Ezekiel 37-42

New Living Translation

A Valley of Dry Bones

37 The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. ² He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. ³ Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”

“O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”

⁴ Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! ⁵ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! ⁶ I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

⁷ So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. ⁸ Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.

⁹ Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”

¹⁰ So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.

¹¹ Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ ¹² Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. ¹⁴ I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”

Reunion of Israel and Judah

¹⁵ Again a message came to me from the Lord: ¹⁶ “Son of man, take a piece of wood and carve on it these words: ‘This represents Judah and its allied tribes.’ Then take another piece and carve these words on it: ‘This represents Ephraim and the northern tribes of Israel.’^{[a] 17} Now hold them together in your hand as if they were one piece of wood. ¹⁸ When your people ask you what your actions mean, ¹⁹ say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take Ephraim and the northern tribes and join them to Judah. I will make them one piece of wood in my hand.’

²⁰ “Then hold out the pieces of wood you have inscribed, so the people can see them. ²¹ And give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: I will gather the people of Israel from among the nations. I will bring them home to their own land from the places where they have been scattered. ²² I will unify them into one nation on the mountains of Israel. One king will rule them all; no longer will they be divided into two nations or into two kingdoms. ²³ They will never again pollute themselves with their idols^[b] and vile images and rebellion, for I will save them from their sinful apostasy.^[c] I will cleanse them. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.

²⁴ “My servant David will be their king, and they will have only one shepherd. They will obey my regulations and be careful to keep my decrees. ²⁵ They will live in the land I gave my servant Jacob, the land where their ancestors lived. They and their children and their grandchildren after them will live there forever, generation after generation. And my servant David will be their prince forever. ²⁶ And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give them their land and increase their numbers,^[d] and I will put my Temple among them forever. ²⁷ I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. ²⁸ And when my Temple is among them forever, the nations will know that I am the Lord, who makes Israel holy.”

A Message for Gog

38 This is another message that came to me from the Lord: ² “Son of man, turn and face Gog of the land of Magog, the prince who rules over the nations of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him. ³ Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: Gog, I am your enemy! ⁴ I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws to lead you out with your whole army—your horses and charioteers in full armor and a great horde armed with shields and swords. ⁵ Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya^[e] will join you, too, with all their weapons. ⁶ Gomer and all its armies will also join you, along with the armies of Beth-togarmah from the distant north, and many others.

⁷ “Get ready; be prepared! Keep all the armies around you mobilized, and take command of them. ⁸ A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel. ⁹ You and all your allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.

¹⁰ “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme. ¹¹ You will say, ‘Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled villages! I will march against her and destroy these people who live in such confidence! ¹² I will go to those formerly desolate cities that are now filled with people who have returned from exile in many nations. I will capture vast amounts of plunder, for the people are rich with livestock and other possessions now. They think the whole world revolves around them!’ ¹³ But Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will ask, ‘Do you really think the armies you have gathered can rob them of silver and gold? Do you think you can drive away their livestock and seize their goods and carry off plunder?’

¹⁴ “Therefore, son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: When my people are living in peace in their land, then you will rouse yourself.^{[f] 15} You will come from your homeland in the distant north with your vast cavalry and your mighty army, ¹⁶ and you will attack my people Israel, covering their land like a cloud. At that time in the distant future, I will bring you against my land as everyone watches, and my holiness will be displayed by what happens to you, Gog. Then all the nations will know that I am the Lord.

¹⁷ “This is what the Sovereign Lord asks: Are you the one I was talking about long ago, when I announced through Israel’s prophets that in the future I would bring you against my people? ¹⁸ But this is what the Sovereign Lord says: When Gog invades the land of Israel, my fury will boil over! ¹⁹ In my jealousy and blazing anger, I promise a mighty shaking in the land of Israel on that day. ²⁰ All living things—the fish in the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people on earth—will quake in terror at my presence. Mountains will be thrown down; cliffs will crumble; walls will fall to the earth. ²¹ I will summon the sword against you on all the hills of Israel, says the Sovereign Lord. Your men will turn their swords against each other. ²² I will punish you and your armies with disease and bloodshed; I will send torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur! ²³ In this way, I will show my greatness and holiness, and I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

The Slaughter of Gog’s Hordes

39 “Son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am your enemy, O Gog, ruler of the nations of Meshech and Tubal. ² I will turn you around and drive you toward the mountains of Israel, bringing you from the distant north. ³ I will knock the bow from your left hand and the arrows from your right hand, and I will leave you helpless. ⁴ You and your army and your allies will all die on the mountains. I will feed you to the vultures and wild animals. ⁵ You will fall in the open fields, for I have spoken, says the Sovereign Lord. ⁶ And I will rain down fire on Magog and on all your allies who live safely on the coasts. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

⁷ “In this way, I will make known my holy name among my people of Israel. I will not let anyone bring shame on it. And the nations, too, will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. ⁸ That day of judgment will come, says the Sovereign Lord. Everything will happen just as I have declared it.

