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Ezekiel 38-39
New English Translation

A Prophecy Against Gog

38 The Lord’s message came to me: 2 “Son of man, turn toward[a] Gog,[b] of the land of Magog,[c] the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.[d] Prophesy against him 3 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against you,[e] Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 4 I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and bring you out with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all of them fully armed, a great company with shields of different types,[f] all of them armed with swords. 5 Persia,[g] Ethiopia, and Put[h] are with them, all of them with shields and helmets. 6 They are joined by[i] Gomer with all its troops, and by Beth Togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops—many peoples are with you.[j]

7 “‘Be ready and stay ready, you and all your companies assembled around you, and be a guard for them.[k] 8 After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come to a land restored from the ravages of war,[l] from many peoples gathered on the mountains of Israel that had long been in ruins. Its people[m] were brought out from the peoples, and all of them will be living securely. 9 You will advance;[n] you will come like a storm. You will be like a cloud covering the earth, you, all your troops, and the many other peoples with you.

10 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind,[o] and you will devise an evil plan. 11 You will say, “I will invade[p] a land of unwalled towns; I will advance against[q] those living quietly in security—all of them living without walls and barred gates— 12 to loot and plunder, to attack[r] the inhabited ruins and the people gathered from the nations, who are acquiring cattle and goods, who live at the center[s] of the earth.” 13 Sheba and Dedan and the traders of Tarshish with all its young warriors[t] will say to you, “Have you come to loot? Have you assembled your armies to plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to haul away a great amount of spoils?”’

14 “Therefore, prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day when my people Israel are living securely, you will take notice[u] 15 and come from your place, from the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a vast army. 16 You will advance[v] against my people Israel like a cloud covering the earth. In future days I will bring you against my land so that the nations may acknowledge me, when before their eyes I magnify myself[w] through you, O Gog.

17 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days by my servants[x] the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days[y] that I would bring you against them? 18 On that day, when Gog invades[z] the land of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord, my rage will mount up in my anger. 19 In my zeal, in the fire of my fury,[aa] I declare that on that day there will be a great earthquake[ab] in the land of Israel. 20 The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the wild beasts, all the things that creep on the ground, and all people who live on the face of the earth will shake[ac] at my presence. The mountains will topple, the cliffs[ad] will fall, and every wall will fall to the ground. 21 I will call for a sword to attack[ae] Gog[af] on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord; every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 I will judge him with plague and bloodshed. I will rain down on him, his troops, and the many peoples who are with him a torrential downpour, hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 I will exalt and magnify myself; I will reveal myself before many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’

39 “As for you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal! 2 I will turn you around and drag you along;[ag] I will lead you up from the remotest parts of the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel. 3 I will knock your bow out of your left hand and make your arrows fall from your right hand. 4 You will fall dead on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the people who are with you. I give you as food to every kind of bird and every wild beast. 5 You will fall dead in the open field; for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord. 6 I will send fire on Magog and those who live securely in the coastlands; then they will know that I am the Lord.

7 “‘I will make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.[ah] 8 Realize that it is coming and it will be done, declares the Sovereign Lord. It is the day I have spoken about.

9 “‘Then those who live in the cities of Israel will go out and use the weapons for kindling[ai]—the shields,[aj] bows and arrows, war clubs and spears—they will burn them for seven years. 10 They will not need to take[ak] wood from the field or cut down trees from the forests because they will make fires with the weapons. They will take the loot from those who looted them and seize the plunder of those who plundered them,[al] declares the Sovereign Lord.

11 “‘On that day I will assign Gog a grave in Israel. It will be the valley of those who travel east of the sea; it will block the way of the travelers. There they will bury Gog and all his horde; they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog.[am] 12 For seven months Israel[an] will bury them, in order to cleanse the land. 13 All the people of the land will bury them, and it will be a memorial[ao] for them on the day I magnify myself, declares the Sovereign Lord. 14 They will designate men to scout continually[ap] through the land, burying those who remain on the surface of the ground,[aq] in order to cleanse it. They will search for seven full months. 15 When the scouts survey[ar] the land and see a human bone, they will place a sign by it, until those assigned to burial duty have buried it[as] in the valley of Hamon Gog. 16 (A city by the name of Hamonah[at] will also be there.) They will cleanse the land.’

