1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley, and it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, and indeed, they were very dry.

3 Then He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones come to life?”

“O Lord GOD,” I replied, “only You know.”

4 And He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and tell them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Lord GOD says to these bones: I will cause breath * Or spirit; also in verses 6, 9, and 10 to enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh grow upon you and cover you with skin. I will put breath within you so that you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ”

7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded. And as I prophesied, there was suddenly a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 As I looked on, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them.

9 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and tell the breath that this is what the Lord GOD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, so that they may live!”

10 So I prophesied as He had commanded me, and the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet—a vast army.

11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look, they are saying, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off.’

12 Therefore prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘O My people, I will open your graves and bring you up from them, and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, My people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put My Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.’ ”

15 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 16 “And you, son of man, take a single stick † Or one branch; also in verses 17, 19, and 20 and write on it: ‘Belonging to Judah and to the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another stick and write on it: ‘Belonging to Joseph—the stick of Ephraim—and to all the house of Israel associated with him.’ 17 Then join them together into one stick, so that they become one in your hand.

18 When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you explain to us what you mean by these?’ 19 you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and I will put them together with the stick of Judah. I will make them into a single stick, and they will become one in My hand.’

20 When the sticks on which you write are in your hand and in full view of the people, 21 you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take the Israelites out of the nations to which they have gone, and I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land. 22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them. Then they will no longer be two nations and will never again be divided into two kingdoms.

23 They will no longer defile themselves with their idols or detestable images, or with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned,‡ Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also LXX); most Hebrew manuscripts all their dwelling places where they sinned and I will cleanse them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God. 24 My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow My ordinances and keep and observe My statutes.

25 They will live in the land that I gave to My servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They will live there forever with their children and grandchildren, and My servant David will be their prince forever. 26 And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary among them forever. 27 My dwelling place § Or My tabernacle will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people.* Cited in 2 Corinthians 6:16 28 Then the nations will know that I the LORD sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is among them forever.’ ”