Therefore say, Thus says the Lord GOD: This verse interrupts the prophecy to the people in Jerusalem. It is a special word of comfort to those who are in exile. It begins in the same way as verse 16 (see the comments there). Translators may need to specify that God is addressing the exiles here, not the people in Jerusalem; for example, the verse may begin with “Therefore tell the people in exile that I, the Lord Yahweh, say to them….”

I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel: Just as God had scattered the exiles into many different countries, he promises that he will bring them back from those countries, and give the land of Israel back to them. The people will return home, they will live in their own country again, and they will get everything back. Peoples may be better rendered “nations” (New International Version, New Century Version). A possible model for this whole sentence is “I will gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered [or, where I scattered you], and bring you together from all over the earth, and I will give you back the land of Israel.”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .