« | Ezekiel 39 | » |
1 "Son of man, speak against Gog for me. Tell him that this is what the Lord God says: 'Gog, you are the most important leader of the countries Meshech and Tubal, but I am against you.
2 I will capture you and bring you back. I will bring you from the far north. I will bring you to fight against the mountains of Israel.
3 But I will knock your bow from your left hand and your arrows from your right hand.
4 You will be killed on the mountains of Israel. You, your groups of soldiers, and all the other nations with you will be killed in the battle. I will give you as food to every kind of bird that eats meat and to all the wild animals.
5 You will not enter the city. You will be killed out in the open fields. I have spoken!'" This is what the Lord God said.
6 "I will send fire against Magog and those people living along the coast. They think they are safe, but they will know that I am the Lord.
7 And I will make my holy name known among my people Israel. I will not let people ruin my holy name anymore. The nations will know that I am the Lord. They will know that I am the Holy One in Israel.
8 That time is coming! It will happen!" This is what the Lord said. "That is the day I am talking about.
9 "At that time people living in the cities of Israel will go out to the fields. They will collect the enemy's weapons and burn them. They will burn all the shields, bows and arrows, clubs and spears. They will use the weapons as firewood for seven years.
10 They will not have to gather wood from the fields or chop firewood from the forests because they will use the weapons as firewood. They will take the valuable things from the soldiers who wanted to steal from them. They will take the good things from the soldiers who took good things from them." This is what the Lord God said.
11 "At that time I will choose a place in Israel to bury Gog. He will be buried in the Valley of the Travelers, east of the Dead Sea. It will block the road for travelers, because Gog and all his army will be buried in that place. People will call it 'The Valley of Gog's Army.'
12 It will take seven months for the family of Israel to bury them. They must do this to make the land pure.
13 The common people will bury the enemy soldiers, and the people will become famous on the day that I bring honor to myself." The Lord God said those things.
14 "Workers will be given a full-time job burying the dead soldiers to make the land pure. The workers will work for seven months. They will go around looking for dead bodies.
15 They will go around looking, and if anyone sees a bone, a marker will be put up by it. The sign will stay there until the gravediggers come and bury the bone in the Valley of Gog's Army.
16 The city of the dead will be named Hamonah. In this way they will make the country pure."
17 This is what the Lord God said: "Son of man, speak to all the birds and wild animals for me. Tell them, 'Come here! Come here! Gather around. Come eat this sacrifice I am preparing for you. There will be a very big sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. Come, eat the meat and drink the blood.
18 You will eat the meat from the bodies of powerful soldiers and drink the blood from world leaders. They will be like rams, lambs, goats, and fat bulls from Bashan.
19 You can eat all the fat you want and drink blood until you are full. You will eat and drink from my sacrifice, which I will kill for you.
20 You will have plenty of meat to eat at my table. There will be horses and chariot drivers, powerful soldiers, and all the other fighting men.'" This is what the Lord God said.
21 "I will let the other nations see what I have done, and they will begin to respect me! They will see my power that I used against the enemy.
22 Then from that day on, the family of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God.
23 And the nations will know why the family of Israel was carried away as prisoners to other countries. They will learn that my people turned against me, so I turned away from them. I let their enemies defeat them, so my people were killed in battle.
24 They sinned and made themselves filthy, so I punished them for the things they did. I turned away from them and refused to help them."
25 So this is what the Lord God says: "Now I will bring the family of Jacob back from captivity. I will have mercy on the whole family of Israel. I will show my strong feelings for my holy name.
26 The people will forget their shame and all the times they turned against me. They will live in safety on their own land. No one will make them afraid.
27 I will bring my people back from other countries. I will gather them from the lands of their enemies. Then many nations will see how holy I am.
28 They will know that I am the Lord their God. That is because I made them leave their homes and go as prisoners to other countries. But then I gathered them together again and brought them back to their own land.
29 I will pour out my Spirit on the family of Israel, and I will never turn away from my people again." This is what the Lord God said.
The Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)
The Easy-To-Read Version (ERV) is a Bible translation specifically designed to be accessible and comprehensible for people with limited reading skills or those for whom English is a second language. Originally published in 1987 by the World Bible Translation Center, the ERV was initially developed to serve the deaf community, using a simplified vocabulary and straightforward sentence structures. The goal of the ERV is to make the scriptures understandable to a wide range of readers, ensuring that everyone can grasp the essential messages of the Bible without being hindered by complex language or archaic terms.
One of the defining characteristics of the ERV is its commitment to clarity and simplicity. The translators employed a thought-for-thought translation philosophy, focusing on conveying the meaning of the original texts in plain, everyday English. This approach ensures that readers can easily comprehend the Bible’s teachings and narratives, making it a valuable resource for children, new Christians, and those with limited literacy skills. The ERV avoids technical theological terms and instead uses language that is commonly spoken, making it accessible for personal study and public reading alike.
The ERV also pays careful attention to the cultural and contextual nuances of the original manuscripts. The translators sought to present the Bible’s messages in a way that is relevant and meaningful to contemporary readers while maintaining faithfulness to the original texts. This cultural sensitivity helps bridge the gap between ancient scriptures and modern readers, allowing them to connect more deeply with the biblical stories and teachings. Additionally, the ERV includes helpful footnotes and cross-references that provide further explanation and context, enhancing the reader’s understanding of the text.
Despite its strengths, the ERV has faced some criticism from those who prefer more traditional or literal translations. Critics argue that the simplified language and thought-for-thought approach can sometimes result in a loss of depth and richness found in the original texts. Some theologians believe that the ERV’s emphasis on accessibility may lead to oversimplification of complex theological concepts. Nonetheless, the Easy-To-Read Version remains a highly valuable translation for its target audience, offering a clear and approachable rendition of the Bible that helps people of all backgrounds engage with and understand the scriptures.