Ezekiel 38

1 A message from the Lord came to me, saying,

AND the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

2 “Son of man, face towards Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him

Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

3 and declare that this is what the Lord God says: Watch out, I am condemning you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.

And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

4 I will send you in a different direction, put hooks in your jaws, and drag you out with your whole army, including your horses, your horsemen in uniform, and a host of men with large and small shields and bucklers, all waving their swords.

And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

5 Soldiers from Persia, Cush, and Put will join them, all equipped with shields and helmets,

Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:

6 together with Gomer and all its armies, as well as Beth-togarmah from the distant places of the north with all its armies—and many other nations that join with you.

Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.

7 Get ready! Make sure you and your whole army with you is prepared. You're the one in charge of them.

Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

8 A long time later you will be called to battle. In the final years you will invade a country that has recovered from war. Its people will have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had been abandoned for a long time. They had been brought back from the nations, and were all living in safety.

After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.

9 You and your whole army, and the armies of many nations with you, will advance like an incoming storm, like a cloud that covers the land.

Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.

10 This is what the Lord God says: On that day you will start thinking about things in your mind, and you will come up with an evil plan.

Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:

11 You tell yourself, ‘I'm going to attack a country of undefended villages, a peaceful people who don't suspect an attack. They all live in towns without defensive walls or barred gates.

And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,

12 I'll be able to loot them—I'll rob them of their possessions. I'll attack those places that were once ruined but now are inhabited again. I'll attack a people brought back from the other nations, who now own livestock and possessions, living in the center of the country.’

To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

13 Sheba and Dedan and the traders from Tarshish with all its strong leaders will ask, ‘Are you going to loot the place? Have you gathered your armies to rob them, to carry away silver and gold, to take cattle and possessions—to grab a great deal of plunder?’

Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?

14 So prophesy, son of man, and tell Gog that this is what the Lord God says: On the day you attack aren't you going to notice that my people Israel are unsuspecting?

Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?

15 You'll advance from your place in the distant north, you and your many allies, everyone riding horses, a huge number of men, a massive army.

And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:

16 You will attack my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. Gog, in the last days I will send you to attack my land, so that the nations may acknowledge me as holy when I reveal myself to them by what I do through you.

And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

17 This is what the Lord God says: Aren't you the one of whom I spoke about long ago through my servants, the prophets of Israel? During that time didn't they prophesy for years that I would have you come and attack them?

Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?

18 Now on that day, the day when Gog comes to attack the country of Israel, I will become very angry, declares the Lord God.

And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face.

19 In my passionate, furious anger I announce that at that time a violent earthquake will hit of the country of Israel.

For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;

20 Everything that lives on the earth will tremble at my presence—the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the wild animals, every creature that runs upon the ground, and every human being. The mountains will be torn down, the cliffs will collapse, and every wall will be knocked to the ground.

So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

21 I will call for an attack on Gog from all my mountains, declares the Lord God. Everyone will attack his brother with sword.

And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

22 I will punish him with disease and bloodshed. I will send rainstorms, hailstones, fire, and sulfur down on him and his army, and on the armies of his many allies.

And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

23 I will demonstrate my true power and holiness, revealing myself to many nations. Then they will acknowledge that I am the Lord.”

Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.