- Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it. And say unto it, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, O Mount Seir, I am against you, and I will stretch out my hand against you, and I will make you most desolate. I will lay your cities waste and you shall be desolate, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
- Because you have had a perpetual hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end, therefore as I live, says the Lord God, I will prepare you unto blood, and blood shall pursue you; since you have not hated blood, even blood shall pursue you. Thus will I make Mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it him that passes out and him that returns. And I will fill his mountains with his slain men. In your hills, and in your valleys, and in all your rivers shall they fall that are slain with the sword. I will make you perpetual desolations and your cities shall not return. And you shall know that I am the Lord.
- Because you have said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine and we will possess it — whereas the Lord was there, therefore, as I live, says the Lord God, I will even do according to your anger and according to your envy which you have used out of your hatred against them, and I will make myself known among them when I have judged you. And you shall know that I am the Lord, and that I have heard all your blasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given to us to consume. Thus with your mouth you have boasted against me and have multiplied your words against me; I have heard them. Thus says the Lord God: When the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate. As you did rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so will I do unto you. You shall be desolate, O Mount Seir and all Idumea, even all of it. And they shall know that I am the Lord.
- Also, you son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God: Because the enemy has said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession — therefore prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord God: Because they have made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, that you might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and you are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people, therefore, you mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about; therefore, thus says the Lord God: Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession, with the joy of all their heart, with spiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.
- Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury because you have borne the shame of the heathen. Therefore, thus says the Lord God: I have lifted up my hand; surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame. But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people of Israel, for they are at hand to come. For behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and you shall be tilled and sown. And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it. And the cities shall be inhabited and the wastes shall be built. And I will multiply upon you man and beast, and they shall increase and bring fruit. And I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings. And you shall know that I am the Lord. Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel, and they shall possess you, and you shall be their inheritance; and you shall no more henceforth bereave them of men.
- Thus says the Lord God: Because they say unto you, You land, devour up men and have bereaved your nations — therefore you shall devour men no more, neither bereave your nations anymore, says the Lord God. Neither will I cause men to hear in you the shame of the heathen anymore, neither shall you bear the reproach of the people anymore, neither shall you cause your nations to fall anymore, says the Lord God.
- Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelled in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings. Their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. Wherefore, I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols with which they had polluted it. And I scattered them among the heathen and they were dispersed through the countries. According to their way and according to their doings I judged them. And when they entered unto the heathen where they went, they profaned my holy name when they said to them, These are the people of the Lord and are gone forth out of his land.
- But I had pity for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen where they went. Therefore, say unto the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: I do not do this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for my holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the heathen where you went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which you have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
- For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean from all your filthiness; and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments and do them. And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleanness, and I will call for the grain and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field, that you shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. Then shall you remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your sakes do I do this, says the Lord God, be it known unto you; be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.
- Thus says the Lord God: In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities, I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be built. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate has become like the Garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities have become fortified and are inhabited. Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places and plant that which was desolate. I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.
- Thus says the Lord God: I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them. I will increase them with men like a flock. As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men. And they shall know that I am the Lord.
Chapter 18