1 "And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, 'O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD.
2
'Thussays the LordGOD, "Because the enemy has spokenagainst you, 'Aha!' and, 'The everlasting1heights have become our possession,'
3
thereforeprophesy and say, 'Thussays the LordGOD, "For good reason they have made you 2desolate and crushed you from everyside, that you would become a possession of the rest of the nations and you have been taken up in the 3talk and the whispering of the people.""'
4
'Therefore, O 4mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LordGOD. Thussays the LordGOD to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, to the desolatewastes and to the forsakencitieswhich have become a 5prey and a derision to the rest of the nationswhich are roundabout,
5
thereforethussays the LordGOD, "Surely* in the fire of My 6jealousy I have spokenagainst the 7rest of the nations, and againstallEdom, whoappropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted*8joy and with scorn of soul, to drive it out for a prey."
6
'Thereforeprophesyconcerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, "Thussays the LordGOD, 'Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My wrathbecause you have 9endured the insults of the nations.'
7
"Thereforethussays the LordGOD, 'I have sworn* that surely* the nationswhich are around you will themselvesendure their insults.
8
'But you, O mountains of Israel, you will 10put forth your branches and bear your fruit for My peopleIsrael; for they will sooncome.
9
'For, behold, I am for you, and I will 11turn to you, and you will be 12cultivated and sown.
10
'I will multiplymen on you, 13all the house of Israel, all of it; and the 14cities will be inhabited and the wasteplaces will be rebuilt.
11
'I will multiply on you man and beast; and they will increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited as you were 15formerly and will treat you 16betterthan at the first. Thus you will know that I am the LORD.
12
'Yes, I will cause 17men -My peopleIsrael -to walk on you and possess you, so that you will become their 18inheritance and never*again19bereave them of children.'
13
"Thussays the LordGOD, 'Because they say to you, "You are a 20devourer of men and have bereaved your nation of children,"
14
therefore you will nolongerdevourmen and nolongerbereave your nation of children,' declares the LordGOD.
15
"I will not let you hear21insults from the nationsanymore, nor will you bear22disgrace from the peoplesanylonger, nor will you cause your nation to 23stumbleanylonger," declares the LordGOD.' "
17
"Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land, they 24defiled it by their ways and their deeds; their waybefore Me was like 25the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.
18
"Therefore I 26poured out My wrath on them for the bloodwhich they had shed on the land, because they had defiled it with their idols.
19
"Also I 27scattered them among the nations and they were dispersed throughout the lands. 28According to their ways and their deeds I judged them.
20
"When they came to the nationswhere* they went, they 29profaned My holyname, because it was said of them, 'These are the 30people of the LORD; yet they have come out of His land.'
21
"But I had concern for My 31holyname, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nationswhere* they went.
Israel to Be Renewed for His Name's Sake
22"Thereforesay to the house of Israel, 'Thussays the LordGOD, "It is 32not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holyname, which you have profaned among the nationswhere* you went.
23
"I will 33vindicate the holiness of My greatname which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the 34nations will know that I am the LORD," declares the LordGOD, "when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight.
24
"For I will 35take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land.
25
"Then I will 36sprinklecleanwater on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your 37filthiness and from all your 38idols.
26
"Moreover, I will give you a 39newheart and put a newspiritwithin you; and I will remove the 40heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27
"I will 41put My Spiritwithin you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
28
"You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be 42My 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 43will not bring a famine on you.
30
"I will 44multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not receiveagain the disgrace of famine among the nations.
31
"Then you will 45remember your evilways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations.
32
"I am not doing this 46for your sake," declares the LordGOD, "let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!"
33
'Thussays the LordGOD, "On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the 47cities to be inhabited, and the 48wasteplaces will be rebuilt.
34
"The desolateland will be cultivatedinstead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by.
35
"They will say, 'Thisdesolateland has become like the 49garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruinedcities are fortified and inhabited.'
36
"Then the nations that are leftroundabout you will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, the LORD, have spoken and 50will do it."
37
'Thussays the LordGOD, "Thisalso I will let the house of Israelask Me to do for them: I will increase their men like a flock.
38
"Like the 51flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointedfeasts, so will the wastecities be filled with 52flocks of men. Then they will know that I am the LORD.""'