Ezekiel Prophesies Against the Mountains of Israel
1A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, 2“Son of man, turn your attention to the mountains of Israel. Prophesy against them. 3Say, ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to the message of the Lord and King. Here is what he says to the mountains and hills. And here is what he says to the canyons and valleys. He tells them, “I will send swords to kill your people. I will destroy the high places where you worship other gods. 4Your altars will be torn down. Your incense altars will be smashed. And I will kill your people in front of the statues of your gods. 5I will put the dead bodies of Israelites in front of those statues. I will scatter your bones around your altars. 6No matter where you live, the towns will be destroyed. The high places will be torn down. So your altars will be completely destroyed. The statues of your gods will be smashed to pieces. Your incense altars will be broken down. And everything you have made will be wiped out. 7Your people will fall down dead among you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
8“ ‘ “But I will spare some of you. Some will escape from being killed by swords. You will be scattered among other lands and nations. 9You will be taken away to those nations as prisoners. Those of you who escape will remember me. You will recall how much pain your unfaithful hearts gave me. You turned away from me. Your eyes longed to see the statues of your gods. You will hate yourselves because of all the evil things you have done. I hate those things too. 10You will know that I am the Lord. I said I would bring trouble on you. And my warning came true.” ’ ”
11The Lord and King said to me, “Clap your hands. Stamp your feet. Cry out, ‘How sad!’ Do this because the people of Israel have done so many evil things. I hate those things. Israel will be destroyed by war, hunger and plague. 12The one who is far away will die of the plague. The one who is near will be killed by swords. Anyone who is left alive and is spared will die of hunger. And in this way I will pour out my great anger on them. 13Then they will know that I am the Lord. Their people will lie dead among the statues of their gods around their altars. Their bodies will lie on every high hill and every mountaintop. They will lie under every green tree and leafy oak tree. They used to offer sweet-smelling incense to all their gods at those places. 14I will reach out my powerful hand against them. The land will become dry and empty. Those people will live from the desert all the way to Diblah. They will know that I am the Lord.”
1And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, 3And say, 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; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places. 4And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.6.4 images: or, sun images 5And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.6.5 lay: Heb. give 6In all your dwellingplaces the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.6.6 images: or, sun images 7And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
8¶ Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries. 9And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations. 10And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.
11¶ Thus saith the Lord GOD; Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. 12He that is far off shall die of the pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine: thus will I accomplish my fury upon them. 13Then shall ye know that I am the LORD, when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars, upon every high hill, in all the tops of the mountains, and under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the place where they did offer sweet savour to all their idols. 14So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the LORD.6.14 more…: or, desolate from the wilderness
