Ezekiel

Contains visions and prophecies of judgment and restoration for Israel and the nations.

Chapter 38

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

*And God spoke to me through his message.

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

*Son of man, focus on Gog, leader of Magog, the main ruler of Meshech and Tubal, and speak God's message against him.

3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

*And say, This is what God says: Look, I am against you, Gog, the top leader 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 clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

*I will make you go back and put hooks in your mouth. Then I will bring you and all your soldiers, including horses and riders, dressed in different types of armor. There will be many of them with small shields and protective coverings, all holding swords.

5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:

*Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya join together; they all have shields and helmets.

6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.

*Gomer and all his groups, the family of Togarmah from the northern area and all their groups, and lots of other people with you.

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

*Get ready, and make sure you're prepared too. This includes everyone with you who has come to help. Keep them safe.

8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.

*In time, you will be visited. In the later years, you'll return to a land restored from conflict and made up of diverse people. This land, once barren in the mountains of Israel, will now thrive as it comes from other nations. Everyone living there will be safe.

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

*You will rise and arrive like a powerful wind. You will be like a large cloud covering the land, along with all your forces and many people with you.

10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:

*So says the Lord God: At the same time, unwanted thoughts will enter your mind, and you'll think of something bad.

11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,

*You shall say, "I will visit the land of open villages. I will go to those who are peaceful, living safely. They all have no walls, no bars, and no gates."

12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

*To ruin and capture, to act against empty areas now filled with people, and those from different nations living together. They have acquired animals and possessions, residing in the heart of the land.

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

*Sheba, Dedan, and Tarshish's merchants, along with their young leaders, will ask you, "Are you here to seize treasures? Have you gathered your group to steal wealth? To take silver and gold, cattle and possessions, for a big loot?"

14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?

*So, person, tell Gog this message from God: When Israel's people are safe, won't you know about it?

15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:

*You will arrive from your place in the northern region, bringing many people with you. They will all be on horses, making it a large group and a powerful army.

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

*You will attack my people Israel like a large cloud covering the land. This will happen in the future days, and I will bring you against my land. This is so that outsiders can see me working through you, making myself known as holy, Gog.

17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?

*So says the Lord God: Are you the person I talked about long ago through my prophets in Israel, who said that I would bring you here to fight against them?

18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.

*At the time when Gog attacks Israel, God says that his anger will rise towards him.

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

*Because of my anger and fiery rage, I spoke out. On that day, a huge shake will happen in Israel's land.

20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men 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.

*This means that all sea creatures, birds in the sky, land animals, crawling creatures, and people on Earth will tremble when I am near. Mountains, cliffs, and walls will collapse too.

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

*God says He will make swords a threat to that person on all His mountains. Every man's sword will be used against his own brother.

22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

*I will argue against him using sickness and bloodshed. I will send heavy rain, huge hail, fire, and burning rocks down on him, his followers, and many other people with them.

23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.

*In this way, I will make myself great and set myself apart. People from many countries will recognize me, and they will understand that I am the LORD.

read summary

Back to Chapters

Back to Books

* work in progress, there will be mistakes