God’s Message to Gog

¹ And the word of Yahweh ⌞came⌟¹ to me, ⌞saying⌟,²

1. Literally “was”
2. Literally “to say”

² “Son of man,¹ set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the head² leader of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him.

1. Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
2. Or “chief”

³ And you must say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I am against you, Gog, the head¹ leader of Meshach and Tubal,

1. Or “chief”

⁴ and I will turn you around, and I will place¹ hooks in your cheeks, and I will bring you out and all of your horses and horsemen ⌞fully armed⌟,² all of them, a great crowd, holding a shield,³ and small shield, and holding⁴ swords, all of them.

1. Or “give”
2. Literally “clothed of fullness”
3. Or “buckler”
4. Or “wielding”

⁵ Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them, with a small shield and helmet.

⁶ Gomer and all of its troops, Beth Togarmah, the remote areas of the north, and with all of its troops and many peoples with them.

⁷ Be ready, and prepare ⌞yourselves⌟,¹ you and all of your assembly,² the assembling³ around you, and you must be⁴ for them as a guard.

1. Literally “for you”
2. Or “battalions” or “hoards”
3. Or “assemblies”
4. Or “serve”

⁸ After many days you will be mustered; ⌞in the last years⌟¹ you will come to a restored land from the sword, gathered from many peoples on the mountains of Israel which were as ⌞permanent ruins⌟² but from peoples it was brought out, and they will dwell ⌞in safety⌟,³ all of them.

1. Or “final years”; literally “in the last of the years”
2. Literally “ruins continually/permanently”
3. Literally “with confidence/assurance/trust”

⁹ And you will advance like a storm; you will come, and you will be like a cloud ⌞covering⌟¹ the land, and all of your troops and many nations along with you.”

1. Literally “to cover”

¹⁰ “ ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “⌞And then⌟¹ on that day, things² will come up on³ your mind, and you will devise evil plans.

1. Literally “and it will be”
2. Or “thoughts”
3. Or “in”

¹¹ And you will say, ‘I will go up against a land of open country; I will come¹ to the people being at rest ⌞in safety⌟,² all of them dwelling without a wall³ and crossbars⁴ and ⌞without doors⌟,⁵

1. Or “go”
2. Literally “with confidence”
3. Or “walls”
4. Hebrew “crossbar”
5. Literally “and doors there are not for them”

¹² to¹ loot loot,² and to plunder³ plunder, ⌞to assail⌟⁴ inhabited ruins and a people gathered together from various peoples and who are acquiring livestock and goods and dwelling at the center of the world.

1. Or “for”
2. Or “war-booty”; this word is chosen because of the alliteration in Hebrew
3. Or “seize”; this word is chosen because of the alliteration in Hebrew
4. Literally “to bring back your hand against”; NJPS, “to turn your hand against”

¹³ Sheba and Dedan and traders of Tarshish and all its strong lions,¹ they will ask you, ‘To² loot loot³ are you coming? To plunder⁴ plunder have you summoned your assembly, to take away silver and gold, to take livestock and goods, to loot great amounts⁵ of loot?” ’

1. Or “all of its violent leaders”
2. Or “for”
3. Or “war-booty” this word is chosen because of the alliteration in Hebrew
4. Or “seize”; this word is chosen because of the alliteration in Hebrew
5. Hebrew “amount”

¹⁴ “Therefore prophesy, son of man,¹ and you must say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Will you not realize² on that day when my people Israel are dwelling ⌞in safety⌟,³

1. Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
2. LXX reads, “stir up/rouse yourself”
3. Literally “with confidence/trust”

¹⁵ and so you will come from your place, from the remote areas of the north, you and many people with you, ⌞horsemen⌟¹ all of them, a great crowd and a vast army,

1. Literally “riders of horsemen”

¹⁶ and you will advance against my people Israel like a cloud ⌞covering⌟¹ the land; it will be² in the last days, and I will bring you against my land, so that the nations know me, ⌞when I show myself holy through you⌟ before their eyes, O Gog!” ’

1. Literally “to cover”
2. Or “occur”

¹⁷ “Thus says the Lord Yahweh, ‘Are you he of whom I spoke in former days by the hand of my servants the prophets of Israel who were prophesying in those days for years that I would bring you against them?

¹⁸ And so then in that day, on the day of the coming of God against the land of Israel,’ ⌞declares⌟¹ the Lord Yahweh, ‘my rage will come up in my anger.

1. Literally “declaration of”

¹⁹ And in my passion, in the fire of my wrath, I spoke¹ that ⌞certainly⌟² on that day a great earthquake will be on the land of Israel.

1. Or “I asserted”
2. Literally “if not”

²⁰ And the fish of the sea and the birds¹ of the heaven² and the animals³ of the field and all of the creeping things that creep on the earth and all of the humans⁴ who are on the surface of the earth will shake ⌞at my presence⌟;⁵ and the mountains will be demolished, and the steep mountain sides will fall, and every wall on⁶ the earth will fall.

1. Hebrew “bird”
2. Or “sky”
3. Hebrew “animal”
4. Or “every human being”
5. Literally “from the face of me”
6. Or “to”

²¹ And I will call against him¹ in all of my mountains a sword,’ ⌞declares⌟² the Lord Yahweh, ‘And the sword of each person will be against his brother.

1. Or “summon against him” (cf. NJPS)
2. Literally “declaration of”

²² And I will execute justice with¹ him with a plague and with blood and ⌞torrents of rain⌟,² and hailstones; fire and sulfur I will cause to fall on him and on his troops and on many peoples who are with him.

1. Or “with respect to him”
2. Literally “rain flooding/pouring down”

²³ And so I will exalt myself, and I will show myself holy, and I will make myself known before the eyes of many nations, and they will know that I am Yahweh.’ ”