⁹ “Then the people in the towns of Israel will go out and pick up your small and large shields, bows and arrows, javelins and spears, and they will use them for fuel. There will be enough to last them seven years! ¹⁰ They won’t need to cut wood from the fields or forests, for these weapons will give them all the fuel they need. They will plunder those who planned to plunder them, and they will rob those who planned to rob them, says the Sovereign Lord.

¹¹ “And I will make a vast graveyard for Gog and his hordes in the Valley of the Travelers, east of the Dead Sea.^[g] It will block the way of those who travel there, and they will change the name of the place to the Valley of Gog’s Hordes. ¹² It will take seven months for the people of Israel to bury the bodies and cleanse the land. ¹³ Everyone in Israel will help, for it will be a glorious victory for Israel when I demonstrate my glory on that day, says the Sovereign Lord.

¹⁴ “After seven months, teams of men will be appointed to search the land for skeletons to bury, so the land will be made clean again. ¹⁵ Whenever bones are found, a marker will be set up so the burial crews will take them to be buried in the Valley of Gog’s Hordes. ¹⁶ (There will be a town there named Hamonah, which means ‘horde.’) And so the land will finally be cleansed.

¹⁷ “And now, son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Call all the birds and wild animals. Say to them: Gather together for my great sacrificial feast. Come from far and near to the mountains of Israel, and there eat flesh and drink blood! ¹⁸ Eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of princes as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls—all fattened animals from Bashan! ¹⁹ Gorge yourselves with flesh until you are glutted; drink blood until you are drunk. This is the sacrificial feast I have prepared for you. ²⁰ Feast at my banquet table—feast on horses and charioteers, on mighty men and all kinds of valiant warriors, says the Sovereign Lord.

²¹ “In this way, I will demonstrate my glory to the nations. Everyone will see the punishment I have inflicted on them and the power of my fist when I strike. ²² And from that time on the people of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God. ²³ The nations will then know why Israel was sent away to exile—it was punishment for sin, for they were unfaithful to their God. Therefore, I turned away from them and let their enemies destroy them. ²⁴ I turned my face away and punished them because of their defilement and their sins.

Restoration for God’s People

²⁵ “So now, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will end the captivity of my people^[h]; I will have mercy on all Israel, for I jealously guard my holy reputation! ²⁶ They will accept responsibility for^[i] their past shame and unfaithfulness after they come home to live in peace in their own land, with no one to bother them. ²⁷ When I bring them home from the lands of their enemies, I will display my holiness among them for all the nations to see. ²⁸ Then my people will know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them away to exile and brought them home again. I will leave none of my people behind. ²⁹ And I will never again turn my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit upon the people of Israel. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

The New Temple Area

40 On April 28,^[j] during the twenty-fifth year of our captivity—fourteen years after the fall of Jerusalem—the Lord took hold of me. ² In a vision from God he took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain. From there I could see toward the south what appeared to be a city. ³ As he brought me nearer, I saw a man whose face shone like bronze standing beside a gateway entrance. He was holding in his hand a linen measuring cord and a measuring rod.

⁴ He said to me, “Son of man, watch and listen. Pay close attention to everything I show you. You have been brought here so I can show you many things. Then you will return to the people of Israel and tell them everything you have seen.”

The East Gateway

⁵ I could see a wall completely surrounding the Temple area. The man took a measuring rod that was 10 1⁄2 feet^[k] long and measured the wall, and the wall was 10 1⁄2 feet^[l] thick and 10 1⁄2 feet high.

