“‘Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows,(A) the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel.(B) 10 They will not need to gather wood from the fields or cut it from the forests, because they will use the weapons for fuel. And they will plunder(C) those who plundered them and loot those who looted them, declares the Sovereign Lord.(D)

11 “‘On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the valley of those who travel east of the Sea. It will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried(E) there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog.[a](F)

12 “‘For seven months the Israelites will be burying them in order to cleanse the land.(G) 13 All the people of the land will bury them, and the day I display my glory(H) will be a memorable day for them, declares the Sovereign Lord. 14 People will be continually employed in cleansing the land. They will spread out across the land and, along with others, they will bury any bodies that are lying on the ground.

“‘After the seven months they will carry out a more detailed search. 15 As they go through the land, anyone who sees a human bone will leave a marker beside it until the gravediggers bury it in the Valley of Hamon Gog, 16 near a town called Hamonah.[b] And so they will cleanse the land.’

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 39:11 Hamon Gog means hordes of Gog.
  2. Ezekiel 39:16 Hamonah means horde.

The Aftermath of the Battle

“After all this happens, the people who live in the cities of Israel will be kindling fires for seven years, using small shields, large shields, bows, arrows, clubs, personal weapons, and spears to do so. 10 They won’t need to cut down trees from the fields nor gather firewood from the forests, because they will light fires with the weapons as they plunder the plunderers and loot the looters!” declares the Lord God. 11 “When all of this happens, I’m going to set aside a grave site for Gog in Israel’s Traveler’s Valley,[a] near the approach[b] to the Dead Sea. She[c] will block off everyone who tries to bypass it. There they will bury Gog, and rename the area ‘Valley of Gog’s Gang’.[d] 12 The house of Israel will be burying them for seven months in order to purify the land. 13 Everyone in the land will be involved in the burials, and this will serve as a reminder for them that I have glorified myself,” declares the Lord God. 14 “Men will be assigned to travel continuously throughout the land, exploring for seven full months as they go about burying the bodies that remain from the battle[e] on the surface of the ground, so that the land may be sterilized. 15 As scouts go searching throughout the land, whenever they see someone’s bones, they will place a sign beside the remains until the remains have been buried in the Valley of Gog’s Gang. 16 They’ll also name the city that is there ‘Hamonah,’[f] as they purify the land.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 39:11 Lit. in the Crossover Valley; or Israel, the valley where people cross
  2. Ezekiel 39:11 I.e. to the north, as one travels from Jerusalem
  3. Ezekiel 39:11 MT does not identify the woman
  4. Ezekiel 39:11 Lit. Gog’s Crowd’ and so in v. 15
  5. Ezekiel 39:14 The Heb. lacks from the battle
  6. Ezekiel 39:16 The Heb. name means The Crowds