New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Ezekiel 36
1
"Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel. Tell them, 'Mountains of Israel, listen to the Lord's message.
2
The Lord and King says, "Your enemies made fun of you. They bragged, 'The hills you lived in for a long time belong to us now.' " '
Reference
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 32:13
Psalm 78:69
Ezekiel 26:2
References God
Ezekiel 25:3
Habakkuk 3:19
References Lord
Ezekiel 35:10
Isaiah 58:14
Jeremiah 49:1
3
"Ezekiel, prophesy. Say, 'The Lord and King says, "Your enemies destroyed you. They hunted you down from every side. So the rest of the nations took over your land. People talked about you. They told lies about you." ' "
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 18:16
4
Mountains of Israel, listen to the message of the Lord and King. He speaks to you mountains, hills, canyons and valleys. He speaks to you destroyed cities and deserted towns. The rest of the nations around you took everything of value away from you. They made fun of you.
Reference
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 11:11
Ezekiel 34:28
Psalm 79:4
References God
Ezekiel 36:6
Word
Ezekiel 36:1
5
So the Lord and King says, "My anger burns against those nations. I have spoken against them and the whole land of Edom. They were very happy when they took over my land. Deep down inside them they hated Israel. They wanted to take its grasslands.
Reference
Parallel theme
Zechariah 1:15
Ezekiel 38:19
References God
Ezekiel 36:3
Deuteronomy 4:24
References Lord
Micah 7:8
Psalm 137:7
Jeremiah 25:9
6
"Ezekiel, prophesy about the land of Israel. Speak to the mountains, hills, canyons and valleys. Tell them, 'The Lord and King says, "My jealous anger burns against the nations. They have laughed at you."
Reference
7
So the Lord and King says, "I raise my hand and take an oath. I promise that the nations around you will also be laughed at.
Reference
References God
Ezekiel 20:5
8
" ' "Mountains of Israel, you will produce branches and bear fruit for my people Israel. They will come home soon.
Reference
References Israel
Isaiah 27:6
9
I am concerned about you. I will look on you with favor. Farmers will plow your ground. They will plant seeds in it.
Reference
10
" ' "I will multiply the number of people who live in Israel. The towns will no longer be empty. Their broken-down houses will be rebuilt.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 36:33
Jeremiah 30:19
Jeremiah 33:12
References Israel
Isaiah 27:6
Ezekiel 36:37
11
I will increase the number of your people and animals. They will have many babies. I will settle people in your towns, just as I did in the past. I will help you succeed more than ever before. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
Reference
Parallel theme
Micah 7:14
Hebrews 11:40
Ezekiel 16:55
References Lord
Jeremiah 33:12
Jeremiah 31:27
Job 42:12
Jeremiah 30:18
Ezekiel 37:13
Hosea 2:20
Isaiah 30:26
12
" ' "I will let my people Israel walk there again. They will possess you. They will receive you as their own. You will never take their children away from them again." ' "
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 15:7
13
The Lord and King says, "People say to you mountains, 'You destroy people. You let your nation's children be taken away.'
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 13:32
14
But I will not let you destroy people anymore. I will no longer let your nation's children be taken away," announces the Lord and King.
15
"You will not have to listen to the nations laughing at you anymore. People will no longer make fun of you. You will not let your nation fall," announces the Lord and King.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 34:29
Isaiah 54:4
References God
Ezekiel 36:6
References Lord
Psalm 89:50
Isaiah 60:14
16
Another message came to me from the Lord. He said,
17
"Son of man, the people of Israel used to live in their own land. But they polluted it because of how they acted and the way they lived. To me they were 'unclean' like a woman who was having her monthly period.
Reference
18
"They spilled people's blood in the land. They polluted the land by worshiping other gods. So I poured out my burning anger on them.
Reference
19
I scattered them among the nations. I sent them to other countries. I judged them based on how they acted and the way they lived.
Reference
Judgment
Ezekiel 18:30
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 28:64
Ezekiel 39:24
Romans 2:6
Amos 9:9
Ezekiel 22:15
Ezekiel 5:12
20
"They treated my name as if it were not holy. They did it everywhere they went among the nations. People said about them, 'They are the Lord's people. But they were forced to leave his land.'
Reference
21
I was concerned about my holy name. The people of Israel treated it as if it were not holy. They did it everywhere they went among the nations.
Reference
22
"But tell the people of Israel, 'The Lord and King speaks. He says, "People of Israel, I will not take action for your benefit. Instead, I will act for the honor of my holy name. You have treated it as if it were not holy. You did it everywhere you went among the nations.
Reference
23
But I will show everyone how holy my great name is. You have treated it as if it were not holy. So I will use you to show the nations how holy I am. Then they will know that I am the Lord," announces the Lord and King.