17 “As for you, son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Tell every kind of bird and every wild beast: ‘Assemble and come! Gather from all around to my slaughter[au] that I am going to make for you, a great slaughter on the mountains of Israel! You will eat flesh and drink blood. 18 You will eat the flesh of warriors[av] and drink the blood of the princes of the earth—the rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, all of them fattened animals of Bashan. 19 You will eat fat until you are full, and drink blood until you are drunk[aw] at my slaughter[ax] that I have made for you. 20 You will fill up at my table with horses and charioteers,[ay] with warriors and all the soldiers,’ declares the Sovereign Lord.

21 “I will display my majesty[az] among the nations. All the nations will witness the judgment I have executed and the power I have exhibited[ba] among them. 22 Then the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God, from that day forward. 23 The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile due to their iniquity,[bb] for they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies; all of them died by the sword. 24 According to their uncleanness and rebellion I have dealt with them, and I hid my face from them.

25 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Now I will restore[bc] the fortunes of Jacob, and I will have mercy on the entire house of Israel. I will be zealous for my holy name. 26 They will bear their shame for all their unfaithful acts against me, when they live securely on their land with no one to make them afraid. 27 When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will magnify myself among them in the sight of many nations. 28 Then they will know that I am the Lord their God because I sent them into exile among the nations and then gathered them into their own land. I will not leave any of them in exile[bd] any longer. 29 I will no longer hide my face from them, when I pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel,[be] declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 38:2 tn Heb “set your face against.”
  2. Ezekiel 38:2 sn This may refer to a Lydian king in western Asia Minor in the seventh century b.c. Apart from Ezek 38-39, the only other biblical reference to this king/nation is in Rev 20:8. For a study of the names appearing in this verse, see E. Yamauchi, Foes From the Northern Frontier, 19-27.
  3. Ezekiel 38:2 sn One of the sons of Japheth according to Gen 10:2 and 1 Chr 1:5.
  4. Ezekiel 38:2 tn Heb “the prince, the chief of Meshech and Tubal.” Some translate “the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal,” but it is more likely that the Hebrew noun in question is a common noun in apposition to “prince,” rather than a proper name. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:434-35. As Block demonstrates, attempts by some popular writers to identify these proper names with later geographical sites in Russia are anachronistic. See as well E. Yamauchi, Foes From the Northern Frontier, 19-27. sn Meshech and Tubal were two nations in Cappadocia of Asia Minor. They were also sons of Japheth (Gen 10:2; 1 Chr 1:5).
  5. Ezekiel 38:3 tn Or “I challenge you.” The phrase “I am against you” may be a formula for challenging someone to combat or a duel. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:201-2, and P. Humbert, “Die Herausforderungsformel ‘hinnenî ’êlékâ’” ZAW 45 (1933): 101-8.
  6. Ezekiel 38:4 sn The Hebrew text mentions two different types of shields here.
  7. Ezekiel 38:5 tn D. I. Block prefers to see the Hebrew word as referring here to a western ally of Egypt or as an alternative spelling for Pathros, that is, Upper Egypt. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:439-40.
  8. Ezekiel 38:5 sn That is, Lybia.
  9. Ezekiel 38:6 tn The words “they are joined by” are added in the translation for purposes of English style.
  10. Ezekiel 38:6 sn The seven-nation coalition represents the north (Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, Beth Togarmah), the south/west (Ethiopia, Put) and the east (Persia). The use of the sevenfold list suggests completeness. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:441.
  11. Ezekiel 38:7 tn The second person singular verbal and pronominal forms in the Hebrew text indicate that Gog is addressed here.
