Ezekiel 39
Gog’s valley graveyard
Death of Gog
1Human, I want you to condemn Gog with this prophecy. Tell him this:Gog, ruler of Meshech and Tubal, I am your enemy 2I’m going to make you turn your backs on your home there in the faraway north. I’m going to drag you up in these hills of Israel. 3And when you get here, I’ll disarm you. I’ll take your bow and arrows, snatching them out of your strong right hand.
4You’ll die in these hills, you and your coalition army from scattered territories. I’ll feed you to the birds and wild animals. 5You’ll fall out in the open. I’m the Lord God. And I’m telling you it’s going to happen. 6I’ll put the torch to Magog and to neighboring communities along the coast who think they’re safe. Then they’ll know I’m the LORD.
7I’m not going to let these nations get away with trashing the good name of Israel’s Holy One. I’m going to show Israel and the other nations that I am the holy Lord God. 8It’s going to happen. As far as I’m concerned, it’s already history. Make a note that today is the day I’m telling you about this.
9When the battles are over, people in towns of Israel will burn your weapons as fuel for seven years. They’ll burn those
- tiny round shields strapped to your arm
- full body shields
- bows and arrows
- clubs and spears.
10You’ll save them the trouble of cutting firewood from the forest. They’ll strip valuables from those who wanted to strip them. They’ll take what they want from those who came to get what they could. That’s what the Lord God says.
Gog buried
11When that day comes, I’ll bury Gog and his massive army in the Valley of the Dead, [1] east of the sea. We’ll direct travelers away from this valley, which will become known as the Valley of Gog’s Gang. [2]12It will take Israel seven months to bury the dead and ritually cleanse the land. 13People throughout Israel will help with the burial. They’ll become well known for doing this. So will the Lord God, who will get the glory for what happened here. 14Israel will assign corpse hunters to search for bodies of the dead, and to bury them, and begin cleaning the land of the ritual contamination the invaders brought. They’ll do this for seven months.
15When they find parts of a human, they’ll put a marker so workers on the burial detail can easily find them and transport the remains to the burial site in the Valley of Gog’s Gang. 16There’s a city named after Gog’s army, Hamonah, which means “many.” This is how Israel will cleanse the land.
Human birdfeed
17Human, go talk to the birds and wild animals. Tell them this:Come and get it. We’re hosting a sacrificial feast for you, a huge meal on the mountains of Israel. Fresh meat and warm blood. 18You will eat the muscles of powerful warriors and drink the blood of world rulers. It’ll be feasting on rams and lambs and goats and bulls, all made fat from the fields of Bashan. 19Fill your guts on the best meat you’ll ever eat. And drink until you’re blood drunk. I fixed this meal for you.
20I’ve got horses for you, too, still strapped to their chariots. And brave warriors.
Why God abandoned Israel
21The world will give me the glory for what I did here and for the judgment I imposed on the dead. 22From this day on, Israel will know that I am the LORD their God.23Nations throughout the region will finally know why Israel went into exile as captives. It’s because they abandoned me. So, I gave them what they wanted—life away from me. Their enemies came and killed them. 24I punished the people of Israel for their sins by staying away from them.
Israel’s return
25But now, I’ll show mercy to Jacob’s descendants, while at the same time protecting my name from their shame. 26They've got to live with what they've done. And they will continue to do it while they are living in peace and security in this land 27after I brought them back from the land of their enemies. This will show the world that I am a good and holy God.28Then the people of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God, the same Lord who sent them into exile and then brought them back to their homeland. I left no one behind. 29I will never again turn away from them. Instead, I will pour out my spirit on them, says the Lord God.
Footnotes
139:11
Some translate the words as Valley of the Travelers or as the Valley of Abarim. “Valley of the Dead” paraphrases yet another theory: Valley of Those Who Have Passed Over.
239:11
This is literally “Valley of Hamon-Gog.” Some scholars say Hamon means “horde,” a big army. Some say Hamon is a play on words, hinting at “Hinnom.” Hinnom Valley is where ancient documents say Jerusalem once buried its poor and its criminals—and where they dumped the city trash.
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