Open English Translation EZE Chapter 37

37 One day Yahweh gave me another vision, and he took me out by his spirit and put me down in the middle of a valley that was full of bones. 2 Then he led me all around them, and wow, there were so many bones in the valley, and they were totally dried out! 3 “Humanity’s child,” he asked me, “can these bones become living people again?”

“My master Yahweh,” I replied, “only you would know that.”

4 Then he told me, “Prophesy over these bones and tell them, ‘Dry bones. Listen to Yahweh’s message. 5 The master Yahweh says this to these bones: Listen, I’m about to put breath into you, and you’ll live. 6 I’ll connect sinews to you and put flesh onto you. I’ll cover you with skin and put breath into you so you’ll live. Then you’ll know that I am Yahweh.’ ”

7 So I prophesied as I was instructed, and wow, a sound like something rattling started as the bones moved together—bone against bone! 8 I looked and, wow, the bones now had sinews on them, and flesh grew up over that, and then skin covered them! But there was still no breath in them.

9 Then Yahweh told me, “Prophesy to the wind. Humanity’s child, prophesy and tell the air, ‘The master Yahweh commands this: Breath, come from the four compass points, and breathe into these who’ve been killed, so they’ll come to life.’ ”

10 So I prophesied just like I was commanded. Then breath came into them and they came to life. Then they stood on their feet—a very large army.

11 Then Yahweh informed me, “Humanity’s child, these bones are the entire Israeli population. Listen, they’re saying, ‘Our bones have dried up and our hope is gone. We’ve been cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and tell them, ‘The master Yahweh says this: Listen, I’ll open your graves and lift you, my people, out from them, then I’ll bring you back to Yisrael. 13 Then, my people, when I open your graves and bring you out of them, you’ll know that I am Yahweh. 14 I’ll place my spirit within you so you’ll live, and I’ll cause you to rest in your land when you know that I am Yahweh. I declare it, and I will do it. That is Yahweh’s declaration.’ ”

15 Then Yahweh gave me another message: 16 “So now, humanity’s child, take a stick for yourself and write on it, ‘For Yehudah and for all their associated people.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Yisrael (represented by Yosef (Joseph), the branch of Efrayim), and for all their associated people.’ 17 Then hold both of them together so that they seem like one stick in your hand. 18 When your people ask you and insist, ‘Aren’t you going to tell us what these props of yours mean?’ 19 then tell them, ‘The master Yahweh says this: Look, I’m taking Yosef’s branch that’s in Efrayim’s hand along with the tribes of Yisrael his companions, and joining it to Yehudah’s branch, so that they’ll make one branch, and they’ll become one in my hand.’

20 Hold the branches in your hand that you wrote on while they watched. 21 Tell the people, ‘The master Yahweh says this: Look, I’m about to take the Israeli people out from the nations where they went. I’ll gather them from the surrounding lands and bring them back to their land. 22 I’ll unite them as a single nation in the land, on the mountains of Yisrael, and there’ll be one king as king over all of them, and they’ll no longer be two nations—they’ll no longer be divided into two kingdoms. 23 Then they’ll no longer defile themselves with their idols, with their disgusting things, or with any of their other sins. I’ll save them from all of their faithless actions[fn] with which they’ve sinned, and I’ll purify them so they’ll be my people and I’ll be their god. 24 My servant David will be king over them, so there’ll be one shepherd over them all, and they’ll follow my instructions and keep my regulations and obey them.[ref] 25 They’ll live in the land that I’ve given to my servant Yakov (Jacob, also called Yisrael/Israel), where your ancestors had stayed. They’ll live in it forever—they, their children, and their grandchildren, and my servant David will be their permanent leader. 26 I’ll establish a peace treaty with them—a never-ending agreement with them. I’ll establish them and multiply them and put my sacred place among them forever. 27 My residence will be with them—I’ll be their god, and they’ll be my people.[ref] 28 Then the other nations will know that I am Yahweh who sets Yisrael apart, when my sacred place is permanently among them.’ ”