K)turn to you, and you will be (L)cultivated and sown. 10 I will multiply men on you, (M)all the house of Israel, all of it; and the (N)cities will be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt. 11 I will multiply on you man and beast; and they will multiply and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited as you were (O)formerly and will [e]treat you (P)better than at the first. Thus you will know that I am Yahweh. 12 And I will cause (Q)men—My people Israel—to walk on you and possess you so that you will become their (R)inheritance and never again (S)bereave them of children.’
13 “Thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Because they say to you, “You are a (T)devourer of men and have bereaved your [f]nation of children,” 14 therefore you will no longer devour men and no longer bereave your nation of children,’ declares Lord Yahweh. 15 I will not let you hear (U)dishonor from the nations anymore, nor will you bear (V)reproach from the peoples any longer, nor will you cause your nation to (W)stumble any longer,” declares Lord Yahweh.’”
Yahweh’s Name Profaned Among the Nations
16 Then the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in 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 Also I (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 Then they came to the nations to which they came. And they (AC)profaned My holy name because it was said of them, ‘These are the (AD)people of Yahweh; yet they have come out of His land.’ 21 But I [g]had concern for My (AE)holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went.
They Will Know That I Am Yahweh
22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “It is (AF)not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations, to which you have come. 23 I will (AG)prove the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the (AH)nations will know that I am Yahweh,” declares Lord Yahweh, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. 24 And I will (AI)take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will [h](AJ)sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your (AK)uncleanness 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 I will (AO)put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to do My judgments. 28 And you will inhabit the land that I gave to your fathers; 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 [i]bring a famine on you. 30 I will (AR)multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field so that you will not receive again the reproach 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 to your own faces for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 I am not doing this (AT)for your sake,” declares Lord Yahweh, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and feel dishonor for your ways, O house of Israel!”
33 ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the (AU)cities to be inhabited, and the (AV)waste places will be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by. 35 And they will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the (AW)garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate, and [j]ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’ 36 Then the nations that remain all around you will know that I, Yahweh, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, Yahweh, have spoken and (AX)will do it.”
37 ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “This also I will let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do for them: I will increase their men like a flock. 38 Like the (AY)flock for holy offerings, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed times, so will the waste cities be filled with (AZ)flocks of men. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.”’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 36:2 Heb Bamoth
- Ezekiel 36:3 Or By the cause; lit Because
- Ezekiel 36:3 Lit lip of the tongue
- Ezekiel 36:7 Lit lifted up My hand, borne up my hand; cf. 36:7b
- Ezekiel 36:11 Lit cause good
- Ezekiel 36:13 Or nations, so in ch
- Ezekiel 36:21 Lit spared
- Ezekiel 36:25 Lit splash
- Ezekiel 36:29 Lit put
- Ezekiel 36:35 Lit pulled down
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