Ezekiel 6

Prophecy Against the Mountains of Israel

1 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, turn your face toward the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them.

3 Say, ‘Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD. This is what the Lord GOD says to the mountains, hills, ravines, and valleys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will wipe out your high places.

4 Your altars will be smashed, your incense stands broken, and I will make your slain fall in front of your idols.

5 I will lay the dead bodies of the people of Israel in front of their idols, and I will scatter your bones around your altars.

6 Wherever you live, the cities will be ruined and the high places laid waste, so that your altars will be destroyed and broken, your idols smashed and wiped out, your incense stands cut down, and your works erased.

7 The slain will fall among you, and you will know that I am the LORD.

A Remnant Preserved

8 Yet I will leave some of you alive. Some will escape the sword among the nations when you are scattered through the lands.

9 Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they were taken captive, how I was brokenhearted by their unfaithful hearts that turned away from Me and by their eyes that chased after their idols. They will hate themselves for the evil they did and for all their disgusting practices.

10 They will know that I am the LORD. I did not threaten in vain to bring this disaster on them.

Judgment on Idolatry

11 This is what the Lord GOD says: “Clap your hands, stamp your feet, and say, ‘Alas!’ because of all the evil and disgusting practices of the house of Israel. They will fall by sword, famine, and plague.

12 Anyone far away will die by plague. Anyone near will fall by the sword. Anyone left and spared will die by famine. In this way I will pour out My wrath on them.

13 Then you will know that I am the LORD, when their slain lie among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, under every green tree, and under every leafy oak, places where they offered pleasing aromas to all their idols.

14 I will stretch out My hand against them and make the land more desolate and ruined than the wilderness toward Diblah, in all their dwelling places. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”