Ezekiel 33-39

New Catholic Bible

Israel’s Restoration^[a]

Chapter 33

Ezekiel as Sentry. ¹ This word of the Lord came to me: ² Son of man, speak to your fellow countrymen and say to them: When I bring the sword upon a country, and the people of that country designate one of their number to be their watchman, ³ and if he sees the sword coming against that country and blows his trumpet to warn the people, ⁴ then if any who hear the sound of the trumpet pay no attention to the warning, and the sword comes against them and destroys them, they shall bear the responsibility for their own death.

⁵ Since they had heard the sound of the trumpet and nevertheless ignored the warning, their blood will be on their own heads. But if they had heeded the warning, they would have saved their lives. ⁶ However, if the watchman sees the sword coming and fails to blow the trumpet to warn the people, and the sword then comes and slays anyone, I will hold the watchman responsible for that person’s death.

⁷ I have appointed you, son of man, as a watchman for the house of Israel. Therefore, whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must pass along my warning to them. ⁸ If I say to the wicked person, “You shall surely die,” and you do not speak up to warn that person to renounce his evil ways, he will die because of his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death. ⁹ However, if you warn a wicked person to renounce his ways and repent, and he fails to do so, then he will die for his guilt, but you will have saved your life.

¹⁰ Message of Conversion.^[b] Son of man, say to the house of Israel: You continually complain, “Our crimes and our sins weigh heavily upon us, and we are wasting away because of them. How are we to go on living?” ¹¹ Say to them: As I live, says the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather in their decision to turn from their evil ways and live. Repent and turn from your evil ways. Why should you die, O house of Israel?

¹² As for you, son of man, say to your countrymen: The virtue of a righteous man will not save him when he transgresses. Nor will the evil deeds of a wicked man cause his downfall once he renounces his wickedness, any more than the righteous will be able to live by their righteousness when they sin.

¹³ If I say to the righteous that they will surely live, but then they presume on their righteousness and commit iniquity, none of their righteous deeds will be remembered. Because of the wrong they have done, they will die.

¹⁴ Again, if I say to the wicked that they will surely die, and then they turn away from sin and do what is lawful and upright, ¹⁵ give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, adhere to the practices that ensure life, and commit no wrongful acts, they shall surely live; they shall not die. ¹⁶ None of the previous sins they committed will be remembered against them. Because they have done what is lawful and upright, they shall surely live.

¹⁷ Yet your countrymen say, “The way of the Lord is not just,” when it is their own way that is not just. ¹⁸ When a virtuous man turns away from his righteous ways and does wrong, he shall die for it. ¹⁹ And when a wicked man turns from his wicked ways and does what is lawful and right, he shall live. ²⁰ Yet you say, “The way of the Lord is not just.” I will judge each one of you according to your ways, O house of Israel.

²¹ The Fugitive from Jerusalem.^[c] In the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth day of the tenth month, a fugitive arrived from Jerusalem and said to me, “The city has fallen.” ²² The evening before the fugitive had arrived, the hand of the Lord had come on me, but he had opened my mouth by the time the fugitive had come to me in the morning. Therefore, my mouth was opened, and I was no longer unable to speak.

²³ Desolation in Judah. This word of the Lord then came to me: ²⁴ Son of man, those people who live in the ruins of the land of Israel say repeatedly, “Even though he was merely one person, Abraham received possession of this country. But we are many in number. Surely the land has been given to us as our possession.”

²⁵ Tell them this in response: Thus says the Lord God: You consume meat with the blood still in it, you raise your eyes to worship idols, and you shed blood. Should you then be permitted to possess the land? ²⁶ You rely on your swords, you engage in abominable practices, and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. Should you then be permitted to possess the land?

²⁷ Give them this message: Thus says the Lord God: As I live, I swear that those who dwell in the ruins shall fall by the sword, those who live in the countryside I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those who inhabit dens and caves will die of the plague. ²⁸ I will make the land a desolate waste, and its proud strength will come to an end. Furthermore, the mountains of Israel will be so desolate that no one will cross them. ²⁹ Then they will know that I am the Lord when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the abominable deeds that they have committed.

³⁰ Ezekiel’s False Popularity. As for you, son of man, your fellow countrymen gossip incessantly about you along the walls and in the doorways of houses, saying to one another, “Let us go to hear what message the Lord has to give us.” ³¹ My people come to you, as they are accustomed to do. They sit down in front of you and listen to your words, but they refuse to obey them. They flatter you with their lips, but their hearts are only interested in dishonest gain.

