The Mountains of Israel to Be Blessed

1“Now you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD. 2This is what the Lord [a]GOD says: “Since the enemy has spoken against you, ‘Aha!’ and, ‘The everlasting [b]heights have become our possession,’ 3therefore prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “[c]For 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 [d]talk and the rumor of the people.”’” 4Therefore, 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— 5therefore 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 [e]appropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with contempt of soul, in order to make its pastureland plunder.” 6Therefore 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.’ 7Therefore the Lord GOD says this: ‘I have [f]sworn that the nations that are around you will certainly endure their insults themselves. 8But as for you, mountains of Israel, you will [g]grow your branches and bear fruit for My people Israel; for they are about to come. 9For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you will be cultivated and sown. 10And 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. 11I 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. 12Yes, 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.’

13“The Lord GOD says this: ‘Since they say to you, “You are a devourer of people and have bereaved your nation of children,” 14for that reason you will no longer devour people and no longer bereave your nation of children,’ declares the Lord GOD. 15I 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.’”

16Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 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. 18Therefore 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. 19I also scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the lands. According to their ways and their deeds I judged them. 20When 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.’ 21But I had [h]concern for My holy 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, ‘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. 23And 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. 24For I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the lands; and I will bring you into your own land. 25Then 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. 26Moreover, 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. 27And I will put My Spirit within you and bring it about that you walk in My statutes, and are careful and [i]follow My ordinances. 28And you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God. 29Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not [j]bring a famine on you. 30Instead, 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. 31Then 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. 32I 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!”

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. 34The desolated land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by. 35And they will say, ‘This desolated land has become like the Garden of Eden; and the waste, desolated and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’ 36Then 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.”

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. 38Like the flock [k]for 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.”’”