Ezekiel 36 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Blessing on Israel

36 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the ^(A)mountains of Israel, and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord! ² Thus says the Lord God: “Because ^(B)the enemy has said of you, ‘Aha! ^(C)The ^[a]ancient heights ^(D)have become our possession,’ ” ’ ³ therefore prophesy, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, ^(E)and you are taken up by the lips of ^(F)talkers and slandered by the people”— ⁴ therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, the hills, the ^[b]rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which ^(G)became plunder and ^(H)mockery to the rest of the nations all around— ⁵ therefore thus says the Lord God: ^(I)“Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, ^(J)who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and ^[c]spiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country.” ’

⁶ “Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you have ^(K)borne the shame of the nations.” ⁷ Therefore thus says the Lord God: “I have ^(L)raised My hand in an oath that surely the nations that are around you shall ^(M)bear their own shame. ⁸ But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come. ⁹ For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. ¹⁰ I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and ^(N)the ruins rebuilt. ^{11 (O)}I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and ^[d]bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do ^(P)better for you than at your beginnings. ^(Q)Then you shall know that I am the Lord. ¹² Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, My people Israel; ^(R)they shall take possession of you, and you shall be their inheritance; no more shall you ^(S)bereave them of children.”

¹³ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because they say to you, ^(T)‘You devour men and bereave your nation of children,’ ¹⁴ therefore you shall devour men no more, nor bereave your nation anymore,” says the Lord God. ^{15 (U)}“Nor will I let you hear the taunts of the nations anymore, nor bear the reproach of the peoples anymore, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble anymore,” says the Lord God.’ ”

The Renewal of Israel

¹⁶ Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ¹⁷ “Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, ^(V)they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like ^(W)the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. ¹⁸ Therefore I poured out My fury on them ^(X)for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. ¹⁹ So I ^(Y)scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them ^(Z)according to their ways and their deeds. ²⁰ When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they ^(AA)profaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and yet they have gone out of His land.’ ²¹ But I had concern ^(AB)for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.

²² “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, ^(AC)but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. ²³ And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am ^(AD)hallowed in you before their eyes. ²⁴ For ^(AE)I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. ^{25 (AF)}Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you ^(AG)from all your filthiness and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a ^(AH)new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will put My ^(AI)Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. ^{28 (AJ)}Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; ^(AK)you shall be My people, and I will be your God. ²⁹ I will ^(AL)deliver you from all your uncleannesses. ^(AM)I will call for the grain and multiply it, and ^(AN)bring no famine upon you. ^{30 (AO)}And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. ³¹ Then ^(AP)you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you ^(AQ)will ^[e]loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. ^{32 (AR)}Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord God, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”

³³ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, ^(AS)and the ruins shall be rebuilt. ³⁴ The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. ³⁵ So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of ^(AT)Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ ³⁶ Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. ^(AU)I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.”

³⁷ ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(AV)“I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will ^(AW)increase their men like a flock. ³⁸ Like a ^[f]flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its ^[g]feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

Footnotes

1. Ezekiel 36:2 Or everlasting
2. Ezekiel 36:4 Or ravines
3. Ezekiel 36:5 Lit. scorning souls
4. Ezekiel 36:11 Lit. be fruitful
5. Ezekiel 36:31 despise
6. Ezekiel 36:38 Lit. holy flock
7. Ezekiel 36:38 appointed feasts

Cross references

1. Ezekiel 36:1 : Ezek. 6:2, 3
2. Ezekiel 36:2 : Jer. 33:24; Ezek. 25:3; 26:2
3. Ezekiel 36:2 : Deut. 32:13; Ps. 78:69; Is. 58:14; Hab. 3:19
4. Ezekiel 36:2 : Ezek. 35:10
5. Ezekiel 36:3 : Deut. 28:37; 1 Kin. 9:7; Lam. 2:15; Dan. 9:16
6. Ezekiel 36:3 : Ps. 44:13, 14; Jer. 18:16; Ezek. 35:13
7. Ezekiel 36:4 : Ezek. 34:8, 28
8. Ezekiel 36:4 : Ps. 79:4; Jer. 48:27
9. Ezekiel 36:5 : Deut. 4:24; Ezek. 38:19
10. Ezekiel 36:5 : Ezek. 35:10, 12
11. Ezekiel 36:6 : Ps. 74:10; 123:3, 4; Ezek. 34:29
12. Ezekiel 36:7 : Ezek. 20:5
13. Ezekiel 36:7 : Jer. 25:9, 15, 29
14. Ezekiel 36:10 : Is. 58:12; 61:4; Amos 9:14
15. Ezekiel 36:11 : Jer. 31:27; 33:12
16. Ezekiel 36:11 : Job 42:12; Is. 51:3
17. Ezekiel 36:11 : Ezek. 35:9; 37:6, 13
18. Ezekiel 36:12 : Obad. 17
19. Ezekiel 36:12 : Jer. 15:7; Ezek. 22:12, 27
20. Ezekiel 36:13 : Num. 13:32
21. Ezekiel 36:15 : Is. 60:14; Ezek. 34:29
22. Ezekiel 36:17 : Lev. 18:25, 27, 28; Jer. 2:7
23. Ezekiel 36:17 : Lev. 15:19
24. Ezekiel 36:18 : Ezek. 16:36, 38; 23:37
25. Ezekiel 36:19 : Deut. 28:64; Ezek. 5:12; 22:15; Amos 9:9
26. Ezekiel 36:19 : Ezek. 7:3; 18:30; 39:24; [Rom. 2:6]
27. Ezekiel 36:20 : Is. 52:5; Ezek. 12:16; Rom. 2:24
28. Ezekiel 36:21 : Ezek. 20:9, 14
29. Ezekiel 36:22 : Ps. 106:8; Ezek. 20:44
30. Ezekiel 36:23 : Is. 5:16; Ezek. 20:41; 28:22
31. Ezekiel 36:24 : Is. 43:5, 6; Ezek. 34:13; 37:21
32. Ezekiel 36:25 : Num. 19:17–19; Ps. 51:7; Is. 52:15; Heb. 9:13, 19; 10:22
33. Ezekiel 36:25 : Jer. 33:8
34. Ezekiel 36:26 : Ps. 51:10; Jer. 32:39; Ezek. 11:19; [John 3:3]
35. Ezekiel 36:27 : Is. 44:3; 59:21; Ezek. 11:19; 37:14; [Joel 2:28, 29]
36. Ezekiel 36:28 : Ezek. 28:25; 37:25
37. Ezekiel 36:28 : Jer. 30:22; Ezek. 11:20; 37:27
38. Ezekiel 36:29 : Zech. 13:1; [Matt. 1:21; Rom. 11:26]
39. Ezekiel 36:29 : Ps. 105:16
40. Ezekiel 36:29 : Ezek. 34:27, 29; Hos. 2:21–23
41. Ezekiel 36:30 : Lev. 26:4; Ezek. 34:27
42. Ezekiel 36:31 : Ezek. 16:61, 63
43. Ezekiel 36:31 : Lev. 26:39; Ezek. 6:9; 20:43
44. Ezekiel 36:32 : Deut. 9:5
45. Ezekiel 36:33 : Ezek. 36:10
46. Ezekiel 36:35 : Is. 51:3; Ezek. 28:13; Joel 2:3
47. Ezekiel 36:36 : Ezek. 17:24; 22:14; 37:14; Hos. 14:4–9
48. Ezekiel 36:37 : Ezek. 14:3; 20:3, 31
49. Ezekiel 36:37 : Ezek. 36:10