Ezekiel

Contains visions and prophecies of judgment and restoration for Israel and the nations.

Chapter 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:

*Additionally, you, human, tell the mountains of Israel, listen to the message from God.

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

*So says the Lord God: Since the enemy boasts, "Aha! The old sacred places now belong to us,"

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:

*So, speak for God and say this: God says because they made your life hard and took everything from you, leaving you with nothing but to be owned by other non-believers. You're now mentioned by those who gossip, making you a disgrace among the people.

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;

*So, Israel mountains, listen to God's message. God says to the mountains, hills, rivers, valleys, empty lands, and abandoned cities: "I know you have been made fun of and taken by the nearby people who didn't believe in me."

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.

*So, God says this: "I'm very angry with those who don't believe in me and have taken my land, filled with joy and with minds that show no respect. They want to take it and treat it as if it were theirs, just for their own pleasure."

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:

*So, speak a message about Israel's land. Tell the mountains, hills, rivers, and valleys that the Lord God says, "I am angry and envious because you have shared the shame of the non-believers."

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.

*So, God says this: I've raised my hand as a promise. For sure, the non-believers around you will feel embarrassed.

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.

*But you, mountains of Israel, produce branches and give fruits to my people of Israel because they're almost here.

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

*"See, I am here to help you, and I will come back to you. Then you will be cared for and planted with seeds."

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:

*I will increase the number of people on you, including all of the Israelites; the cities will be filled, and the empty areas will be 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.

*I will give you more people and animals, and they will grow and produce fruit. I will return you to your original homes and do even better for you than before. Then you will understand that I am the LORD.

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.

*Yes, I will make people walk on you, my people Israel. They will own you, and you will be their inheritance, and you won't take away their men anymore.

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

*Therefore,<|im_start|>Yahweh says, since they claim that your land consumes people and has deprived your nations.

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

*So you will stop eating people and not take away any more nations, says the Lord God.

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.

*I won't make people feel embarrassed because of you like the non-believers do anymore. You won't have to endure people's disgrace either. And you won't cause your people to fail anymore, says the Lord God.

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

*Additionally, the LORD's message reached me, stating,

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.

*Son, when Israel lived in their land, they made it unclean with their actions. Their behavior appeared to me like the impurity of a woman who has been abandoned.

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:

*So, I unleashed my anger on them because of the blood they spilled on the land and the idols they dirtied it with.

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.

*I spread them among non-believers and they went to different places. I punished them based on their actions and choices.

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.

*When they went to the non-believers, they dishonored God's name by saying, "These people belong to the Lord and left His land."

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

*But I felt sorry for my special name, which the people of Israel had made unholy among non-believers, where they went.

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.

*So tell the people of Israel, God says, "I'm doing this not because you deserve it, but to protect my name's reputation. You've misrepresented it among the non-believers where you went."

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.

*I will make my important name holy again, which you made unholy among non-believers. And the non-believers will know that I am the LORD, says the Lord God, when I become holy through you in front of them.

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.

*I will get you from among non-believers, collect you from every country, and bring you 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.

*Then I'll use clean water to wash you, making you pure; I'll get rid of all your dirt and all the things you worship instead of me.

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.

*I will give you a new heart and spirit, and remove your hard heart, replacing it with a flesh-based one.

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.

*I will give you my spirit, help you follow my rules, and you'll keep them and do what they say.

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.

*You will live in the land I gave to your ancestors, and you will be my people while I am 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.

*I will rescue you from everything that makes you unclean. I will provide plenty of food and make it grow, so you won't have to worry about hunger.

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.

*I will increase the food from trees and plants, so you won't be shamed for not having enough food among non-believers.

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.

*Then you will recall your bad actions and things you did wrong. You will dislike yourselves because of your sins and terrible deeds.

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.

*The Lord God says He does not do this for your sake. You should feel ashamed and confused about your actions, House of 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.

*So says the Lord God: On the day I cleanse you of all your wrongdoings, I will let you live in the towns, and the empty places will be rebuilt.

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

*The empty land will be farmed again, where it was once abandoned and noticed by everyone who passed by.

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.

*They will say, "This once empty land now looks like the Garden of Eden. The abandoned, ruined cities are now fixed up and people live there again."

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.

*Then the non-believers around you will know that I, the Lord, am rebuilding destroyed areas and making empty lands fruitful again. I, the Lord, have said this 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.

*So says the Lord God: I will still be asked by the people of Israel to do this for them; I will grow them in number like a flock of 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.

*Just like how the holy group from Jerusalem's special celebrations is full of people; the empty cities will also be filled with lots of people. And they will understand that I am the one in charge.

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