Ezekiel 37

1The hand of Yahweh was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of Yahweh and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.

2And he led me around among them, all around; and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.

3And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I said, “Lord GOD, you know.”

4Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of Yahweh.’”

5Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I am bringing breath into you, and you shall live.

6I will put sinews on you, and I will bring flesh up over you, and I will cover you with skin, and I will put breath in you, and you will live. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.

7So I prophesied as I was commanded, and as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.

8And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come up, and skin covered them from above; 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, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, so that they may live.’”

10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath entered into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

11Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look, they are saying, ‘Our bones have dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off.’”

12Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am opening your graves and will bring you up from your graves, my people, and I will bring you into the land of Israel.’

13Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when I open your graves and bring you up from your graves, O my people.

14I will put my Spirit within you, and you will live, and I will settle you on your own land. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. I have spoken, and I have done it, declares Yahweh.

15And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

16And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, ‘For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions.’ Then take one stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and all the house of Israel, his companions.’

17Then bring them near to each other for yourself as one stick, so that they may become one in your hand.

18And when the sons of your people say to you, ‘Will you not tell us what these things are to you?’

19tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am taking the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and I will place them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in my hand.’

20And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.

21Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am taking the children of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from all around and bring them to their own land.’

22And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will be king over all of them. They will no longer be two nations, and they will no longer be divided into two kingdoms.

23They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all their dwelling places in which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God.

24My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will walk in my judgments, and they will keep my statutes and do them.

25They will dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers dwelt; and they will dwell on it, they and their sons and their sons' sons, forever. And David my servant will be prince for them forever.

26I will make with them a covenant of peace; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and I will set my sanctuary in their midst forever.

27My dwelling place will be over them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.

28Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forever.