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Yahweh Will Destroy Israel’s Pagan Altars

And the word of Yahweh came to me saying, “Son of man, set your face toward the (A)mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them and say, ‘Mountains of Israel, hear the word of Lord Yahweh! Thus says Lord Yahweh to the mountains, the hills, the ravines, and the valleys: “Behold, I Myself am going to bring a sword on you, and (B)I will destroy your high places. So your (C)altars will become desolate, and your incense altars will be broken; and I will make your slain fall in front of your idols. I will also put the dead bodies of the sons of Israel in front of their idols; and I will scatter your (D)bones all around your altars. In all your places of habitation, (E)cities will become waste, and the high places will be desolate, that your altars may become waste and [a]desolate, your (F)idols may be broken and cease, your incense altars may be cut in pieces, and your works may be blotted out. The slain will fall among you, and you will know that I am Yahweh.

“However, I will leave a (G)remnant, for you will have those who (H)escaped the sword among the nations when you are scattered among the lands. Then those of you who escape will (I)remember Me among the nations to which they will be carried captive, how I have (J)been broken over their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes which played the harlot after their idols; and they will (K)loathe themselves to their own faces for the evils which they have done, for all their abominations. 10 Then they will know that I am Yahweh; I have not said in vain that I would do this calamitous evil against them.”’

11 “Thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Strike your hands together, (L)stamp your foot and say, “(M)Alas, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, which will fall by the (N)sword, by the famine, and by the plague! 12 He who is (O)far off will die by the plague, and he who is near will fall by the sword, and he who remains and is besieged will die by the famine. Thus will I (P)spend My wrath on them. 13 Then you will know that I am Yahweh when their (Q)slain are among their idols all around their altars, on (R)every high hill, on all the tops of the mountains, under every green tree, and under every leafy oak—the places where they [b]offered a soothing aroma to all their idols. 14 So throughout all their habitations I will (S)stretch out My hand against them and make the land more desolate and desecrated than the wilderness toward Diblah; thus they will know that I am Yahweh.”’”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 6:6 As in some ancient versions; Heb bear their guilt
  2. Ezekiel 6:13 Lit gave

Prophecy against Israel’s Idolatry

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, face the mountains of Israel(A) and prophesy against them. You are to say: Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! This is what the Lord God says to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.(B) Your altars will be desolated and your shrines[a] smashed. I will throw down your slain in front of your idols. I will lay the corpses of the Israelites in front of their idols and scatter your bones around your altars. Wherever you live the cities will be in ruins and the high places will be desolate, so that your altars will lie in ruins and be desecrated,[b] your idols smashed and obliterated, your shrines cut down, and what you have made wiped out. The slain will fall among you, and you will know that I am the Lord.

“Yet I will leave a remnant when you are scattered among the nations, for throughout the countries there will be some of you who will escape the sword.(C) Then your survivors will remember me among the nations where they are taken captive,(D) how I was crushed by their promiscuous hearts that turned away from me and by their eyes that lusted after their idols.(E) They will loathe themselves because of the evil things they did,(F) their detestable actions of every kind. 10 And they will know that I am the Lord; I did not threaten to bring this disaster on them without a reason.

Lament over the Fall of Jerusalem

11 “This is what the Lord God says: Clap your hands, stamp your feet,(G) and cry out over all the evil and detestable practices of the house of Israel, who will fall by the sword, famine, and plague.(H) 12 The one who is far off will die by plague; the one who is near will fall by the sword; and the one who remains and is spared[c] will die of famine. In this way I will exhaust my wrath on them.(I) 13 You will all know that I am the Lord when their slain lie among their idols around their altars,(J) on every high hill,(K) on all the mountaintops, and under every green tree and every leafy oak—the places where they offered pleasing aromas to all their idols. 14 I will stretch out my hand against them,(L) and wherever they live I will make the land a desolate waste, from the wilderness to Riblah.[d] Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. 6:4 Or incense altars, also in v. 6
  2. 6:6 Hb obscure
  3. 6:12 Or besieged
  4. 6:14 Some Hb mss, some LXX mss; other Hb mss read Diblah; 2Kg 23:33; Jr 39:5