A Valley of Dried Bones; A Renewed Nation of Israel

37 The hand of Yahweh was upon me, and he brought me by the Spirit of Yahweh, and he let me rest^[a] in the midst of the valley, and it was full of bones. ² And he led me all around^[b] over them, and look, very many on the surface of the valley, and look, very dry. ³ And he said to me, “Son of man,^[c] can these bones live?” And I said, “Lord Yahweh, you know.” ⁴ And he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and you must say to them, to the dry bones, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh! ⁵ Thus says the Lord Yahweh to these bones: “Look! I am bringing into you breath, and you will live! ⁶ And I will lay on you sinews, and I will let flesh come upon you, and I will cover you over with skin, and I will put breath into you, and you will live, and you will know that I am Yahweh.”’”

⁷ And I prophesied just as^[d] I had been commanded, and there was a sound at my prophesying, and look! A rattling, and they came together—the bones! Bone to its bone! ⁸ And I looked, and indeed, sinews were on them, and flesh went up,^[e] and skin covered over^[f] them upward,^[g] but breath was not in them. ⁹ And he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man,^[h] and you must say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh from the four winds,^[i] “Come, O spirit and breath, on these dead ones, so that they may live!”’” ¹⁰ And I prophesied as^[j] he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they became alive, and they stood on their feet, a very, very large group.

¹¹ And he said to me, “Son of man,^[k] these bones are all of the house of Israel; look! they are saying, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is destroyed; we are cut off as far as we are concerned.’^{[l] 12} Therefore prophesy, and you must say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I am opening your graves, and I will bring you up from your graves, my people, and I will bring you to the land of Israel! ¹³ And you will know that I am Yahweh when I open your graves when I bring you up from your graves, my people! ¹⁴ And I will put my breath into you so that you may live, and I will cause you to rest on your soil, and you will know that I, Yahweh, I have spoken, and I will act!”’ declares^[m] Yahweh.”