^36:20But when they arrived in the nations where they went, they profaned my holy name. It was said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, yet they have departed from his land.’ ^36:21I was concerned for my holy reputation¹⁴ which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went.

^36:22“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake that I am about to act, O house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy reputation¹⁵ which you profaned among the nations where you went. ^36:23I will magnify¹⁶ my great name that has been profaned among the nations, that you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the sovereign Lord, when I magnify myself among you in their sight.

^36:24“ ‘I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries; then I will bring you to your land. ^36:25I will sprinkle you with pure water¹⁷ and you will be clean from all your impurities. I will purify you from all your idols. ^36:26I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone¹⁸ from your body and give you a heart of flesh.¹⁹^36:27I will put my Spirit within you;²⁰ I will take the initiative and you will obey my statutes²¹ and carefully observe my regulations.²²^36:28Then you will live in the land I gave to your fathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God.²³^36:29I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and multiply it; I will not bring a famine on you. ^36:30I will multiply the fruit of the trees and the produce of the fields, so that you will never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. ^36:31Then you will remember your evil behavior²⁴ and your deeds which were not good; you will loathe yourselves on account of your sins and your abominable deeds. ^36:32Understand that²⁵ it is not for your sake I am about to act, declares the sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and embarrassed by your behavior, O house of Israel.

^36:33“ ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: In the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will populate the cities and the ruins will be rebuilt. ^36:34The desolate land will be plowed, instead of being desolate in the sight of everyone who passes by. ^36:35They will say, “This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; the ruined, desolate, and destroyed cities are now fortified and inhabited.” ^36:36Then the nations which remain around you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruins and replanted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken—and I will do it!’

^36:37“This is what the sovereign Lord says: I will allow the house of Israel to ask me to do this for them:²⁶ I will multiply their people like sheep.²⁷^36:38Like the sheep for offerings, like the sheep of Jerusalem²⁸ during her appointed feasts, so will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Read in Logos

Ezekiel 36:23: …And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.

Footnotes

14 Heb “name.”
15 In Ezek 20:22 God refrained from punishment for the sake of his holy name. Here God’s reputation is the basis for Israel’s restoration.
16 Or “sanctify,” Heb “make holy.”
17 The Lord here uses a metaphor from the realm of ritual purification. For the use of water in ritual cleansing, see Exod 30:19–20; Lev 14:51; Num 19:18; Heb 10:22.
18 That is, a heart which symbolizes a will that is stubborn and unresponsive (see 1 Sam 25:37). In Rabbinic literature a “stone” was associated with an evil inclination ( Sukkah 52a).
19 That is, a heart which symbolizes a will that is responsive and obedient to God.
20 Or “in the midst of you.” The word “you” is plural.
21 Heb “and I will do that which in my statutes you will walk.” The awkward syntax (verb “to do, act” + accusative sign + relative clause + prepositional phrase + second person verb) is unique, though Eccl 3:14 contains a similar construction. In the last line of that verse we read that “God acts so that (relative pronoun) they fear before him.” However, unlike Ezek 36:27, the statement has no accusative sign before the relative pronoun.
22 Heb “and my laws you will guard and you will do them.” Jer 31:31–34 is parallel to this passage.
23 This promise reflects the ancient covenantal ideal (see Exod 6:7).
24 Heb “ways.”
25 Heb “Let it be known.”
26 The Niphal verb may have a tolerative function here, “Again (for) this I will allow myself to be sought by the house of Israel to act for them.” Or it may be reflexive: “I will reveal myself to the house of Israel by doing this also.”
27 Heb “I will multiply them like sheep, human(s).”
28 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .