The ahand of the LORD
was upon me, and He bbrought
me out 1by the Spirit
of the LORD
and set
me down
in the middle
of the cvalley
; and it was full
of bones
.
He caused me to pass among
them round
about
, and behold
, there were very
many
on the surface
of the valley
; and lo
, they were very
dry
.
He said to me, "Son
of man
, acan these
bones
live
?" And I answered
, "O Lord
1GOD
, bYou know
."
Again He said to me, " aProphesy
over
these
bones
and say
to them, `O dry
bones
, bhear
the word
of the LORD
.'
"Thus says
the Lord
GOD
to these
bones
, `Behold
, I will cause 1 abreath
to enter
you that you may come
to life
.
`I will put sinews
on you, make flesh
grow
back
on you, cover
you with skin
and put
breath
in you that you may come
alive
; and you will aknow
that I am the LORD
.' "
So I prophesied aas I was commanded
; and as I prophesied
, there was a 1noise
, and behold
, a rattling
; and the bones
came
together
, bone
to its bone
.
And I looked, and behold
, sinews
were on them, and flesh
grew
and skin
covered
them; but there
was no
breath
in them.
Then He said to me, "Prophesy
to the breath
, prophesy
, son
of man
, and say
to the breath
, `Thus
says
the Lord
GOD
, "Come
from the four
winds
, O breath
, and abreathe
on these
slain
, that they bcome
to life
.""'
So I prophesied as He commanded
me, and the abreath
came
into them, and they came
to life
and stood
on their feet
, an bexceedingly
great
army
.
Then He said to me, "Son
of man
, these
bones
are the awhole
house
of Israel
; behold
, they say
, `Our bbones
are dried
up and our hope
has perished
. We are 1completely ccut
off
.'
"Therefore prophesy
and say
to them, `Thus
says
the Lord
GOD
, "Behold
, I will open
your graves
and acause you to come
up out of your graves
, My people
; and I will bring
you into the land
of Israel
.
"Then 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
.
"I will aput My 1Spirit
within you and you will come
to life
, and I will place
you on your own land
. Then you will know
that I, the LORD
, have spoken
and done
it," declares
the LORD
.' "
The word of the LORD
came
again to me saying
,
"And you, son of man
, take
for yourself aone
stick
and write
on it, `For bJudah
and for the sons
of Israel
, his companions
'; then take
another
stick
and write
on it, `For cJoseph
, the stick
of Ephraim
and all
the house
of Israel
, his companions
.'
"Then ajoin them for yourself one
to another
into one
stick
, that they may become
one
in your hand
.
"When the sons
of your people
speak
to you saying
, `Will you not declare
to us awhat
you mean by these
?'
say to them, `Thus
says
the Lord
GOD
, "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
."'
"The sticks on which
you write
will be in your hand
before their eyes
.
"Say to them, `Thus
says
the Lord
GOD
, "Behold
, I will atake
the sons
of Israel
from among
the nations
where
they have gone
, and I will gather
them from every
side
and bring
them into their own land
;
and I will make them aone
nation
in the land
, on the mountains
of Israel
; and bone
king
will be king
for all
of them; and they will no
longer
be two
nations
and no
longer
be divided
into two
kingdoms
.
"They will ano longer
defile
themselves with their idols
, or with their detestable
things
, or with any
of their transgressions
; but bI will deliver
them from all
their 1dwelling
places
in which
they have sinned
, and will cleanse
them. And they will be My people
, and I will be their God
.
"My servant aDavid
will be king
over
them, and they will all
have
bone
shepherd
; and they will walk
in My ordinances
and keep
My statutes
and observe
them.
"They will live on the land
that I gave
to Jacob
My servant
, in which
your fathers
lived
; and they will live
on it, they, and their sons
and their sons'
sons
, forever
; and aDavid
My servant
will be their prince
forever
.
"I will make a acovenant
of peace
with them; it will be an beverlasting
covenant
with them. And I will 1place
them and cmultiply
them, and will set
My dsanctuary
in their midst
forever
.
"My adwelling place
also will be with them; and bI will be their God
, and they will be My people
.
"And the nations will know
that I am the LORD
awho sanctifies
Israel
, when My sanctuary
is in their midst
forever
.""'