Ezekiel 37-42

Christian Standard Bible

The Valley of Dry Bones

37 The hand of the Lord was on me,^(A) and he brought me out by his Spirit^(B) and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. ² He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry. ³ Then he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I replied, “Lord God, only you know.”^(C)

⁴ He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! ⁵ This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live.^{(D) 6} I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”^(E)

⁷ So I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. ⁹ He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath,^[a] prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!” ^{(F) 10} So I prophesied as he commanded me; the breath entered them,^(G) and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.

¹¹ Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.^(H) Look how they say, ‘Our bones are dried up,^(I) and our hope has perished;^(J) we are cut off.’^{(K) 12} Therefore, prophesy and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them,^(L) my people, and lead you into the land of Israel. ¹³ You will know that I am the Lord, my people, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.^{(M) 14} I will put my Spirit in you,^(N) and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I have spoken, and I will do it.^(O) This is the declaration of the Lord.’”

The Reunification of Israel

¹⁵ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁶ “Son of man, take a single stick and write on it:^(P) Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him. Then take another stick and write on it: Belonging to Joseph—the stick of Ephraim—and all the house of Israel associated with him.^{(Q) 17} Then join them together into a single stick so that they become one in your hand.^{(R) 18} When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you explain to us what you mean by these things?’—^{(S) 19} tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and put them together with the stick of Judah. I will make them into a single stick so that they become one in my hand.’

²⁰ “When the sticks you have written on are in your hand and in full view of the people,^{(T) 21} tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am going to take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone.^(U) I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land. ²² I will make them one nation in the land,^(V) on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them.^(W) They will no longer be two nations and will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. ²³ They will not defile themselves anymore with their idols,^(X) their abhorrent things, and all their transgressions.^(Y) I will save them from all their apostasies by which^[b] they sinned,^(Z) and I will cleanse them. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God.^{(AA) 24} My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them.^(AB) They will follow my ordinances, and keep my statutes and obey them.^(AC)

²⁵ “‘They will live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob,^(AD) where your ancestors lived. They will live in it forever with their children and grandchildren, and my servant David will be their prince forever.^{(AE) 26} I will make a covenant of peace with them;^(AF) it will be a permanent covenant^(AG) with them. I will establish and multiply them and will set my sanctuary among them forever. ²⁷ My dwelling place will be with them;^(AH) I will be their God, and they will be my people.^{(AI) 28} When my sanctuary is among them forever, the nations will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel.’”^(AJ)

The Defeat of Gog

38 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, face Gog, of the land of Magog,^(AK) the chief prince of^[c] Meshech and Tubal.^(AL) Prophesy against him ³ and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Look, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. ⁴ I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws,^(AM) and bring you out with all your army, including horses and riders,^(AN) who are all splendidly dressed, a huge assembly armed with large and small shields, all of them brandishing swords. ⁵ Persia,^(AO) Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shields and helmets; ⁶ Gomer^(AP) with all its troops; and Beth-togarmah^(AQ) from the remotest parts of the north along with all its troops—many peoples are with you.

⁷ “‘Be prepared and get yourself ready, you and your whole assembly that has been mobilized around you; you will be their guard. ⁸ After a long time you will be summoned. In the last years you will enter a land that has been restored from war^[d] and regathered from many peoples to the mountains of Israel, which had long been a ruin.^(AR) They were brought out from the peoples, and all of them now live securely. ⁹ You, all of your troops, and many peoples with you will advance, coming like a thunderstorm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.

¹⁰ “‘This is what the Lord God says: On that day, thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil plan. ¹¹ You will say, “I will advance against a land of open villages; I will come against a tranquil people who are living securely,^(AS) all of them living without walls and without bars or gates”^(AT)— ¹² in order to seize spoil and carry off plunder,^(AU) to turn your hand against ruins now inhabited and against a people gathered from the nations, who have been acquiring cattle and possessions and who live at the center of the world. ¹³ Sheba^(AV) and Dedan^(AW) and the merchants of Tarshish^(AX) with all its rulers^[e] will ask you, “Have you come to seize spoil? Have you mobilized your assembly to carry off plunder, to make off with silver and gold, to take cattle and possessions, to seize plenty of spoil?”’

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 dwelling securely,^(AY) will you not know this ¹⁵ and come from your place in the remotest parts of the north^(AZ)—you and many peoples with you, who are all riding horses—a huge assembly, a powerful army? ¹⁶ You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud covering the land. It will happen in the last days, Gog, that I will bring you against my land so that the nations may know me, when I demonstrate my holiness through you in their sight.^(BA)

¹⁷ “‘This is what the Lord God says: Are you the one I spoke about in former times through my servants, the prophets of Israel, who for years prophesied in those times that I would bring you against them? ¹⁸ Now on that day, the day when Gog comes against the land of Israel—this is the declaration of the Lord God—my wrath will flare up.^{[f] 19} I swear in my zeal and fiery wrath:^(BB) On that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. ²⁰ The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, every creature that crawls on the ground, and every human being on the face of the earth will tremble before me. The mountains will be demolished, the cliffs will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground. ²¹ I will call for a sword against him on all my mountains—this is the declaration of the Lord God—and every man’s sword will be against his brother.^{(BC) 22} I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur on him, as well as his troops and the many peoples who are with him.^{(BD) 23} I will display my greatness and holiness, and I will reveal myself in the sight of many nations.^(BE) Then they will know that I am the Lord.’

The Disposal of Gog

39 “As for you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Look, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of^[g] Meshech and Tubal.^{(BF) 2} I will turn you around, drive you on,^(BG) and lead you up from the remotest parts of the north. I will bring you against the mountains of Israel. ³ Then I will knock your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand. ⁴ You, all your troops, and the peoples who are with you will fall on the mountains of Israel. I will give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and to the wild animals. ⁵ You will fall on the open field,^(BH) for I have spoken. This is the declaration of the Lord God.

⁶ “‘I will send fire against Magog^(BI) and those who live securely on the coasts and islands. Then they will know that I am the Lord. ⁷ So I will make my holy name known among my people Israel and will no longer allow it to be profaned. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.^{(BJ) 8} Yes, it is coming, and it will happen. This is the declaration of the Lord God. This is the day I have spoken about.

⁹ “‘Then the inhabitants of Israel’s cities will go out, kindle fires, and burn the weapons—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them to make fires. ¹⁰ They will not gather wood from the countryside or cut it down from the forests, for they will use the weapons to make fires. They will take the loot from those who looted them and plunder those who plundered them.^(BK) This is the declaration of the Lord God.

¹¹ “‘Now on that day I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel—the Travelers’ Valley^[h] east of the Sea. It will block those who travel through, for Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called Hordes of Gog^[i] Valley. ¹² The house of Israel will spend seven months burying them in order to cleanse the land.^{(BL) 13} All the people of the land will bury them and their fame will spread^(BM) on the day I display my glory.^(BN) This is the declaration of the Lord God.

¹⁴ “‘They will appoint men on a full-time basis to pass through the land and bury the invaders^[j] who remain on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. They will make their search at the end of the seven months. ¹⁵ When they pass through the land and one of them sees a human bone, he will set up a marker next to it until the buriers have buried it in Hordes of Gog Valley. ¹⁶ There will even be a city named Hamonah^[k] there. So they will cleanse the land.’

¹⁷ “Son of man, this is what the Lord God says: Tell every kind of bird and all the wild animals, ‘Assemble and come! Gather from all around to my sacrificial feast that I am slaughtering for you, a great feast on the mountains of Israel;^(BO) you will eat flesh and drink blood. ¹⁸ You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the earth’s princes: rams, lambs, male goats, and all the fattened bulls of Bashan. ¹⁹ You will eat fat until you are satisfied^(BP) and drink blood until you are drunk, at my sacrificial feast that I have prepared for you. ²⁰ At my table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, of mighty men and all the warriors. This is the declaration of the Lord God.’

Israel’s Restoration to God

²¹ “I will display my glory among the nations,^(BQ) and all the nations will see the judgment I have executed and the hand I have laid on them. ²² From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God. ²³ And the nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile on account of their iniquity, because they dealt unfaithfully with me.^(BR) Therefore, I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, so that they all fell by the sword. ²⁴ I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and transgressions, and I hid my face from them.