  12. Ezekiel 38:8 tn Heb “from the sword.”
  13. Ezekiel 38:8 tn Heb “it.”
  14. Ezekiel 38:9 tn Heb “go up.”
  15. Ezekiel 38:10 tn Heb “words will go up upon your heart.”
  16. Ezekiel 38:11 tn Heb “go up against.”
  17. Ezekiel 38:11 tn Heb “come (to).”
  18. Ezekiel 38:12 tn Heb “to turn your hand against.”
  19. Ezekiel 38:12 tn The Hebrew term occurs elsewhere only in Judg 9:37. Perhaps it means “high point, top.”
  20. Ezekiel 38:13 tn Heb “young lions.”
  21. Ezekiel 38:14 tn The Hebrew text is framed as a rhetorical question: “will you not take notice?”
  22. Ezekiel 38:16 tn Heb “come up.”
  23. Ezekiel 38:16 tn Or “reveal my holiness.”
  24. Ezekiel 38:17 tn Heb “by the hand of my servants.”
  25. Ezekiel 38:17 tn The Hebrew text adds “years” here, but this is probably a scribal gloss on the preceding phrase. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:201.
  26. Ezekiel 38:18 tn Heb “goes up against.”
  27. Ezekiel 38:19 sn The phrase “in the fire of my fury” occurs in Ezek 21:31 and 22:21, 31.
  28. Ezekiel 38:19 tn Or “shaking.”
  29. Ezekiel 38:20 tn Or “tremble.”
  30. Ezekiel 38:20 tn The term occurs only here and in Song of Songs 2:14.
  31. Ezekiel 38:21 tn Heb “against.”
  32. Ezekiel 38:21 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Gog, cf. v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  33. Ezekiel 39:2 tn The Hebrew root occurs only here in the OT. An apparent cognate in the Ethiopic language means “walk along.” For a discussion of the research on this verb, see D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:460.
  34. Ezekiel 39:7 sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed, his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the Lord in the book of Isaiah.
  35. Ezekiel 39:9 tn Heb “burn and kindle the weapons.”
  36. Ezekiel 39:9 tn Two different types of shields are specified in the Hebrew text.
  37. Ezekiel 39:10 tn Heb “they will not carry.”
  38. Ezekiel 39:10 tn Heb “loot their looters and plunder their plunderers.”
  39. Ezekiel 39:11 tn The name means “horde of Gog.”
  40. Ezekiel 39:12 tn Heb “the house of Israel.”
  41. Ezekiel 39:13 tn Heb “name.”
  42. Ezekiel 39:14 tn Heb “men of perpetuity.”
  43. Ezekiel 39:14 tn Heb “and bury the travelers and those who remain on the surface of the ground.” The reference to “travelers” seems odd and is omitted in the LXX. It is probably an accidental duplication (see v. 11).
  44. Ezekiel 39:15 tn Heb “as the scouts scout.”
  45. Ezekiel 39:15 tn That is, the aforementioned bone.
  46. Ezekiel 39:16 tn This name appears to be a feminine form of the word “horde,” used in the name Hamon Gog.
  47. Ezekiel 39:17 tn Or “sacrifice” (so also in the rest of this verse).
  48. Ezekiel 39:18 sn See Rev 19:17-18.
  49. Ezekiel 39:19 sn Eating the fat and drinking blood were God’s exclusive rights in Israelite sacrifices (Lev 3:17).
  50. Ezekiel 39:19 tn Or “sacrifice” (so also in the rest of this verse).
  51. Ezekiel 39:20 tn Heb “chariots.”
  52. Ezekiel 39:21 tn Or “my glory.”
  53. Ezekiel 39:21 tn Heb “my hand which I have placed.”
  54. Ezekiel 39:23 tn Or “in their punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity/punishment” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here; 3:18, 19; 4:17; 7:13, 16; 18:17, 18, 19, 20; 24:23; 33:6, 8, 9. The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment” for iniquity or “guilt” of iniquity.
  55. Ezekiel 39:25 tn Heb “cause to return.”
  56. Ezekiel 39:28 tn Heb “there,” referring to the foreign nations to which they were exiled. The translation makes the referent clear.
  57. Ezekiel 39:29 sn See Ezek 11:19 and 37:14.
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Ezekiel 38-39
New International Version

The Lord’s Great Victory Over the Nations

38 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog,(A) of the land of Magog,(B) the chief prince of[a] Meshek and Tubal;(C) prophesy against him 3 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of[b] Meshek and Tubal.(D) 4 I will turn you around, put hooks(E) in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords.(F) 5 Persia, Cush[c](G) and Put(H) will be with them, all with shields and helmets, 6 also Gomer(I) with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah(J) from the far north(K) with all its troops—the many nations with you.

