| New International Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. | 1The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley, and it was full of bones. |
| 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. | 2He led me all around among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, and indeed, they were very dry. |
| 3He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "Sovereign LORD, you alone know." | 3Then He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones come to life?” “O Lord GOD,” I replied, “only You know.” |
| 4Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! | 4And He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and tell them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! |
| 5This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. | 5This is what the Lord GOD says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will come to life. |
| 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.'" | 6I will attach tendons to you and make flesh grow upon you and cover you with skin. I will put breath within you so that you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ” |
| 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. | 7So I prophesied as I had been commanded. And as I prophesied, there was suddenly a noise, a rattling, 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. | 8As I looked on, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. |
| 9Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'" | 9Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and tell the breath that this is what the Lord GOD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, so that they may live!” |
| 10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet--a vast army. | 10So I prophesied as He had commanded me, and the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet—a vast army. |
| 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.' | 11Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look, they are saying, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off.’ |
| 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. | 12Therefore prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘O My people, I will open your graves and bring you up from them, and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. |
| 13Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. | 13Then you, My people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. |
| 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 the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, 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, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.’ ” |
| 15The word of the LORD came to me: | 15Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, |
| 16"Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it, 'Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him.' Then take another stick of wood, and write on it, 'Belonging to Joseph (that is, to Ephraim) and all the Israelites associated with him.' | 16“And you, son of man, take a single stick and write on it: ‘Belonging to Judah and to the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another stick and write on it: ‘Belonging to Joseph—the stick of Ephraim—and to all the house of Israel associated with him.’ |
| 17Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand. | 17Then join them together into one stick, so that they become one in your hand. |
| 18"When your people ask you, 'Won't you tell us what you mean by this?' | 18When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you explain to us what you mean by these?’ |
| 19say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph--which is in Ephraim's hand--and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah's stick. I will make them into a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.' | 19you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and I will put them together with the stick of Judah. I will make them into a single stick, and they will become one in My hand.’ |
| 20Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on | 20When the sticks on which you write are in your hand and in full view of the people, |
| 21and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. | 21you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take the Israelites out of the nations to which they have gone, and I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land. |
| 22I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or 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. Then they will no longer be two nations and will never again be divided into two kingdoms. |
| 23They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God. | 23They will no longer defile themselves with their idols or detestable images, or with any of 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 David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. | 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 and observe My statutes. |
| 25They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children's children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. | 25They will live in the land that I gave to My servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They will live there forever with their children and grandchildren, and My servant David will be their prince forever. |
| 26I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. | 26And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary among them forever. |
| 27My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. | 27My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people. |
| 28Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.'" | 28Then the nations will know that I the LORD sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is among them forever.’ ” |
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