Ezekiel 39

1 [Yahweh said to me], “You human, prophesy about [more terrible things that will happen] to Gog, and say this [to him]: ‘Gog, I am opposed to you who rule Meshech and Tubal.

2 I will turn you around and drag you [and your armies] from far north [of Israel] and send you to [fight on] the mountains in Israel.

3 When you are there, I will snatch your bows from your left hands and cause your arrows to fall from your right hands.

4 You and all the soldiers that are with you will die on the mountains in Israel. I will give your [corpses] to be food for the birds that eat [dead] flesh, and to the wild animals.

5 You will die in the open fields. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh the Lord, [have said that it will happen].

6 I will cause [many] fires to burn in Magog and among [all] those who live safely in the areas along their coasts, and they will know that it is I, Yahweh, [who have the power to do what I say that I will do].

7 I will enable my Israeli people to know that I am holy. I will no longer allow people to damage my reputation, and [people in other] nations will know that I, Yahweh the Lord, am the Holy One in Israel.

8 [I], Yahweh the Lord, declare that it will soon be the day that those things will happen. It will be the day that I have spoken [to you] about.

9 At that time, those Israelis who live in the towns will go out and gather the weapons [from your dead soldiers], and use them to make fires [to cook their food]. They will burn the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs, and spears. There will be enough weapons to use as firewood for seven years.

10 They will not need to gather firewood in the fields or cut wood from trees in the forests, because those weapons will be all the firewood [that they will need]. And they will take valuable things from those who took valuable things from them, and steal things from people who stole things from them. [That is what I], Yahweh the Lord, declare [will happen].

11 At that time I will create a graveyard for you, Gog, [and your soldiers], in the valley east of the [Dead] Sea. That graveyard will block the road that travelers [usually walk on], because you, Gog and all [the soldiers] of your huge army will be buried there. [So] it will be named ‘the Valley of Gog’s Huge Army’.

12 For seven months the people of Israel will be burying those corpses. [It will be necessary to bury all of them], in order that the land will not be (defiled/considered unacceptable to me) [because of any unburied corpses].

13 All the people of Israel will [do the work of] burying them. The day when I [win that victory] they will honor me.

14 After those seven months are ended, the Israeli people will appoint men to go throughout the land to bury corpses, in order that the land will not remain defiled.

15 When they go through the land, when one of them sees a human bone, he will set up a marker beside it. [When] the gravediggers [see the markers, they will pick up the bones] and bury them in the Valley of Gog’s Huge Army.

16 There will be a city there named Hamonah, [which means ‘huge army’]. And by doing this [work of burying the corpses], they will (cleanse the land/cause the land to be acceptable to me again).’”

17 [Yahweh said to me], “You human, this is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: Summon every kind of bird and wild animal. Say to them, ‘Gather together from everywhere and come to the feast that Yahweh is preparing for you. [It will be] a great feast on the mountains in Israel. [There] you will eat [men’s] flesh and drink their blood.

18 You will eat the flesh of strong soldiers and drink the blood of kings [as if they were] fat animals—rams and lambs, goats and bulls—from the Bashan [region].

19 At that feast that Yahweh is preparing for you, you will eat fat until your [stomachs] are full, and you will drink blood until [it is as though] you are drunk.

20 [It will be as though] you are eating at a table that I [have set up for you. You will eat all you want of the flesh] of horses and their riders, strong soldiers [DOU] of every kind.’ [That is what I], Yahweh the Lord, declare.

21 I will show [people of] many nations that I am glorious, and all those nations will see how I punish them [DOU].

22 After that time, the Israeli people will know that I, Yahweh their God, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].

23 And the [people of other] nations will know that the Israeli people had been forced to go to other countries because they sinned by not being faithful to me. I (turned away from/abandoned) them, and allowed their enemies to capture them [IDM], and many [HYP] of them were killed by [their enemies’] swords.

24 I punished them like they deserved to be punished because of their disgusting behavior and sins, and I turned away from them [MTY].

25 Therefore, this is [now] what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: I will now bring back from exile/Babylonia [the descendants of] Jacob; I will pity all the Israeli people, and I will [also] jealously protect my reputation.

26 When the Israeli people [are back in their own country, they will] live safely in their land, with no one to cause them to be afraid, but they will be ashamed when they think about the disgraceful and unfaithful things that they did [previously].

27 When I have brought them back from their enemies’ countries and gathered them together [in Israel], the people of many nations will know that I am holy.

28 And the Israeli people will know that I, Yahweh their Lord, [have the power to do what I say that I will do]. They will know that because [even though] I forced them to go to [other] countries, I will gather them together in their own country. I will not leave any of them in those countries.

29 I will no longer turn away from them; I will pour out my Spirit on the Israeli people. [That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it.”