This chapter is one of hope and restoration as God promises to bless his people and renew them spiritually. First of all God promises to restore the Land: "O mountains of Israel you will produce branches and fruit for my people and they will soon come home... I will look on you with favour... and men and animals will be fruitful and numerous... and no longer will you suffer the scorn of the peoples". God then goes on to remind Israel that they were exiled because of their sin as "they defiled the land by their conduct and actions... I judged them according to this... because they profaned my holy name". But God will restore Israel for his name's sake... "I am going to do these things for the sake of my holy name... and I will take you out of the nations... and give you a new heart and a new spirit... and you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers... crops, grain and fruit will be abundant... and the land will flourish again like the Garden of Eden... the Lord will rebuild that which was destroyed and replant that which was desolate... and Israel will become as numerous as sheep!"
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