Reference
Holy
Ezekiel 20:41
Isaiah 5:16
Ezekiel 39:7
1 Peter 2:9
Ezekiel 28:22
References God
Psalm 46:10
Ezekiel 39:28
Daniel 2:47
24
" ' "I will take you out of the nations. I will gather you together from all of the countries. I will bring you back into your own land.
Reference
25
" ' "I will sprinkle pure water on you. Then you will be 'clean.' I will make you completely pure and clean. I will take all of the statues of your gods away from you.
Reference
26
I will give you new hearts. I will give you a new spirit that is faithful to me. I will remove your stubborn hearts from you. I will give you hearts that obey me.
Reference
27
" ' "I will put my Spirit in you. I will move you to follow my rules. I want you to be careful to keep my laws.
Reference
Judgment
Ezekiel 37:24
Parallel theme
Hebrews 13:21
Jeremiah 31:33
2 John 1:6
Spirit
1 Corinthians 3:16
Proverbs 1:23
Ezekiel 39:29
Ezekiel 37:14
1 John 3:24
Isaiah 59:21
28
You will live in the land I gave your people long ago. You will be my people. And I will be your God.
Reference
Song of Solomon 6:3
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 37:25
References God
Jeremiah 32:38
Jeremiah 31:33
Ezekiel 37:27
Ezekiel 37:23
Ezekiel 11:20
Revelation 21:7
Matthew 22:32
Ezekiel 14:11
29
" ' "I will save you from all of your 'uncleanness.' I will give you plenty of grain. You will have more than enough. So you will never be hungry again.
Reference
30
I will multiply the fruit on your trees. I will increase the crops in your fields. Then the nations will no longer make fun of you because you are hungry.
Reference
31
" ' "You will remember your evil ways and the sinful things you have done. You will hate yourselves because you have sinned so much. I also hate your evil practices.
Reference
Evil
Ezekiel 20:43
Ezekiel 6:9
Parallel theme
Isaiah 6:5
Job 42:6
Romans 6:21
Luke 18:13
Leviticus 26:39
32
I want you to know that I am not doing those things for your benefit," announces the Lord and King. "People of Israel, you should be ashamed of yourselves! Your conduct has brought dishonor to you." ' "
Reference
33
The Lord and King says, "I will make you pure from all of your sins. On that day I will settle you in your towns again. Your broken-down houses will be rebuilt.
Reference
34
The dry and empty land will be farmed again. "Everyone who passes through it will see that it is no longer empty.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 6:14
35
They will say, 'This land was completely destroyed. But now it's like the Garden of Eden. The cities were full of broken-down buildings. They were destroyed and empty. But now they have high walls around them. And people live in them.'
Reference
36
"Then the nations that remain around you will know that I have rebuilt what was once destroyed. I have planted again the fields that were once empty. I have spoken. And I will do it. I am the Lord."
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 24:35
Numbers 23:19
References Lord
Ezekiel 37:14
Ezekiel 17:24
Ezekiel 22:14
Ezekiel 37:28
Ezekiel 24:14
Ezekiel 34:30
37
The Lord and King says, "Once again I will answer the prayers of the people of Israel. Here is what I will do for them. I will multiply them as if they were sheep.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 14:3
1 John 5:14
Zechariah 10:9
Hebrews 4:16
Psalm 102:17
References God
Zechariah 10:6
Ezekiel 20:3
Ezekiel 20:31
Philippians 4:6
References Lord
Psalm 10:17
Summary of Ezekiel 36
Ezekiel 36 is one of the Bible's clearest promises of national, physical, and spiritual restoration, describing how God will transform Israel's devastated mountains into productive land, rebuild its ruined cities, gather its scattered people from the nations, cleanse them from their sins, give them new hearts and spirits, and restore the covenant relationship so completely that surrounding nations will recognize that the Lord Himself has accomplished the transformation.
The chapter begins by addressing the mountains of Israel, which had experienced devastation, abandonment, and humiliation after the Babylonian conquest.
The land that once supported Israel's cities and communities had become associated with ruins and loss, while surrounding nations had looked upon its destruction as an opportunity to claim territory and celebrate Israel's downfall.
God declares that He has heard these insults and that the nations will not have the final word concerning Israel's future.
The mountains that had become symbols of destruction will once again produce branches and fruit.
The land will be cultivated, planted, populated, and rebuilt, while the ruined cities will once again contain people.
This restoration is presented as a dramatic reversal of everything that happened during the Babylonian conquest.
Where there had been desolation, there will be cultivation.
Where there had been empty cities, there will be inhabitants.
Where there had been famine, there will be abundance.
