NET Bible | New Living Translation |
1"As for you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say: 'O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD! | 1“Son of man, prophesy to Israel’s mountains. Give them this message: O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD! |
2This is what the sovereign LORD says: The enemy has spoken against you, saying "Aha!" and, "The ancient heights have become our property!"' | 2This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Your enemies have taunted you, saying, ‘Aha! Now the ancient heights belong to us!’ |
3So prophesy and say: 'This is what the sovereign LORD says: Surely because they have made you desolate and crushed you from all directions, so that you have become the property of the rest of the nations, and have become the subject of gossip and slander among the people, | 3Therefore, son of man, give the mountains of Israel this message from the Sovereign LORD: Your enemies have attacked you from all directions, making you the property of many nations and the object of much mocking and slander. |
4therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the sovereign LORD: This is what the sovereign LORD says to the mountains and hills, the ravines and valleys, and to the desolate ruins and the abandoned cities that have become prey and an object of derision to the rest of the nations round about-- | 4Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign LORD. He speaks to the hills and mountains, ravines and valleys, and to ruined wastes and long-deserted cities that have been destroyed and mocked by the surrounding nations. |
5therefore this is what the sovereign LORD says: Surely I have spoken in the fire of my zeal against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who with great joy and utter contempt have made my land their property and prey, because of its pasture.' | 5This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My jealous anger burns against these nations, especially Edom, because they have shown utter contempt for me by gleefully taking my land for themselves as plunder. |
6"Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains and hills, the ravines and valleys, 'This is what the sovereign LORD says: Look, I have spoken in my zeal and in my anger, because you have endured the insults of the nations. | 6“Therefore, prophesy to the hills and mountains, the ravines and valleys of Israel. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am furious that you have suffered shame before the surrounding nations. |
7So this is what the sovereign LORD says: I vow that the nations around you will endure insults as well. | 7Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I have taken a solemn oath that those nations will soon have their own shame to endure. |
8"'But you, mountains of Israel, will grow your branches, and bear your fruit for my people Israel; for they will arrive soon. | 8“But the mountains of Israel will produce heavy crops of fruit for my people—for they will be coming home again soon! |
9For indeed, I am on your side; I will turn to you, and you will be plowed and planted. | 9See, I care about you, and I will pay attention to you. Your ground will be plowed and your crops planted. |
10I will multiply your people--the whole house of Israel, all of it. The cities will be populated and the ruins rebuilt. | 10I will greatly increase the population of Israel, and the ruined cities will be rebuilt and filled with people. |
11I will increase the number of people and animals on you; they will increase and be fruitful. I will cause you to be inhabited as in ancient times, and will do more good for you than at the beginning of your history. Then you will know that I am the LORD. | 11I will increase not only the people, but also your animals. O mountains of Israel, I will bring people to live on you once again. I will make you even more prosperous than you were before. Then you will know that I am the LORD. |
12I will lead people, my people Israel, across you; they will possess you and you will become their inheritance. No longer will you bereave them of their children. | 12I will cause my people to walk on you once again, and you will be their territory. You will never again rob them of their children. |
13"'This is what the sovereign LORD says: Because they are saying to you, "You are a devourer of men, and bereave your nation of children," | 13“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The other nations taunt you, saying, ‘Israel is a land that devours its own people and robs them of their children!’ |
14therefore you will no longer devour people and no longer bereave your nation of children, declares the sovereign LORD. | 14But you will never again devour your people or rob them of their children, says the Sovereign LORD. |
15I will no longer subject you to the nations' insults; no longer will you bear the shame of the peoples, and no longer will you bereave your nation, declares the sovereign LORD.'" | 15I will not let you hear those other nations insult you, and you will no longer be mocked by them. You will not be a land that causes its nation to fall, says the Sovereign LORD.” |
16The word of the LORD came to me: | 16Then this further message came to me from the LORD: |
17"Son of man, when the house of Israel was living on their own land, they defiled it by their behavior and their deeds. In my sight their behavior was like the uncleanness of a woman having her monthly period. | 17“Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by the evil way they lived. To me their conduct was as unclean as a woman’s menstrual cloth. |
18So I poured my anger on them because of the blood they shed on the land and because of the idols with which they defiled it. | 18They polluted the land with murder and the worship of idols, so I poured out my fury on them. |
19I scattered them among the nations; they were dispersed throughout foreign countries. In accordance with their behavior and their deeds I judged them. | 19I scattered them to many lands to punish them for the evil way they had lived. |
20But when they arrived in the nations where they went, they profaned my holy name. It was said of them, 'These are the people of the LORD, yet they have departed from his land.' | 20But when they were scattered among the nations, they brought shame on my holy name. For the nations said, ‘These are the people of the LORD, but he couldn’t keep them safe in his own land!’ |
21I was concerned for my holy reputation which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went. | 21Then I was concerned for my holy name, on which my people brought shame among the nations. |
22"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake that I am about to act, O house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy reputation which you profaned among the nations where you went. | 22“Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign LORD: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. |
23I will magnify my great name that has been profaned among the nations, that you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the sovereign LORD, when I magnify myself among you in their sight. | 23I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign LORD, then the nations will know that I am the LORD. |
24"'I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries; then I will bring you to your land. | 24For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land. |
25I will sprinkle you with pure water and you will be clean from all your impurities. I will purify you from all your idols. | 25“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. |
26I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh. | 26And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. |
27I will put my Spirit within you; I will take the initiative and you will obey my statutes and carefully observe my regulations. | 27And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. |
28Then you will live in the land I gave to your fathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. | 28“And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God. |
29I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and multiply it; I will not bring a famine on you. | 29I will cleanse you of your filthy behavior. I will give you good crops of grain, and I will send no more famines on the land. |
30I will multiply the fruit of the trees and the produce of the fields, so that you will never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. | 30I will give you great harvests from your fruit trees and fields, and never again will the surrounding nations be able to scoff at your land for its famines. |
31Then you will remember your evil behavior and your deeds which were not good; you will loathe yourselves on account of your sins and your abominable deeds. | 31Then you will remember your past sins and despise yourselves for all the detestable things you did. |
32Understand that it is not for your sake I am about to act, declares the sovereign LORD. Be ashamed and embarrassed by your behavior, O house of Israel. | 32But remember, says the Sovereign LORD, I am not doing this because you deserve it. O my people of Israel, you should be utterly ashamed of all you have done! |
33"'This is what the sovereign LORD says: In the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will populate the cities and the ruins will be rebuilt. | 33“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I cleanse you from your sins, I will repopulate your cities, and the ruins will be rebuilt. |
34The desolate land will be plowed, instead of being desolate in the sight of everyone who passes by. | 34The fields that used to lie empty and desolate in plain view of everyone will again be farmed. |
35They will say, "This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; the ruined, desolate, and destroyed cities are now fortified and inhabited." | 35And when I bring you back, people will say, ‘This former wasteland is now like the Garden of Eden! The abandoned and ruined cities now have strong walls and are filled with people!’ |
36Then the nations which remain around you will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruins and replanted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken--and I will do it!' | 36Then the surrounding nations that survive will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruins and replanted the wasteland. For I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do what I say. |
37"This is what the sovereign LORD says: I will allow the house of Israel to ask me to do this for them: I will multiply their people like sheep. | 37“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am ready to hear Israel’s prayers and to increase their numbers like a flock. |
38Like the sheep for offerings, like the sheep of Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD." | 38They will be as numerous as the sacred flocks that fill Jerusalem’s streets at the time of her festivals. The ruined cities will be crowded with people once more, and everyone will know that I am the LORD.” |
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