37. Then I will make you suffer punishment and make you keep the terms of the promise.
38. I will get rid of rebels and those who do wrong against me. I will bring you out of the land where you are living. You will never enter Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
39. “‘Nation of Israel, this is what the Almighty Lord says: Serve your disgusting idols. But afterwards, you will listen to me. You will no longer dishonor my holy name with your gifts and your disgusting idols.
40. “‘The entire nation of Israel, everyone in the land, will worship me on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Almighty Lord. There I will accept you. There I will look for your offerings, your best gifts, and all your holy gifts.
41. When I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, I will accept you as if you were a pleasing sacrifice. Through you I will reveal myself as holy to the nations that are watching.
42. Then you will know that I am the Lord, because I will bring you to the land of Israel, the land that I promised to give your ancestors.
43. There you will remember the way you lived and everything you did to dishonor yourselves. You will be disgusted by every wrong thing that you did.
44. Then you will know that I am the Lord, because I will deal with you for the sake of my name. I will not deal with you based on the evil and corrupt things that you have done, nation of Israel, declares the Almighty Lord.’”
45. The Lord spoke his word to me. He said,
46. “Son of man, turn to the south, preach against the south, and prophesy against the forest in the Negev.
47. Tell the forest in the Negev, ‘Listen to the word of the Lord. This is what the Almighty Lord says: I am about to set fire to you to destroy all your green trees and all your dry trees. The blazing fire will not be put out. It will burn the whole land from the south to the north.
48. Then everyone will know that I, the Lord, started the fire. It will never be put out.’ ”
49. Then I said, “Oh no! Almighty Lord, no! The people already say that I’m only telling stories.”