⁶ Then he went over to the eastern gateway. He climbed the steps and measured the threshold of the gateway; it was 10 1⁄2 feet front to back.^{[m] 7} There were guard alcoves on each side built into the gateway passage. Each of these alcoves was 10 1⁄2 feet square, with a distance between them of 8 3⁄4 feet^[n] along the passage wall. The gateway’s inner threshold, which led to the entry room at the inner end of the gateway passage, was 10 1⁄2 feet front to back. ⁸ He also measured the entry room of the gateway.^{[o] 9} It was 14 feet^[p] across, with supporting columns 3 1⁄2 feet^[q] thick. This entry room was at the inner end of the gateway structure, facing toward the Temple.

¹⁰ There were three guard alcoves on each side of the gateway passage. Each had the same measurements, and the dividing walls separating them were also identical. ¹¹ The man measured the gateway entrance, which was 17 1⁄2 feet^[r] wide at the opening and 22 3⁄4 feet^[s] wide in the gateway passage. ¹² In front of each of the guard alcoves was a 21-inch^[t] curb. The alcoves themselves were 10 1⁄2 feet^[u] on each side.

¹³ Then he measured the entire width of the gateway, measuring the distance between the back walls of facing guard alcoves; this distance was 43 3⁄4 feet.^{[v] 14} He measured the dividing walls all along the inside of the gateway up to the entry room of the gateway; this distance was 105 feet.^{[w] 15} The full length of the gateway passage was 87 1⁄2 feet^[x] from one end to the other. ¹⁶ There were recessed windows that narrowed inward through the walls of the guard alcoves and their dividing walls. There were also windows in the entry room. The surfaces of the dividing walls were decorated with carved palm trees.

The Outer Courtyard

¹⁷ Then the man brought me through the gateway into the outer courtyard of the Temple. A stone pavement ran along the walls of the courtyard, and thirty rooms were built against the walls, opening onto the pavement. ¹⁸ This pavement flanked the gates and extended out from the walls into the courtyard the same distance as the gateway entrance. This was the lower pavement. ¹⁹ Then the man measured across the Temple’s outer courtyard between the outer and inner gateways; the distance was 175 feet.^[y]

The North Gateway

²⁰ The man measured the gateway on the north just like the one on the east. ²¹ Here, too, there were three guard alcoves on each side, with dividing walls and an entry room. All the measurements matched those of the east gateway. The gateway passage was 87 1⁄2 feet long and 43 3⁄4 feet wide between the back walls of facing guard alcoves. ²² The windows, the entry room, and the palm tree decorations were identical to those in the east gateway. There were seven steps leading up to the gateway entrance, and the entry room was at the inner end of the gateway passage. ²³ Here on the north side, just as on the east, there was another gateway leading to the Temple’s inner courtyard directly opposite this outer gateway. The distance between the two gateways was 175 feet.

The South Gateway

²⁴ Then the man took me around to the south gateway and measured its various parts, and they were exactly the same as in the others. ²⁵ It had windows along the walls as the others did, and there was an entry room where the gateway passage opened into the outer courtyard. And like the others, the gateway passage was 87 1⁄2 feet long and 43 3⁄4 feet wide between the back walls of facing guard alcoves. ²⁶ This gateway also had a stairway of seven steps leading up to it, and an entry room at the inner end, and palm tree decorations along the dividing walls. ²⁷ And here again, directly opposite the outer gateway, was another gateway that led into the inner courtyard. The distance between the two gateways was 175 feet.

Gateways to the Inner Courtyard

²⁸ Then the man took me to the south gateway leading into the inner courtyard. He measured it, and it had the same measurements as the other gateways. ²⁹ Its guard alcoves, dividing walls, and entry room were the same size as those in the others. It also had windows along its walls and in the entry room. And like the others, the gateway passage was 87 1⁄2 feet long and 43 3⁄4 feet wide. ³⁰ (The entry rooms of the gateways leading into the inner courtyard were 14 feet^[z] across and 43 3⁄4 feet wide.) ³¹ The entry room to the south gateway faced into the outer courtyard. It had palm tree decorations on its columns, and there were eight steps leading to its entrance.

³² Then he took me to the east gateway leading to the inner courtyard. He measured it, and it had the same measurements as the other gateways. ³³ Its guard alcoves, dividing walls, and entry room were the same size as those of the others, and there were windows along the walls and in the entry room. The gateway passage measured 87 1⁄2 feet long and 43 3⁄4 feet wide. ³⁴ Its entry room faced into the outer courtyard. It had palm tree decorations on its columns, and there were eight steps leading to its entrance.

