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Gog and Allies Attack Israel

38 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, (A)“Son of man, (B)set your face against (C)Gog, of the land of (D)Magog, [a]the prince of Rosh, (E)Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. (F)I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and (G)lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, (H)all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, [b]Ethiopia, and [c]Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; (I)Gomer and all its troops; the house of (J)Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.

(K)“Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. (L)After many days (M)you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword (N)and gathered from many people on (O)the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them (P)dwell safely. You will ascend, coming (Q)like a storm, covering the (R)land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”

10 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: 11 You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of (S)unwalled villages; I will (T)go to a peaceful people, (U)who dwell [d]safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— 12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, (V)and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. 13 (W)Sheba, (X)Dedan, the merchants (Y)of Tarshish, and all (Z)their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’ ” ’

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: (AA)“On that day when My people Israel (AB)dwell safely, will you not know it? 15 (AC)Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. 16 You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may (AD)know Me, when I am (AE)hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” 17 Thus says the Lord God: “Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them?

Judgment on Gog

18 “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord God, “that My fury will show in My face. 19 For (AF)in My jealousy (AG)and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: (AH)‘Surely in that day there shall be a great [e]earthquake in the land of Israel, 20 so that (AI)the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. (AJ)The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’ 21 I will (AK)call for (AL)a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord God. (AM)“Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 And I will (AN)bring him to judgment with (AO)pestilence and bloodshed; (AP)I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, (AQ)great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 Thus I will magnify Myself and (AR)sanctify Myself, (AS)and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 38:2 Tg., Vg., Aquila the chief prince of Meshech, also v. 3
  2. Ezekiel 38:5 Heb. Cush
  3. Ezekiel 38:5 Heb. Put
  4. Ezekiel 38:11 securely
  5. Ezekiel 38:19 Lit. shaking

Prophecy about Gog and Future Invasion of Israel

38 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Gog of the land of Magog, the chief ruler of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief ruler of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them magnificently clothed in full armor, a great horde with [a]buckler (small shield) and [large] shield, all of them wielding swords; Persia (Iran), Cush (Ethiopia), and Put (Libya, N. Africa) with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the remote parts of the north and all its troops—many peoples with you.

You [Gog] be prepared; prepare yourself, you and all your hordes that are assembled around you, and be a guard and a lookout for them. After many days you will be summoned [for service]; in the latter years you shall come into the land that is restored from [the ravages of] the sword, where people have been gathered out of many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual wasteland; but its people were brought out of the nations, and they are living securely, all of them.(A) You will go up [against them], you will come like a storm; you shall be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, and many peoples with you.”

10 ‘Thus says the Lord God, “It will come about on that day that thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil plan, 11 and you will say, ‘I will go up against an open country; I will come against those who are at rest and peaceful, who live securely, all of them living without walls and having neither bars nor gates, 12 to take spoil and seize plunder, to turn your hand against the ruins which are now inhabited, and against the people who are gathered from the nations, who have acquired cattle and goods, who live at the [b]center of the world [Israel].’ 13 Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish (southern Spain), with all its young lions (villages) will say to you, ‘Have you come to take spoil? Have you assembled your hordes [of fighting men] to seize plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take great spoil?’”’

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “On that day when My people Israel live securely, will you not become aware of it [and become active]? 15 You will come from your place in the remote parts of the north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding horses, a great horde, and a mighty army; 16 and you will go up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. In the last days it will come about that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I show Myself holy through you before their eyes, O Gog.”

17 ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days through My servants, the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring you (Gog) against them? 18 It will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord God, “that My wrath will rise and show on My face. 19 In My zeal and in My blazing rage I declare that on that day there will most certainly be a [c]great earthquake in the land of Israel, 20 so that the fishes of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, all the creatures that crawl on the earth, and all the men that are on the face of the earth will tremble and shake at My presence; the mountains will crumble, the steep places will fall, and every wall will fall to the ground. 21 I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord God. “Every man’s (invading soldier’s) sword will be against his brother (ally) [in panic and confusion]. 22 With pestilence and with bloodshed I will enter into judgment with Gog; and I will rain on him torrents of rain with [great] hailstones, [d]fire and brimstone on his hordes and on the many nations that are with him.(B) 23 Thus I shall magnify Myself and demonstrate My greatness and sanctify Myself, and I will be recognized and will make Myself known in the sight of many nations; they will know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord.”’

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 38:4 See note Jer 46:3.
  2. Ezekiel 38:12 Lit navel.
  3. Ezekiel 38:19 Today the Great Rift Valley, the longest fault line in the world (about 4,000 miles), runs from Syria through Israel to Mozambique in east Africa. Israel and the surrounding areas have experienced a significant number of moderate earthquakes (4.0 to 5.2 in magnitude) since the year 2000, and one could not rule out a massive earthquake even in the near future. Thus the stage is already set for the catastrophic earthquake described here.
  4. Ezekiel 38:22 Perhaps a volcanic explosion.

Gog’s Alliance Invades Israel

38 The word of Adonai came to me saying: “Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.[a] Prophesy against him and say, thus says Adonai Elohim: ‘Behold, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws. I will bring you out, with all your army, horses and horsemen—all of them splendidly dressed—a vast assembly with breastplate and shield, all of them wielding swords. With them will be Persia, Cush and Put, all of them with shield and helmet, Gomer and all his troops, the house of Togarmah from the extreme north and all his troops—many peoples with you.

“‘Be prepared, prepare yourself, you and all your company gathered around you. Be a guard for them. After many days you will be summoned. In the latter years, you will come against the land that has been brought back from the sword and regathered from many peoples on the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste. But they were brought out from the peoples. When all of them are dwelling securely, you will come up, you will come like a storm, you will be like a cloud covering the land—you and all your troops and many peoples with you.’”

