1. “Son of man, speak to the mountains of Israel for me. Tell them to listen to the word of the Lord!
2. Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘The enemy said bad things against you. They said, Hurray! Now the ancient mountains will be ours!’
3. “So speak to the mountains of Israel for me. Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘The enemy destroyed your cities and attacked you from every direction. They did this so that you would belong to the other nations. Then people talked and whispered about you.’”
4. So, mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord GOD! This is what the Lord GOD says to the mountains, hills, streams, valleys, empty ruins, and abandoned cities that have been looted and laughed at by the other nations around them.
5. The Lord GOD says, “I swear, I will let my strong feelings speak for me! I will let Edom and the other nations feel my anger. They took my land for themselves. They really had a good time when they showed how much they hated this land. They took the land for themselves, just so they could destroy it.”
6. “So say these things about the land of Israel. Speak to the mountains and to the hills, to the streams, and to the valleys. Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will let my strong feelings and anger speak for me, because you had to suffer the insults from those nations.’”
7. So this is what the Lord GOD says: “I am the one making this promise! I swear that the nations around you will have to suffer for those insults.
8. “But mountains of Israel, you will grow new trees and produce fruit for my people Israel. My people will soon come back.
9. I am with you, and I will help you. People will till your soil and plant seeds in you.
10. There will be many people living on you. The whole family of Israel—all of them—will live there. The cities will have people living in them. The destroyed places will be rebuilt.
11. I will give you many people and animals, and they will grow and have many children. I will bring people to live on you as in the past. I will make it better for you than before. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
12. Yes, I will lead many people—my people, Israel—to your land. You will be their property, and you will not take away their children again.”
13. This is what the Lord GOD says: “Land of Israel, people say bad things to you. They say you destroyed your people. They say you took the children away from your people.
14. But you will not destroy people anymore or take away their children again.” This is what the Lord GOD said.