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38 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 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: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

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. 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

Invasion by Gog

38 The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him(A) and say: Thus says the Lord God: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; I will turn you around and put hooks into your jaws, and I will lead you out with all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great company, all of them with shield and buckler, wielding swords.(B) Paras, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with buckler and helmet;(C) Gomer and all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the remotest parts of the north with all its troops—many peoples are with you.(D)

Be ready and keep ready, you and all the companies that are assembled around you, and take command of them.[a] After many days you shall be mustered; in the latter years you shall go against a land restored from war, a land where people were gathered from many nations on the mountains of Israel, which had long lain waste; its people were brought out from the nations and now are living in safety, all of them.(E) You shall advance, coming on like a storm; you shall be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.(F)

10 Thus says the Lord God: On that day thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme.(G) 11 You will say, “I will go up against the land of unwalled villages; I will fall upon the quiet people who live in safety, all of them living without walls and having no bars or gates,(H) 12 to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to assail the waste places that are now inhabited and the people who were gathered from the nations, who are acquiring cattle and goods, who live at the center[b] of the earth.”(I) 13 Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all its young warriors[c] will say to you, “Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your horde to carry off plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to seize a great amount of spoil?”(J)

14 Therefore, mortal, prophesy and say to Gog: Thus says the Lord God: On that day when my people Israel are living securely, you will rouse yourself[d](K) 15 and come from your place out of the remotest parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army;(L) 16 you will come up against my people Israel like a cloud covering the earth. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I display my holiness before their eyes.(M)

Judgment on Gog

17 Thus says the Lord God: Are you he of whom I spoke in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel, who in those days prophesied for years that I would bring you against them?(N) 18 On that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel, says the Lord God, my wrath shall be aroused.(O) 19 For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare: On that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;(P) 20 the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and the animals of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground and all humans who are on the face of the earth shall quake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground.(Q) 21 I will summon the sword against Gog[e] in[f] all my mountains, says the Lord God; the swords of all will be against their comrades.(R) 22 With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will pour down torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur upon him and his troops and the many peoples who are with him.(S) 23 So I will display my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.(T)

Footnotes

  1. 38.7 Cn: Heb hold yourselves in reserve for them
  2. 38.12 Heb navel
  3. 38.13 Heb young lions
  4. 38.14 Gk: Heb will you not know?
  5. 38.21 Heb him
  6. 38.21 Heb to or for

Prophecy Against Gog

38 The word of the Lord came to me: (A)“Son of man, (B)set your face toward (C)Gog, of the land of (D)Magog, the (E)chief prince of (F)Meshech[a] and (G)Tubal, and (H)prophesy against him and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, (I)I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech[b] and Tubal. (J)And I will turn you about and (K)put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and (L)all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords. (M)Persia, (N)Cush, and (O)Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; (P)Gomer and all his (Q)hordes; (R)Beth-togarmah from (S)the uttermost parts of the north with all his hordes—(T)many peoples are with you.

(U)“Be ready and keep ready, you and all your hosts that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them. (V)After many days you will be mustered. (W)In the latter years you will go against (X)the land that is restored from war, the land whose people (Y)were gathered from many peoples upon (Z)the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste. Its people were brought out from the peoples and (AA)now dwell securely, all of them. You will advance, coming on (AB)like a storm. You will be (AC)like a cloud covering the land, you and all your (AD)hordes, and many peoples with you.

10 “Thus says the Lord God: On that day, (AE)thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme 11 and say, ‘I will go up against (AF)the land of unwalled villages. I will fall upon (AG)the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates,’ 12 to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against (AH)the waste places that are now inhabited, and (AI)the people who were gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, (AJ)who dwell at the center of the earth. 13 (AK)Sheba and (AL)Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all (AM)its leaders[c] will say to you, ‘Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your hosts to carry off plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to seize great spoil?’

14 “Therefore, (AN)son of man, prophesy, and say to (AO)Gog, Thus says the Lord God: On that day when my people Israel are (AP)dwelling securely, (AQ)will you not know it? 15 You will come from your place out of (AR)the uttermost parts of the north, you and (AS)many peoples with you, (AT)all of them riding on horses, a great host, a mighty army. 16 You will come up against my people Israel, (AU)like a cloud covering the land. (AV)In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, (AW)I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.

