1 “ And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘O 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 says the Lord God, “Because the enemy has spoken against you, ‘Aha!’ and, ‘The everlasting heights have become our 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 says the Lord God, “ For good reason they have made you desolate and crushed you from every side, that you would become a possession of the rest of the nations and you have been taken up in the talk and the whispering 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, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the forsaken cities which have become a prey and a derision to the rest of the nations which 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 says the Lord God, “Surely in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who appropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with scorn of soul, to drive 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 T herefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, “Thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My wrath because you have endured the insults of the nations.’

‘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 says the Lord God, ‘I have sworn that surely the nations which are around you will themselves endure their insults.

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

8 B ut you, O mountains of Israel, you will put forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel; for they will soon 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 to you, and you will be cultivated and sown.

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

10 I will multiply men on you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities will be inhabited and the waste places will be rebuilt.

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 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 formerly and will treat you better than at the first. Thus you will 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 Y es, I will cause men—My people Israel—to walk on you and possess you, so that you will become their inheritance and never again bereave them of children.’

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 “ Thus says the Lord God, ‘Because they say to you, “You are a devourer of men and have bereaved your nation of children,”

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

14 t herefore you will no longer devour men and no longer bereave your nation of children,’ declares the Lord God.

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

15 “ I will not let you hear insults from the nations anymore, nor will you bear disgrace from the peoples any longer, nor will you cause your nation to stumble any longer,” declares 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 T hen the word of the Lord came to me saying,

The Word of the Lord came to me saying,

17 “ Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds; their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.

“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 T herefore I poured out My wrath on them for the blood which they had shed on the land, because they had defiled it with their idols.

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 lso I scattered them among the nations and they were dispersed throughout the lands. According to their ways and their deeds 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 W hen they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord; yet they have come 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 B ut I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went. Israel to Be Renewed for His Name’s Sake

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

22 “ Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you 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 I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord,” declares the Lord God, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight.

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 F or I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and 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 T hen I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.

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 M oreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and 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 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

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 Y ou will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will 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 M oreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on 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 the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations.

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 you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and 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 I am not doing this for your sake,” declares the Lord God, “let it be known to 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 ‘ Thus says the Lord God, “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt.

‘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 T he desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by.

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

35 T hey will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’

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 T hen the nations that are left round about you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, the Lord, have spoken and 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 ‘ Thus says the Lord God, “This also I will let the house of Israel ask Me to do for them: I will increase their men like a flock.

‘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 L ike the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so will the waste cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they will 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.”’”