Chapter 36

The Mountains of Israel to Be Blessed

1 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord.

2 ‘Thus says the Lord 1God, “Because the enemy has spoken against you, ‘Aha!’ and, ‘The everlasting 2aheights have become our possession,’

3 therefore prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “1For good reason they have made you adesolate 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 2btalk and the whispering of the people.” ’ ”

4 ‘Therefore, O amountains 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 bprey and a derision to the rest of the nations which are round about,

5 therefore thus says the Lord God, “Surely in the fire of My ajealousy I have spoken against the brest of the nations, and against all Edom, who 1appropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted cjoy and with scorn of soul, to drive it out for a prey.”

6 ‘Therefore 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 aendured the insults of the nations.’

7 “Therefore thus says the Lord God, ‘I have 1sworn that surely the nations which are around you will themselves endure their insults.

8 ‘But you, O mountains of Israel, you will aput forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel; for they will soon come.

9 ‘For, behold, I am for you, and I will aturn to you, and you will be bcultivated and sown.

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

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 aformerly and will 1treat you bbetter than at the first. Thus you will know that I am the Lord.

12 ‘Yes, I will cause amen—My people Israel—to walk on you and possess you, so that you will become their binheritance and never again cbereave them of children.’

13 “Thus says the Lord God, ‘Because they say to you, “You are a adevourer of men and have bereaved your 1nation of children,”

14 therefore you will no longer devour men and no longer bereave your nation of children,’ declares the Lord God.

15 “I will not let you hear ainsults from the nations anymore, nor will you bear bdisgrace from the peoples any longer, nor will you cause your nation to cstumble any longer,” declares the Lord God.’ ”

16 Then 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 adefiled it by their ways and their deeds; their way before Me was like bthe uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.

18 “Therefore I apoured out My wrath on them for the blood which they had shed on the land, because they had defiled it with their idols.

19 “Also I ascattered them among the nations and they were dispersed throughout the lands. bAccording to their ways and their deeds I judged them.

20 “When they came to the nations where they went, they aprofaned My holy name, because it was said of them, ‘These are the bpeople of the Lord; yet they have come out of His land.’

21 “But I had 1concern for My aholy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went.

Israel to Be Renewed for His Name’s Sake

22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “It is anot 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.

23 “I will avindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the bnations will know that I am the Lord,” declares the Lord God, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight.

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

25 “Then I will asprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your bfilthiness and from all your cidols.

26 “Moreover, I will give you a anew heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the bheart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

27 “I will aput My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

28 “You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be aMy people, and I will be your God.

29 “Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I awill not 1bring a famine on you.

30 “I will amultiply 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.

31 “Then you will aremember 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.

32 “I am not doing this afor your sake,” declares the Lord God, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!”

33 ‘Thus says the Lord God, “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the acities to be inhabited, and the bwaste places will be rebuilt.

34 “The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by.

35 “They will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the agarden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’

36 “Then 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 awill do it.”

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.

38 “Like the aflock 1for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so will the waste cities be filled with bflocks of men. Then they will know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”