³² To them you are like a singer of lovely songs with a beautiful voice and skill in playing a musical instrument. They listen to your words, but they refuse to obey them. ³³ But when all this comes to pass—and that moment is soon approaching—they will know that a prophet has been in their midst.

Chapter 34^[d]

The Shepherds of Israel.^{[e] 1} This word of the Lord came to me: ² Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Woe to you shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves. Should not shepherds rather feed their flock?

³ You have fed on their milk, you have clothed yourselves with their wool, and you have slaughtered the fatlings, but you have not fed the sheep. ⁴ You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, and you have not bandaged those who were injured. Nor have you bothered to bring back those who strayed or searched for the lost. On the contrary, you have ruled them with cruelty and harshness.

⁵ Therefore, they were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and thus they became the prey of all the wild beasts. ⁶ My sheep were scattered, wandering aimlessly over all the mountains and on every high hill. My flock has been scattered over the entire world, with no one to inquire about them or search for them.

⁷ Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ⁸ As I live, says the Lord God, because my sheep are without a shepherd and thus have been ravaged and have become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds have not gone forth in search of my sheep, but have fed themselves and not been concerned about feeding my sheep, ⁹ therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord.

¹⁰ Thus says the Lord God: I intend to punish the shepherds. I will remove the sheep from their charge and not allow them to feed the flock. As a result, the shepherds will no longer be able to feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths so that they will no longer use them for their food.

^11 [f]For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. ¹² As a shepherd goes forth in search of his flocks when they are scattered from him in every direction, so I will go forth in search of my sheep. I will retrieve them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.

¹³ I will bring them back from among the peoples and gather them from foreign lands, I will lead them back to their own land and pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the inhabited areas of the country. ¹⁴ I will feed them in fertile pastures, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing grounds. There they will lie down on good grazing land and feed in rich pastures on the mountains of Israel.

¹⁵ I, myself, will pasture my sheep, and I, myself, will give them rest, says the Lord God. ¹⁶ I will search for those who are lost; I will bring back those who have strayed away. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong, I will destroy. I will shepherd my flock with justice.

¹⁷ Judgment of the Sheep.^[g]As for you, my flock, the Lord God says this: I will judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats. ¹⁸ Is it not sufficient for you to graze on the best pasture land? Must you also trample with your feet on the rest of the pastures? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also foul the rest with your feet? ¹⁹ As a result, my sheep must graze on what you have trampled underfoot and drink what you have befouled with your feet.

²⁰ Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. ²¹ Because you have shoved with flank and shoulder and butted all the weak sheep with your horns until you have scattered them in every direction, ²² I will save my flock, and they will never again be treated unfairly. I will judge between one sheep and another.

^23 [h]I will raise up one shepherd, my servant David, to care for them. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. ²⁴ I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince in their midst. I, the Lord, have spoken.

²⁵ I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of wild animals so that they may live in the desert and sleep in the woods free from danger. ²⁶ I will make them and the region surrounding my hill a blessing, and I will send them rain in due season that will be showers of blessing.

²⁷ The trees of the field shall bear their fruit, and the soil will yield its crops. My people will be secure on their own soil and they will know that I am the Lord when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the power of those who enslaved them.

²⁸ They will no longer be plundered by the nations or devoured by the wild animals of the land. They will live in safety, and no one ever again will terrify them. ²⁹ I will make their land bring forth abundant crops so that they will never again be the victims of famine or have to suffer the insults of the nations.

³⁰ Thus, they will be assured that I, the Lord, their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord God. ³¹ You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, says the Lord God.

Chapter 35^[i]

Against Edom. ¹ This word of the Lord came to me: ² Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it. ³ Say to it: Thus says the Lord God:

¹⁰ Because you said, “These two nations and the two lands will be mine, and we will take possession of them,” even though I, the Lord, was there, ¹¹ therefore, as I live, says the Lord God, I will act with the same anger and jealousy that you showed in your hatred for them, and I will make myself known among you when I judge you.

¹² You will know that I, the Lord, have heard of all the contemptible things you have uttered against the mountains of Israel, saying, “They have been laid waste and have been given to us to devour.” ¹³ You made insolent remarks about me and showed no restraint in your insults, and I have heard them.

¹⁴ Thus says the Lord God: I will make you a desolate wasteland, and the entire earth will rejoice. ¹⁵ As you were unable to conceal your joy over the devastation of the heritage of the house of Israel, so will I treat you. You will be desolate, Mount Seir, you and all of Edom. Thus, they shall know that I am the Lord.

