Ezekiel 39

Call the Wild Animals!

1-5 "Son of man, prophesy against Gog. Say, 'A Message of God, the Master: I'm against you, Gog, head of Meshech and Tubal. I'm going to turn you around and drag you out, drag you out of the far north and down on the mountains of Israel. Then I'll knock your bow out of your left hand and your arrows from your right hand. On the mountains of Israel you'll be slaughtered, you and all your troops and the people with you. I'll serve you up as a meal to carrion birds and scavenging animals. You'll be killed in the open field. I've given my word. Decree of God, the Master.'

6  "I'll set fire to Magog and the far-off islands, where people are so seemingly secure. And they'll realize that I am God.

7  "I'll reveal my holy name among my people Israel. Never again will I let my holy name be dragged in the mud. Then the nations will realize that I, God, am The Holy in Israel.

8  "It's coming! Yes, it will happen! This is the day I've been telling you about.

9-10  "People will come out of the cities of Israel and make a huge bonfire of the weapons of war, piling on shields large and small, bows and arrows, clubs and spears, a fire they'll keep going for seven years. They won't need to go into the woods to get fuel for the fire. There'll be plenty of weapons to keep it going. They'll strip those who stripped them. They'll rob those who robbed them. Decree of God, the Master.

11  "At that time I'll set aside a burial ground for Gog in Israel at Traveler's Rest, just east of the sea. It will obstruct the route of travelers, blocking their way, the mass grave of Gog and his mob of an army. They'll call the place Gog's Mob.

12-16  "Israel will bury the corpses in order to clean up the land. It will take them seven months. All the people will turn out to help with the burials. It will be a big day for the people when it's all done and I'm given my due. Men will be hired full-time for the cleanup burial operation and will go through the country looking for defiling, decomposing corpses. At the end of seven months, there'll be an all-out final search. Anyone who sees a bone will mark the place with a stick so the buriers can get it and bury it in the mass burial site, Gog's Mob. (A town nearby is called Mobville, or Hamonah.) That's how they'll clean up the land.

17-20  "Son of man, God, the Master, says: Call the birds! Call the wild animals! Call out, 'Gather and come, gather around my sacrificial meal that I'm preparing for you on the mountains of Israel. You'll eat meat and drink blood. You'll eat off the bodies of great heroes and drink the blood of famous princes as if they were so many rams and lambs, goats and bulls, the choicest grain-fed animals of Bashan. At the sacrificial meal I'm fixing for you, you'll eat fat till you're stuffed and drink blood till you're drunk. At the table I set for you, you'll stuff yourselves with horses and riders, heroes and fighters of every kind.' Decree of God, the Master.

21-24  "I'll put my glory on display among the nations and they'll all see the judgment I execute, see me at work handing out judgment. From that day on, Israel will realize that I am their God. And the nations will get the message that it was because of their sins that Israel went into exile. They were disloyal to me and I turned away from them. I turned them over to their enemies and they were all killed. I treated them as their polluted and sin-sated lives deserved. I turned away from them, refused to look at them.

25-29  "But now I will return Jacob back from exile, I'll be compassionate with all the people of Israel, and I'll be zealous for my holy name. Eventually the memory will fade, the memory of their shame over their betrayals of me when they lived securely in their own land, safe and unafraid. Once I've brought them back from foreign parts, gathered them in from enemy territories, I'll use them to demonstrate my holiness with all the nations watching. Then they'll realize for sure that I am their God, for even though I sent them off into exile, I will gather them back to their own land, leaving not one soul behind. After I've poured my Spirit on Israel, filled them with my life, I'll no longer turn away. I'll look them full in the face. Decree of God, the Master."

Ezekiel 39

1 “As for you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal!2 I will turn you around and drag you along;t I will lead you up from the remotest parts of the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel.3 I will knock your bow out of your left hand and make your arrows fall from your right hand.4 You will fall dead on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the people who are with you. I give you as food to every kind of bird and every wild beast.5 You will fall dead in the open field; for I have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord.

6 I will send fire on Magog and those who live securely in the coastlands; then they will know that I am the Lord.
7 “‘I will make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.s

8 Realize that it is coming and it will be done, declares the sovereign Lord. It is the day I have spoken about.
9 “‘Then those who live in the cities of Israel will go out and use the weapons for kindlingt – the shields,t bows and arrows, war clubs and spears – they will burn them for seven years.

10 They will not need to taket wood from the field or cut down trees from the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons. They will take the loot from those who looted them and seize the plunder of those who plundered them,t declares the sovereign Lord.
11 “‘On that day I will assign Gog a grave in Israel. It will be the valley of those who travel east of the sea; it will block the way of the travelers. There they will bury Gog and all his horde; they will call it the valley of Hamon-Gog.t12 For seven months Israelt will bury them, in order to cleanse the land.13 All the people of the land will bury them, and it will be a memorialt for them on the day I magnify myself, declares the sovereign Lord.14 They will designate men to scout continuallyt through the land, burying those who remain on the surface of the ground,t in order to cleanse it. They will search for seven full months.15 When the scouts surveyt the land and see a human bone, they will place a sign by it, until those assigned to burial duty have buried itt in the valley of Hamon-Gog.

16 (A city by the name of Hamonaht will also be there.) They will cleanse the land.’
17 “As for you, son of man, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Tell every kind of bird and every wild beast: ‘Assemble and come! Gather from all around to my slaughtert which I am going to make for you, a great slaughter on the mountains of Israel! You will eat flesh and drink blood.18 You will eat the flesh of warriorss and drink the blood of the princes of the earth – the rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, all of them fattened animals of Bashan.19 You will eat fat until you are full, and drink blood until you are drunk,s at my slaughtert which I have made for you.

20 You will fill up at my table with horses and charioteers,t with warriors and all the soldiers,’ declares the sovereign Lord.
21 “I will display my majestyt among the nations. All the nations will witness the judgment I have executed, and the power I have exhibitedt among them.22 Then the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God, from that day forward.23 The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile due to their iniquity,t for they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies; all of them died by the sword.

24 According to their uncleanness and rebellion I have dealt with them, and I hid my face from them.
25 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Now I will restoret the fortunes of Jacob, and I will have mercy on the entire house of Israel. I will be zealous for my holy name.26 They will bear their shame for all their unfaithful acts against me, when they live securely on their land with no one to make them afraid.27 When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will magnify myself among them in the sight of many nations.28 Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations, and then gathered them into their own land. I will not leave any of them in exilet any longer.

29 I will no longer hide my face from them, when I pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel,s declares the sovereign Lord.”