'Stones' in the Bible

He dug it all around and cleared away its stones,And planted it with the choicest vine (the people of Judah).And He built a tower in the center of it;And also hewed out a wine vat in it.Then He expected it to produce [the choicest] grapes,But it produced only worthless ones.

“The bricks have fallen down,But we will rebuild [all the better] with ashlar (hewed stones);The sycamores have been cut down,But we will replace them with [expensive] cedars.”

“But you [king of Babylon] have been cast out of your tomb (denied burial)Like a rejected branch,Clothed with the slain who are pierced by the sword,Who go down to the stones of the pit [into which carcasses are thrown],Like a dead body trampled [underfoot].

Therefore through this the wickedness [the sin, the injustice, the wrongdoing] of Jacob (Israel) will be atoned for and forgiven;And this will be the full price [that God requires] for taking away his sin:When Israel makes all the stones of the [pagan] altars like crushed chalk stones;When the Asherim and the incense altars will not stand.

But the pelican and the porcupine will take possession of it;The owl and the raven will dwell in it.And He will stretch over it (Edom) the measuring line of desolationAnd the plumb line of emptiness.

“O you afflicted [city], storm-tossed, and not comforted,Listen carefully, I will set your [precious] stones in mortar,And lay your foundations with sapphires.

“And I will make your battlements of rubies,And your gates of [shining] beryl stones,And all your [barrier] walls of precious stones.

“Among the smooth stones of the ravineIs your portion, they (the idols) are your lot;Even to them you have poured out a drink offering,You have offered a grain offering.Should I be quiet concerning these things [leaving them unpunished—bearing them with patience]?

“Instead of bronze I will bring gold,And instead of iron I will bring silver,And instead of wood, bronze,And instead of stones, iron.And [instead of the tyranny of the present] I will appoint peace as your officers,And righteousness your rulers.

Go through, go through the gates,Clear the way for the people;Build up, build up the highway,Remove the stones, lift up a banner over the peoples.