Chapter 36

Restoration of the Land.^{[j] 1} Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say: Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. ² Thus says the Lord God, The enemy has gloated over you, saying: “Aha! These ancient heights have become our possession.”

³ In reply, prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord God: Since you have been ravaged and hounded from all sides, and thus have become the possession of the rest of the nations and the object of people’s gossip and slander, ⁴ therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God and what the Lord God says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and the deserted towns which have been plundered and have become a source of ridicule to the surrounding nations.

⁵ Therefore, thus says the Lord God: With seething jealousy I am speaking against the rest of the nations, and against the whole of Edom, who, with wholehearted joy and utter contempt, took my country as their possession so that they might plunder its pastures.

⁶ Therefore, prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains and hills, the ravines and valleys: Thus says the Lord God: I am speaking with jealous fury because you have been forced to endure the insults of the nations. ⁷ Therefore, thus says the Lord God: I raise my hand and swear that the nations all around you will have to endure insults.

⁸ As for you, mountains of Israel, you shall grow branches and bear fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon return home. ⁹ Behold, I am coming to you. It is to you that I shall turn. You will be tilled and sown, ¹⁰ and I will multiply your population, that of the whole house of Israel. The towns will again be inhabited, and the ruins will be rebuilt.

¹¹ Furthermore, I will settle large numbers of human beings and animals upon you. They will multiply and be fruitful, and I will make you as populous as in your former times. Moreover, I will make you more prosperous than ever before. Thus you will know that I am the Lord. ¹² I will cause my people Israel to tread your soil once again. They will possess you, and you will be their heritage. Never again will they be left childless.

¹³ Thus says the Lord God: Because it has been said of you, “You are a land that devours people, and you bereave your nation of children,” ¹⁴ therefore, you will no longer devour people or make your nation childless, says the Lord God. ¹⁵ I will never again let you hear the taunts of the nations; no longer will you be forced to endure the insults of the peoples; no longer will your people be deprived of their children, says the Lord God.

¹⁶ Restoration of the People.^[k]This word of the Lord was addressed to me: ¹⁷ Son of man, when the people of the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it with their conduct and their deeds. In my eyes, their conduct was like the uncleanness of a woman during her menstrual period.

¹⁸ Therefore, I poured out my wrath upon them because of the blood that they had shed upon the land, and because of their idols with which they had defiled it. ¹⁹ I scattered them throughout the nations, and they were dispersed in many lands. I passed sentence on them in accordance with their conduct and their deeds.

²⁰ But whenever they came to the nations, they profaned my holy name, so that the people there would say about them, “These are the people of the Lord, yet they have been banished from his land.” ²¹ However, I have relented because of my concern about my holy name which the house of Israel has profaned among the nations where they have gone.

²² Therefore, say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am acting, but for the sake of my holy name which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. ²³ I intend to prove the holiness of my great name which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. Thus, the nations will know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when through you I will display my holiness in their sight.

²⁴ I will take you from among the nations and gather you from all the foreign lands, and I will bring you back to your own land. ²⁵ I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from everything that defiles you. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.

²⁶ I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you. I will remove from your body a heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh in its place. ²⁷ I will put my Spirit in you and make you follow my statutes and my ordinances.

²⁸ Then you will live in the land that I gave to your ancestors. You will be my people, but I shall be your God. ²⁹ I will save you from everything that defiles you. I will command the grain to be abundant and not allow any famine to afflict you. ³⁰ I will make abundant the fruit of the trees and the crops in your fields, so that you will never have to suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations.

³¹ Then you will remember your evil conduct and your wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and your abominable deeds. ³² I assure you that it is not for your sake that I am doing all this, says the Lord God. Let that be clearly understood. Be ashamed and feel intense disgrace for your conduct, O house of Israel.

³³ Thus says the Lord God: On the day when I cleanse you from all your sins, I will repopulate your towns, and your ruins will be rebuilt. ³⁴ The wasteland will be cultivated instead of being a desolate sight to all who walk past it.

³⁵ People will say, “The land that was desolate is now like the Garden of Eden, and the towns that were once in ruins, desolate wastelands, are now inhabited once again and fortified.” ³⁶ Then the neighboring nations that are still left around you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt what was destroyed and replanted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it.

³⁷ Thus says the Lord God: I also will allow the house of Israel to persuade me to do this for them: I shall increase their numbers like a flock. ³⁸ Like the flocks of sacrificial sheep in Jerusalem on its appointed feasts, so shall the formerly ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.

