¹The LORD ’s word came to me , saying ,

²“Son of man , set your face towards the mountains of Israel , and prophesy to them ,

³and say , ‘You mountains of Israel , hear the word of the Lord GOD ! The Lord GOD says to the mountains and to the hills , to the watercourses and to the valleys : “Behold , I , even I , will bring a sword on you , and I will destroy your high places .

⁴Your altars will become desolate , and your incense altars will be broken . I will cast down your slain men before your idols .

⁵I will lay the dead bodies of the children of Israel before their idols . I will scatter your bones around your altars .

⁶In all your dwelling places , the cities will be laid waste and the high places will be desolate , so that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate , and your idols may be broken and cease , and your incense altars may be cut down , and your works may be abolished .

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

⁸“‘“Yet I will leave a remnant , in that you will have some that escape the sword amongst the nations , when you are scattered through the countries.

⁹Those of you that escape will remember me amongst the nations where they are carried captive , how I have been broken with their lewd heart , which has departed from me , and with their eyes , which play the prostitute after their idols . Then they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations .

¹⁰They will know that I am the LORD . I have not said in vain that I would do this evil to them .”’

¹¹“The Lord GOD says : ‘Strike with your hand , and stamp with your foot , and say , “Alas!”, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel ; for they will fall by the sword , by the famine , and by the pestilence .

¹²He who is far off will die of the pestilence . He who is near will fall by the sword . He who remains and is besieged will die by the famine . Thus I will accomplish my wrath on them .

¹³You will know that I am the LORD when their slain men are amongst their idols around their altars , on every high hill , on all the tops of the mountains , under every green tree , and under every thick oak—the places where they offered pleasant aroma to all their idols .

¹⁴I will stretch out my hand on them and make the land desolate and waste , from the wilderness towards Diblah , throughout all their habitations . Then they will know that I am the LORD .’”