17 “Thus says the Lord God: Are you (AX)he of whom I spoke in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel, who in those days prophesied for years that I would bring you against them? 18 But on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord God, (AY)my wrath will be roused in my anger. 19 For (AZ)in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare, On that day (BA)there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 (BB)The fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all the people who are on the face of the earth, (BC)shall quake at my presence. And (BD)the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground. 21 (BE)I will summon a sword against Gog[d] on all my mountains, declares the Lord God. (BF)Every man's sword will be against his brother. 22 With pestilence and bloodshed (BG)I will enter into judgment with him, and (BH)I will rain upon him and (BI)his hordes and the many peoples who are with him (BJ)torrential rains and hailstones, (BK)fire and sulfur. 23 So I will show my greatness and my (BL)holiness and (BM)make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then (BN)they will know that I am the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 38:2 Or Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech
  2. Ezekiel 38:3 Or Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech
  3. Ezekiel 38:13 Hebrew young lions
  4. Ezekiel 38:21 Hebrew against him

Prophecy about Gog and Future Invasion of Israel

38 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face toward (A)Gog of the land of (B)Magog, the (C)chief prince of (D)Meshech and (E)Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, ‘This is what the Lord [a]God says: “Behold, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. So I will turn you around and put hooks into your jaws, and I will (F)bring you out, and all your army, (G)horses and horsemen, all of them magnificently dressed, a great contingent with shield and [b]buckler, all of them wielding swords; (H)Persia, [c](I)Cush, and (J)Put with them, all of them with buckler and helmet; (K)Gomer with all its troops; (L)Beth-togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops—many peoples with you.

(M)Be ready, and be prepared, you and all your contingents that are assembled around you, and be a guard for them. (N)After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been (O)gathered from many [d]nations to the (P)mountains of Israel which had been a continual place of ruins; but [e]its people were brought out from the [f]nations, and they are (Q)living securely, all of them. And you will go up, you will come (R)like a storm; you will be like a (S)cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, and many peoples with you.”

10 ‘This is what the Lord God says: “It will come about on that day, that [g]thoughts will come into your mind and you will (T)devise an evil plan, 11 and you will say, ‘I will go up against the land of [h](U)unwalled villages. I will go against those who are (V)at rest, who live securely, all of them living without walls and having no bars or gates, 12 to (W)capture spoils and to seize plunder, to turn your hand against the ruins that are now inhabited, and against the people who are gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who live at the [i]center of the world.’ 13 (X)Sheba and (Y)Dedan and the merchants of (Z)Tarshish with all its [j]villages will say to you, ‘Have you come to capture spoils? Have you assembled your contingent to seize plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to capture great (AA)spoils?’”’

14 “Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “On that day when My people Israel are (AB)living securely, will you not know it? 15 (AC)You will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding horses, a large assembly and a mighty army; 16 and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may (AD)know Me when I (AE)show Myself holy through you before their eyes, Gog.”

17 ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days through My servants the prophets of Israel, who (AF)prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring you against them? 18 It will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” declares the Lord God, “that My fury will mount up in My (AG)anger. 19 In My (AH)zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare that on that day there will certainly be a great [k](AI)earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 (AJ)The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, all the crawling things that crawl on the earth, and all mankind who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; and the (AK)mountains will be thrown down, the steep pathways will [l]collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground. 21 And I will call for a (AL)sword against [m]him on all My mountains,” declares the Lord God. “(AM)Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 With plague and with blood I will enter into (AN)judgment with him; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, [n]a torrential rain, (AO)hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 So I will prove Myself great, show Myself holy, and (AP)make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the Lord.”’

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 38:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  2. Ezekiel 38:4 I.e., small shield
  3. Ezekiel 38:5 Or Ethiopia
  4. Ezekiel 38:8 Lit peoples
  5. Ezekiel 38:8 Lit it was
  6. Ezekiel 38:8 Lit peoples
  7. Ezekiel 38:10 Lit words
  8. Ezekiel 38:11 Or open country
  9. Ezekiel 38:12 Lit navel
  10. Ezekiel 38:13 As in ancient versions; MT young lions
  11. Ezekiel 38:19 Or shaking
  12. Ezekiel 38:20 Lit fall
  13. Ezekiel 38:21 I.e., Gog
  14. Ezekiel 38:22 Lit an overflowing

A Prophecy Against Gog

38 The Lord’s message came to me: “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 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against you,[e] Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 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. Persia,[g] Ethiopia, and Put[h] are with them, all of them with shields and helmets. 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]

“‘Be ready and stay ready, you and all your companies assembled around you, and be a guard for them.[k] 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. 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.’

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.