Ezekiel 39:1-29

“Son of man, prophesy against Gog. Prophesy this message that I, Lord YAHWEH, give to you: ‘Behold I am against you, Gog, the supreme prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, drive you out, and bring you from the distant north to fight against the mountains of Israel. I will knock the bow from your left hand and rip the arrows out of your right. You will fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your hordes and your coalition with you. I will feed your flesh to every kind of bird of prey and wild animal. Your corpses will lie unburied in the open fields, for I, Lord YAHWEH, have spoken. “ ‘I will send down fire on Magog and on those living securely on the coastlands, and they will know that I am YAHWEH. I will make sure that my holy name is acknowledged among my people Israel, and I will make sure that my holy name is no longer allowed to be profaned. Then the nations will know that I am YAHWEH, the Holy One of Israel. “ ‘Behold, these things I have prophesied will happen very soon. It will all be fulfilled, for this is the day I have spoken about. I, Lord YAHWEH, declare it. “ ‘Then those living in the towns of Israel will go out and gather up all the abandoned weapons of the dead soldiers, make a bonfire with them, and burn them all up—the shields large and small, bows and arrows, javelins and spears. It will take seven years to burn them all. They will not have to gather firewood from the countryside or cut it in the forests since they will be burning all the weapons. They will plunder those who plundered them and take spoils from those who took their spoils. I, Lord YAHWEH, have spoken.’ ” “On that day, I will provide Gog a famous burial spot in Israel. It will be the Valley of Travelers east of the sea, a graveyard so large that it blocks the way of the travelers. For there they will bury Gog and his entire horde, and it will be called the Valley of Gog’s Army. It will take the Israelites seven months to bury them all in order to cleanse the land. Everyone in Israel will dig their graves, and for this, they will be honored on the day I display my glory, says Lord YAHWEH. And after the seven months are over, men will be appointed to search full time throughout the country to find and bury any remaining corpse of the invaders so that the land will be ritually clean again. And as they go throughout the country, if one of them finds any human bones, he will set up a marker beside them so that the gravediggers can come and bury them in the Valley of Gog’s Army, near the town of Gog’s Army. After that, the land will be ritually clean again.” Lord YAHWEH said to me, “Son of man, call for the birds of every kind and for all the wild animals to assemble and come. Say to them, ‘Gather from everywhere for the sacrificial feast YAHWEH prepares for you, a huge sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel. Come and feast on the bodies of those who died and drink their blood. You will eat the flesh of mighty warriors and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as if they were the best fattened animals from Bashan —rams and lambs, goats and bulls. You will gorge yourselves on fat and drink yourselves drunk on the blood of this sacrifice I am making for you. You will be filled at my table, feasting on horses and riders, on mighty warriors of every rank. I, Lord YAHWEH, have spoken.’ ” “I will reveal my glory to the nations. They will witness the way I judge Gog and the display of my power when I punish Gog and his great army. The people of Israel will know that I am YAHWEH their God from that day forward and forever. The nations will also realize that the people of Israel went into captivity because of their guilt, for they were unfaithful to me. So, I hid my face from them and gave them over to the power of their enemies, whereby they were all killed in war. I treated them as their despicable deeds of infidelity deserved and hid my face from them.” So, Lord YAHWEH says this: “Now I will be merciful and bring Jacob’s captives back and show pity on all the people of Israel. I will be zealous to not let them dishonor my holy name. They will forget their shame and all their acts of unfaithfulness that they committed against me when they were living safely in their own land with none to make them afraid. When I have brought them back from the lands of their enemies, many nations will see the display of my holiness. And they will know that I am YAHWEH, the God of Israel. Yes, I sent them into exile among the nations, but I will then reunite them in their own land, not leaving a single one behind. I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel, and my divine presence will never again leave them. I, Lord YAHWEH, have spoken.”