⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid;^(A) do not be discouraged,^(B) for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”^(C)

⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh^(A) but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.^(B) And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,^(C) they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you,^(D) then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life^[a] because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead^(E) is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies^(F) because of^[b] his Spirit who lives in you.

¹² Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.^{(G) 13} For if you live according to the flesh, you will die;^(H) but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body,^(I) you will live.^(J)

¹⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God^(K) are the children of God.^{(L) 15} The Spirit^(M) you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again;^(N) rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.^[c] And by him we cry, “Abba,^[d] Father.”^{(O) 16} The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit^(P) that we are God’s children.^{(Q) 17} Now if we are children, then we are heirs^(R)—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings^(S) in order that we may also share in his glory.^(T)

The Valley of Dry Bones

37 The hand of the Lord was on me,^(A) and he brought me out by the Spirit^(B) of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley;^(C) it was full of bones.^{(D) 2} He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. ³ He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

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

⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!^{(F) 5} This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath^[a] enter you, and you will come to life.^{(G) 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.^(H)’”

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

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.’^{(M) 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.^{(N) 13} Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord,^(O) when I open your graves and bring you up from them.^{(P) 14} I will put my Spirit^(Q) in you and you will live, and I will settle^(R) you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.^(S)’”

⁵ No one will be able to stand against you^(A) all the days of your life. As I was with^(B) Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake^(C) you. ⁶ Be strong^(D) and courageous,^(E) because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors^(F) to give them.

⁷ “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey^(G) all the law^(H) my servant Moses^(I) gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left,^(J) that you may be successful wherever you go.^(K)

⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh^(A) but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.^(B) And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,^(C) they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you,^(D) then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life^[a] because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead^(E) is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies^(F) because of^[b] his Spirit who lives in you.

¹² Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.^{(G) 13} For if you live according to the flesh, you will die;^(H) but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body,^(I) you will live.^(J)

¹⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God^(K) are the children of God.^{(L) 15} The Spirit^(M) you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again;^(N) rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.^[c] And by him we cry, “Abba,^[d] Father.”^{(O) 16} The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit^(P) that we are God’s children.^{(Q) 17} Now if we are children, then we are heirs^(R)—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings^(S) in order that we may also share in his glory.^(T)

⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.^{(A) 6} Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit^[a] gives birth to spirit.^{(B) 7} You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You^[b] must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”^[c](C)