1 Now the word of the LORD came to me: 2 "Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, 3 and say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the sovereign LORD: This is what the sovereign LORD says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: Look, I, myself will bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. 4 Your altars will be destroyed, and your incense burners broken; and I will drop your dead right in front of your idols. 5 I will cast the corpses of the Israelites in front of their idols; and I will scatter your bones around your altars. 6 Wherever you dwell, the towns will be laid waste and the high places destroyed. Your altars will be laid waste and ruined, your idols will be shattered and abolished, your incense altars knocked down, and your works smashed to pieces. 7 The slain will fall in your midst, and you will know that I am the LORD. 8 Yet will I spare a remnant. A few of you will escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered to other countries. 9 Those of you who manage to escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried away captive. They will realize how hurt I was by their adulterous heart that turned away from me, and by their eyes, which went lusting after their idols. They will despise themselves for the evils they have committed in all their abominations. 10 Then they will know that I am the LORD. It was not an empty threat that I made that I would inflict this disaster on them. 11 This is what the sovereign LORD says: Clap your hands, stamp your feet, and cry out, 'Alas!' because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel; for they will fall by the sword, famine and plague. 12 The one who is far away will die by the plague. The one who is near will fall by the sword. The one who survives and is spared will die by famine. This is how I will vent my wrath on them. 13 Then you will know that I am the LORD, when their dead are scattered among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the tops of the mountains, under every green tree, and under every leafy oak, the very places where they offered pleasing aromas to all their idols. 14 I will stretch out my hand against them, and make the land desolate and waste, from the wilderness to Riblah, everywhere that they live. Then they will know that I am the LORD."