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,

1God's power came on me. God's Spirit took me away and set me down in a valley. The valley was full of bones.

2And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

2He walked me all around them. I saw a huge number of bones lying there. They were very dry.

3And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

3He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live again?" I said, "Lord GOD, only you know."

Note"Son of man" is how God speaks to Ezekiel all through this book. It simply means "human being."

4Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

4Then He said, "Speak my words to these bones. Say, 'Dry bones, listen to what the LORD says."

5Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

5"This is what the Lord GOD says to these bones: I will put breath in you. Then you will live."

6And 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.

6"I will put cords and muscles on you. I will grow flesh on you. I will cover you with skin. I will put breath in you, and you will live. Then you will know that I am the LORD."

7So 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.

7So I spoke, just as I was told. While I spoke, there was a noise and a rattling. The bones came together, each bone joined to its own bone.

8And 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.

8As I watched, cords and muscles grew on them. Flesh grew, and skin covered them. But they still had no breath in them.

9Then 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.

9Then He said to me, "Speak to the breath. Speak, son of man. Say to the breath, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: Come from all four directions, breath. Breathe on these dead people so they can live.'"

NoteThe same Hebrew word can mean breath, wind, or spirit. "The four winds" means the wind from every direction.

10So 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.

10So I spoke, just as He told me. The breath came into them. They came alive and stood up on their feet. They were a very large army.

11Then 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.

11Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are all the people of Israel. They keep saying, 'Our bones are dried up. Our hope is gone. We are finished.'"

12Therefore 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.

12"So speak my words to them. Say, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: My people, I will open your graves. I will bring you up out of them. I will bring you back to the land of Israel.'"

13And 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,

13"Then you will know that I am the LORD. You will know it when I open your graves and bring you up, my people."

14And 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.

14"I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live. I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, said this and did it. That is what the LORD says."

15The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

15The LORD's message came to me again. He said:

16Moreover, 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:

16"Son of man, take one stick. Write on it, 'For Judah and the Israelites who are with him.' Then take another stick. Write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and all the Israelites who are with him.'"

NoteJudah and Joseph stand for the two halves of Israel, which had split into two kingdoms. Ephraim was the biggest tribe in the northern half.

17And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

17"Then join the two sticks together to make one stick. They will become one in your hand."

18And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

18"Your people will ask you, 'Will you tell us what you mean by these sticks?'"

19Say 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.

19"Tell them this is what the Lord GOD says: 'I will take Joseph's stick, held by Ephraim, along with the tribes of Israel who are with him. I will put them with Judah's stick. I will make them one stick. They will be one in my hand.'"

20And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

20"Hold the sticks you wrote on in your hand. Let the people see them."

21And 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:

21"Then say to them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: I will take the people of Israel out of the nations where they went. I will gather them from every side. I will bring them into their own land.'"

22And 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:

22"I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. One king will rule them all. They will never again be two nations or two kingdoms."

23Neither 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.

23"They will not make themselves dirty again with their idols or their awful statues or their sins. I will save them from all the ways they turned away and sinned. I will make them clean. They will be my people, and I will be their God."

24And 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.

24"My servant David will be king over them. They will all have one shepherd. They will follow my rules and carefully obey my laws."

25And 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.

25"They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, where their fathers lived. They and their children and their grandchildren will live there forever. My servant David will be their leader forever."

26Moreover 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.

26"I will make an agreement of peace with them. It will be an agreement that lasts forever. I will settle them and make them many. I will put my holy place among them forever."

27My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

27"My home will be with them. I will be their God, and they will be my people."

28And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

28"Then the other nations will know that I, the LORD, set Israel apart as mine. They will know it when my holy place stands among them forever."