God tells Ezekiel to prophesy against the mountains of Israel, where idols are worshipped. The altars will be broken, but a remnant will survive among the nations, and will remember God and loathe themselves.
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying ,
2 Son of man , set thy face toward the mountains of Israel , and prophesy against them,
3 And say , Ye mountains of Israel , hear the word of the Lord GOD ; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains , and to the hills , to the rivers , and to the valleys ; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places .
4 And your altars shall be desolate , and your images shall be broken : and I will cast down your slain men before your idols .
5 And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols ; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars .
6 In all your dwellingplaces the cities shall be laid waste , and the high places shall be desolate ; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate , and your idols may be broken and cease , and your images may be cut down , and your works may be abolished .
7 And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the LORD .
8 Yet will I leave a remnant , that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations , when ye shall be scattered through the countries .
9 And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives , because I am broken with their whorish heart , which hath departed from me, and with their eyes , which go a whoring after their idols : and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations .
10 And they shall know that I am the LORD , and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.
11 Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Smite with thine hand , and stamp with thy foot , and say , Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel ! for they shall fall by the sword , by the famine , and by the pestilence .
12 He that is far off shall die of the pestilence ; and he that is near shall fall by the sword ; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine : thus will I accomplish my fury upon them.
13 Then shall ye know that I am the LORD , when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars , upon every high hill , in all the tops of the mountains , and under every green tree , and under every thick oak , the place where they did offer sweet savour to all their idols .
14 So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate , yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath , in all their habitations : and they shall know that I am the LORD .