7 “‘Get ready; be prepared,(L) you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. 8 After many days(M) you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations(N) to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.(O) 9 You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm;(P) you will be like a cloud(Q) covering the land.(R)

10 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind(S) and you will devise an evil scheme.(T) 11 You will say, “I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people(U)—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars.(V) 12 I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.[d]” 13 Sheba(W) and Dedan(X) and the merchants of Tarshish(Y) and all her villages[e] will say to you, “Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?(Z)”’

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety,(AA) will you not take notice of it? 15 You will come from your place in the far north,(AB) you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army.(AC) 16 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud(AD) that covers the land.(AE) In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy(AF) through you before their eyes.(AG)

17 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You are the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel. At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them. 18 This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign Lord. 19 In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake(AH) in the land of Israel.(AI) 20 The fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble(AJ) at my presence. The mountains will be overturned,(AK) the cliffs will crumble(AL) and every wall will fall to the ground.(AM) 21 I will summon a sword(AN) against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man’s sword will be against his brother.(AO) 22 I will execute judgment(AP) on him with plague and bloodshed;(AQ) I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones(AR) and burning sulfur(AS) on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him.(AT) 23 And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.(AU)’

39 “Son of man, prophesy against Gog(AV) and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of[f] Meshek(AW) and Tubal.(AX) 2 I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north(AY) and send you against the mountains of Israel.(AZ) 3 Then I will strike your bow(BA) from your left hand and make your arrows(BB) drop from your right hand. 4 On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds(BC) and to the wild animals.(BD) 5 You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.(BE) 6 I will send fire(BF) on Magog(BG) and on those who live in safety in the coastlands,(BH) and they will know(BI) that I am the Lord.

7 “‘I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned,(BJ) and the nations will know(BK) that I the Lord am the Holy One in Israel.(BL) 8 It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord. This is the day(BM) I have spoken of.

9 “‘Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows,(BN) the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel.(BO) 10 They will not need to gather wood from the fields or cut it from the forests, because they will use the weapons for fuel. And they will plunder(BP) those who plundered them and loot those who looted them, declares the Sovereign Lord.(BQ)

11 “‘On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the valley of those who travel east of the Sea. It will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried(BR) there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog.[g](BS)

12 “‘For seven months the Israelites will be burying them in order to cleanse the land.(BT) 13 All the people of the land will bury them, and the day I display my glory(BU) will be a memorable day for them, declares the Sovereign Lord. 14 People will be continually employed in cleansing the land. They will spread out across the land and, along with others, they will bury any bodies that are lying on the ground.

“‘After the seven months they will carry out a more detailed search. 15 As they go through the land, anyone who sees a human bone will leave a marker beside it until the gravediggers bury it in the Valley of Hamon Gog, 16 near a town called Hamonah.[h] And so they will cleanse the land.’

17 “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Call out to every kind of bird(BV) and all the wild animals: ‘Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrifice I am preparing for you, the great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood.(BW) 18 You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as if they were rams and lambs, goats and bulls—all of them fattened animals from Bashan.(BX) 19 At the sacrifice(BY) I am preparing for you, you will eat fat till you are glutted and drink blood till you are drunk. 20 At my table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, mighty men and soldiers of every kind,’ declares the Sovereign Lord.(BZ)

21 “I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay on them.(CA) 22 From that day forward the people of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God. 23 And the nations will know that the people of Israel went into exile for their sin, because they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, and they all fell by the sword.(CB) 24 I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their offenses, and I hid my face from them.(CC)

25 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will now restore the fortunes of Jacob[i](CD) and will have compassion(CE) on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name.(CF) 26 They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety(CG) in their land with no one to make them afraid.(CH) 27 When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of many nations.(CI) 28 Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them(CJ) to their own land, not leaving any behind.(CK) 29 I will no longer hide my face(CL) from them, for I will pour out my Spirit(CM) on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.(CN)”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 38:2 Or the prince of Rosh,
  2. Ezekiel 38:3 Or Gog, prince of Rosh,
  3. Ezekiel 38:5 That is, the upper Nile region
  4. Ezekiel 38:12 The Hebrew for this phrase means the navel of the earth.
  5. Ezekiel 38:13 Or her strong lions
  6. Ezekiel 39:1 Or Gog, prince of Rosh,
  7. Ezekiel 39:11 Hamon Gog means hordes of Gog.
  8. Ezekiel 39:16 Hamonah means horde.
  9. Ezekiel 39:25 Or now bring Jacob back from captivity
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Ezekiel 37
Ezekiel 40
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