God's New Bible

The Prophet Ezekiel

Catholic Public Domain Version 2009

- Chapter 38 -

1
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
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“Son of man, set your face against Gog, the land of Magog, the prince of the head of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy about him.(a) (b)
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And you shall say to him: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of the head of Meshech and Tubal.
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And I will turn you around, and I will place a bit in your jaws. And I will lead you away, with all your army, the horses and the horsemen all clothed in armor, a great multitude, equipped with spears and light shields and swords,
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the Persians, the Ethiopians, and the Libyans with them, all with heavy shields and helmets,
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Gomer, and all his companies, the house of Togarmah, the northern parts, and all his strength, and the many peoples with you.
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Prepare and equip yourself, with all your multitude which has been assembled to you. And you shall be like a commandment to them.
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After many days, you will be visited. At the end of the years, you will arrive at the land which was turned back by the sword, and which has been gathered from many peoples to the mountains of Israel that have been continually abandoned. These ones have been led away from the peoples, and all of them will be living confidently within it.
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But you will ascend and arrive like a tempest and like a cloud, so that you may cover the land, you and all your companies, and the many peoples with you.
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Thus says the Lord God: In that day, words will climb into your heart, and you will invent a most wicked plan.
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And you will say: ‘I will ascend to the land without a wall. I will go to those who are resting and dwelling securely. All these live without a wall; they have no bars or gates.’
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Thus, you will plunder spoils, and you will take possession of prey, so that you may lay your hand upon those who had been abandoned, and afterwards were restored, and upon a people who were gathered away from the Gentiles, a people who have begun to possess, and to be the inhabitants of, the navel of the earth.
13
Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, and all its lions will say to you: ‘Could you have arrived in order to purchase from the spoils? Behold, you have gathered your multitude in order to plunder a prey, so that you may take silver and gold, and carry away equipment and substance, and plunder immeasurable wealth.’(c)
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Because of this, son of man, prophesy, and you shall say to Gog: Thus says the Lord God: How is it that you do not know of that day, when my people, Israel, will be living in confidence?
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And you will advance from your place, from the parts of the north, you and the many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and an immense army.
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And you will rise up over my people, Israel, like a cloud, so that you may cover the earth. In the latter days, you will be. And I will lead you over my own land, so that the Gentiles may know me, when I will have been sanctified in you, O Gog, before their eyes.
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Thus says the Lord God: Therefore, you are the one, about whom I spoke in the days of antiquity, by the hand of my servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in the days of those times that I would lead you over them.
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And this shall be in that day, in the day of the advent of Gog over the land of Israel, says the Lord God: my indignation will rise up in my fury.
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And I have spoken, in my zeal and in the fire of my wrath, that there shall be a great commotion over the land of Israel, in that day.
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And before my face there shall be stirred up: the fish of the sea, and the flying things of the air, and the beasts of the field, and every crawling thing that moves across the soil, and all the men who are upon the face of the earth. And the mountains will be overturned, and the hedges will fall, and every wall will fall in ruin to the ground.
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And I will call for the sword against him on all my mountains, says the Lord God. Each one’s sword will be directed toward his brother.
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And I will judge him by pestilence, and blood, and violent rainstorms, and immense hailstones. I will rain fire and brimstone upon him, and upon his army, and upon the many peoples who are with him.
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And I will be magnified and sanctified. And I will be known in the eyes of the many nations. And they shall know that I am the Lord.”

Footnotes

(a)38:2 Gog:This name, which signifies hidden or covered, is taken in this place, either for the persecutors of the church of God in general, or some arch-persecutor in particular: such as Antichrist shall be in the latter days. See Apoc. 20:8. And what is said of the punishment of Gog, is verified by the unhappy ends of persecutors.(Challoner)
(b)38:2 Magog:Scythia or Tartary, from whence the Turks, and other enemies of the church of Christ, originally sprung.(Challoner)
(c)38:13 The term ‘sumenda’ refers to taking something, but often in a limited manner, such as selecting some from many, or purchasing particular items. So the question is asked as to whether he has arrived to take select spoils. The answer is no, because his plundering is very extensive.(Conte)