Ezekiel, 36

1. Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD:

1. "Son of man, prophesy regarding the mountains of Israel; say to them: Mountains of Israel, hear the word of Yahweh:

2. Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession:

2. Your enemies have said: 'Aha! these eternal heights have become our possession.'

3. Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they have made [you] desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and [are] an infamy of the people:

3. People have envied you and ravaged you on all sides; other nations have taken possession of you, so that you became the subject of talk and gossip. Because of that,

4. Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that [are] round about;

4. mountains of Israel, hear this word of Yahweh. Yahweh says to the mountains, the hills, the ravines and the valleys, to the deserted ruins and the empty towns which have become the plunder and target of mockery for other nations around:

5. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all [their] heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.

5. Truly in the fire of my jealousy I will speak against the other nations, namely all of Edom, who with glee and malice in their hearts, have taken possession of my land and plundered its pastures.

6. Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen:

6. Now you shall prophesy concerning Israel. You shall say to the mountains, the hills, the ravines and the valleys: This is the word of Yahweh who speaks in the fury of his jealousy! Because you have suffered the scorn of the nations,

7. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that [are] about you, they shall bear their shame.

7. Yahweh says: I swear with uplifted hand, the nations surrounding you will suffer scorn.

8. But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come.

8. But you, mountains of Israel, you shall bring forth branches and produce fruit for my people Israel, for soon they will return.

9. For, behold, I [am] for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:

9. Indeed, I have turned in your direction and I have bent towards you; you will be cultivated and sown with seed.

10. And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, [even] all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded:

10. I will increase your population in all Israel; the towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.

11. And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better [unto you] than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD.

11. Both people and animals will increase; they will be fruitful and multiply. I will build up their numbers as in the past and they will know that I am Yahweh.

12. Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, [even] my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them [of men].

12. Men and women of Israel will walk on you again. They will take possession of you; you will be their heritage again, and never again will you let their children perish."

13. Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they say unto you, Thou [land] devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations;

13. Yahweh speaks, "People say that you devour men and that you rob your people of children.

14. Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord GOD.

14. But never again shall you devour men or rob your people of children - word of Yahweh.

15. Neither will I cause [men] to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord GOD.

15. You shall no longer hear the mockery of the nations or suffer the insults of other lands - word of Yahweh."

16. Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

16. The word of Yahweh came to me in these terms,

17. Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.

17. "Son of man, when Israel occupied her own land she defiled it by her way of life and her actions. To me her conduct was like the uncleanness of a woman in her period.

18. Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols [wherewith] they had polluted it:

18. I poured out my fury on them because of the blood they shed in the land and because they defiled it with their filthy idols.

19. And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.

19. Then I scattered them among the nations and dispersed them in other lands. I judged them according to their conduct and their actions.

20. And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These [are] the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land.

20. But when they were brought to other nations, my holy Name was profaned because others said of them: 'The people of Yahweh had to be exiled from his land!'

21. But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.

21. Then I was concerned for my holy Name, profaned by Israel among the nations where she had been dispersed. Now you shall say to the people of Israel:

22. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not [this] for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.

22. It is not for your sake that I am about to act, but because of my holy Name that you have profaned in the places where you have gone.

23. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I [am] the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

23. I will make known the holiness of my great Name, profaned among the nations because of you, and they will know that I am Yahweh when I show them my holiness among you.

24. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

24. For I will gather you from all the nations and bring you back to your own land.

25. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

25. Then I shall pour pure water over you and you shall be made clean - cleansed from the defilement of all your idols.

26. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

26. I shall give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I shall remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

27. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them].

27. I shall put my spirit within you and move you to follow my decrees and keep my laws.

28. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

28. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you shall be my people and I will be your God.

29. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.

29. I will free you from all your uncleanness. I shall summon the wheat and make it plentiful and so keep famine away from you.

30. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.

30. I shall see that the fruits of the earth and the produce of the fields are plentiful and that you no longer suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations.

31. Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that [were] not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

31. Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked actions and loathe yourselves for the sins you committed and for your detestable practices.

32. Not for your sakes do I [this], saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.

32. I want you to know that it is not for your sake I am doing this, word of Yahweh. Be ashamed and humbled because of your conduct, Israel!

33. Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause [you] to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded.

33. This is what Yahweh says: The day I cleanse you from all your sins, I shall repopulate the cities and the ruins will be rebuilt.

34. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.

34. The devastated land will be cultivated wherever passersby saw it desolate.

35. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities [are become] fenced, [and] are inhabited.

35. Everyone will say, 'This devastated land is now a garden of Eden and its cities once in ruins and leveled to the ground have been rebuilt and populated.'

36. Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined [places, and] plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken [it], and I will do [it].

36. And the nations that remain around you will know that I, Yahweh, have rebuilt the ruined city and replanted what was desolate. I, Yahweh, have spoken and I will do it.

37. Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet [for] this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do [it] for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.

37. Thus says Yahweh: Once again I shall listen to the plea of Israel and favor them. I shall make their people as numerous as sheep,

38. As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.

38. as numerous as the flock they bring to Jerusalem's Temple at the time of her holy days. In the same way the ruined cities will be filled with flocks of people and they will know that I am Yahweh."