1 Y ou, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, You mountains of Israel, hear Yahweh’s word.

“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 Yahweh: Because the enemy has said against you, Aha! and, 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 says the Lord Yahweh: Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that you might be a possession to the residue of the nations, and you are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report 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, you mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Yahweh: Thus says the Lord Yahweh to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which are become a prey and derision to the residue of the nations that are all around;

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 Yahweh: Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Edom, that have appointed my land to themselves for a possession with the joy of all their heart, with despite of soul, 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 T herefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and tell the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my wrath, because you have borne the shame 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 Yahweh: I have sworn, Surely the nations that are around 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 you, mountains of Israel, you shall shoot out your branches, and yield your fruit to my people 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 into you, and you 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 on you, all the house of Israel, even all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited, and the waste places 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 on you man and animal; and they shall increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited after your former estate, and you will do better than at your beginnings: and you shall know that I am Yahweh.

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 to walk on you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess you, and you shall be their inheritance, and you shall no more henceforth 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 T hus says the Lord Yahweh: Because they say to you, You are a devourer of men, and have been a bereaver of your nation;

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

14 t herefore you shall devour men no more, neither bereave your nation any more, says the Lord Yahweh;

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

15 n either will I let you hear any more the shame of the nations, neither shall you bear the reproach of the peoples any more, neither shall you cause your nation to stumble any more, says the Lord Yahweh.

“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 M oreover Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,

The Word of the Lord came to me saying,

17 S on of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their way and by their doings: their way before me was as 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 poured out on the land, and 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 nd I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way 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 W hen they came to the nations, where they went, they profaned my holy name; in that men said of them, These are the people of Yahweh, and are gone 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 respect for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations, 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 tell the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I don’t do this for your sake, house of Israel, 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 sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them; and the nations shall know that I am Yahweh, says the Lord Yahweh, 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 F or I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the 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 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I 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 I will also give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit 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 I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my ordinances, 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 Y ou shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and you 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 save you from all your uncleanness: and I will call for the grain, and will multiply it, and lay no 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 increase of the field, that you may receive no more the reproach 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 shall remember your evil ways, and your doings that were not good; and you 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 or for your sake do I this, says the Lord Yahweh, be it known to you: be ashamed and confounded for your ways, 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 says the Lord Yahweh: In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places 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 T he land that was desolate shall be tilled, whereas it was a desolation in the sight of all who passed by.

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

35 T hey shall say, This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and 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 around you shall know that I, Yahweh, have built the ruined places, and planted that which was desolate: I, Yahweh, 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 says the Lord Yahweh: For this, moreover, will I be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them: I will increase them with 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 A s the flock for sacrifice, as the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am Yahweh.

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.”’”