25:1–32:32 Between warnings of the destruction of Jerusalem (chs. 1–24) and prophecies of hope and restoration (chs. 33–48), Ezekiel includes a section of oracles against foreign nations. Israel’s prophets played an important role in the nation’s warfare, often providing oracles concerning particular battles (1 Sam. 22:5; 1 Kin. 20:13, 14, 22; 22:5–23; 2 Kin. 3:11; 9:6, 7; 20:14; 2 Chr. 16:7; 20:14–20; 28:9; Jer. 28:8; 38:14). Archaeological evidence from the cultures surrounding Israel shows that they conducted ritual denunciations or rites of symbolic destruction. The nations denounced here by Ezekiel include most of the states of the ancient Near East, with Babylon as a notable exception (38:2 note).