Ezekiel 37

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

God's powerful presence enveloped me, transporting me spiritually to a valley filled with bones.

And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

He led me around them; there were countless in the open valley, and they were all incredibly parched.

And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

He asked me, "Human, can these bones come alive?" I responded, "Only you know that, Lord."

Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

He urged me again, "Speak life into these lifeless bones, tell them, 'Listen, you barren bones, to the divine message of the LORD.'"

Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

The Lord God speaks to these bones with a promise, "I will breathe life into you, and you will come alive."

And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

I will rebuild you, piece by piece, restoring your strength and flesh. I will cloak you in skin, breathe life into you, and you will thrive. In this, you will truly understand that I am your God.

So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

As I bravely spoke the divine words, a startling sound echoed. Suddenly, a tremor surged, and miraculously, the scattered bones began to assemble, each finding its perfect match.

And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

As I watched, I saw muscles and flesh form on their bodies, and skin enveloped them. Yet, they remained lifeless, without a breath.

Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

He told me, "Speak to the wind, son of man. Tell it, 'The Lord commands you, wind from all directions, breathe life into these lifeless bodies, so they may live again.'"

So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

As instructed, I spoke the prophecy, and life surged into them. They rose, standing tall, forming an incredibly powerful army.

Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.

He told me, "Human, these bones represent all of Israel. Listen, they say, 'We're dried up, hopeless, and completely abandoned.'"

Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

So, speak out and tell them, "The Lord God declares, 'Listen, my people, I will open your graves, bring you up out of them, and guide you back to the homeland of Israel.'"

And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,

You will truly realize that I am God, when I open your graves, my beloved people, and bring you up out of them.

And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

I will breathe my spirit into you, giving you life. I will return you to your homeland. Then, you will truly understand that I, the Lord, have promised and fulfilled this.

The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

Once more, I felt the divine whisper of the LORD, speaking to me, saying,

Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions:

Listen, human, take a piece of wood and write on it, 'For Judah and his Israeli kin.' Then, grab another piece and write, 'For Joseph, Ephraim's branch, and his Israeli family.'

And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

Unite them together as one; they will merge into a single entity in your grasp.

And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

When your people ask you, "Can you explain what you mean by these?"

Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

Tell them this: The Lord God says, "See, I will take Joseph's branch, held by Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel that stand with him. I will join them with Judah's branch, uniting them into one. They will become one in my hand."

And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

The rods you've inscribed will be held in your hand, visible for all to see.

And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:

Tell them this: The Lord God promises, "I will find the children of Israel, no matter where they've been scattered among the nations. I will gather them from all corners and guide them back to their homeland."

And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.

I will unite them as one nation on Israel's hills; they will have one ruler. They will no longer be two separate nations or divided into two kingdoms.

Neither shall they 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 dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.

They will no longer tarnish their souls with false idols or sinful actions. I will rescue them from the places where they've sinned and purify them. They will be my cherished people, and I will be their loving God.

And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.

David, my loyal servant, will rule over them as their one true leader. They will follow my guidance, respect my laws, and live by them.

And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.

They will live in the land I promised to my servant Jacob, the same land where your ancestors lived. They, their kids, and their grandkids will live there forever. My servant David will always be their leader.

Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

I promise to make a lasting peace agreement with them. I'll increase their numbers and establish my sacred place among them forever.

My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

I will live among them, indeed, I will be their guiding light, and they will be my cherished family.

And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

Non-believers will realize that I, the Lord, have blessed Israel when they see my sacred place forever standing among them.