Ezekiel 37:1-14

New International Version

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) ²He 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. ³He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

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

⁴Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!^(F) ⁵This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath^[a] enter you, and you will come to life.^(G) ⁶I 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)’”

⁷So 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. ⁸I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

⁹Then 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.’” ¹⁰So 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)

¹¹Then 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) ¹²Therefore 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) ¹³Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord,^(O) when I open your graves and bring you up from them.^(P) ¹⁴I 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)’”

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Footnotes

Ezekiel 37:5 The Hebrew for this word can also mean wind or spirit (see verses 6-14).

Psalm 107:1-8

New International Version

BOOK V

Psalms 107–150

Psalm 107

¹Give thanks to the Lord,^(A) for he is good;^(B)
his love endures forever.

²Let the redeemed^(C) of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
³those he gathered^(D) from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.^[a]

⁴Some wandered in desert^(E) wastelands,
    finding no way to a city^(F) where they could settle.
⁵They were hungry^(G) and thirsty,^(H)
    and their lives ebbed away.
⁶Then they cried out^(I) to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
⁷He led them by a straight way^(J)
    to a city^(K) where they could settle.
⁸Let them give thanks^(L) to the Lord for his unfailing love^(M)
    and his wonderful deeds^(N) for mankind,

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Footnotes

Psalm 107:3 Hebrew north and the sea

Matthew 22:34-40

New International Version

The Greatest Commandment^(A)

³⁴Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,^(B) the Pharisees got together. ³⁵One of them, an expert in the law,^(C) tested him with this question: ³⁶“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

³⁷Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[a]^(D) ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]^(E) ⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”^(F)