Ezekiel

37 The hand of Yahweh being upon me he carried me forth in the spirit of Yahweh, and set me down in the midst of a plain,—and the same was full of bones;

2 and he caused me to pass near them, round about on every side,—and lo! they were very many on the face of the plain, and lo! they were very dry.

3 Then said he unto me, Son of man, Can these bones live? And I said, My Lord Yahweh, thou knowest!

4 Then said he unto me, Prophesy over these bones,—and thou shalt say unto them, Ye bones so dry! hear ye the word of Yahweh!

5 Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, Unto these bones,—Lo! I am about to bring into you—spirit, and ye shall live;

6 Yea I will lay upon you—sinews And bring up over you—flesh And cover over you—skin, And put in you—spirit And ye shall live, Then shall ye know that I am Yahweh.

7 And when I prophesied as I was commanded then was there a noise as I prophesied and lo! a rattling, and the bones came near, each bone unto its own bone.

8 And when I looked then lo! upon them were sinews, and flesh had come up, and there had spread over them skin above,—but spirit was there none within them.

9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the spirit,—Prophesy, Son of man, and thou shalt say unto the spirit, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh—From the four winds come thou, O spirit, And breathe into these slain That they may live.

10 And when I prophesied as he commanded me then came into them the spirit and they lived and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

11 Then said he unto me, Son of man, These bones are all the house of Israel,—Lo! they are saying, Dried are our bones, and lost is our hope, We are quite cut off!

12 Therefore prophesy and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, Lo! I myself am going to open your graves And will cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people,—And will bring you upon the soil of Israel.

13 So shall ye know that I am Yahweh,—When I open your graves And cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people,

14 And I will put my spirit within you and ye shall live, And I will settle you upon your own soil,—So shall ye know that I Yahweh have spoken and have performed, Declareth Yahweh.

15 And the word of Yahweh came unto me saying:

16 Thou therefore, Son of man, Take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the sons of Israel his companions,—Then take thou another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and all the house of Israel his companions.

17 Then bring them near—the one to the other—for thee into one stick,—And they shall become united in thy hand.

18 And when the sons of thy people speak unto thee saying,—Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to thee?

19 speak unto them, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, Lo! I myself am going to take the stick of Joseph which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his companions,—And I will place them upon it, even upon the stick of Judah, And will make of them one stick, And they shall become one in my hand.

20 And the sticks whereon thou shalt write shall remain in thy hand before their eyes.

21 Therefore speak thou unto them, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, Lo! I myself am going to take the sons of Israel from among the nations whither they have gone,—And I will gather them from every side, And will bring them in upon their own soil;

22 And will make of them one nation in the land among the mountains of Israel, And one king shall they all have for king,—And they shall remain no longer two nations, Nor shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more.

23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more With their manufactured gods or With their detestable things, or With any of their transgressions,—But I will save them out of all their dwelling-places wherein they have sinned, And I will cleanse them And they shall become my people, And I will become their God.

24 And my servant David shall be king over them, And one shepherd shall they all have,—And in my regulations shall they walk, And my statutes shall they observe and do them.

25 And they shall dwell upon the land which I gave to my servant—to Jacob, Wherein your fathers dwelt,—Yea they shall dwell thereupon, They and their children and their children’s children Unto times age-abiding, And David my servant shall be prince unto them Unto times age-abiding.

26 And I will solemnise to them a covenant of prosperity, A covenant age-abiding shall it be with them,—And I will place them And multiply them, And set my sanctuary in the midst of them Unto times age-abiding.

27 And my habitation shall be over them, And I will become their God,—And they shall become my people.

28 So shall the nations know that I Yahweh am hallowing Israel,—When my sanctuary is in the midst of them Unto times age-abiding.