Our Father Breathes Life into Dry Bones
37 1 The hand of our Father came upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of our Father and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them. There were very many on the floor of the valley, and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "Sovereign Father, you know."
4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, Dry bones, hear the word of our Father. 5 This is what the Sovereign Father says to these bones: I am about to bring breath into you, and you will live. 6 I will lay sinews on you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin, and I will put breath in you, and you will live. Then you will know that I am your Father.
7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a noise — a rattling — and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked: sinews were on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, This is what the Sovereign Father says: Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe into these slain, so they may live." 1 1 v9 One and the same word here means breath, wind, and spirit — so it names the four winds, the life-breath called into the dead, and the Spirit our Father pours out in verse 14.
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They are saying, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.' 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, This is what the Sovereign Father says: I will open your graves and raise you up from your graves, my children, and I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you will know that I am your Father, when I open your graves and raise you up from your graves, my children. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I, your Father, have spoken, and I have done it, declares our Father.
Our Father Reunites His Divided Children
15 The word of our Father came to me again:
16 "And you, son of man, take a single stick and write on it, 'For Judah, and for the people of Israel associated with him.' Then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and all the house of Israel associated with him.' 17 And join them together into a single stick, so they become one in your hand.
18 And when your people ask you, 'What do you mean by these?'— 19 say to them, This is what the Sovereign Father says: I am about to take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and I will join them with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, so they will be one in my hand. 20 Hold in your hand the sticks you wrote on, before their eyes. 21 Then say to them, This is what the Sovereign Father says: I am about to take the people of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them to their own land. 22 And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will be king over them all. They will no longer be two nations, and they will never again be divided into two kingdoms. 23 They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and their detestable things and all their rebellions, but I will save them from all the dwellings in which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. They will be my children, and I will be their Father. 24 My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my rules and be careful to keep my statutes. 25 They will live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. 26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set my sanctuary among them forever. 27 My dwelling place will be over them; I will be their Father, and they will be my children. 28 Then the nations will know that I am your Father who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forever."