⁸ The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate^(A) him because he never prophesies anything good^(B) about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

“The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied.

The Suffering and Glory of the Servant

² “This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague,^(A) but whoever goes over to the Babylonians^[a] will live. They will escape with their lives; they will live.’^{(B) 3} And this is what the Lord says: ‘This city will certainly be given into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.’”^(C)

⁴ Then the officials^(D) said to the king, “This man should be put to death.^(E) He is discouraging^(F) the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.”

³ He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.^(A)”

⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!^{(B) 5} This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath^[a] enter you, and you will come to life.^{(C) 6} I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.^(D)’”

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

⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath;^(E) prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds^(F) and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded^(G) me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.^(H)

¹¹ Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’^{(I) 12} Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.^{(J) 13} Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord,^(K) when I open your graves and bring you up from them.^{(L) 14} I will put my Spirit^(M) in you and you will live, and I will settle^(N) you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.^(O)’”