Restoration of the Land of Judah

36 And thou son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of Jehovah. 2 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: "Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha! and the ancient high places have become our possession, 3 therefore prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Inasmuch as they have made you desolate, and crushed you on every side, that ye might become the possession of the rest of the nations, and ye are the popular talk and gossip, 4 therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of Jehovah: Thus saith Jehovah to the mountains and to the hills, and to the watercourses and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the deserted cities which have become a prey and a derision to the rest of the nations, which are around about you— 5 therefore thus saith Jehovah, verily, in the heat of my jealousy have I spoken against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, that have appropriated my land to them- selves as a possession, with heartfelt joy, with malicious spite, in order to take its common pasture land? as prey. 6 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, Thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I speak in my jealousy and in my wrath, because ye have borne the reproach of the nations. 7 Therefore thus saith Jehovah: I swear that the nations that are round about you shall surely bear their own shame.

8 But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall put forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they will quickly come. 9 For, behold, I am with you, and I will turn toward you, and ye shall be tilled and sown; v 10 and I will make the men upon you many, all the house of Israel, even all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the waste places rebuilt; 11 and I will make the men and beasts upon you many, and they shall increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former estate, and I will do better for you than in your beginnings; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. 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 bereave them of children. 13 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because they say to thee, Thou hast devoured men, and bereaved thy nation, 14 therefore thou shalt devour men no more, nor bereave thy nation any more, saith the Lord Jehovah. ‘ 15 I will no longer let the reproach of the nations be heard against? thee, neither shalt thou hear the shame of the peop any more,® saith the Lord Jehovah."”

16 Moreover this word of Jehovah came to me, 17 Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and by their deeds; their ways before me were as the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity. 18 Therefore I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood which they had poured out upon the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols. 19 I scattered them among the nations and they were dispersed among the countries; according to their ways and deeds I judged them. 20 But when they! came to the nations, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, in that men said of them, “These are the people of Jehovah, and they have come forth out of his land.’ 21 But I had regard for my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations whither they went.

22 Therefore say to the house of Israel, “Thus saith Jehovah: ‘I act not for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name, which ye have profaned among the nations whither ye have gone. 23 And I will make sacred my great name which hath been profaned among the nations, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, when through you I shall be sanctified in their sight. 24 For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries and will bring you into your own land. 25 And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be cleansed from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you. 26 I will also give you a new heart, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away your stony heart, and I will give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to live according to my statutes, nd ye shall keep mine ordinances and do them. 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. 29 And I will save you from all your uncleannesses; and I will call for the grain, and make it plentiful, and inflict no famine upon you. 30 And I will make plentiful the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye may receive no more the reproach of famine among the nations. 31 Then shall ye remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of your iniquities and your abominations. 32 Not for your sake do I do this, saith the Lord Jehovah, be it known to you; be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.’ ”

33 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: “In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. 34 And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead of being a desolation in the sight of all those who passed by. 35 And they shall say, ‘This land that was desolate is become like the Garden of Eden; and the waste places and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’ 36 Then the na- tions that are left round about you shall know that I, Jehovah, have rebuilt the ruined places, and planted that which was desolate; I, Jehovah, have spoken it,and will do it.” 37 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: “ This petition also will I grant to the house of Israel, that I may do it for them; I will increase their men like a flock, 38 Like the sacrificial flock, like the flock of Jerusa- lem at her festivals, so the waste cities shall be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.”