Ezekiel 37
1 The LORD’s hand was on me, and he brought me out in the LORD’s Spirit, and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones.
The hand of Yahweh was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of Yahweh and set me down in the midst of a valley; it was full of bones.
2 He caused me to pass by them all around; and behold, there were very many in the open valley, and behold, they were very dry.
Then he made me pass through them round and round. Behold! A great many of them were in the valley. Behold! They were very dry.
3 He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I answered, “Lord GOD, you know.”
He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live again?” So I said, “Lord Yahweh, you alone know.”
4 Again he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and tell them, ‘You dry bones, hear the LORD’s word.
Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones. Listen to the word of Yahweh.
5 The Lord GOD says to these bones: “Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you will live.
The Lord Yahweh says this to these bones: Behold! I am about to put breath into you, and you will live.
6 I will lay sinews on you, and will bring up flesh on you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you will live. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”’”
I will place sinews over you and bring flesh onto you. I will cover you with skin and put breath within you so you will live. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.'”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. As I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, there was an earthquake. Then the bones came together, bone to its bone.
So I prophesied as I was commanded; as I prophesied, behold, a sound came, that of shaking. Then the bones drew together—bone against bone.
8 I saw, and, behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh came up, and skin covered them above; but there was no breath in them.
I looked and, behold, sinews were now on them, and flesh grew up and skin covered them. But there was still no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and tell the wind, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’”
Then Yahweh said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Breath, come from the four winds, and breathe on these who have been killed, so they may live.'”
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
So I prophesied as I was commanded; the breath came into them and they lived. Then they stood on their feet, a very great army.
11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost. We are completely cut off.’
Then Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the entire house of Israel. Behold! They are saying, 'Our bones have dried up, and our hope is gone. We have been cut off.'
12 Therefore prophesy, and tell them, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, my people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.
Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I will open your graves and lift you out from them, my people. I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
13 You will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, my people.
Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when I open your graves and bring you out from them, my people.
14 I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live. Then I will place you in your own land; and you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,” says the LORD.’”
I will place my Spirit within you so you will live, and I will cause you to rest in your land when you know that I am Yahweh. I declare and will do it—this is Yahweh's declaration.'”
15 The LORD’s word came again to me, saying,
Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
16 “You, son of man, take one stick and write on it, ‘For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions.’ Then take another stick, and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions.’
“So now you, son of man, take one stick for yourself and write on it, 'For Judah and for the people of Israel, his companions.' Then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the branch of Ephraim, and for all the people of Israel, their companions.'
17 Then join them for yourself to one another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand.
Bring both of them together into one stick, so that they become one in your hand.
18 “When the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will not you show us what you mean by these?’
When your people speak to you and say, 'Will you not tell us what these things of yours mean?'
19 tell them, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in my hand.
then say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am taking the branch of Joseph that is in the hand of Ephraim and the tribes of Israel his companions and joining it to the branch of Judah, so that they will make one branch, and they will become one in my hand.'
20 The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.”’
Hold in your hand the branches that you wrote on before their eyes.
21 Say to them, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land.
Declare to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am about to take the people of Israel from among the nations where they went. I will gather them from the surrounding lands and I will bring them to their land.
22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. One king will be king to them all. They will no longer be two nations. They will not be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.
I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and there will be one king as king over all of them, and they will no longer be two nations. They will no longer be divided into two kingdoms.
23 They will not defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will save them out of all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. So they will be my people, and I will be their God.
Then they will no longer defile themselves with their idols, their disgusting things, or any of their other sins. For I will save them from all of their faithless actions with which they have sinned, and I will purify them, so they will be my people and I will be their God.
24 “‘“My servant David will be king over them. They all will have one shepherd. They will also walk in my ordinances and observe my statutes, and do them.
David my servant will be king over them. So there will be one shepherd over them all, and they will walk according to my decrees and they will keep my statutes and obey them.
25 They will dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob my servant, in which your fathers lived. They will dwell therein, they, and their children, and their children’s children, forever. David my servant will be their prince forever.
They will live in the land that I have given to my servant Jacob, where your fathers had stayed. They will live in it forever—they, their children, and their grandchildren, for David my servant will be their chief forever.
26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them. It will be an everlasting covenant with them. I will place them, multiply them, and will set my sanctuary among them forever more.
I will establish a covenant of peace with them. It will be an everlasting covenant with them. I will establish them and multiply them and set my holy place in their midst forever.
27 My tent also will be with them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.
28 The nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is among them forever more.”’”
Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh who sets Israel apart, when my holy place is among them forever.'”
