Ezekiel

The Bones and the Spirit

The hand of the Lord was upon me. He brought me out and led me in spirit to the middle of the valley, which was full of bones.

He made me walk back and forth among them, and I saw there was a large number of bones on the ground throughout the valley; and they were very dry.

The Lord said to me: “Son of man, can these bones live again?” I replied: “Lord God, only You know that.”

He then said: “Speak on my behalf concerning these bones; say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!

The Lord says: I am going to put spirit in you and make you live.

I will put sinews on you and make flesh grow on you; I will cover you with skin and give you my Spirit so that you may live. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

I prophesied as I had been commanded, and then, there was a noise and commotion; the bones joined together.

I looked and saw that they had sinews, and flesh was growing on them; and that he was covering them with skin. But there was no spirit in them.

So the Lord said to me: “Speak on my behalf and call on the spirit, son of man! Say to the spirit: This is the word of the Lord: spirit, come from the four winds. Breathe into these dead bones and let them live!”

I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life, standing on their feet—a great, vast army!

He then said to me: “Son of man, these bones are all Israel. They keep saying: ‘Our bones are dry, hope has gone, it is the end of us.’

So prophesy! Say to them: This is what the Lord says: I am going to open your tombs; I will bring you out of your tombs, my people; and lead you back to the land of Israel.

You will know that I am the Lord, O my people! When I open your graves and bring you out of your graves,

when I put my spirit in you, and you live. I will settle you in your land, and you will know that I, the Lord, have done what I said I would do.”

The Two Sticks

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, take a piece of wood and write on it: ‘Judah and the Israelites loyal to him.’

Take another piece of wood and write: ‘Joseph, the branch of Ephraim, and the Israelites loyal to him.’

Join one to the other to make a single piece of wood in your hand.

When your people say to you, ‘Won’t you tell us what this means?’

Say to them: The Lord says this: I am going to take the branch of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, along with the tribes of Israel loyal to him, and put Judah’s branch with them, so they will be as one in my hand.

And you will then hold in your hand, in their sight, the pieces of wood on which you wrote.

You will then say to them: Thus says the Lord: I am about to bring the Israelites from where they are among the nations. I will gather them from all around and bring them back to their land.

I will make them into one people on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king over them all. They will no longer form two nations or be two separate kingdoms,

nor will they defile themselves again with their idols, their detestable practices, and their sins. I will free them from the guilt of their treachery; I will cleanse them, and they will be my people, and I will be God for them.

My servant David will reign over them, serving as one shepherd for all. They will live according to my laws and follow my decrees.

They will settle in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, where their ancestors dwelled. There, they will live forever—along with their children and grandchildren. David, my servant, will be their prince forever.

I will establish a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting Covenant. I will settle them, and they will increase; I will put my Sanctuary among them forever.

I will make my home with them, and they will be my people, and I will be their God.

Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who makes Israel holy, having my Sanctuary among them forever.