Ezekiel 38

1 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

A message from the Lord came to me, saying,

2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

“Son of man, face towards Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him

3 and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.

and declare that this is what the Lord God says: Watch out, I am condemning you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.

4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them thoroughly equipped, a great assemblage with targets and shields, all of them handling swords:

I will send you in a different direction, put hooks in your jaws, and drag you out with your whole army, including your horses, your horsemen in uniform, and a host of men with large and small shields and bucklers, all waving their swords.

5 Persia, Cush, and Phut with them, all of them with shield and helmet;

Soldiers from Persia, Cush, and Put will join them, all equipped with shields and helmets,

6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah from the uttermost north, and all his bands; — many peoples with thee.

together with Gomer and all its armies, as well as Beth-togarmah from the distant places of the north with all its armies—and many other nations that join with you.

7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself thou, and all thine assemblage that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

Get ready! Make sure you and your whole army with you is prepared. You're the one in charge of them.

8 After many days shalt thou be visited; at the end of years thou shalt come into the land brought back from the sword [and] gathered out of many peoples, upon the mountains of Israel which have been a perpetual waste: but it is brought forth out from the peoples, and they shall all of them be dwelling in safety.

A long time later you will be called to battle. In the final years you will invade a country that has recovered from war. Its people will have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had been abandoned for a long time. They had been brought back from the nations, and were all living in safety.

9 And thou shalt ascend, thou shalt come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many peoples with thee.

You and your whole army, and the armies of many nations with you, will advance like an incoming storm, like a cloud that covers the land.

10 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: It shall even come to pass in that day that things shall come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought;

This is what the Lord God says: On that day you will start thinking about things in your mind, and you will come up with an evil plan.

11 and thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will come to them that are in quiet, that dwell in safety, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,

You tell yourself, ‘I'm going to attack a country of undefended villages, a peaceful people who don't suspect an attack. They all live in towns without defensive walls or barred gates.

12 to seize a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thy hand against the waste places that are [now] inhabited, and against a people gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the middle of the land.

I'll be able to loot them—I'll rob them of their possessions. I'll attack those places that were once ruined but now are inhabited again. I'll attack a people brought back from the other nations, who now own livestock and possessions, living in the center of the country.’

13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to seize a spoil? hast thou gathered thine assemblage to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take cattle and goods, to seize a great spoil?

Sheba and Dedan and the traders from Tarshish with all its strong leaders will ask, ‘Are you going to loot the place? Have you gathered your armies to rob them, to carry away silver and gold, to take cattle and possessions—to grab a great deal of plunder?’

14 Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In that day when my people Israel dwelleth in safety, shalt thou not know [it]?

So prophesy, son of man, and tell Gog that this is what the Lord God says: On the day you attack aren't you going to notice that my people Israel are unsuspecting?

15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the uttermost north, thou and many peoples with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great assemblage and a mighty army.

You'll advance from your place in the distant north, you and your many allies, everyone riding horses, a huge number of men, a massive army.

16 And thou shalt come up against my people Israel as a cloud to cover the land — it shall be at the end of days — and I will bring thee against my land, that the nations may know me, when I shall be hallowed in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

You will attack my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. Gog, in the last days I will send you to attack my land, so that the nations may acknowledge me as holy when I reveal myself to them by what I do through you.

17 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Art thou not he of whom I have spoken in old time through my servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days, for [many] years, that I would bring thee against them?

This is what the Lord God says: Aren't you the one of whom I spoke about long ago through my servants, the prophets of Israel? During that time didn't they prophesy for years that I would have you come and attack them?

18 And it shall come to pass in that day, in the day when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah, [that] my fury shall come up in my face;

Now on that day, the day when Gog comes to attack the country of Israel, I will become very angry, declares the Lord God.

19 for in my jealousy, in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Verily in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;

In my passionate, furious anger I announce that at that time a violent earthquake will hit of the country of Israel.

20 so that the fish of the sea, and the fowl of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things which creep upon the earth, and all mankind that are upon the face of the earth shall shake at my presence; and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

Everything that lives on the earth will tremble at my presence—the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the wild animals, every creature that runs upon the ground, and every human being. The mountains will be torn down, the cliffs will collapse, and every wall will be knocked to the ground.

21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord Jehovah: every man's sword shall be against his brother.

I will call for an attack on Gog from all my mountains, declares the Lord God. Everyone will attack his brother with sword.

22 And I will enter into judgment with him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many peoples that are with him, overflowing rain and great hailstones, fire and brimstone.

I will punish him with disease and bloodshed. I will send rainstorms, hailstones, fire, and sulfur down on him and his army, and on the armies of his many allies.

23 And I will magnify myself, and sanctify myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I [am] Jehovah.

I will demonstrate my true power and holiness, revealing myself to many nations. Then they will acknowledge that I am the Lord.”