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, direct thy face against Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Thubal, 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 hath said the Lord Eternal, Behold, I will be against thee, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Thubal;
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 derange thee, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thy army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in elegant attire, a great assemblage with bucklers and shields, all of them grasping swords.
5 Soldiers from Persia, Cush, and Put will join them, all equipped with shields and helmets,
Persia, Cush, and Put [shall be] 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 of its armies; the house of Thogarmah out of the farthest north, and all its armies; many people shall be 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 ready, and prepare thyself, thou, and all thy assemblages that are assembled about 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 shalt thou be ordered forward; in the end of years shalt thou come into the land that is recovering from the sword, and is gathered together out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been ruined for a very long time: [to a people] that are brought forth out of the nations, and that now dwell in safety, 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 wilt ascend and come like a tempest, like a cloud to cover the earth wilt thou be, thou, and all thy armies, and the 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 hath said the Lord Eternal, It will also come to pass, at the same time, that things will come into thy mind, and thou wilt entertain an evil device;
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 wilt say, I will go up over the land of open towns; I will come against those that are careless, that dwell in safety, all of whom dwell without walls, and have 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 snatch up the spoil, and to take away the prey; to turn thy hand against the ruined places now inhabited, and against the people that are gathered out of the nations, that have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the highest part 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 traders of Tharshish, with all her young lions, will say unto thee, Art thou come to plunder the spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to carry off the prey? to bear away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to plunder 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, prophesy, son of man, and say unto Gog, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Behold, on the day when my people of Israel dwelleth in safety, shalt thou know [my power].
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 wilt come from thy place out of the farthest ends of the north, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great assemblage, 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 wilt come up against my people of Israel, like a cloud to cover the land; in the latter days will this be, and I will bring thee over my land, in order that the nations may know me, when I am sanctified on thee, before their eyes, O Gog.
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 hath said the Lord Eternal, Art thou [not] he of whom I have spoken in ancient days through means of my servants the prophets of Israel, who 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, on the day of Gog's coming over the land of Israel, saith the Lord Eternal, that my fury shall be kindled in my nose.
19 In my passionate, furious anger I announce that at that time a violent earthquake will hit of the country of Israel.
And in my zealousness, in the fire of my wrath, have I spoken, Surely on that day there shall be a great earthquake in the country 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.
And there shall quake at my presence the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs 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 against him throughout all my mountains for the sword, saith the Lord Eternal: 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 hold judgment over him with pestilence and with blood [-shedding]; and an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and sulfur will I let rain over him and his armies, and over the many people that are with him.
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 make myself known before the eyes of many nations: and they shall know that I am the Lord.
