Comfort to the Land of Israel
36 “You, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say: ‘Mountains of Israel, hear the word of Adonai. 2 Thus says Adonai Elohim: “The enemy has said against you, ‘Aha! Even the ancient high places have become our possession!’ 3 Therefore prophesy and say, thus says Adonai Elohim: ‘Because they ravaged and crushed you from every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and you became the talk and evil gossip of people,’ 4 therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of Adonai, thus says Adonai Elohim to the mountains, the hills, the streams and the valleys, the desolate wastes and the cities that are forsaken, which have become prey and derision to the rest of the surrounding nations. 5 Therefore thus says Adonai Elohim: ‘Surely in the fire of My wrath I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, that have taken My land for themselves as a possession with the joy of all their heart and contempt in their souls, in order to seize it as plunder.’ 6 Therefore, prophesy to the land of Israel and say to the mountains and the hills, the streams and the valleys, thus says Adonai Elohim: ‘Behold, I have spoken in My wrath and in My fury, because you have suffered the scorn of the nations.’ 7 Therefore thus says Adonai Elohim: ‘I have lifted My hand. Surely the nations that surround you will themselves suffer scorn.
8 “‘But you, mountains of Israel, you will shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit for My people Israel; for their return is near. 9 For behold, I am for you. I will turn to you. You will be tilled and sown. 10 I will settle a large population upon you—the whole house of Israel, all of it. The cities will be inhabited. The desolate places will be built up. 11 I will multiply man and beast upon you. They will increase and be fruitful. I will cause you to be inhabited as you were before. I will do better for you than at your beginnings. You will know that I am Adonai. 12 I will cause people, my people Israel, to walk upon you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance. You will no longer deprive them of children.’”
13 Thus says Adonai Elohim: “Because they say to you, ‘You are a devourer of men and you deprive your nation of children,’ 14 therefore you will no longer devour men and you will no longer deprive your nation of children.” It is a declaration of Adonai. 15 “I will no longer let the scorn of the nations be heard against you. You will no longer bear disgrace from the peoples. You will no longer cause your nation to stumble.” It is a declaration of Adonai.
16 The word of Adonai came to me saying: 17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their way and by their deeds. Their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her niddah. 18 So I poured out My fury on them for the blood which they had shed upon the land and because they had defiled it with their idols. 19 I scattered them among the nations, so they were dispersed through the countries. According to their way and their deeds I judged them. 20 Wherever they went among the nations, they profaned My holy Name, since it was said about them, ‘These are the people of Adonai, yet they had to leave His land.’ 21 But I had concern 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 Adonai Elohim: ‘I do not do this for your sake, house of Israel, but for My holy Name, which you profaned among the nations wherever you went. 23 I will sanctify My great Name, which has been profaned among the nations—which you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am Adonai’”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“‘when I am sanctified in you before their eyes.’”
New Heart, New Spirit
24 “‘For I will take you from the nations, gather you out of all the countries and bring you back to your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. 26 Moreover I will give you a new heart. I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the stony heart from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. [a] 27 I will put My Ruach within you. Then I will cause you to walk in My laws, so you will keep My rulings and do them. 28 Then you will live in the land that I gave to your fathers. You will be My people and I will be your God.
29 “So I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful. I will not bring a famine upon you. 30 I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will no longer bear the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 When you remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, you will be disgusted with yourselves because of your iniquities and your abominations. 32 Not for your sake will I do this”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, house of Israel!”
33 Thus says Adonai Elohim: “In the day that I pronounce you clean from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited and the ruins will be rebuilt. 34 The land that was desolate will be tilled instead of being a wasteland in the sight of all that passed by. 35 They will say, ‘This land that was a wasteland has become like the garden of Eden. The waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’ 36 Then the nations that are left all around you will know that I, Adonai, have rebuilt the ruined places, and replanted what was desolate. I, Adonai, have spoken it. So I will do it.”
37 Thus says Adonai Elohim: “I will again be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them—I will populate them with people like a flock. 38 Like the holy flock, like the flock of Jerusalem during her moadim, so the waste cities will be filled with flocks of people.[b] Then they will know that I am Adonai.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 36:27 cf. John 3:5; 2 Cor. 3:3.
- Ezekiel 36:38 cf. John 10:7, 9, 16.