A Prophecy to the Mountains of Israel

1“ And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say: O mountains of Israel, hear the word of YHWH! 2Thus says the Lord YHWH: Because the enemy has said of you⁺, ‘Aha, the heights of old have become as a possession unto us,’ 3therefore prophesy and say, thus says the Lord YHWH: Because, even because of making you desolate and swallowing you⁺ up from all around for your⁺ being the possession of the rest of the nations, and you⁺ were taken up on the lip of the tongue in slander of the people, 4therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord YHWH,

thus says the Lord YHWH to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, and to the desolate ruins, and to the abandoned cities that became as plunder and as derision to the rest of the nations that are all around, 5therefore, thus says the Lord YHWH: Surely in the burning of My jealousy that I have spoken against the rest of the nations and against Edom—all those who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with joy in all of the heart, and with scorn in the soul, in order to graze upon it as prey.

6Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, thus says the Lord YHWH: Behold, I, in My jealousy and in My fury, have spoken, because you⁺ have carried the shame of the nations.

7Therefore, thus says the Lord YHWH: I—I have lifted up My hand that surely the nations that are surrounding you⁺, they will bear their own shame! 8And you⁺, O mountains of Israel, your⁺ branches you⁺ will give forth, and your⁺ fruit you⁺ will bear for My people Israel, for they are soon to come in!

9For behold, I am toward you⁺, and I will turn to you⁺, and you⁺ will be tilled and sown. 10And I will multiply upon you⁺ man—all the house of Israel, all of it—and the cities will be inhabited, and the ruins will be rebuilt. 11And I will multiply upon you⁺ man and beast, and they will multiply and will be fruitful; and I will make you⁺ inhabited as of old, and I will make you prosper more than before, and you⁺ will know that I am YHWH.

12And I will cause man to walk over you⁺—My people Israel—they will possess you, and you will be unto them as an inheritance, and you will no more bereave them.

13Thus says the Lord YHWH: Because of their saying to you⁺, ‘You are devouring man, and you are bereaving your nations!’ 14Therefore man you will devour no more, and your nations you will not bereave any longer, a declaration of the Lord YHWH. 15And I will not let you hear anymore the taunt of the nations, and the reproach of the peoples you will bear no more, and your nation will be made to stumble no longer, a declaration of the Lord YHWH.”

A New Heart and a New Spirit
(Romans 8:9–11; Galatians 5:16–26)

16And the word of YHWH came to me, saying: 17“Son of man, the house of Israel were dwelling in their own land, and they defiled it by their ways and by their deeds; like the uncleanness of a woman’s impurity was their way before My face. 18And I poured out My fury upon them for the blood that they had poured out upon the land and because they had defiled her with their idols.

19And I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered among the lands; according to their ways and according to their deeds I judged them. 20And they came to the nations, to which they came there, and they profaned name of My holiness by saying to them, ‘These are the people of YHWH, and from His land they have gone out!’ 21And I had pity for the name of My holiness, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they had gone in there.

22Therefore say to the house of Israel, thus says the Lord YHWH: It is not for your⁺ sake that I am doing this, O house of Israel, for but the name of My holiness, which you⁺ have profaned among the nations to which you⁺ have gone in there. 23And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you⁺ have profaned in their midst, and the nations will know that I am YHWH, a declaration of the Lord YHWH, in My showing My holiness in you⁺ before their eyes.

24For I will take you⁺ from the nations, and I will gather you⁺ from all of the lands, and I will bring you⁺ into your⁺ own land. 25And I will sprinkle on you⁺ pure water, and you⁺ will be pure from all your⁺ uncleanness, and from all your⁺ idols I will purify you⁺. 26And I will give to you⁺ a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you⁺; and I will take away the heart of stone from your⁺ flesh, and I will give to you⁺ a heart of flesh. 27And My Spirit I will put within you⁺, and I will make it that you⁺ will walk in My statutes and My ordinances you⁺ will keep and will do them.

28And you⁺ will dwell in the land that I gave to your⁺ fathers and you⁺ will be unto Me a people, and I will be unto you⁺ God. 29And I will deliver you⁺ from all your⁺ uncleanness, and I will call for the grain, and I will multiply it, and I will not put famine upon you⁺. 30And I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you⁺ will no longer receive the reproach of famine among the nations.

31And you⁺ will remember your⁺ evil ways and your⁺ deeds that were not good, and you⁺ will loathe in your⁺ faces over your⁺ iniquities and over your⁺ abominations. 32It is not for your⁺ sake that I am doing this, a declaration of the Lord YHWH, let it be known to you⁺. Be ashamed and disgraced for your⁺ ways, O house of Israel!

33Thus says the Lord YHWH: On the day of My cleansing you⁺ from all your⁺ iniquities, I will make you dwell in the cities, and the ruins will be rebuilt. 34And the land that was desolate will be tilled, instead of that it has been a desolation before the eyes of all passing by. 35And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the ruined cities, desolate and overthrown, are fortified and they are inhabited.’

36And the nations that remain all around you⁺ will know that I, YHWH, have rebuilt the ruins, and I have replanted what was desolate. I, YHWH, have spoken, and I will do it.

37Thus says the Lord YHWH: Again in this I will be sought out by the house of Israel, to do this for them; I will increase them like a flock of people. 38Like a flock of consecration, like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast s, so the ruined cities will be filled with a flock of people. And they will know that I am YHWH.”