The breath of the Lord

1The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley;37.1 Or plain it was full of bones. 2And he led me round among them; and behold, there were very many upon the valley;37.2 Or plain and lo, they were very dry. 3And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, thou knowest.” 4Again he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 537.5, 10: Rev 11.11.Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath37.5 Or spirit to enter you, and you shall live. 6And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath37.6 Or spirit in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD.”

7So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8And as I looked, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath,37.9 Or wind or spirit Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath,37.9 Or wind or spirit and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” 10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great host.

11Then 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 clean cut off.’ 12Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you home into the land of Israel. 13And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 1437.14: Ezek 36.27; 1 Thess 4.8.And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done it, says the LORD.”

15The word of the LORD came to me: 16“Son of man, take a stick and write on it, ‘For Judah, and the children of Israel associated with him’; then take another stick and write upon it, ‘For Joseph (the stick of E'phraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him’; 17and join them together into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. 18And when your people say to you, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’ 19say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am about to take the stick of Joseph (which is in the hand of E'phraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him; and I will join37.19 Heb join them with it the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, that they may be one in my hand. 20When the sticks on which you write are in your hand before their eyes, 21then say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all sides, and bring them to their own land; 22and 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 be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. 23They shall not defile themselves any more with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

24“My servant David shall be king over them; and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall follow my ordinances and be careful to observe my statutes. 25They shall dwell in the land where your fathers dwelt that I gave to my servant Jacob; they and their children and their children's children shall dwell there for ever; and David my servant shall be their prince for ever. 2637.26: Heb 13.20.I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will bless37.26 Tg: Heb give them and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. 2737.27: Ex 25.8; 29.45; Lev 26.12; Jer 31.1; 2 Cor 6.16; Rev 21.3.My dwelling place shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28Then the nations will know that I the LORD sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary is in the midst of them for evermore.”