The Reunification of Israel

15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 “Son of man, take a single stick and write on it:(A) Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him. Then take another stick and write on it: Belonging to Joseph—the stick of Ephraim—and all the house of Israel associated with him.(B) 17 Then join them together into a single stick so that they become one in your hand.(C) 18 When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you explain to us what you mean by these things?’—(D) 19 tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and put them together with the stick of Judah. I will make them into a single stick so that they become one in my hand.’

20 “When the sticks you have written on are in your hand and in full view of the people,(E) 21 tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am going to take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone.(F) I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land. 22 I will make them one nation in the land,(G) on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them.(H) They will no longer be two nations and will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. 23 They will not defile themselves anymore with their idols,(I) their abhorrent things, and all their transgressions.(J) I will save them from all their apostasies by which[a] they sinned,(K) and I will cleanse them. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God.(L)

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Notas al pie

  1. 37:23 Some Hb mss, LXX, Sym; other Hb mss read their settlements where

Reunion of Israel and Judah

15 Again a message came to me from the Lord: 16 “Son of man, take a piece of wood and carve on it these words: ‘This represents Judah and its allied tribes.’ Then take another piece and carve these words on it: ‘This represents Ephraim and the northern tribes of Israel.’[a] 17 Now hold them together in your hand as if they were one piece of wood. 18 When your people ask you what your actions mean, 19 say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take Ephraim and the northern tribes and join them to Judah. I will make them one piece of wood in my hand.’

20 “Then hold out the pieces of wood you have inscribed, so the people can see them. 21 And give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: I will gather the people of Israel from among the nations. I will bring them home to their own land from the places where they have been scattered. 22 I will unify them into one nation on the mountains of Israel. One king will rule them all; no longer will they be divided into two nations or into two kingdoms. 23 They will never again pollute themselves with their idols[b] and vile images and rebellion, for I will save them from their sinful apostasy.[c] I will cleanse them. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.

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Notas al pie

  1. 37:16 Hebrew This is Ephraim’s wood, representing Joseph and all the house of Israel; similarly in 37:19.
  2. 37:23a The Hebrew term (literally round things) probably alludes to dung.
  3. 37:23b As in many Hebrew manuscripts and Greek version; Masoretic Text reads from all their dwelling places where they sinned.