Ezekiel 37
1 The Lord picked me up and carried me away by his Spirit. He set me down in the middle of a valley that was full of bones.
The hand of Jehovah was upon me, and he carried me out in the spirit of Jehovah, and set me in the midst of a valley, which was full of bones,
2 He led me around them, and in all directions I saw many, many bones on the valley floor. They were really dry.
and caused me to pass by them round about; and behold, there were very many upon the surface of the valley, and lo, they were very dry.
3 Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones come back to life?” “Lord God, only you know the answer,” I replied.
And he said to me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord Jehovah, thou knowest!
4 He told me, “Prophesy to these bones and tell them, Dry bones, listen to this message from the Lord!
Then he said to me, Prophesy to these dry bones, and say to them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah!
5 This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will breathe into you, and you will come back to life.
Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live;
6 I will give you tendons and have flesh grow over you and cover you with skin. I will breathe into you so that you will come back to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath into you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.
7 So I prophesied just as I had been ordered. When I started prophesying, suddenly I heard a rattling noise. The bones joined together, bone attached to bone.
So I prophesied, as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, a voice was heard, and behold, a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
8 As I watched, I saw tendons and flesh grow on them, and skin covered them; but the bodies didn't breathe.
And when I looked, behold, there were sinews upon them, and the flesh grew, and the skin covered them above; but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he told me, “Prophesy to the breath! Prophesy, son of man, and tell the breath that this is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds, and breathe into these bodies, so that they can come back to life!”
Then said he to me, Prophesy to breath, prophesy, O son of man, and say to breath, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live!
10 So I prophesied just as he had ordered me, and the breath went into the bodies, and they came back to life and stood up, a huge army!
So I prophesied, as he commanded me; and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great host.
11 He told me, “Son of man, these bones represent all the people of Israel. Listen to what the people are saying, ‘Our bones have dried up, and our hope has been crushed. We have been wiped out!’
And he said to me, Son of man, these bones denote the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost, and we are cut off.”
12 So prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord God says: My people, I'm going to open your graves and lift you out of them, and I will take you back to the country of Israel.
Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and lift you out of them, my people.
And ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people,
14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live again, and I will take you back to your own country. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will carry it out, declares the Lord.”
and put my breath within you, and ye live, and I place you in your own land; then shall ye know that I, Jehovah, have spoken it, and done it, saith Jehovah.
15 Another message from the Lord came to me, saying,
And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:
16 “Son of man, get one piece of wood and write on it: ‘This belongs to Judah and the Israelite tribes allied to them.’ Then get another piece of wood and write on it: ‘This belongs to Joseph. This is Ephraim's piece of wood, and to the Israelite tribes allied to them.’
Son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, “For Judah, and for the sons of Israel, his companions”; and take another stick, and write upon it, “For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and the whole house of Israel, his companions.”
17 Then join the two pieces of wood into one, so that you hold them as one in your hand.
Then join them one to another into one stick, that they may become one in thy hand.
18 When your people come and ask you, ‘Are you going to explain what this is all about?’
And when the sons of thy people say to thee. “Wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by these?”
19 tell them that this is what the Lord God says: I'm going to take Joseph's piece of wood, which Ephraim is holding, along with the Israelite tribes allied with them, and I'll join them with Judah's piece of wood. I will make them into a single piece of wood, and they will be as one in my hand.
say to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and of the tribes of Israel, his companions, and will unite them and him with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in my hand.
20 When you're holding the pieces of wood you've written on, and while everyone is watching,
And let the sticks whereon thou writest be in thy hand before their eyes;
21 tell them that this is what the Lord God says: I'm going to bring the Israelites back from the nations where they've gone. I will gather them from everywhere and take them back to their own country.
and say thou to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations whither they are gone, and will gather them from every side, and bring them into their own land.
22 I will make them one nation in the country, living in the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule them all. They won't be two nations any longer; never again will they be divided into two kingdoms.
And I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; and they shall no more be two nations, and no more shall they be divided into two kingdoms.
23 They won't make themselves unclean anymore with their idols or disgusting images, or with any of their rebellious sins. I will save them from all their sins when they abandoned me, and I will make them clean. They will be my people, and I will be their God.
Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their abominations, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will save them from all their dwelling-places wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
24 My servant David will be their king. They will be united under one ruler. They will follow my laws, and they will observe and practice my regulations.
And my servant David shall be king over them, and they shall have one shepherd; and they shall walk in my commandments, and observe my statutes, and do them.
25 They will live in the country I gave to my servant Jacob where your forefathers lived. They will live there with their children and grandchildren forever, and my servant David will be their prince forever.
And they shall dwell in the land which I gave to my servant Jacob, wherein your fathers dwelt; they shall dwell therein, and their sons and their son's sons forever; and David, my servant, shall be their prince forever.
26 I will make an agreement of peace with them. This will be an everlasting agreement. I will make them secure and increase their numbers, and I will keep my sanctuary there with them forever.
And I will make with them a covenant of peace; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them [[in the land]], and multiply them, and set my sanctuary in the midst of them forever.
27 My Tabernacle will be with them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
And my dwelling-place shall be with them; yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people;
28 The nations will acknowledge that I am the Lord who blesses Israel, when my sanctuary is with them forever.”
and the nations shall know that I, Jehovah, do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them forevermore.
