Ezekiel 37
1 The hand of Jehovah was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of Jehovah, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.
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.
2 And he led me walk all around among them. And look, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and look, they were very dry.
He led me around them, and in all directions I saw many, many bones on the valley floor. They were really dry.
3 And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "Jehovah, you know."
Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones come back to life?” “Lord God, only you know the answer,” I replied.
4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and tell them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah.'
He told me, “Prophesy to these bones and tell them, Dry bones, listen to this message from the Lord!
5 Thus says Jehovah to these bones: 'Look, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you will live.
This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will breathe into you, and you will come back to life.
6 And I will put tendons on you, and make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you will live. Then you will know that I am Jehovah.'"
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.”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a sound, and look, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to bone.
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.
8 And I watched, and look, there were tendons on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them. But there was no breath in them.
As I watched, I saw tendons and flesh grow on them, and skin covered them; but the bodies didn't breathe.
9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and tell the breath, 'Thus says Jehovah: Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe on these corpses, that they may live.'"
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!”
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 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!
11 Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are completely cut off.'
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!’
12 Therefore prophesy, and tell them, 'Thus says Jehovah: Look, I will open your graves and will raise you from your graves, my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel.
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.
13 And you will know that I am Jehovah, when I have opened your graves and raise you up out of your graves, my people.
Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and lift you out of them, my people.
14 And I will put my breath in you and you will live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you will know that I am Jehovah; I have spoken it and I will do it,' says Jehovah."
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.”
15 And the word of Jehovah came again to me, saying,
Another message from the Lord came to me, saying,
16 "And you, son of man, take one stick and write on it, 'For Judah, and the people of Israel associated with him.' Then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel associated with him.'
“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.’
17 Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, that they may become one in your hand.
Then join the two pieces of wood into one, so that you hold them as one in your hand.
18 And when your people ask you, saying, 'Will you not tell us what these things mean?'
When your people come and ask you, ‘Are you going to explain what this is all about?’
19 tell them, 'Thus says Jehovah: "Look, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and I will put them on it, that is, on the stick of Judah, and make them into one stick, and they will be one in my hand."'
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.
20 And the sticks on which you write on will be in your hand in front of them.
When you're holding the pieces of wood you've written on, and while everyone is watching,
21 "Then say to them, 'Thus says Jehovah: Look, I am going to take the people of Israel from among the nations where they are gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them into their own land.
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.
22 And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over them, and they will no longer be two nations, and no longer be divided into two kingdoms.
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.
23 And they will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all their unfaithfulness in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And will they be my people, and I will be their God.
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.
24 "'"And my servant David will be king over them; and they will all have one shepherd. And they will walk in my ordinances, and observe my statutes, and do them.
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.
25 And they will live in the land that I gave to Jacob my servant, in which your fathers lived; and they and their children and their children's children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever.
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.
26 And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will give to them and increase their numbers, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forever.
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.
27 And my dwelling place will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be my people.
My Tabernacle will be with them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
28 Then the nations will know that I am Jehovah who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forever."'"
The nations will acknowledge that I am the Lord who blesses Israel, when my sanctuary is with them forever.”
