Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones

1The hand of Yahweh was upon me, and He brought me out [†]by the Spirit of Yahweh and caused me to rest in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2He caused me to pass among them all around, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and behold, they were very dry. 3He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord Yahweh, You know.” 4Then He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of Yahweh.’ 5Thus says Lord Yahweh to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause [†]breath to enter you that you may come to life. 6I will put sinews on you, make flesh come up upon you, cover you with skin, and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am Yahweh.’”

7So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a [†]noise, and behold, a rumbling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh came up upon them, and skin 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, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Come from the four [†]winds, O breath, and breathe on these who were killed, that they may come to life.”’” 10So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great military force.

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 has perished. We are [†]completely cut off.’ 12Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. 14And I will put My [†]Spirit within you, and you will come to life, and I will [†]place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken and done it,” declares Yahweh.’”

Israel Will No Longer be Divided

15The word of Yahweh came again to me saying, 16“Now as for 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 another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.’ 17Then draw them together for yourself one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. 18And when the sons of your people speak to you saying, ‘Will you not declare to us what you mean by these?’ 19say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, 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.”’ 20And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. 21And speak to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; 22and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms. 23They also will no longer defile themselves with their idols or with their detestable things or with any of their transgressions; but I will save them from all their [†]places of habitation in which they have sinned, and I will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God.

Yahweh Cuts a Covenant

24“And My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My judgments and keep My statutes and do them. 25They will inhabit the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, which your fathers inhabited; and they will inhabit it, they, and their sons and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever. 26And I will cut a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will give them the land and multiply them and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. 27My [†]dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. 28And the nations will know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.”’”