²⁵ “So this is what the Lord God says: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob^(BS) and have compassion on the whole house of Israel,^(BT) and I will be jealous for my holy name. ²⁶ They will feel remorse for^[l][m] their disgrace^(BU) and all the unfaithfulness they committed against me, when they live securely in their land with no one to frighten them. ²⁷ When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the countries of their enemies, I will demonstrate my holiness through them in the sight of many nations.^{(BV) 28} They will know that I am the Lord their God when I regather them to their own land after having exiled them among the nations. I will leave none of them behind.^{[n] 29} I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel.”^(BW) This is the declaration of the Lord God.

The New Temple

40 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been captured,^(BX) on that very day the Lord’s hand was on me,^(BY) and he brought me there. ² In visions of God^(BZ) he took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain.^(CA) On its southern slope was a structure resembling a city. ³ He brought me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze,^(CB) with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand.^(CC) He was standing by the city gate. ⁴ He spoke to me: “Son of man, look with your eyes, listen with your ears,^(CD) and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for you have been brought here so that I might show it to you. Report everything you see to the house of Israel.”^(CE)

The Wall and Outer Gates

⁵ Now there was a wall surrounding the outside of the temple.^(CF) The measuring rod in the man’s hand was six units of twenty-one inches;^[o] each unit was the standard length plus three inches.^[p] He measured the thickness of the wall structure; it was 10½ feet,^[q] and its height was the same. ⁶ Then he came to the gate that faced east and climbed its steps.^(CG) He measured the threshold of the gate; it was 10½ feet deep—one threshold was 10½ feet deep. ⁷ Each recess was 10½ feet long and 10½ feet deep, and there was a space of 8¾ feet^[r] between the recesses. The inner threshold of the gate on the temple side next to the gate’s portico was 10½ feet. ⁸ Next he measured the gate’s portico; ⁹ it^[s] was 14 feet,^[t] and its jambs were 3½ feet.^[u] The gate’s portico was on the temple side.

¹⁰ There were three recesses on each side of the east gate, each with the same measurements, and the jambs on either side also had the same measurements. ¹¹ Then he measured the width of the gate’s entrance; it was 17½ feet,^[v] while the width^[w] of the gate was 22¾ feet.^{[x] 12} There was a barrier of 21 inches^[y] in front of the recesses on both sides, and the recesses on each side were 10½ feet^[z] square. ¹³ Then he measured the gate from the roof of one recess to the roof of the opposite one; the distance was 43¾ feet.^[aa] The openings of the recesses faced each other. ¹⁴ Next, he measured the porch—105 feet.^{[ab][ac] 15} The distance from the front of the gate at the entrance to the front of the gate’s portico on the inside was 87½ feet.^{[ad] 16} The recesses and their jambs had beveled windows all around the inside of the gate.^(CH) The porticoes also had windows all around on the inside. Each jamb was decorated with palm trees.^(CI)

¹⁷ Then he brought me into the outer court,^(CJ) and there were chambers and a paved surface laid out all around the court.^(CK) Thirty chambers faced the pavement, ¹⁸ which flanked the courtyard’s gates and corresponded to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement. ¹⁹ Then he measured the distance from the front of the lower gate to the exterior front of the inner court; it was 175 feet.^[ae] This was the east; next the north is described.

²⁰ He measured the gate of the outer court facing north, both its length and width. ²¹ Its three recesses on each side, its jambs, and its portico had the same measurements as the first gate: 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. ²² Its windows, portico, and palm trees had the same measurements as those of the gate that faced east. Seven steps led up to the gate, and its portico was ahead of them. ²³ The inner court had a gate facing the north gate, like the one on the east. He measured the distance from gate to gate; it was 175 feet.

²⁴ He brought me to the south side, and there was also a gate on the south. He measured its jambs and portico; they had the same measurements as the others. ²⁵ Both the gate and its portico had windows all around, like the other windows. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. ²⁶ Its stairway had seven steps, and its portico was ahead of them. It had palm trees on its jambs, one on each side. ²⁷ The inner court had a gate on the south. He measured from gate to gate on the south; it was 175 feet.

The Inner Gates

²⁸ Then he brought me to the inner court through the south gate. When he measured the south gate, it had the same measurements as the others. ²⁹ Its recesses, jambs, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both it and its portico had windows all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. ³⁰ (There were porticoes all around, 43¾ feet long and 8¾ feet wide.^[af]) ³¹ Its portico faced the outer court, and its jambs were decorated with palm trees. Its stairway had eight steps.

³² Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side. When he measured the gate, it had the same measurements as the others. ³³ Its recesses, jambs, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both it and its portico had windows all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. ³⁴ Its portico faced the outer court, and its jambs were decorated with palm trees on each side. Its stairway had eight steps.

³⁵ Then he brought me to the north gate.^(CL) When he measured it, it had the same measurements as the others, ³⁶ as did its recesses, jambs, and portico. It also had windows all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. ³⁷ Its portico^[ag] faced the outer court, and its jambs were decorated with palm trees on each side. Its stairway had eight steps.

Rooms for Preparing Sacrifices

³⁸ There was a chamber whose door opened into the gate’s portico.^[ah] The burnt offering was to be washed there.^{(CM) 39} Inside the gate’s portico there were two tables on each side, on which to slaughter the burnt offering, sin offering,^(CN) and guilt offering.^{(CO) 40} Outside, as one approaches the entrance of the north gate, there were two tables on one side and two more tables on the other side of the gate’s portico. ⁴¹ So there were four tables inside the gate and four outside, eight tables in all on which the slaughtering was to be done. ⁴² There were also four tables of cut stone for the burnt offering,^(CP) each 31½ inches^[ai] long, 31½ inches wide, and 21 inches high. The utensils used to slaughter the burnt offerings and other sacrifices were placed on them. ⁴³ There were three-inch^[aj] hooks^[ak] fastened all around the inside of the room, and the flesh of the offering was to be laid on the tables.

Rooms for Singers and Priests

⁴⁴ Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, there were chambers for the singers:^[al](CQ) one^[am] beside the north gate, facing south, and another beside the south^[an] gate, facing north. ⁴⁵ Then the man said to me, “This chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple.^{(CR) 46} The chamber that faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok,^(CS) the ones from the sons of Levi who may approach the Lord to serve him.”^{(CT) 47} Next he measured the court. It was square, 175 feet long and 175 feet wide. The altar^(CU) was in front of the temple.

⁴⁸ Then he brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the jambs of the portico; they were 8¾ feet thick on each side. The width of the gate was 24½ feet,^[ao] and the side walls of the gate were^[ap] 5¼ feet^[aq] wide on each side. ⁴⁹ The portico was 35 feet^[ar] across and 21^[as] feet^[at] deep, and 10 steps led^[au] up to it.^(CV) There were pillars by the jambs, one on each side.^(CW)

Inside the Temple

41 Next he brought me into the great hall and measured the jambs;^(CX) on each side the width of the jamb was 10½ feet.^{[av][aw] 2} The width of the entrance was 17½ feet,^[ax] and the side walls of the entrance were 8¾ feet^[ay] wide on each side. He also measured the length of the great hall, 70 feet,^[az] and the width, 35 feet.^{[ba](CY) 3} He went inside the next room and measured the jambs at the entrance;^(CZ) they were 3½ feet^[bb] wide. The entrance was 10½ feet wide, and the width of the entrance’s side walls on each side^[bc] was 12¼ feet.^{[bd] 4} He then measured the length of the room adjacent to the great hall, 35 feet, and the width, 35 feet.^(DA) And he said to me, “This is the most holy place.”^(DB)

Outside the Temple

⁵ Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was 10½ feet thick. The width of the side rooms all around the temple was 7 feet.^{[be](DC) 6} The side rooms were arranged one above another in three stories of thirty rooms each.^[bf] There were ledges on the wall of the temple all around to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports would not be in the temple wall itself.^{(DD) 7} The side rooms surrounding the temple widened at each successive story, for the structure surrounding the temple went up by stages. This was the reason for the temple’s broadness as it rose. And so, one would go up from the lowest story to the highest by means of the middle one.^[bg](DE)

⁸ I saw that the temple had a raised platform surrounding it; this foundation for the side rooms was 10½ feet high.^{[bh](DF) 9} The thickness of the outer wall of the side rooms was 8¾ feet. The free space between the side rooms of the temple ¹⁰ and the outer chambers was 35 feet wide all around the temple.^{(DG) 11} The side rooms opened into the free space, one entrance toward the north and another to the south. The area of free space was 8¾ feet wide all around.

