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39 “You, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, I am against you, Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. I will turn you around, and will lead you on, and will cause you to come up from the uttermost parts of the north; and I will bring you onto the mountains of Israel. I will strike your bow out of your left hand, and will cause your arrows to fall out of your right hand. You will fall on the mountains of Israel, you, and all your hordes, and the peoples who are with you. I will give you to the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the animals of the field to be devoured. You will fall on the open field; for I have spoken it,” says the Lord Yahweh. “I will send a fire on Magog, and on those who dwell securely in the islands. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.

“‘“I will make my holy name known among my people Israel. I won’t allow my holy name to be profaned any more. Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it comes, and it will be done,” says the Lord Yahweh. “This is the day about which I have spoken.

“‘“Those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out, and will make fires of the weapons and burn them, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the war clubs and the spears, and they will make fires with them for seven years; 10 so that they will take no wood out of the field, and not cut down any out of the forests; for they will make fires with the weapons. They will plunder those who plundered them, and rob those who robbed them,” says the Lord Yahweh.

11 “‘“It will happen in that day, that I will give to Gog a place for burial in Israel, the valley of those who pass through on the east of the sea; and it will stop those who pass through. They will bury Gog and all his multitude there; and they will call it ‘The valley of Hamon Gog’.

12 “‘“The house of Israel will be burying them for seven months, that they may cleanse the land. 13 Yes, all the people of the land will bury them; and they will become famous in the day that I will be glorified,” says the Lord Yahweh.

14 “‘“They will set apart men of continual employment, who will pass through the land. Those who pass through will go with those who bury those who remain on the surface of the land, to cleanse it. After the end of seven months they will search. 15 Those who pass through the land will pass through; and when anyone sees a man’s bone, then he will set up a sign by it, until the undertakers have buried it in the valley of Hamon Gog. 16 Hamonah will also be the name of a city. Thus they will cleanse the land.”’

17 “You, son of man, the Lord Yahweh says: ‘Speak to the birds of every sort, and to every animal of the field, “Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat meat and drink blood. 18 You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan. 19 You shall eat fat until you are full, and drink blood until you are drunk, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. 20 You shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war,” says the Lord Yahweh.’

21 “I will set my glory among the nations. Then all the nations will see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them. 22 So the house of Israel will know that I am Yahweh their God, from that day and forward. 23 The nations will know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they trespassed against me, and I hid my face from them; so I gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword. 24 I did to them according to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions. I hid my face from them.

25 “Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: ‘Now I will reverse the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel. I will be jealous for my holy name. 26 They will bear their shame, and all their trespasses by which they have trespassed against me, when they dwell securely in their land, and no one will make them afraid, 27 when I have brought them back from the peoples, and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations. 28 They will know that I am Yahweh their God, in that I caused them to go into captivity among the nations, and have gathered them to their own land. Then I will leave none of them captive any more. 29 I won’t hide my face from them any more; for I have poured out my Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord Yahweh.”

39 “As for you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal! I will turn you around and drag you along;[a] I will lead you up from the remotest parts of the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel. I will knock your bow out of your left hand and make your arrows fall from your right hand. You will fall dead on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the people who are with you. I give you as food to every kind of bird and every wild beast. You will fall dead in the open field; for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will send fire on Magog and those who live securely in the coastlands; then they will know that I am the Lord.

“‘I will make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.[b] Realize that it is coming and it will be done, declares the Sovereign Lord. It is the day I have spoken about.

“‘Then those who live in the cities of Israel will go out and use the weapons for kindling[c]—the shields,[d] bows and arrows, war clubs and spears—they will burn them for seven years. 10 They will not need to take[e] wood from the field or cut down trees from the forests because they will make fires with the weapons. They will take the loot from those who looted them and seize the plunder of those who plundered them,[f] declares the Sovereign Lord.

11 “‘On that day I will assign Gog a grave in Israel. It will be the valley of those who travel east of the sea; it will block the way of the travelers. There they will bury Gog and all his horde; they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog.[g] 12 For seven months Israel[h] will bury them, in order to cleanse the land. 13 All the people of the land will bury them, and it will be a memorial[i] for them on the day I magnify myself, declares the Sovereign Lord. 14 They will designate men to scout continually[j] through the land, burying those who remain on the surface of the ground,[k] in order to cleanse it. They will search for seven full months. 15 When the scouts survey[l] the land and see a human bone, they will place a sign by it, until those assigned to burial duty have buried it[m] in the valley of Hamon Gog. 16 (A city by the name of Hamonah[n] will also be there.) They will cleanse the land.’

