Ezekiel 36

And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say to the mountains of Israel, Hear the word of the Lord.

Thus says the Lord Lord: Because the enemy said against you, Aha! The everlasting desolate places have become a possession for us —

therefore prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord Lord: Because you were dishonoured and hated by those around you, so that you became a possession to the remaining nations, and you came up as talk upon the tongue and as a reproach to the nations,

therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord to the mountains and to the hills and to the ravines and to the torrents and to the places laid waste and ruined, and to the cities that have been abandoned, which became plunder and a trampling to the nations left round about;

therefore thus says the Lord Lord: Surely in the fire of my wrath I have spoken against the remaining nations and against all Idumea, because with rejoicing they gave my land to themselves for a possession, dishonouring lives, so as to wipe it out with plundering.

Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the hills and to the ravines and to the glens, Thus says the Lord: Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my wrath, because you have borne the reproaches of the nations.

Therefore I will lift up my hand against the nations round about you: these shall bear their own dishonour.

But as for you, O mountains of Israel, my people shall eat your grape cluster and your fruit, for they are drawing near to come.

For behold, I am for you, and I will look upon you, and you shall be tilled and sown.

And I will multiply men upon you — the whole house of Israel, to the full; and the cities shall be inhabited, and the ruined place shall be rebuilt.

And I will multiply men and cattle upon you, and I will settle you as at your beginning, and I will do good to you as in your former times; and you shall know that I am the Lord.

And I will beget men upon you — my people Israel; and they shall inherit you, and you shall be to them for a possession, and you shall no longer bereave them of children.

Thus says the Lord Lord: Because they said to you, You are a devourer of men, and you have been bereaved of children by your nation —

therefore you shall devour men no more, and you shall no longer bereave your nation of children, says the Lord Lord.

And the dishonour of the nations shall no longer be heard against you, and you shall no longer bear the reproaches of the peoples, says the Lord Lord.

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

Son of man, the house of Israel dwelt upon their own land, and they defiled it with their way and with their idols and with their uncleannesses; their way became before my face like the uncleanness of a woman set apart.

And I poured out my wrath upon them.

And I scattered them among the nations and winnowed them into the countries; according to their way and according to their sin I judged them.

And they went in among the nations where they went, and they profaned my holy name, in that it was said of them, These are the Lord's people, and they have come out of his land.

But I had regard for my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went.

Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord: It is not for your sake that I am acting, O house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy name, which you profaned among the nations where you went.

And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the nations, which you profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, when I am sanctified among you before their eyes.

And I will take you from the nations and gather you out of all the lands and bring you into your own land.

And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be cleansed from all your uncleannesses and from all your idols, and I will cleanse you.

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.

And I will put my spirit within you, and I will cause you to walk in my ordinances and to keep my judgements and to do them.

And you shall dwell upon the land which I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

And I will save you from all your uncleannesses, and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring famine upon you.

And I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you may not receive the reproach of famine among the nations.

And you shall remember your evil ways and your practices that were not good, and you shall be loathing in their presence, because of your lawless deeds and because of your abominations.

It is not for your sakes that I am acting, says the Lord Lord; let this be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded because of your ways, O house of Israel.

Thus says the Lord: In the day when I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also settle the cities, and the desolate places shall be built.

And the land that was ruined shall be tilled, instead of having become a ruin before the eyes of everyone passing by.

And they shall say, That land which was ruined has become like a garden of delight, and the cities that were desolate and ruined and demolished are now settled as strongholds.

And the nations, as many as are left round about you, shall know that I the Lord have rebuilt the places thrown down and planted the places ruined. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.

Thus says the Lord: This also I will yet be sought for by the house of Israel, to do it for them: I will multiply them with men like sheep.

Like holy sheep, like the sheep of Jerusalem at her feasts, so shall the desolate cities be full of flocks of men; and they shall know that I am the Lord.