Chapter 37

Vision of the Dry Bones.^{[l] 1} The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he carried me away by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley that was full of bones. ² He made me walk among them in every direction so that I would be aware how great was the number of these bones on the floor of the valley, and they were exceedingly dry.

³ He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I replied, “Lord God, only you can know that.” ⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I am going to cause breath to enter you, and you will come to life. ⁶ I will put sinews on you and cause flesh to grow over you and cover you with skin. I will put breath within you, and you will live, and you will know that I am the Lord.”

⁷ Therefore, I prophesied as I had been commanded to do, and as I was prophesying, I heard a noise, a sound of rattling, as the bones came together, bone uniting with bone. ⁸ As I watched, sinews and flesh grew upon the bones, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the Spirit. Prophesy, son of man, and say to the Spirit: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O Spirit, and breathe into these slain so that they may live.” ¹⁰ I prophesied as he had commanded me, and the Spirit entered into them. They came to life and stood on their feet, an immense army.

¹¹ Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They continue to say, ‘Our bones are dried up, our hope has vanished, and we are cut off completely.’ ¹² Therefore, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: My people, I am going to open your graves and raise you up from them and bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you up from them, O my people. ¹⁴ When I put my Spirit within you, you will live, and I will resettle you on your own soil. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and I have done this, says the Lord.’ ”

¹⁵ Union of the Two Sticks.^[m] This word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁶ Son of man, take a stick and write on it: “Judah and those Israelites associated with him.” Then take another stick and write on it: “Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.” ¹⁷ Then join the two sticks together so that they form one stick in your hand.

¹⁸ When your countrymen say to you, “Will you not tell us what you mean by this?” ¹⁹ say to them: Thus says the Lord God: I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in Ephraim’s hand, and of the tribes of Israel loyal to him, and I will join it to the stick of Judah. I will make them a single stick instead of two, and they shall be one in my hand.

²⁰ When the sticks upon which you have written are held up in your hand for everyone to see, ²¹ say to them: Thus says the Lord God: I will take the Israelites from the nations among which they have been exiled. I will gather them from every side and bring them back to their land.

²² I will unify them into one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over them all. Never again will they be two separate nations, nor will they be divided into two kingdoms. ²³ They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and their loathsome images or with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all of their sins of apostasy that they have committed, and I will cleanse them. Thus, they will be my people, and I will be their God.

²⁴ My servant David will be their king, and they all will have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be scrupulous in obeying my statutes. ²⁵ They will live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, the land in which your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever, and my servant David will be their prince forever.

²⁶ I will make a covenant of peace with them, and I will bless and multiply them and establish my sanctuary among them forever. ²⁷ I will make my dwelling with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. ²⁸ Then the nations will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel when I establish my sanctuary among them forevermore.

Chapter 38

First Prophecy against Gog.^{[n] 1} This word of the Lord came to me: ² Son of man, turn your face toward Gog, in the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him.

³ Say: Thus says the Lord God: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. ⁴ I will turn you around and affix hooks in your jaws, and I will lead you forth with your entire army—your horses and your horsemen, all of them fully equipped, and a huge horde with bucklers and shields, all of them brandishing their swords.

⁵ Accompanying them will be the forces of Persia, Ethiopia, and Put, all with shields and helmets; ⁶ Gomer^[o] and all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the far north with all its troops—a huge assemblage gathered in support of you. ⁷ Get ready and be prepared, you and all your troops and all your allies that have come together to support you. Keep yourselves at my disposal.

⁸ After a long period of time, you will be given orders, and sometime thereafter you will invade a land that has emerged from ruin. Its people have been assembled from many nations on the mountains of Israel which had long been desolate, and all of them are living in safety. ⁹ You will advance, coming forth like a storm. You will cover the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and the many nations who have come to support you.

¹⁰ Thus says the Lord God: On that day thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme. ¹¹ You will say, “I will attack this country that has no means of defense and march against this peaceful nation which dwells with a sense of security, even though it has no walls or bars or gates. ¹² I will plunder and loot and strip bare the settlements which once lay in ruins but are now inhabited by a people gathered from the nations who dwell at the very center of the world, a people engaged in trade and breeding cattle.”

¹³ Sheba and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages, will say to you, “Is it for plunder that you have come? Have you assembled your horde to carry off silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, and to seize a great amount of booty?”

