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Judgment against Israel’s Mountains

Again a message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, turn and face the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them. Proclaim this message from the Sovereign Lord against the mountains of Israel. This is what the Sovereign Lord says to the mountains and hills and to the ravines and valleys: I am about to bring war upon you, and I will smash your pagan shrines. All your altars will be demolished, and your places of worship will be destroyed. I will kill your people in front of your idols.[a] I will lay your corpses in front of your idols and scatter your bones around your altars. Wherever you live there will be desolation, and I will destroy your pagan shrines. Your altars will be demolished, your idols will be smashed, your places of worship will be torn down, and all the religious objects you have made will be destroyed. The place will be littered with corpses, and you will know that I alone am the Lord.

“But I will let a few of my people escape destruction, and they will be scattered among the nations of the world. Then when they are exiled among the nations, they will remember me. They will recognize how hurt I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes that long for their idols. Then at last they will hate themselves for all their detestable sins. 10 They will know that I alone am the Lord and that I was serious when I said I would bring this calamity on them.

11 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Clap your hands in horror, and stamp your feet. Cry out because of all the detestable sins the people of Israel have committed. Now they are going to die from war and famine and disease. 12 Disease will strike down those who are far away in exile. War will destroy those who are nearby. And anyone who survives will be killed by famine. So at last I will spend my fury on them. 13 They will know that I am the Lord when their dead lie scattered among their idols and altars on every hill and mountain and under every green tree and every great shade tree—the places where they offered sacrifices to their idols. 14 I will crush them and make their cities desolate from the wilderness in the south to Riblah[b] in the north. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. 6:4 The Hebrew term (literally round things) probably alludes to dung; also in 6:5, 6, 9, 13.
  2. 6:14 As in some Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts read Diblah.

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