| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1The LORD laid his hand on me and brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD to the middle of a valley that was filled with bones. | 1The hand of the LORD was on me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. |
| 2He led me here and there throughout the valley, and I was amazed to see that the surface of the entire valley was covered with myriads of very dry bones! | 2He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry. |
| 3The LORD asked me, "Son of Man, will these bones ever live?" "Lord GOD," I replied, "you know the answer to that!" | 3Then He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I replied, "Lord GOD, only You know." |
| 4Then the LORD told me, "Prophesy to these bones. Tell them: 'You dry bones, listen to the message from the LORD: " | 4He said to me, "Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! |
| 5This is what the Lord GOD says to you dry bones! 'Pay attention! I'm bringing my Spirit into you right now, and you're going to live! | 5This is what the Lord GOD says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live. |
| 6I'm going to grow tendons on you, regenerate your flesh, cover you with skin, and make you breathe again so that you can come back to life and learn that I am the LORD.'"'" | 6I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am Yahweh." |
| 7So I prophesied, just as I had been ordered to do so. Immediately there was a noise and a rattling—and then all of a sudden the bones came together by themselves! Each bone came together, all of them attached together! | 7So I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. |
| 8As I continued to watch, I saw tendons growing on the bones, and muscles growing and covering them, and then skin covered the flesh from above. But the bodies weren't breathing. | 8As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. |
| 9Then he ordered me, "Prophesy to the Spirit, Son of Man. Tell the Spirit, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: "Come from the four winds, you Spirit, and breathe into these people who have been killed, so they will live."'" | 9He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord GOD says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!" |
| 10So I prophesied as I had been ordered, breath entered them, and they began to live. They stood on their own feet as a vast, united army. | 10So I prophesied as He commanded me; the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army. |
| 11"These bones represent the entire house of Israel," the LORD explained to me. "Look how they keep saying, 'Our bones are dried up, and our future is lost. We've been completely eliminated!' | 11Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look how they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off.' |
| 12"Therefore prophesy to them, and tell them, 'Watch me! I'm going to open your graves, lift you out of those graves, and bring my people back into the land of Israel. | 12Therefore, prophesy and say to them: This is what the Lord GOD says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them, My people, and lead you into the land of Israel. |
| 13Then you'll learn that I am the LORD, when I've opened your graves and caused you to come up out of them, my people. | 13You will know that I am Yahweh, My people, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. |
| 14I'm going to place my Spirit in you all, and you will live. I'll place you all into your land, and you'll learn that I, the LORD, have been speaking and doing this,' declares the LORD.'" | 14I will put My Spirit in you, and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. I have spoken, and I will do it." This is the declaration of the LORD. |
| 15A message came to me from the LORD, and this is what it was: | 15The word of the LORD came to me: " |
| 16"Now as for you, Son of Man, grab a stick of wood for yourself and write on it these words: 'FOR JUDAH AND THE ISRAELIS, HIS COMPANIONS' "Then grab another stick and write on it: 'FOR JOSEPH, THE STICK OF EPHRAIM, AND ALL THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL, HIS COMPANIONS' | 16Son of man, take a single stick and write on it: 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. |
| 17"Then join them together end-to-end so that they become a single baton in your hand. | 17Then join them together into a single stick so that they become one in your hand. |
| 18When the descendants of your people ask you, 'Would you please explain to us what you mean by this?' | 18When your people ask you, 'Won't you explain to us what you mean by these things?'-- |
| 19you are to tell them, 'This is what the LORD says: "Watch me! I'm taking the baton that represents Joseph, which Ephraim is holding in his hand, along with his companions the tribes of Israel, and I'm going to join them with the baton that represents Judah. I'm making them a single baton, that is, a complete baton in my hand." | 19tell 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"The batons on which you engrave your writing are to remain right in front of them in your hand. | 20When the sticks you have written on are in your hand and in full view of the people, |
| 21Then tell them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: "Watch me take the Israelis out of the nations where they've gone and return them from every direction. I'm going to bring them back into their own land. | 21tell them: This is what the Lord GOD says: I am going to take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land. |
| 22I'm going to make them a united people in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and I'll set a single king to rule over them. They'll never again be two separate people. They'll never again be divided into two kingdoms. | 22I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them. They will no longer be two nations and will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. |
| 23They will never again defile themselves with their idols, with other loathsome things, or with any of their sins. Instead, I will deliver them from all of the places where they have sinned, and then I'll cleanse them. They will be my people and I will be their God."'" | 23They will not defile themselves anymore with their idols, their detestable things, and all their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God. |
| 24"'"My servant King David will be there for them, and one shepherd will be appointed for them. They will live according to my decrees, keep my regulations, and practice them. | 24My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow My ordinances, and keep My statutes and obey them." |
| 25They will live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob and on which your ancestors lived. They will live in that land, along with their children and grandchildren, forever. David my servant will be their everlasting leader. | 25They will live in the land that I gave to My servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They will live in it forever with their children and grandchildren, and My servant David will be their prince forever. |
| 26I'll make a secure covenant with them, one that will last forever. I will establish them, make them increase in population, and will place my sanctuary in their midst forever. | 26I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. I will establish and multiply them and will set My sanctuary among them forever. |
| 27I will pitch my tent among them and will be their God. They will be my people, | 27My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people. |
| 28and the nations will learn that I, the LORD, am the sanctifier of Israel when I place my sanctuary in their midst forever."'" | 28When My sanctuary is among them forever, the nations will know that I, Yahweh, sanctify Israel." |
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