Prophecy to the Mountains of Israel

1Also, you son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD: 2Thus said the Lord GOD; Because the enemy has said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession: 3Therefore prophesy and say, Thus said the Lord GOD; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that you might be a possession to the residue of the heathen, and you are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people: 4Therefore, you mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus said 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; 5Therefore thus said 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. 6Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus said the Lord GOD; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because you have borne the shame of the heathen: 7Therefore thus said the Lord GOD; I have lifted up my hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame. 8But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. 9For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown: 10And I will multiply men on you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be built: 11And I will multiply on you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better to you than at your beginnings: and you shall know that I am the LORD. 12Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess you, and you shall be their inheritance, and you shall no more from now on bereave them of men.

13Thus said the Lord GOD; Because they say to you, You land devour up men, and have bereaved your nations: 14Therefore you shall devour men no more, neither bereave your nations any more, said the Lord GOD. 15Neither will I cause men to hear in you the shame of the heathen any more, neither shall you bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shall you cause your nations to fall any more, said the Lord GOD.

The Lord's Holy Name

16Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 17Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelled 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. 18Why I poured my fury on them for the blood that they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had polluted it: 19And 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. 20And when they entered to the heathen, where 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. 21But I had pity for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, where they went.

A New Heart and Spirit

22Therefore say to the house of Israel, thus said the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the heathen, where you went. 23And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which you have profaned in the middle of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, said the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. 24For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25Then will I sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26A 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. 27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments, and do them. 28And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine on you. 30And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that you shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. 31Then shall you remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. 32Not for your sakes do I this, said the Lord GOD, be it known to you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.

33Thus said 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 built. 34And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. 35And 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. 36Then 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.

37Thus said the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. 38As 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.