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A Valley of Dry Bones

37 The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”

“O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”

Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.

Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”

10 So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.

11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ 12 Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. 14 I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”

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The Valley of Dry Bones

37 (A)The hand of the Lord was upon me, and (B)he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley;[a] it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, (C)“Son of man, (D)can these bones live?” And (E)I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, (F)“Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, (G)O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause (H)breath[b] to enter you, and you shall live. (I)And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and (J)cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, (K)and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

So I prophesied (L)as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, (M)a rattling,[c] and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But (N)there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, (O)“Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, (P)son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from (Q)the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied (R)as he commanded me, and (S)the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

11 Then he said to me, (T)“Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and (U)our hope is lost; (V)we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore (W)prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, (X)I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And (Y)I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And (Z)you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And (AA)I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; (AB)I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 37:1 Or plain; also verse 2
  2. Ezekiel 37:5 Or spirit; also verses 6, 9, 10
  3. Ezekiel 37:7 Or an earthquake (compare 3:12, 13)

Psalm 130

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

From the depths of despair, O Lord,
    I call for your help.
Hear my cry, O Lord.
    Pay attention to my prayer.

Lord, if you kept a record of our sins,
    who, O Lord, could ever survive?
But you offer forgiveness,
    that we might learn to fear you.

I am counting on the Lord;
    yes, I am counting on him.
    I have put my hope in his word.
I long for the Lord
    more than sentries long for the dawn,
    yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.

O Israel, hope in the Lord;
    for with the Lord there is unfailing love.
    His redemption overflows.
He himself will redeem Israel
    from every kind of sin.

My Soul Waits for the Lord

A Song of (A)Ascents.

130 Out of (B)the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
    O Lord, hear my voice!
(C)Let your ears be attentive
    to (D)the voice of my pleas for mercy!

If you, O Lord, should (E)mark iniquities,
    O Lord, who could (F)stand?
But with you there is (G)forgiveness,
    (H)that you may be feared.

I (I)wait for the Lord, (J)my soul waits,
    and (K)in his word I hope;
my soul (L)waits for the Lord
    more than (M)watchmen for (N)the morning,
    more than watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, (O)hope in the Lord!
    For (P)with the Lord there is steadfast love,
    and with him is plentiful redemption.
And he will (Q)redeem Israel
    from all his iniquities.

So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life[a] because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

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Footnotes

  1. 8:10 Or your spirit is alive.

For to set (A)the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is (B)hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; (C)indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact (D)the Spirit of God dwells in you. (E)Anyone who does not have (F)the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of (G)him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus[a] from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies (H)through his Spirit who dwells in you.

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 8:11 Some manuscripts lack Jesus

The Raising of Lazarus

11 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair.[a] Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”

But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days. Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”

But his disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the people[b] in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”

Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. 10 But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.” 11 Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”

12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” 13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.

14 So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”

16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin,[c] said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”

17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 18 Bethany was only a few miles[d] down the road from Jerusalem, 19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. 20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”

25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.[e] Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” 28 Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” 29 So Mary immediately went to him.

30 Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. 31 When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. 32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him,[f] and he was deeply troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked them.

They told him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Then Jesus wept. 36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”

38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. 39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.

But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

45 Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen.

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Footnotes

  1. 11:2 This incident is recorded in chapter 12.
  2. 11:8 Greek Jewish people; also in 11:19, 31, 33, 36, 45, 54.
  3. 11:16 Greek Thomas, who was called Didymus.
  4. 11:18 Greek was about 15 stadia [about 2.8 kilometers].
  5. 11:25 Some manuscripts do not include and the life.
  6. 11:33 Or he was angry in his spirit.

The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of (A)Mary and her sister Martha. (B)It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, (C)he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, (D)“This illness does not lead to death. It is for (E)the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Now (F)Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus[a] was ill, (G)he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, (H)“Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, (I)“Rabbi, (J)the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, (K)“Are there not twelve hours in the day? (L)If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But (M)if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not (N)in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus (O)has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 (P)So Thomas, called the Twin,[b] said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, (Q)that we may die with him.”

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb (R)four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles[c] off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary (S)to console them concerning their brother. 20 (T)So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to (U)Jesus, “Lord, (V)if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, (W)God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 (X)Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in (Y)the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, (Z)“I am the resurrection and (AA)the life.[d] Whoever believes in me, (AB)though he die, (AC)yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me (AD)shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; (AE)I believe that (AF)you are the Christ, the Son of God, (AG)who is coming into the world.”

Jesus Weeps

28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, (AH)“The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews (AI)who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, (AJ)“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he (AK)was deeply moved[e] in his spirit and (AL)greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 (AM)Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See (AN)how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he (AO)who opened the eyes of the blind man (AP)also have kept this man from dying?”

Jesus Raises Lazarus

38 Then Jesus, (AQ)deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was (AR)a cave, and (AS)a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for (AT)he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, (AU)“Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see (AV)the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus (AW)lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 (AX)I knew that you always hear me, but I said this (AY)on account of the people standing around, (AZ)that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 (BA)The man who had died came out, (BB)his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and (BC)his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

45 (BD)Many of the Jews therefore, (BE)who had come with Mary and (BF)had seen what he did, believed in him,

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Footnotes

  1. John 11:6 Greek he; also verse 17
  2. John 11:16 Greek Didymus
  3. John 11:18 Greek fifteen stadia; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters
  4. John 11:25 Some manuscripts omit and the life
  5. John 11:33 Or was indignant; also verse 38