Then tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to take the Israelites from among the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from round about and bring them to their land.

“‘On that day I will assign Gog a grave in Israel. It will be the valley of those who travel east of the sea; it will block the way of the travelers. There they will bury Gog and all his horde; they will call it the valley of Hamon-Gog. ¹ 

When they placed their threshold by my threshold and their doorpost by my doorpost, with only the wall between me and them, they profaned my holy name by the abominable deeds they committed. So I consumed them in my anger.

When you bring foreigners, those uncircumcised in heart and in flesh, into my sanctuary, you desecrate ¹  it – even my house – when you offer my food, the fat and the blood. You ²  have broken my covenant by all your abominable practices.

Yet they will be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the temple, and serving the temple. They will slaughter the burnt offerings and the sacrifices for the people, and they will stand before them to minister to them.

When they go out to the outer court to the people, they must remove the garments they were ministering in, and place them in the holy chambers; they must put on other garments so that they will not transmit holiness to the people with their garments. ¹ 

As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, my sheep have become prey and have become food for all the wild beasts. There was no shepherd, and my shepherds did not search for my flock, but fed themselves and did not feed my sheep,

Their wings were spread out above them; each had two wings touching the wings of one of the other beings on either side and two wings covering their bodies.

He said to me, “Son of man, ¹  stand on your feet and I will speak with you.”

You must speak my words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.

He unrolled it before me, and it had writing on the front ¹  and back; ²  written on it were laments, mourning, and woe.

“Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman ¹  for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must give them a warning from me.

They will wear sackcloth, terror will cover them; shame will be on all their faces, and all of their heads will be shaved bald. ¹ 

I will turn my face away from them and they will desecrate my treasured place. ¹  Vandals will enter it and desecrate it. ² 

I will bring the most wicked of the nations and they will take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the arrogance of the strong, and their sanctuaries ¹  will be desecrated.

He brought me to the entrance of the court, and as I watched, I noticed a hole in the wall.

He said to me, “Go in and see the evil abominations they are practicing here.”

(The cherubim were standing on the south side ¹  of the temple when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court.)

When the cherubim ¹  stood still, the wheels ²  stood still, and when they rose up, the wheels ³  rose up with them, for the spirit ⁴  of the living beings ⁵  was in the wheels. ⁶ 

You will die by the sword; I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.