The Cause of Judah’s Ruin
23Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
24“Son of man, cthey who inhabit those druins in the land of Israel are saying, e‘Abraham was only one, and he inherited the land. fBut we are many; the land has been given to us as a gpossession.’
25“Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: h“You eat meat with blood, you ilift up your eyes toward your idols, and jshed blood. Should you then possess the kland?
26“You rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and you ldefile one another’s wives. Should you then possess the land?” ’
27“Say thus to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “As I live, surely mthose who are in the ruins shall fall by the sword, and the one who is in the open field nI will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and ocaves shall die of the pestilence.
28p“For I will make the land most desolate, 9her qarrogant strength shall cease, and rthe mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that no one will pass through.
29“Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.” ’
Hearing and Not Doing
30“As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they sspeak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD.’
31“So tthey come to you as people do, they usit before you as My people, and they vhear your words, but they do not do them; wfor with their mouth they show much love, but xtheir hearts pursue their own gain.
32“Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do ynot do them.
33z“And when this comes to pass—surely it will come—then athey will know that a prophet has been among them.”
Ezekiel 34
Irresponsible Shepherds
1And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: a“Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
3b“You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you cslaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock.
4d“The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor esought what was lost; but with fforce and 1cruelty you have ruled them.
5g“So they were hscattered because there was no shepherd; iand they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered.
6“My sheep jwandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.”
7‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:
8“As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock kbecame food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, lbut the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock”—
9‘therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD!
10‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am magainst the shepherds, and nI will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall ofeed themselves no more; for I will pdeliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”
God, the True Shepherd
11‘For thus says the Lord GOD: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.
12“As a qshepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on ra cloudy and dark day.
13“And sI will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, 2in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country.
14t“I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. uThere they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
15“I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord GOD.
16v“I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy wthe fat and the strong, and feed them xin judgment.”
17‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord GOD: y“Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats.
18“Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the 3residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet?
19“And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.”
20‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD to them: z“Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep.
21“Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad,
22“therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.
23“I will establish one ashepherd over them, and he shall feed them—bMy servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd.
24“And cI, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David da prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.
25e“I will make a covenant of peace with them, and fcause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they gwill dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.
26“I will make them and the places all around hMy hill ia blessing; and I will jcause showers to come down in their season; there shall be kshowers of blessing.
27“Then lthe trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have mbroken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who nenslaved them.
28“And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but othey shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid.
29“I will raise up for them a pgarden4 of renown, and they shall qno longer be consumed with hunger in the land, rnor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore.
30“Thus they shall know that sI, the LORD their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are tMy people,” says the Lord GOD.’ ” Millennial Sacrifices
31“You are My uflock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 35
Judgment on Mount Seir
1Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2“Son of man, set your face against aMount Seir and bprophesy against it,
3“and say to it, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
“Behold, O Mount Seir, I am against you;
c I will stretch out My hand against you,
And make you 1most desolate;
4I shall lay your cities waste,
And you shall be desolate.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD.
5d“Because you have had an 2ancient hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, ewhen their iniquity came to an end,
6“therefore, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will prepare you for fblood, and blood shall pursue you; gsince you have not hated 3blood, therefore blood shall pursue you.
7“Thus I will make Mount Seir 4most desolate, and cut off from it the hone who leaves and the one who returns.
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8“And I will fill its mountains with the slain; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those who are slain by the sword shall fall.
9i“I will make you 5perpetually desolate, and your cities shall be uninhabited; jthen you shall know that I am the LORD.
10“Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will kpossess them,’ although lthe LORD was there,
11“therefore, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will do maccording to your anger and according to the envy which you showed in your hatred against them; and I will make Myself known among them when I judge you.
12n“Then you shall know that I am the LORD. I have oheard all your pblasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They are desolate; they are given to us to consume.’
13“Thus qwith your mouth you have 6boasted against Me and multiplied your rwords against Me; I have heard them.”
14‘Thus says the Lord GOD: s“The whole earth will rejoice when I make you desolate.
15t“As you rejoiced because the inheritance of the house of Israel was desolate, uso I will do to you; you shall be desolate, O Mount Seir, as well as all of Edom—all of it! Then they shall know that I am the LORD.” ’
Ezekiel 36
Blessing on Israel
1“And you, son of man, prophesy to the amountains of Israel, and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD!
2‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because bthe enemy has said of you, ‘Aha! cThe 1ancient heights dhave become our possession,’ ” ’
3“therefore prophesy, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, eand you are taken up by the lips of ftalkers and slandered by the people”—
4‘therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains, the hills, the 2rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which gbecame plunder and hmockery to the rest of the nations all around—
5‘therefore thus says the Lord GOD: i“Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, jwho gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and 3spiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country.” ’
6“Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you have kborne the shame of the nations.”
7‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “I have lraised My hand in an oath that surely the nations that are around you shall mbear their own shame.
8“But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come.
9“For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown.
10“I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and nthe ruins rebuilt.
11o“I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and 4bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do pbetter for you than at your beginnings. qThen you shall know that I am the LORD.
12“Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, My people Israel; rthey shall take possession of you, and you shall be their inheritance; no more shall you sbereave them of children.”
13‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because they say to you, t‘You devour men and bereave your nation of children,’
14“therefore you shall devour men no more, nor bereave your nation anymore,” says the Lord GOD.
15u“Nor will I let you hear the taunts of the nations anymore, nor bear the reproach of the peoples anymore, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble anymore,” says the Lord GOD.’ ”
The Renewal of Israel
16Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
17“Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, vthey defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like wthe uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity.
18“Therefore I poured out My fury on them xfor the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it.
19“So I yscattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them zaccording to their ways and their deeds.
20“When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they aprofaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, and yet they have gone out of His land.’
21“But I had concern bfor My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.
22“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, cbut for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.
23“And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,” says the Lord GOD, “when I am dhallowed in you before their eyes.
24“For eI will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.
25f“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you gfrom all your filthiness and from all your idols.
26“I will give you a hnew heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27“I will put My iSpirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
28j“Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; kyou shall be My people, and I will be your God.
29“I will ldeliver you from all your uncleannesses. mI will call for the grain and multiply it, and nbring no famine upon you.
30o“And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations.
31“Then pyou will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you qwill 5loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations.
32r“Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord GOD, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”
33‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, sand the ruins shall be rebuilt.
34“The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by.
35“So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of tEden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’
36“Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. uI, the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it.”
37‘Thus says the Lord GOD: v“I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will wincrease their men like a flock.
38“Like a 6flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its 7feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.” ’ ”
Ezekiel 37
The Dry Bones Live
1The ahand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out bin the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.
2Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.
3And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord GOD, cYou know.”
4Again He
said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
5‘Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Surely I will dcause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.
6“I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. eThen you shall know that I am the LORD.” ’ ”
7So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.
8Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
9Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the 1breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: f“Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ”
10So I prophesied as He commanded me, gand 2breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the hwhole house of Israel. They indeed say, i‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’
12“Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, jO My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and kbring you into the land of Israel.
13“Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.
14“I lwill put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,” says the LORD.’ ”
One Kingdom, One King
15Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
16“As for you, son of man, mtake a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for nthe children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 388