³⁵ Then he took me around to the north gateway leading to the inner courtyard. He measured it, and it had the same measurements as the other gateways. ³⁶ The guard alcoves, dividing walls, and entry room of this gateway had the same measurements as in the others and the same window arrangements. The gateway passage measured 87 1⁄2 feet long and 43 3⁄4 feet wide. ³⁷ Its entry room^[aa] faced into the outer courtyard, and it had palm tree decorations on the columns. There were eight steps leading to its entrance.

Rooms for Preparing Sacrifices

³⁸ A door led from the entry room of one of the inner gateways into a side room, where the meat for sacrifices was washed. ³⁹ On each side of this entry room were two tables, where the sacrificial animals were slaughtered for the burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. ⁴⁰ Outside the entry room, on each side of the stairs going up to the north entrance, were two more tables. ⁴¹ So there were eight tables in all—four inside and four outside—where the sacrifices were cut up and prepared. ⁴² There were also four tables of finished stone for preparation of the burnt offerings, each 31 1⁄2 inches square and 21 inches high.^[ab] On these tables were placed the butchering knives and other implements for slaughtering the sacrificial animals. ⁴³ There were hooks, each 3 inches^[ac] long, fastened all around the foyer walls. The sacrificial meat was laid on the tables.

Rooms for the Priests

⁴⁴ Inside the inner courtyard were two rooms,^[ad] one beside the north gateway, facing south, and the other beside the south^[ae] gateway, facing north. ⁴⁵ And the man said to me, “The room beside the north inner gate is for the priests who supervise the Temple maintenance. ⁴⁶ The room beside the south inner gate is for the priests in charge of the altar—the descendants of Zadok—for they alone of all the Levites may approach the Lord to minister to him.”

The Inner Courtyard and Temple

⁴⁷ Then the man measured the inner courtyard, and it was a square, 175 feet wide and 175 feet across. The altar stood in the courtyard in front of the Temple. ⁴⁸ Then he brought me to the entry room of the Temple. He measured the walls on either side of the opening to the entry room, and they were 8 3⁄4 feet thick. The entrance itself was 24 1⁄2 feet wide, and the walls on each side of the entrance were an additional 5 1⁄4 feet long.^{[af] 49} The entry room was 35 feet^[ag] wide and 21 feet^[ah] deep. There were ten steps^[ai] leading up to it, with a column on each side.

41 After that, the man brought me into the sanctuary of the Temple. He measured the walls on either side of its doorway,^[aj] and they were 10 1⁄2 feet^[ak] thick. ² The doorway was 17 1⁄2 feet^[al] wide, and the walls on each side of it were 8 3⁄4 feet^[am] long. The sanctuary itself was 70 feet long and 35 feet wide.^[an]

³ Then he went beyond the sanctuary into the inner room. He measured the walls on either side of its entrance, and they were 3 1⁄2 feet^[ao] thick. The entrance was 10 1⁄2 feet wide, and the walls on each side of the entrance were 12 1⁄4 feet^[ap] long. ⁴ The inner room of the sanctuary was 35 feet^[aq] long and 35 feet wide. “This,” he told me, “is the Most Holy Place.”

⁵ Then he measured the wall of the Temple, and it was 10 1⁄2 feet thick. There was a row of rooms along the outside wall; each room was 7 feet^[ar] wide. ⁶ These side rooms were built in three levels, one above the other, with thirty rooms on each level. The supports for these side rooms rested on exterior ledges on the Temple wall; they did not extend into the wall. ⁷ Each level was wider than the one below it, corresponding to the narrowing of the Temple wall as it rose higher. A stairway led up from the bottom level through the middle level to the top level.

⁸ I saw that the Temple was built on a terrace, which provided a foundation for the side rooms. This terrace was 10 1⁄2 feet^[as] high. ⁹ The outer wall of the Temple’s side rooms was 8 3⁄4 feet thick. This left an open area between these side rooms ¹⁰ and the row of rooms along the outer wall of the inner courtyard. This open area was 35 feet wide, and it went all the way around the Temple. ¹¹ Two doors opened from the side rooms into the terrace yard, which was 8 3⁄4 feet wide. One door faced north and the other south.

