1 ¶ Also, thou son of man, prophesy upon the mountains of Israel and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD.

“Son of man, speak in My name to the mountains of Israel. Say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the Word of the Lord.

2 T hus hath the Lord GOD said: Because the enemy hath said regarding you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession;

The Lord God says, “Those who hate you have laughed and spoken against you, saying, ‘The old hills now belong to us.’

3 t herefore prophesy and say, Thus hath the Lord GOD said: Because they have made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the Gentiles, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers and are an infamy of the people;

So tell the mountains of Israel, ‘The Lord God says, “They have made you a waste land, and destroyed you from every side. You were taken by the rest of the nations for their own. And the people have been saying bad things about you.”’”

4 T herefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD: Thus hath the Lord GOD said to the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys, to the ruins and the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken which became a prey and derision to the residue of the Gentiles that are round about,

So, mountains of Israel, hear the Word of the Lord God. This is what the Lord God says to the mountains, the hills, the valleys, the destroyed places and empty cities, which have been robbed and made fun of by the rest of the nations around them.

5 t herefore thus hath the Lord GOD said: Surely in the fire of my jealousy I have spoken against the other Gentiles and against all Idumea, who have disputed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful desires, to cast it out for a prey.

The Lord God says, “I speak in the fire of My jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom. They have taken My land for themselves with hearts full of joy and hate, that they might rob its good things.”

6 P rophesy therefore upon the land of Israel and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus hath the Lord GOD said: Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury because ye have borne the shame of the Gentiles,

‘So speak about the land of Israel, and tell the mountains, the hills, and valleys, “The Lord God says, ‘I speak in My jealousy and anger because you have been put to shame by the nations.’

7 t herefore thus hath the Lord GOD said: I have lifted up my hand, Surely the Gentiles that are about you: they shall bear their shame.

So the Lord God says, ‘I promise that the nations around you will also suffer shame.

8 B ut ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people of Israel, for they are at hand to come.

But you, O mountains of Israel, will put out your branches and give your fruit for My people Israel. For they will come home soon.

9 F or, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown;

See, I care for you and will show you favor. You will be plowed and planted.

10 a nd I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the ruins shall be built.

I will cause the people to become many, all the people of Israel. People will live in the cities, and the places that have been destroyed will be built again.

11 A nd I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall multiply and grow; and I will cause thee to dwell as was thy desire of old and will do better unto you than at your beginnings; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

I will give you many people and animals, and they will have many young ones. You will be full of people as you were before. And I will do more good to you than ever before. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

12 A nd I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and from now on thou shalt no longer bereave them of sons.

I will have people, My people Israel, walk on you and own you. You will belong to them, and you will never again take their children from them.’

13 T hus hath the Lord GOD said: Because they say of you, Thou land that devours up men and hast bereaved thy nations of sons,

“The Lord God says, ‘People say to you, “You destroy men and have taken children from your nation.

14 t herefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations of sons any more, saith the Lord GOD.

But you will no longer destroy men and take away your nation’s children,” says the Lord God.

15 N either will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the Gentiles any longer, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the peoples any more, neither shalt thou cause the sons of thy inhabitants to die any longer, saith the Lord GOD.

“I will not let you hear words of shame from the nations any more. You will not be put to shame by the nations any longer. And you will no longer make your nation fall,” says the Lord God.’” New Life for Israel

16 ¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

The Word of the Lord came to me saying,

17 S on of man, the house of Israel which dwells in their land has defiled it with their own ways and with their works; their way was before me as the uncleanness of a menstruous woman.

“Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they made it sinful by their ways and their works. The way they acted before Me was unclean, like a woman is unclean during her time each month.

18 A nd I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols with which they had polluted it:

So I poured out My anger upon them because of the blood they had poured on the land, and because they had made it sinful with their false gods.

19 A nd I scattered them among the Gentiles, and they were dispersed through the countries; according to their ways and according to their doings I judged them.

I sent them among the different nations and spread them out among the lands. I judged them for their ways and their works.

20 A nd when they entered unto the Gentiles, where they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD and are gone forth out of his land.

But in every place they went among the nations, they brought shame upon My holy name, because it was said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, yet they had to leave His land.’

21 A nd it has pained me to see my holy name profaned by the house of Israel among the Gentiles where they went.

But I cared about My holy name, which the people of Israel had put to shame among the nations where they had gone.

22 T herefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus hath the Lord GOD said: I do not do this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for my holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the Gentiles, where ye went.

“So tell the people of Israel, ‘The Lord God says, “It is not because of you, O people of Israel, that I am about to act. It is because of My holy name, which you have put to shame among the nations where you have gone.

23 A nd I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the Gentiles, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the Gentiles shall know that I am the LORD, said the Lord GOD when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

I will show how holy My great name is, which you have put to shame among the nations. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I use you to show them that I am holy.

24 A nd I will take you from among the Gentiles and gather you out of all countries and will bring you into your own land.

For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land.

25 ¶ And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be cleansed from all your filthiness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.

Then I will put clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will make you clean from all your unclean ways and from all your false gods.

26 A nd I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

27 A nd I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my commandments, and ye shall keep my rights, and do them.

And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to follow My Laws and be careful to do what I tell you.

28 A nd ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

And you will live in the land that I gave to your fathers. You will be My people, and I will be your God.

29 I will also keep you from all your uncleanness: and I will call to the wheat and will multiply it and lay no famine upon you.

I will save you from all your unclean ways. I will give you much grain, and you will not have to go without food.

30 I will multiply likewise the fruit of the trees, and the fruit of the fields, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the Gentiles.

I will have the trees give much fruit and the fields give much food. So you will never again suffer the shame of going hungry among the nations.

31 T hen ye shall remember your own evil ways and your doings that were not good and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

Then you will remember your sinful ways and your sinful works, and you will hate yourselves because of your sins and wrong-doing.

32 N ot for your sakes do I do this, said the Lord GOD, be it known unto you; be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.

I want you to know that I am not doing this because of you,” says the Lord God. “Be ashamed and troubled because of your ways, O people of Israel!”

33 T hus said the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities. I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be built.

‘The Lord God says, “On the day that I make you clean from all your sins, I will fill the cities with people, and the destroyed places will be built again.

34 A nd the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by;

And the waste land will be planted, instead of being a waste in the eyes of all who pass by.

35 w ho said, This desolate land used to be like the garden of Eden; and these waste and desolate and ruined cities used to be fortified.

They will say, ‘This waste land has become like the garden of Eden. And the destroyed cities now have strong walls and many people.’

36 A nd the Gentiles that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD built the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it.

Then the nations that are left around you will know that I, the Lord, have built again the places that were destroyed, and planted what had been waste land. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do what I say.”

37 T hus hath the Lord GOD said; I will yet be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will multiply men like flocks.

‘The Lord God says, “I will also let the people of Israel ask Me to do this for them: I will give them many people, like the sheep of a flock.

38 A s the holy sheep, as the sheep of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

The empty cities will be filled with flocks of people, like the flock kept for burnt gifts, like the flock at Jerusalem during her special suppers. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”’”