The Valley of Dry Bones
Ezekiel 37YHWH’s hand was on me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of YHWH, and set me down in the middle of the valley, and it was full of bones. He led me to walk all around and through them. There were a great many in the open valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Son of humanity, can these bones live?”
I answered, “Lord YHWH, you know.”
Again he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and tell them, ‘Y’all dry bones, hear the word of YHWH. Lord YHWH says to these bones: “Look, I will make breath enter into y’all, and y’all will live. I will put tendons on y’all, and make flesh grown on y’all, and cover y’all with skin. I will put breath in y’all, and y’all will come to life. Then y’all will know that I am YHWH.”’”
So I prophesied as I was commanded. As I was prophesying, there was a noise and a rattling sound, and then the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were tendons on them, and flesh appeared, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
Then ʜᴇ said to me, “Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of humanity, and tell the wind, ‘Lord YHWH says: “Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe on these slain so that they might come to life.”’”
So I prophesied as ʜᴇ commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Then ʜᴇ said to me, “Son of humanity, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look how they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost. We are completely cut off.’ Therefore you are to prophesy and tell them, ‘Lord YHWH says: “I am going to open your* graves and cause y’all to come up out of your* graves, my people. Then I will lead y’all into the land of Israel. Y’all will know that I am YHWH, when I have opened your* graves and raise y’all up out of your* graves, my people. I will put my Spirit in y’all, and y’all will come to life. Then I will give y’all rest in your* own land; and y’all will know that I, YHWH, have spoken and done it,” says YHWH.’”
Reunited Israel Under One King
The word of YHWH came again to me, saying, “You, son of humanity, 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.’ Then join them for yourself to one another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand.
“When the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Won’t you show us what you mean by these?’ tell them, ‘Lord YHWH says: “Look, 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, ‘This is what Lord YHWH says: “Look, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land. 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. 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.
“‘“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. They will dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob my servant, where y’all’s ancestors lived. They will dwell therein, they, and their children, and their children’s children, forever. David my servant will be their prince forever. 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 among them forever more. My tent also will be with them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. The nations will know that I am YHWH who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is among them forever more.”’”