¹⁴ Second Prophecy against Gog. Therefore, prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog: Thus says the Lord God: On that day when my people Israel are living securely, will you not rouse yourself ¹⁵ and come forth from your home in the far recesses of the north, you and many nations with you, a mighty army of soldiers beyond counting, all of them riding on horses? ¹⁶ You will come forth against my people Israel like a cloud covering the earth. In the final days, I will bring you against my land so that the nations will know me when through you, O Gog, I display my holiness before their eyes.

¹⁷ Thus says the Lord God: It was you of whom I spoke in former days through my servants, the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for many years that I would bring you against them. ¹⁸ On that day, when Gog attacks the land of Israel, says the Lord God, my fury will be aroused.

¹⁹ In my jealousy and in my blazing wrath, I swear that there will be a tremendous earthquake in the land of Israel. ²⁰ The fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, and the beasts of the field, and all the reptiles that crawl on the ground, and every human being on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. Mountains will be thrown down, cliffs will crumble, and every wall will tumble to the ground.

²¹ I will summon the sword against Gog on all my mountains, says the Lord God, and the swords of all will be turned against their comrades. ²² With pestilence and bloodshed, I will bring judgment upon him, and I will pour down torrential rain, hailstones, fire and brimstone upon him and his troops and the many nations that are supporting him. ²³ I will, thereby, display my greatness and my holiness and make myself known to many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

Chapter 39

Third Prophecy against Gog. ¹ Son of man, prophesy against Gog and say: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am coming against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. ² I will turn you around and drive you forward. I will lead you from the most remote recesses of the north and bring you to the mountains of Israel.

³ Then I will strike the bow from your left hand and cause your arrows to drop from your right hand. ⁴ You will fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops as well as the nations that are with you. I will give you as food to birds of prey of every kind and to the wild beasts.

⁵ You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Lord God. ⁶ I will send fire on Magog and upon those who live undisturbed in the coastlands. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

⁷ I will make my holy name known among my people Israel, and I will not allow my holy name to be profaned. Thus the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. ⁸ All this will happen. All this will take place, says the Lord God. This is the day about which I have spoken.

⁹ Then those who dwell in the towns of Israel will go forth and set fire to the weapons to provide themselves with fuel—bucklers and shields, bows and arrows, clubs and spears—and they will make fires of them for seven years. ¹⁰ They will have no need to bring in wood from the fields or cut down any trees in the forests, inasmuch as they will use their weapons to make fires. They will despoil those who despoiled them and plunder those who plundered them, says the Lord God.

¹¹ On that day I will give to Gog a well-known place in Israel for his grave, the Valley of Abarim east of the sea, a valley that is inaccessible to travelers. There Gog and all his horde will be buried. It will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog. ¹² The house of Israel will spend seven months burying them in order to purify the land.

¹³ All the people of the land will bury them, thus gaining renown for doing so on the day that I reveal my glory, says the Lord God. ¹⁴ Some men will be designated for the assignment to pass through the land and bury any travelers who remain lying on the ground, so as to purify it. They will begin their search at the end of seven months.

¹⁵ As these searchers go through the country, if anyone sees a human bone, he must put up a marker beside it until the gravediggers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog. ¹⁶ (A city named Hamonah is there also.) Thus the land will be purified.

¹⁷ As for you, son of man, the Lord God says this: Say to the wild birds of every kind and to all the wild animals: Assemble and come together. Gather from all sides for the sacrificial feast I am preparing for you, a magnificent sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁸ You will consume the flesh of the mighty, and you will drink the blood of the princes of the earth—of rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan.

¹⁹ At the sacrificial feast I am preparing for you, you will eat fat until you are filled and drink blood until you are drunk. ²⁰ At my table you will be filled with horses and riders, with warriors and soldiers of every kind, says the Lord God.

²¹ Israel’s Reunion.^[p] I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment that I inflict and the hand that I lay upon them. ²² From that day forward, the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord, their God.

²³ Furthermore, the nations will know that the people of the house of Israel were exiled because of their iniquity, inasmuch as they dealt treacherously with me. Therefore, I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, so that they all fell by the sword. ²⁴ I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their offenses, and I hid my face from them.

²⁵ Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy name. ²⁶ They will forget their disgrace and all the acts of infidelity they committed against me when they will live in security in their land, with no one to make them afraid.

²⁷ When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from the lands of their enemies, I will display through them my holiness in the sight of many nations. ²⁸ Then they will know that I am the Lord, their God, because, having sent them into exile among the nations, I then reunited them into their own land and left none of them behind. ²⁹ Never again will I hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, says the Lord God.