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.
And the hand of the Lord came upon me, and the Lord brought me forth by the Spirit, and set me in the midst of the plain, and it was full of human 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.
And he led me round about them every way: and, behold, [there were] very many on the face of the plain, very dry.
3 He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I answered, “Lord GOD, you know.”
And he said to me, Son of man, will these bones live? and I said, O Lord God, you know this.
4 Again he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and tell them, ‘You dry bones, hear the LORD’s word.
And he said to me, Prophesy upon these bones, and you shall say to them, You dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
5 The Lord GOD says to these bones: “Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you will live.
Thus says the Lord to these bones; Behold, I [will] bring upon you the breath of life:
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.”’”
and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and will spread skin upon you, and will put my Spirit into you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.
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 [the Lord] commanded me: and it came to pass while I was prophesying, that, behold, [there was] a shaking, and the bones approached each one to his joint.
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.
And I looked, and behold, sinews and flesh grew upon them, and skin came upon them above: but there was not 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.”’”
And he said to me, Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus says the Lord; Come from the four winds, and breathe upon these dead [men], and let them 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 he commanded me, and the breath entered into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, a very great congregation.
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.’
And the Lord spoke to me, saying, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: and they say, Our bones are become dry, our hope has perished, we are quite spent.
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, Thus says the Lord; Behold, I [will] open your tombs, and will bring you up out of your tombs, and will bring you into 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.
And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, that I may bring up my people from [their] graves.
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.’”
And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you upon your own land: and you shall know that I [am] the Lord; I have spoken, and will do [it], says the Lord.
15 The LORD’s word came again to me, saying,
And the word of the Lord 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.’
Son of man, take for yourself a rod, and write upon it, Juda, and the children of Israel his adherents; and you shall take for yourself another rod, and you shall inscribe it for Joseph, the rod of Ephraim, and all the children of Israel that belong to him.
17 Then join them for yourself to one another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand.
And you shall joint them together for yourself, so as that they should bind themselves into one stick; and they shall be in your hand.
18 “When the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Won’t you show us what you mean by these?’
And it shall come to pass, when the children of your people shall say to you, Will you not tell us what you meanest by these things?
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 shall you say to them, Thus says the Lord; behold, I will take the tribe of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel that belong to him, and I will add them to the tribe of Juda, and they shall become one rod in the hand of Juda.
20 The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.”’
And the rods on which you did write shall be in your hand in their presence.
21 Say to them, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Behold, I will take the children of Israel from amongst the nations where they have gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land.
And you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord God; Behold, I [will] take the whole house of Israel out of the midst of the nations, among whom they have gone, and I will gather them from all that are round about them, and I will bring them into the land of Israel.
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 won’t be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.
And I will make them a nation in my land, even on the mountains of Israel; and they shall have one prince: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided any more at all into two kingdoms:
23 They won’t 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.
that they may no more defile themselves with their idols; and I will deliver them from all their transgressions whereby they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be to me a people, and I the Lord will be to them a 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.
And my servant David [shall be] a prince in the midst of them: there shall be one shepherd of [them] all; for they shall walk in mine ordinances, and keep my judgments, and do 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.
And they shall dwell in their land, which I have given to my servant Jacob, where their fathers lived; and they shall dwell upon it: and David my servant [shall be their] prince 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 amongst them forever more.
And I will make with them a covenant of peace; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will establish my sanctuary in the midst of them for ever.
27 My tent also will be with them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
And my tabernacle shall be among them; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be my people.
28 The nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is amongst them forever more.”’”
And the nations shall know that I am the Lord that sanctifies them, when my sanctuary is in the midst of them for ever.