Where there had been national shame, there will be renewed dignity.
Yet Ezekiel makes an important clarification: Israel is not being restored because it has earned restoration.
The people had polluted the land through idolatry, violence, and disobedience, and God had scattered them among the nations because of their behavior.
The exile was therefore a consequence of Israel's rebellion.
But while the people were in exile, their situation created another problem because the surrounding nations looked at Israel's defeat and concluded that the God of Israel had either been defeated or was unable to protect His people.
God therefore says that He is concerned about the holiness of His name.
This is one of the most important theological ideas in the chapter.
God will restore Israel for the sake of His holy name, not because Israel has become deserving.
The restoration will demonstrate that the Lord remains faithful and sovereign even when His people have experienced judgment.
When God gathers Israel from the nations and brings them back to their land, the nations will see that the God of Israel has acted.
The restoration therefore has both a saving purpose for Israel and a revealing purpose before the nations.
The most profound part of the chapter, however, is that God promises more than geographical restoration.
Simply bringing people back to the land would not solve the deeper problem because the same sinful hearts that caused Israel's previous rebellion could eventually produce the same failures again.
God therefore promises to cleanse His people and give them a new heart and a new spirit.
The image of cleansing with clean water represents the removal of spiritual impurity, while the promise of a new heart describes an internal transformation in which stubborn resistance to God is replaced by a heart capable of responding faithfully.
God goes even further by promising to put His Spirit within His people.
This means that future obedience will not depend solely upon external commands or human determination.
God Himself will transform His people so that they can live according to His ways.
This is a profound development in Ezekiel's restoration theology because the problem of Israel was ultimately deeper than geography or politics.
The nation did not simply need a new government or a rebuilt city.
It needed a new heart.
The chapter therefore connects physical restoration with spiritual transformation.
Israel will return to the land, but the land will be different because the people themselves will be different.
The covenant relationship will also be restored.
God declares that He will be Israel's God and that Israel will again be His people.
This language reverses the devastating effects of exile and points toward the restoration of the relationship that had been damaged by generations of rebellion.
The material consequences of restoration are also described in detail.
Grain will increase, trees will produce fruit, fields will become productive, famine will disappear, and ruined cities will be rebuilt.
The land that once looked abandoned will become so fertile and beautiful that people will compare it to Eden, using the garden as an image of extraordinary prosperity and blessing.
This comparison shows the scale of the transformation.
The land will not merely recover enough to survive.
It will become a visible testimony to God's restoring power.
Yet the people themselves will also experience an important emotional transformation.
When they remember their former ways, they will feel shame because they will recognize how destructive their rebellion had been.
Their shame is not presented as a reason for rejecting them but as evidence that they understand the seriousness of their former behavior.
They will recognize that they did not deserve the restoration they received.
God emphasizes this repeatedly by telling them that He is not doing these things for their sake.
Their restoration is fundamentally an act of divine grace and faithfulness.
The chapter ends with a powerful image of Jerusalem becoming filled with people again.
Just as large flocks once filled Jerusalem during major religious festivals, the restored city will again be filled with human life.
The ruins will no longer be silent.
The cities will no longer be empty.
The land will no longer be abandoned.
The people will no longer be scattered.
And God's name will no longer be associated by the nations with defeat.
Instead, Israel's restoration will demonstrate that God can bring life out of devastation and renewal out of judgment.
The central message is that Ezekiel 36 promises that God will reverse the devastation of Israel's exile by restoring the mountains, rebuilding the ruined cities, making the land fertile again, gathering the scattered people from the nations, removing their shame, and giving them renewed national life, while emphasizing that this restoration is not a reward for Israel's righteousness but an expression of God's faithfulness and concern for the holiness of His name, and because physical restoration alone would not solve the deeper problem of sin, God promises to cleanse His people, give them a new heart, place a new spirit within them, and put His own Spirit within them so that they can follow His commands and live faithfully, thereby restoring not only the land but also the covenant relationship between God and His people, while the resulting abundance, rebuilt cities, growing population, fertile fields, and transformation of desolate territory into something like Eden will become visible evidence to surrounding nations that the Lord has acted, making the chapter a profound declaration that God's judgment is not the final word for His people, because His purpose ultimately includes cleansing, transformation, restoration, renewed relationship, and the public demonstration of His faithfulness and holiness before the world.
The chapter begins by addressing the mountains of Israel, which had experienced devastation, abandonment, and humiliation after the Babylonian conquest.
The land that once supported Israel's cities and communities had become associated with ruins and loss, while surrounding nations had looked upon its destruction as an opportunity to claim territory and celebrate Israel's downfall.
God declares that He has heard these insults and that the nations will not have the final word concerning Israel's future.
