Study Desk

"This is what the sovereign Lord says: I will allow the house of Israel to ask me to do this for them: I will multiply their people like sheep.

Like the sheep for offerings, like the sheep of Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord ."

"As for you, son of man, take one branch, and write on it, ‘For Judah, and for the Israelites associated with him.' Then take another branch and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the branch of Ephraim and all the house of Israel associated with him.'

"‘My servant David will be king over them; there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow my regulations and carefully observe my statutes.

"‘Be ready and stay ready, you and all your companies assembled around you, and be a guard for them.

I will call for a sword to attack Gog on all my mountains, declares the sovereign Lord ; every man's sword will be against his brother.

"As for you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal!

You will fall dead in the open field; for I have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord .

"‘Then those who live in the cities of Israel will go out and use the weapons for kindling—the shields, bows and arrows, war clubs and spears—they will burn them for seven years.

For seven months Israel will bury them, in order to cleanse the land.

All the people of the land will bury them, and it will be a memorial for them on the day I magnify myself, declares the sovereign Lord .

They will designate men to scout continually through the land, burying those who remain on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. They will search for seven full months.

"As for you, son of man, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Tell every kind of bird and every wild beast: ‘Assemble and come! Gather from all around to my slaughter which I am going to make for you, a great slaughter on the mountains of Israel! You will eat flesh and drink blood.

You will eat fat until you are full, and drink blood until you are drunk, at my slaughter which I have made for you.

The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile due to their iniquity, for they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies; all of them died by the sword.

"Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob, and I will have mercy on the entire house of Israel. I will be zealous for my holy name.

They will bear their shame for all their unfaithful acts against me, when they live securely on their land with no one to make them afraid.

The man said to me, "Son of man, watch closely, listen carefully, and pay attention to everything I show you, for you have been brought here so that I can show it to you. Tell the house of Israel everything you see."

There were closed windows toward the alcoves and toward their jambs within the gate all around, and likewise for the porches. There were windows all around the inside, and on each jamb were decorative palm trees.

Then he brought me to the outer court. I saw chambers there, and a pavement made for the court all around; thirty chambers faced the pavement.