¹² A large building stood on the west, facing the Temple courtyard. It was 122 1⁄2 feet wide and 157 1⁄2 feet long, and its walls were 8 3⁄4 feet^[at] thick. ¹³ Then the man measured the Temple, and it was 175 feet^[au] long. The courtyard around the building, including its walls, was an additional 175 feet in length. ¹⁴ The inner courtyard to the east of the Temple was also 175 feet wide. ¹⁵ The building to the west, including its two walls, was also 175 feet wide.

The sanctuary, the inner room, and the entry room of the Temple ¹⁶ were all paneled with wood, as were the frames of the recessed windows. The inner walls of the Temple were paneled with wood above and below the windows. ¹⁷ The space above the door leading into the inner room, and its walls inside and out, were also paneled. ¹⁸ All the walls were decorated with carvings of cherubim, each with two faces, and there was a carving of a palm tree between each of the cherubim. ¹⁹ One face—that of a man—looked toward the palm tree on one side. The other face—that of a young lion—looked toward the palm tree on the other side. The figures were carved all along the inside of the Temple, ²⁰ from the floor to the top of the walls, including the outer wall of the sanctuary.

²¹ There were square columns at the entrance to the sanctuary, and the ones at the entrance of the Most Holy Place were similar. ²² There was an altar made of wood, 5 1⁄4 feet high and 3 1⁄2 feet across.^[av] Its corners, base, and sides were all made of wood. “This,” the man told me, “is the table that stands in the Lord’s presence.”

²³ Both the sanctuary and the Most Holy Place had double doorways, ²⁴ each with two swinging doors. ²⁵ The doors leading into the sanctuary were decorated with carved cherubim and palm trees, just as on the walls. And there was a wooden roof at the front of the entry room to the Temple. ²⁶ On both sides of the entry room were recessed windows decorated with carved palm trees. The side rooms along the outside wall also had roofs.

Rooms for the Priests

42 Then the man led me out of the Temple courtyard by way of the north gateway. We entered the outer courtyard and came to a group of rooms against the north wall of the inner courtyard. ² This structure, whose entrance opened toward the north, was 175 feet^[aw] long and 87 1⁄2 feet^[ax] wide. ³ One block of rooms overlooked the 35-foot^[ay] width of the inner courtyard. Another block of rooms looked out onto the pavement of the outer courtyard. The two blocks were built three levels high and stood across from each other. ⁴ Between the two blocks of rooms ran a walkway 17 1⁄2 feet^[az] wide. It extended the entire 175 feet of the complex,^[ba] and all the doors faced north. ⁵ Each of the two upper levels of rooms was narrower than the one beneath it because the upper levels had to allow space for walkways in front of them. ⁶ Since there were three levels and they did not have supporting columns as in the courtyards, each of the upper levels was set back from the level beneath it. ⁷ There was an outer wall that separated the rooms from the outer courtyard; it was 87 1⁄2 feet long. ⁸ This wall added length to the outer block of rooms, which extended for only 87 1⁄2 feet, while the inner block—the rooms toward the Temple—extended for 175 feet. ⁹ There was an eastern entrance from the outer courtyard to these rooms.

¹⁰ On the south^[bb] side of the Temple there were two blocks of rooms just south of the inner courtyard between the Temple and the outer courtyard. These rooms were arranged just like the rooms on the north. ¹¹ There was a walkway between the two blocks of rooms just like the complex on the north side of the Temple. This complex of rooms was the same length and width as the other one, and it had the same entrances and doors. The dimensions of each were identical. ¹² So there was an entrance in the wall facing the doors of the inner block of rooms, and another on the east at the end of the interior walkway.

¹³ Then the man told me, “These rooms that overlook the Temple from the north and south are holy. Here the priests who offer sacrifices to the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. And because these rooms are holy, they will be used to store the sacred offerings—the grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. ¹⁴ When the priests leave the sanctuary, they must not go directly to the outer courtyard. They must first take off the clothes they wore while ministering, because these clothes are holy. They must put on other clothes before entering the parts of the building complex open to the public.”

¹⁵ When the man had finished measuring the inside of the Temple area, he led me out through the east gateway to measure the entire perimeter. ¹⁶ He measured the east side with his measuring rod, and it was 875 feet long.^{[bc] 17} Then he measured the north side, and it was also 875 feet. ¹⁸ The south side was also 875 feet, ¹⁹ and the west side was also 875 feet. ²⁰ So the area was 875 feet on each side with a wall all around it to separate what was holy from what was common.