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Prophecy Against Mount Seir

35 The Lord’s message came to me: “Son of man, turn toward[a] Mount Seir,[b] and prophesy against it. Say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Look, I am against you, Mount Seir;
I will stretch out my hand against you
and turn you into a desolate ruin.
I will lay waste your cities,
and you will become desolate.
Then you will know that I am the Lord!

“‘You have shown unrelenting hostility and poured the people of Israel onto the blades of a sword[c] at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment. Therefore, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will subject you to bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. I will turn Mount Seir into a desolate ruin;[d] I will cut off[e] from it the one who passes through or returns. I will fill its mountains with its dead; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines, those killed by the sword will fall. I will turn you into a perpetual desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

10 “‘You said, “These two nations, these two lands[f] will be mine, and we will possess them,”[g] (although the Lord was there); 11 therefore, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will deal with you according to your anger and your envy, by which you acted spitefully against them. I will reveal myself to them when I judge you. 12 Then you will know that I, the Lord, have heard all the insults you spoke against the mountains of Israel, saying, “They are desolate; they have been given to us for food.” 13 You exalted yourselves against me with your speech[h] and hurled many insults against me[i]—I have heard them all! 14 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will turn you into a desolation. 15 As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so will I deal with you—you will be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Edom—all of it! Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 35:2 tn Heb “set your face against.”
  2. Ezekiel 35:2 sn Mount Seir is to be identified with Edom (Ezek 35:15), home of Esau’s descendants (Gen 25:21-30).
  3. Ezekiel 35:5 tn Or “gave over…to the power of the sword.” This phrase also occurs in Jer 18:21 and Ps 63:10.
  4. Ezekiel 35:7 tc The translation reads with some manuscripts לְשִׁמְמָה וּמְשַׁמָּה (leshimemah umeshammah, “desolate ruin”) as in verse 3 and often in Ezekiel. The majority reading reverses the first mem (מ) with the shin (שׁ), resulting in the repetition of the word desolate: לְשִׁמְמָה וּשְׁמָמָה (leshimemah ushemamah).
  5. Ezekiel 35:7 tn Or “kill.”
  6. Ezekiel 35:10 sn The reference is to Israel and Judah.
  7. Ezekiel 35:10 tn Heb “it.”
  8. Ezekiel 35:13 tn Heb “your mouth.”
  9. Ezekiel 35:13 tn Heb “and you multiplied against me your words.” The Hebrew verb occurs only here and in Prov 27:6, where it refers to the “excessive” kisses of an enemy. The basic idea of the verb appears to be “to be abundant.” Here it occurs in the causative (Hiphil) stem.

Against Edom

35 The Lord’s word came to me: Human one, face Mount Seir, and prophesy against it. Say to it, The Lord God proclaims:

I’m against you, Mount Seir!
    I will use my power against you.
I will make you into a desolate wasteland,
    I will turn your cities into ruins,
    and you will become a desolation.
    Then you will know that I am the Lord.

Because you nursed an ancient grudge, you handed the Israelites over to the sword in the time of their distress, during their final punishment. So now the Lord God proclaims: As surely as I live, I will prepare you for blood, and blood will pursue you. Because you don’t hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. I will turn Mount Seir into a desolate wasteland, when I cut off from it both passerby and homecomer. I will fill its highlands—your hills and your valleys, and all your ravines—with its slain. Those who are slain by the sword will fall on them. I will turn you into an eternal desolation. Your cities won’t be inhabited, and you will know that I am the Lord.

10 You said, “These two nations and these two territories are mine. We will take possession of them even if the Lord is there.” 11 Therefore, the Lord God proclaims: As surely as I live, I will act according to the anger and zeal you displayed when you dealt with them so hatefully. When I judge you, I will make myself known to them, 12 and you will know that I am the Lord. I’ve heard the lies and libels that you uttered against Israel’s highlands when you said, “They are laid waste. They’ve been given to us to consume.” 13 With your mouths you exalted yourselves against me and spoke your words against me. I myself heard it!

14 The Lord God proclaims: As the whole world rejoices, I will turn you into a desolation. 15 Just as you rejoiced over the house of Israel’s inheritance because it became desolate, so I will deal with you. Mount Seir, you will become a desolation, with all of Edom, all of it. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

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