Ezekiel was writing during the period of troubles with Babylon. Here are the most important quotations from Ezekiel for understanding his message and the politics of the day. A further reduced summation is available by reading the sections I have emphasized with bold font.
· 34.11-31: 11. “‘For this is what the Sovereign YHWH says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign YHWH. 16. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice. ... 22. I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. 23. I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. 24. I YHWH will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I YHWH have spoken. 25. “‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of wild beasts so that they may live in the desert and sleep in the forests in safety. 26. I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. 27. The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am YHWH, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them. 28. They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. 29. I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations. 30. Then they will know that I, YHWH their God, am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Sovereign YHWH. 31. You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign YHWH.’”
· 36.8-38: “8. ‘But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. ... 10. ... The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. 11. I will increase the number of men and animals upon you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am YHWH. 12. I will cause people, my people Israel, to walk upon you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children. 13. “‘This is what the Sovereign YHWH says: Because people say to you, “You devour men and deprive your nation of its children,” 14. therefore you will no longer devour men or make your nation childless, declares the Sovereign YHWH. 15. No longer will I make you hear the taunts of the nations, and no longer will you suffer the scorn of the peoples or cause your nation to fall, declares the Sovereign YHWH.’” 16. Again the word of YHWH came to me: 17. “Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. Their conduct was like a woman’s monthly uncleanness in my sight. 18. So I poured out my wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their idols. 19. I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions. 20. And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, ‘These are YHWH’s people, and yet they had to leave his land.’ 21. I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone. 22“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign YHWH says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. 23. I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am YHWH, declares the Sovereign YHWH, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes. 24. “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 28. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29. I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. 30. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. 31. Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. 32. I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign YHWH. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, O house of Israel! 33. “‘This is what the Sovereign YHWH says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. 34. The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. 35. They will say, “This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.” 36. Then the nations around you that remain will know that I YHWH have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I YHWH have spoken, and I will do it.’ 37. “This is what the Sovereign YHWH says: Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep, 38. as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am YHWH.”
· One Nation, One King, One Temple – Forever (37.15-27): 15. ... 21. ... ‘This is what the Sovereign YHWH says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. 22. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. 23. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God. 24. “‘My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. 25. They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. 26. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. 27. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28. Then the nations will know that I YHWH make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’”