¹² Now the building that faced the temple yard toward the west was 122½ feet^[bi] wide. The wall of the building was 8¾ feet thick on all sides, and the building’s length was 157½ feet.^[bj]

¹³ Then the man measured the temple; it was 175 feet^[bk] long.^(DH) In addition, the temple yard and the building, including its walls, were 175 feet long. ¹⁴ The width of the front of the temple along with the temple yard to the east was 175 feet. ¹⁵ Next he measured the length of the building facing the temple yard to the west, with its galleries^[bl] on each side;^(DI) it was 175 feet.

Interior Wooden Structures

The interior of the great hall and the porticoes of the court— ¹⁶ the thresholds, the beveled windows,^(DJ) and the balconies all around with their three levels opposite the threshold—were overlaid with wood on all sides.^(DK) They were paneled from the ground to the windows (but the windows were covered), ¹⁷ reaching to the top of the entrance, and as far as the inner temple and on the outside. On every wall all around, on the inside and outside, was a pattern ¹⁸ carved with cherubim and palm trees.^(DL) There was a palm tree between each pair of cherubim.^(DM) Each cherub had two faces: ¹⁹ a human face turned toward the palm tree on one side,^(DN) and a lion’s face turned toward it on the other. They were carved throughout the temple on all sides. ²⁰ Cherubim and palm trees were carved from the ground to the top of the entrance and on the wall of the great hall.

²¹ The doorposts of the great hall were square,^(DO) and the front of the sanctuary had the same appearance. ²² The altar was^[bm] made of wood, 5¼ feet^[bn] high and 3½ feet long.^[bo] It had corners, and its length^[bp] and sides were of wood.^(DP) The man told me, “This is the table that stands before the Lord.”^(DQ)

²³ The great hall and the sanctuary each had a double door,^{(DR) 24} and each of the doors had two swinging panels.^(DS) There were two panels for one door and two for the other. ²⁵ Cherubim and palm trees were carved on the doors of the great hall like those carved on the walls. There was a wooden canopy^[bq](DT) outside, in front of the portico. ²⁶ There were beveled windows and palm trees on both sides,^(DU) on the side walls of the portico, the side rooms of the temple, and the canopies.^[br]

The Priests’ Chambers

42 Then the man led me out by way of the north gate into the outer court.^(DV) He brought me to the group of chambers opposite the temple yard and opposite the building^(DW) to the north. ² Along the length of the chambers, which was 175 feet,^[bs](DX) there was an entrance on the north; the width was 87½ feet.^{[bt] 3} Opposite the 35 foot space^[bu] belonging to the inner court and opposite the paved surface^(DY) belonging to the outer court, the structure rose gallery by gallery^(DZ) in three tiers. ⁴ In front of the chambers was a walkway toward the inside,^(EA) 17½ feet^[bv] wide and 175 feet long,^[bw] and their entrances were on the north. ⁵ The upper chambers were narrower because the galleries took away more space from them than from the lower and middle stories of the building. ⁶ For they were arranged in three stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the courts;^(EB) therefore the upper chambers were set back from the ground more than the lower and middle stories. ⁷ A wall on the outside ran in front of the chambers, parallel to them, toward the outer court; it was 87½ feet long. ⁸ For the chambers on the outer court were 87½ feet long, while those facing the great hall were 175 feet long.^{(EC) 9} At the base of these chambers there was an entryway on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.^(ED)

¹⁰ In the thickness of the wall of the court toward the south,^[bx] there were chambers facing the temple yard^(EE) and the western building, ¹¹ with a passageway in front of them, just like the chambers that faced north.^(EF) Their length and width, as well as all their exits, measurements, and entrances, were identical. ¹² The entrance at the beginning of the passageway, the way in front of the corresponding^[by] wall as one enters on the east side, was similar to the entrances of the chambers that were on the south side.

¹³ Then the man said to me, “The northern and southern chambers that face the courtyard are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the Lord will eat^(EG) the most holy offerings.^(EH) There they will deposit the most holy offerings—the grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings—for the place is holy.^{(EI) 14} Once the priests have entered, they are not to go out from the holy area to the outer court until they have removed the clothes they minister in, for these are holy.^(EJ) They are to put on other clothes before they approach the public area.”^(EK)

Outside Dimensions of the Temple Complex

¹⁵ When he finished measuring inside the temple complex, he led me out by way of the gate that faced east and measured all around the complex.^(EL)

²⁰ He measured the temple complex on all four sides. It had a wall all around it,^(EM) 875 feet long and 875 feet^(EN) wide, to separate the holy from the common.^(EO)