Ezekiel 37:15-23

The Voice

Eternal One: ¹⁶ Son of man, find a stick and write these words on it: “For Judah and the people of Israel associated with him.” Then go find another stick, and write these words on it: “For Joseph—the stick of Ephraim—and the entire community of Israel associated with him.” ¹⁷ Now take both sticks and join them together in your hand as if they are one. ¹⁸ When your compatriots question you about what you are doing, asking, “Will you not tell us plainly what these actions mean?” ¹⁹ tell them I say, “Watch as I take Joseph’s stick (the one held by Ephraim) and the ten Israelite tribes of the North, your compatriots, and put it end to end with Judah’s stick. The two sticks will become one in My hand.” ²⁰ Make sure the people are able to see what you have written on each stick. ²¹ Then tell them what I say: “Look! I’m gathering the Israelites up from the countries where they’ve been scattered and putting them back in their own land.” ²² I will form them into one nation upon Israel’s mountains, and they will live under the reign of one king. They will no longer live as two separate peoples, split into two different kingdoms. ²³ From then on, they will not defile themselves with idols and abhorrent images and strange perversions. I will rescue them from all the places where they’ve lived and sinned. I will make them pure and clean again! They will be My people, and I will be their God.