17 “As for you, son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Tell every kind of bird and every wild beast: ‘Assemble and come! Gather from all around to my slaughter[o] that I am going to make for you, a great slaughter on the mountains of Israel! You will eat flesh and drink blood. 18 You will eat the flesh of warriors[p] and drink the blood of the princes of the earth—the rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, all of them fattened animals of Bashan. 19 You will eat fat until you are full, and drink blood until you are drunk[q] at my slaughter[r] that I have made for you. 20 You will fill up at my table with horses and charioteers,[s] with warriors and all the soldiers,’ declares the Sovereign Lord.

21 “I will display my majesty[t] among the nations. All the nations will witness the judgment I have executed and the power I have exhibited[u] among them. 22 Then the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God, from that day forward. 23 The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile due to their iniquity,[v] for they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies; all of them died by the sword. 24 According to their uncleanness and rebellion I have dealt with them, and I hid my face from them.

25 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Now I will restore[w] the fortunes of Jacob, and I will have mercy on the entire house of Israel. I will be zealous for my holy name. 26 They will bear their shame for all their unfaithful acts against me, when they live securely on their land with no one to make them afraid. 27 When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will magnify myself among them in the sight of many nations. 28 Then they will know that I am the Lord their God because I sent them into exile among the nations and then gathered them into their own land. I will not leave any of them in exile[x] any longer. 29 I will no longer hide my face from them, when I pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel,[y] declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 39:2 tn The Hebrew root occurs only here in the OT. An apparent cognate in the Ethiopic language means “walk along.” For a discussion of the research on this verb, see D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:460.
  2. Ezekiel 39:7 sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed, his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the Lord in the book of Isaiah.
  3. Ezekiel 39:9 tn Heb “burn and kindle the weapons.”
  4. Ezekiel 39:9 tn Two different types of shields are specified in the Hebrew text.
  5. Ezekiel 39:10 tn Heb “they will not carry.”
  6. Ezekiel 39:10 tn Heb “loot their looters and plunder their plunderers.”
  7. Ezekiel 39:11 tn The name means “horde of Gog.”
  8. Ezekiel 39:12 tn Heb “the house of Israel.”
  9. Ezekiel 39:13 tn Heb “name.”
  10. Ezekiel 39:14 tn Heb “men of perpetuity.”
  11. Ezekiel 39:14 tn Heb “and bury the travelers and those who remain on the surface of the ground.” The reference to “travelers” seems odd and is omitted in the LXX. It is probably an accidental duplication (see v. 11).
  12. Ezekiel 39:15 tn Heb “as the scouts scout.”
  13. Ezekiel 39:15 tn That is, the aforementioned bone.
  14. Ezekiel 39:16 tn This name appears to be a feminine form of the word “horde,” used in the name Hamon Gog.
  15. Ezekiel 39:17 tn Or “sacrifice” (so also in the rest of this verse).
  16. Ezekiel 39:18 sn See Rev 19:17-18.
  17. Ezekiel 39:19 sn Eating the fat and drinking blood were God’s exclusive rights in Israelite sacrifices (Lev 3:17).
  18. Ezekiel 39:19 tn Or “sacrifice” (so also in the rest of this verse).
  19. Ezekiel 39:20 tn Heb “chariots.”
  20. Ezekiel 39:21 tn Or “my glory.”
  21. Ezekiel 39:21 tn Heb “my hand which I have placed.”
  22. Ezekiel 39:23 tn Or “in their punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity/punishment” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here; 3:18, 19; 4:17; 7:13, 16; 18:17, 18, 19, 20; 24:23; 33:6, 8, 9. The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment” for iniquity or “guilt” of iniquity.
  23. Ezekiel 39:25 tn Heb “cause to return.”
  24. Ezekiel 39:28 tn Heb “there,” referring to the foreign nations to which they were exiled. The translation makes the referent clear.
  25. Ezekiel 39:29 sn See Ezek 11:19 and 37:14.