36:1 “Now you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD.
36:2 This is what the Lord ①GOD says: “Since the enemy has spoken against you, ‘Aha!’ and, ‘The everlasting ②heights have become our possession,’
▷ ①Heb YHWH, usually rendered LORD, and so throughout the ch ②Heb bamoth
36:3 therefore prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “ ①For good reason they have made you desolate and harassed you from every side, so that you would become a possession of the rest of the nations; and you have been taken up in the ②talk and the rumor of the people.” ’ ”
▷ ①Lit Because; or By the cause ②Lit lip of the tongue
36:4 Therefore, you mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD. This is what the Lord GOD says to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, to the desolate ruins and to the abandoned cities which have become plunder and an object of ridicule to the rest of the nations which are all around—
36:5 therefore the Lord GOD says this: “Certainly in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who ①appropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with contempt of soul, in order to make its pastureland plunder.”
▷ ①Lit gave
36:6 Therefore prophesy in regard to the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, “This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My wrath because you have endured the insults of the nations.’
36:7 Therefore the Lord GOD says this: ‘I have ①sworn that the nations that are around you will certainly endure their insults themselves.
▷ ①Lit lifted up My hand
36:8 But as for you, mountains of Israel, you will ①grow your branches and bear fruit for My people Israel; for they are about to come.
▷ ①Lit give
36:9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you will be cultivated and sown.
36:10 And I will multiply people on you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities will be inhabited and the ruins will be rebuilt.
36:11 I will multiply on you people and animals, and they will increase and be fruitful; and I will populate you as you were previously, and treat you better than at the beginning. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
36:12 Yes, I will have people—My people Israel—walk on you and possess you, so that you will become their inheritance and never again bereave them of children.’
36:13 “The Lord GOD says this: ‘Since they say to you, “You are a devourer of people and have bereaved your nation of children,”
36:14 for that reason you will no longer devour people and no longer bereave your nation of children,’ declares the Lord GOD.
36:15 I will not let you hear insults from the nations anymore, nor will you suffer disgrace from the peoples any longer, nor will you make your nation stumble any longer,” declares the Lord GOD.’ ”
36:16 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
36:17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel was living on 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.
36:18 Therefore 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.
36:19 I also scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the lands. According to their ways and their deeds I judged them.
36:20 When 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 left His land.’
36:21 But I had ①concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went.
▷ ①Lit compassion
36:22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “It is not for your sake, house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.
36:23 And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I show Myself holy among you in their sight.
36:24 For I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the lands; and I will bring you into your own land.
36:25 Then 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.
36:26 Moreover, 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.
36:27 And I will put My Spirit within you and bring it about that you walk in My statutes, and are careful and ①follow My ordinances.
▷ ①Lit do My
36:28 And you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.
36:29 Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not ①bring a famine on you.
▷ ①Lit give
36:30 Instead, 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.
36:31 Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your wrongdoings and your abominations.
36:32 I am not doing this for your sake,” declares the Lord GOD; “let that be known to you. Be ashamed and humiliated for your ways, house of Israel!”
36:33 ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your wrongdoings, I will populate the cities, and the places of ruins will be rebuilt.
36:34 The desolated land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by.
36:35 And they will say, ‘This desolated land has become like the Garden of Eden; and the waste, desolated and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’
36:36 Then the nations around you that are left will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolated; I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it.”
36:37 ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “This too I will let the house of Israel ask Me to do for them: I will increase their people like a flock.
36:38 Like the flock ①for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so will the waste cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD.” ’ ”
▷ ①Lit of holy things