¶ The hand of the LORD came upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and let me down in a plain field, that lay full of bones,
and he led me round about by them: and behold, the bones that lay upon the field, were very many, and marvelous dry also.
Then said he unto me: Thou son of man: thinkest thou these bones may live again? And I answered: O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
And he said unto me: Prophesy thou upon these bones, and speak unto them: Ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
Thus sayeth the Lord GOD unto these bones: Behold, I will put breath into you, that ye may live:
I will give yow sinowes, and make flesh grow upon you, and cover you over with skin: and so give you breath, that ye may live, and know, that I am the LORD.
So I prophesied, as he had commanded me: and as I was prophesying, there came a noise and a great motion, so that the bones ran every one to another.
Now when I had looked, behold, they had sinews, and flesh grew upon them: and above they were covered with skin, but there was no breath in them.
Then said he unto me: Thou son of man, prophesy thou toward the wind: prophesy, and speak to the wind: Thus sayeth the Lord GOD: Come (O thou air) from the four winds, and blow upon these slain, that they may be restored to life.
So I prophesied, as he had commanded me: then came the breath into them and they received life, and stood up upon their feet, a marvelous great sorte.
Moreover, he said unto me: Thou son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say: Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, we are clean cut off.
Therefore prophesy thou, and speak unto them: thus sayeth the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves (O my people) and take you out of your sepulchers, and bring you into the land of Israel again.
So shall ye know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you out of them.
My spirit also will I put in you, and ye shall live: I will set you again in your own land, and ye shall know, that I am the LORD which have said it, and fulfilled it in deed.
¶ The word of the LORD came unto me, saying:
Thou son of man, take a stick and write upon it: Unto Iudah and to the children of Israel his companions. Then take another stick, and write upon it: Unto Ioseph the stock of Ephraim, and to all the household of Israel his companions.
And then take both these together in thine hand, so shall there be one stick thereof.
Now if the children of thy people say unto thee: wilt thou not shew us, what thou meanest by these?
Then give them this answer: Thus sayeth the Lord GOD: behold, I will take the stock of Ioseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them to the stock of Iudah, and make them one stock, and they shall be one in my hand.
And the two sticks where upon thou writest, shalt thou have in thine hand, that they may see,
and shalt say unto them: Thus sayeth the Lord GOD: behold, I will take away the children of Israel from among the Heathen, unto whom they be gone, and will gather them together on every side, and bring them again into their own land:
Yea I will make one people of them in the land, upon the mountains of Israel, and they all shall have but one king. They shall no more be two peoples from hence forth, neither be devided in to two kingdoms:
they shall also defile themselves no more with their abominations, Idols, and all their wicked doings. I will help them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned: and will so cleanse them, that they shall be my people, and I their God.
David my servant shall be their king, and they all shall have one shepherd only. They shall walk in my laws, and my commandments shall they both keep and fulfill.
They shall dwell in the land, that I gave unto Iacob my servant, where as your fathers also have dwelt. Yea even in the same land shall they, their children, and their children's children dwell for evermore: and my servant David shall be their everlasting prince.
Moreover, I will make a bond of peace with them, which shall be unto them an everlasting covenant. I will satle them also, and multiply them, my Sanctuary will I set among them for evermore.
My dwelling shall be with them, yea I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Thus the Heathen also shall know, that I the LORD am the holy maker of Israel: when my Sanctuary shall be among them for ever more.
Praise the Everlasting Lord for His Faithful Word.