The mountains that had become symbols of destruction will once again produce branches and fruit.
The land will be cultivated, planted, populated, and rebuilt, while the ruined cities will once again contain people.
This restoration is presented as a dramatic reversal of everything that happened during the Babylonian conquest.
Where there had been desolation, there will be cultivation.
Where there had been empty cities, there will be inhabitants.
Where there had been famine, there will be abundance.
Where there had been national shame, there will be renewed dignity.
Yet Ezekiel makes an important clarification: Israel is not being restored because it has earned restoration.
The people had polluted the land through idolatry, violence, and disobedience, and God had scattered them among the nations because of their behavior.
The exile was therefore a consequence of Israel's rebellion.
But while the people were in exile, their situation created another problem because the surrounding nations looked at Israel's defeat and concluded that the God of Israel had either been defeated or was unable to protect His people.
God therefore says that He is concerned about the holiness of His name.
This is one of the most important theological ideas in the chapter.
God will restore Israel for the sake of His holy name, not because Israel has become deserving.
The restoration will demonstrate that the Lord remains faithful and sovereign even when His people have experienced judgment.
When God gathers Israel from the nations and brings them back to their land, the nations will see that the God of Israel has acted.
The restoration therefore has both a saving purpose for Israel and a revealing purpose before the nations.
The most profound part of the chapter, however, is that God promises more than geographical restoration.
Simply bringing people back to the land would not solve the deeper problem because the same sinful hearts that caused Israel's previous rebellion could eventually produce the same failures again.
God therefore promises to cleanse His people and give them a new heart and a new spirit.
The image of cleansing with clean water represents the removal of spiritual impurity, while the promise of a new heart describes an internal transformation in which stubborn resistance to God is replaced by a heart capable of responding faithfully.
God goes even further by promising to put His Spirit within His people.
This means that future obedience will not depend solely upon external commands or human determination.
God Himself will transform His people so that they can live according to His ways.
This is a profound development in Ezekiel's restoration theology because the problem of Israel was ultimately deeper than geography or politics.
The nation did not simply need a new government or a rebuilt city.
It needed a new heart.
The chapter therefore connects physical restoration with spiritual transformation.
Israel will return to the land, but the land will be different because the people themselves will be different.
The covenant relationship will also be restored.
God declares that He will be Israel's God and that Israel will again be His people.
This language reverses the devastating effects of exile and points toward the restoration of the relationship that had been damaged by generations of rebellion.
The material consequences of restoration are also described in detail.
Grain will increase, trees will produce fruit, fields will become productive, famine will disappear, and ruined cities will be rebuilt.
The land that once looked abandoned will become so fertile and beautiful that people will compare it to Eden, using the garden as an image of extraordinary prosperity and blessing.
This comparison shows the scale of the transformation.
The land will not merely recover enough to survive.
It will become a visible testimony to God's restoring power.
Yet the people themselves will also experience an important emotional transformation.
When they remember their former ways, they will feel shame because they will recognize how destructive their rebellion had been.
Their shame is not presented as a reason for rejecting them but as evidence that they understand the seriousness of their former behavior.
They will recognize that they did not deserve the restoration they received.
God emphasizes this repeatedly by telling them that He is not doing these things for their sake.
Their restoration is fundamentally an act of divine grace and faithfulness.
The chapter ends with a powerful image of Jerusalem becoming filled with people again.
Just as large flocks once filled Jerusalem during major religious festivals, the restored city will again be filled with human life.
The ruins will no longer be silent.
The cities will no longer be empty.
The land will no longer be abandoned.
The people will no longer be scattered.
And God's name will no longer be associated by the nations with defeat.
Instead, Israel's restoration will demonstrate that God can bring life out of devastation and renewal out of judgment.
The central message is that Ezekiel 36 promises that God will reverse the devastation of Israel's exile by restoring the mountains, rebuilding the ruined cities, making the land fertile again, gathering the scattered people from the nations, removing their shame, and giving them renewed national life, while emphasizing that this restoration is not a reward for Israel's righteousness but an expression of God's faithfulness and concern for the holiness of His name, and because physical restoration alone would not solve the deeper problem of sin, God promises to cleanse His people, give them a new heart, place a new spirit within them, and put His own Spirit within them so that they can follow His commands and live faithfully, thereby restoring not only the land but also the covenant relationship between God and His people, while the resulting abundance, rebuilt cities, growing population, fertile fields, and transformation of desolate territory into something like Eden will become visible evidence to surrounding nations that the Lord has acted, making the chapter a profound declaration that God's judgment is not the final word for His people, because His purpose ultimately includes cleansing, transformation, restoration, renewed relationship, and the public demonstration of His faithfulness and holiness before the world.