Ezekiel 38

1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

A message from the Lord came to me, saying,

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

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

3 And say, Thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

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

4 And I will turn you back, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you forth, and all of your 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:

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.

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

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

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

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.

7 Be you prepared, and prepare for yourself, you, and all your company that are assembled unto you, and be you a guard unto them.

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

8 After many days you shall be visited: in the latter years you shall 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.

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.

9 You shall ascend and come like a storm, you shall be like a cloud to cover the land, you, and all your bands, and many people with you.

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.

10 Thus says the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into your mind, and you shall think an evil thought:

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.

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

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.

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

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.’

13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto you, Are you come to take a spoil? have you gathered your company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?

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?’

14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus says the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwells safely, shall you not know it?

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?

15 And you shall come from your place out of the north parts, you, and many people with you, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:

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.

16 And you shall 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 you against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in you, O Gog, before their eyes.

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.

17 Thus says the Lord GOD; Are you 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 you against them?

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?

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

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

19 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;

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

20 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.

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.

21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, says the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother.

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

22 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.

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.

23 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.

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