Good News Translation has a section heading here, which is “Sodom and Samaria Will Be Restored.” Another possible title is “God will restore the cities of Sodom and Samaria.” Because of the section break, Good News Translation also adds “The LORD said to Jerusalem” to begin this verse.

I will restore their fortunes, both the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters: Restore their fortunes is literally “turn back their captivity” (similarly King James Version / New King James Version, New American Standard Bible). This expression has nothing to do with restoring large amounts of money even though many English versions give that idea (so Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New International Version, New Living Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Moffatt). Rather, it has a general, figurative meaning of rehabilitating or restoring to a previous situation. The restoration involves reversing the judgment or exile that God placed upon the cities of Sodom and Samaria and their surrounding villages. I will restore their fortunes may be rendered “I will give them back the good things they once had” (similarly New Century Version) or “I will restore them to the way they were before.”

And I will restore your own fortunes in the midst of them means God will also restore Jerusalem. However, Revised Standard Version and most other translations follow a changed text here. The Hebrew is literally “and [I will restore] the fortunes of your captives in the midst of them.” This reading makes perfectly good sense. “Captives” are the people of Jerusalem who had to leave their homes and go into foreign countries as prisoners of war. The meaning of the Hebrew text and the changed one is almost the same, but it would be better, if possible, not to make the change. In the midst of them may be translated “along with them” (New International Version, New American Bible; similarly New Revised Standard Version) or “at the same time” (Revised English Bible).

A model that follows the Hebrew text for this verse is:

• “I will give back to Sodom and her daughters the good things they had before, and I will give back to Samaria and her daughters the good things they had before, and at the same time I will give back to your people who went away to another country as prisoners all the good things they had before.

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 .