10 Thus says Adonai Elohim: “It will come to pass in that day that things will come into your heart and you will devise an evil plan. 11 You will say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will fall upon the quiet people who live securely, all of them living without walls, having no bars or gates, 12 in order to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places now inhabited and against the people gathered from the nations, who have been acquiring livestock and property, who live in the center of the world.’

13 “Sheba, Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its young lions will say to you: ‘Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your company to plunder? To carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and property, to make off with immense spoils?’

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy, say to Gog, thus says Adonai Elohim: ‘In that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know? 15 You will come from your place out of the extreme north—you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and mighty army. 16 You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud covering the land. It will happen in the last days. I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me—when I am sanctified through you, Gog, before their eyes.’”

17 Thus says Adonai Elohim: “Are you the one that I spoke about in former times through My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring you against them? 18 In that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“My fury will rise up in My nostrils. 19 In My jealousy and the fire of My wrath I have spoken! Surely in that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 The fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep upon the ground and all humans upon the face of the earth will shake at My presence. The mountains will be thrown down. The steep places will fall. Every wall will fall to the ground. 21 I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 I will punish him with pestilence and blood. I will pour out rain on him, on his troops and on the many peoples with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire and brimstone. 23 So I will magnify and sanctify Myself. I will make Myself known in the eyes of many nations, and they will know that I am Adonai.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 38:2 cf. Rev. 20:8.

A Message for Gog

38 This is another message that came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, turn and face Gog of the land of Magog, the prince who rules over the nations of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: Gog, I am your enemy! I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws to lead you out with your whole army—your horses and charioteers in full armor and a great horde armed with shields and swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya[a] will join you, too, with all their weapons. Gomer and all its armies will also join you, along with the armies of Beth-togarmah from the distant north, and many others.

“Get ready; be prepared! Keep all the armies around you mobilized, and take command of them. A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel. You and all your allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.

10 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme. 11 You will say, ‘Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled villages! I will march against her and destroy these people who live in such confidence! 12 I will go to those formerly desolate cities that are now filled with people who have returned from exile in many nations. I will capture vast amounts of plunder, for the people are rich with livestock and other possessions now. They think the whole world revolves around them!’ 13 But Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will ask, ‘Do you really think the armies you have gathered can rob them of silver and gold? Do you think you can drive away their livestock and seize their goods and carry off plunder?’

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: When my people are living in peace in their land, then you will rouse yourself.[b] 15 You will come from your homeland in the distant north with your vast cavalry and your mighty army, 16 and you will attack my people Israel, covering their land like a cloud. At that time in the distant future, I will bring you against my land as everyone watches, and my holiness will be displayed by what happens to you, Gog. Then all the nations will know that I am the Lord.

17 “This is what the Sovereign Lord asks: Are you the one I was talking about long ago, when I announced through Israel’s prophets that in the future I would bring you against my people? 18 But this is what the Sovereign Lord says: When Gog invades the land of Israel, my fury will boil over! 19 In my jealousy and blazing anger, I promise a mighty shaking in the land of Israel on that day. 20 All living things—the fish in the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people on earth—will quake in terror at my presence. Mountains will be thrown down; cliffs will crumble; walls will fall to the earth. 21 I will summon the sword against you on all the hills of Israel, says the Sovereign Lord. Your men will turn their swords against each other. 22 I will punish you and your armies with disease and bloodshed; I will send torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur! 23 In this way, I will show my greatness and holiness, and I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 38:5 Hebrew Paras, Cush, and Put.
  2. 38:14 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads then you will know.

The Lord’s Great Victory Over the Nations

38 The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Gog,(A) of the land of Magog,(B) the chief prince of[a] Meshek and Tubal;(C) prophesy against him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of[b] Meshek and Tubal.(D) I will turn you around, put hooks(E) in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords.(F) Persia, Cush[c](G) and Put(H) will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer(I) with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah(J) from the far north(K) with all its troops—the many nations with you.

“‘Get ready; be prepared,(L) you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. After many days(M) you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations(N) to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.(O) You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm;(P) you will be like a cloud(Q) covering the land.(R)

10 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind(S) and you will devise an evil scheme.(T) 11 You will say, “I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people(U)—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars.(V) 12 I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.[d] 13 Sheba(W) and Dedan(X) and the merchants of Tarshish(Y) and all her villages[e] will say to you, “Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?(Z)”’

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety,(AA) will you not take notice of it? 15 You will come from your place in the far north,(AB) you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army.(AC) 16 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud(AD) that covers the land.(AE) In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy(AF) through you before their eyes.(AG)

17 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You are the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel. At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them. 18 This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign Lord. 19 In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake(AH) in the land of Israel.(AI) 20 The fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble(AJ) at my presence. The mountains will be overturned,(AK) the cliffs will crumble(AL) and every wall will fall to the ground.(AM) 21 I will summon a sword(AN) against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man’s sword will be against his brother.(AO) 22 I will execute judgment(AP) on him with plague and bloodshed;(AQ) I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones(AR) and burning sulfur(AS) on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him.(AT) 23 And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.(AU)

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 38:2 Or the prince of Rosh,
  2. Ezekiel 38:3 Or Gog, prince of Rosh,
  3. Ezekiel 38:5 That is, the upper Nile region
  4. Ezekiel 38:12 The Hebrew for this phrase means the navel of the earth.
  5. Ezekiel 38:13 Or her strong lions