The Prophet Ezekiel

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- Kapitel 37 -

One day Yahweh gave me another vision. In the vision I felt the power of God on me, and by his Spirit he took me to the middle of a valley. It was full of bones of people who had been killed.

He led me to walk back and forth among those bones. I saw that there were very many bones there, bones that were very dry.

He asked me, “Son of man, do you think that these bones can become living people again?” I replied, “Yahweh my Lord, only you know if that can happen.”

Then he said to me, “Speak a message for me to these bones. Say to them, ’You dry bones, listen to what Yahweh says.

This is what Yahweh the Lord says to you bones: I am going to put my breath into each of you, and you will become alive again.

I will fasten tendons to your bones and cause your bones to be covered with flesh. I will cover the flesh with skin. Then I will breathe into you, and you will become alive. When that happens, you will know that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do.’”

So I spoke to the bones as Yahweh commanded me to speak. As I was speaking, there was a noise, a sound of shaking, and the bones came together, bones joining to each other.

While I was looking, I saw tendons fastening to them and flesh covering them, and then skin covered the flesh, but they were not breathing.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, speak a message for me to the wind. Say to the wind, ‘Wind, Yahweh says to you, blow from all four directions. Breathe into these people who have been killed, in order that they can come alive again!’”

So I said what he commanded me to say, and then breath entered them, and they began to breathe. They became alive and stood up, like a huge army.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent all the Israelite people. The people say, ‘It is as though our bones are dried up; we can hope for nothing good any longer; our nation is destroyed.’

So speak my message to them and say, ’This is what Lord Yahweh says: My people, it will be as though I will open your graves and cause your corpses to become alive again. I will bring you back to Israel.

Then when that happens, you my people will know that I, Yahweh, have done this.

I will put my spirit in you, and it will be as though you will become alive again, and I will enable you to live in your own land again. Then you will know that it is I, Yahweh, who said that it would happen and who has caused it to happen. That is what I, Yahweh, declare.’”

One Nation with One King

Yahweh gave me another message. He said,

“Son of man, take a wooden stick and write on it, ‘This represents Judah and all the tribes of Judah.’ Then take another one and write on it, ‘This represents Israel and all the tribes of Israel.’

Then join them together to become as though they were one larger wooden stick in your hand.

When your fellow Israelites ask you, ‘What does this action mean?’,

tell them, ‘This is what Lord Yahweh says: One of the pieces of wood in Ezekiel’s hand represents Israel and all the tribes of Israel. I am joining it to the piece of wood that represents Judah, to form one stick in his hand.’

Then, Son of man, hold up the pieces of wood that you have written on, in order that the people can see them.

Say to the people, ’This is what Yahweh the Lord says: I will take you Israelite people out of the countries to which you have been forced to go. I will gather you from all those lands, back to your own land.

And I will cause you to again be one nation in your land, on the mountains of Israel. And there will be one king to rule over all of you. Never again will you be two nations or divided into two kingdoms.

No longer will you defile yourselves by worshiping idols and disgusting statues of your gods, because I will enable you to stop sinning and to stop rejecting me. You will be my people, and I will be your God.’

The king who rules over them will always come from the family of King David. David was the one who served me well. There will be one shepherd to watch over them and to take care of all of them. They will carefully obey all my laws.

They will live in the land that I gave to Jacob, who also served me well; they will live in the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their grandchildren will live there forever, and the one who will be like King David will be their king forever.

I will make a covenant with them to give them peace; it will be a covenant that will last forever. I will give them that land again and cause their population to increase. And I will put my temple among them forever.

My home, where I will live, will be among them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Then, when my temple is there again among them, the people of nations will know that I, Yahweh, set apart Israel for my honor.”

The LORD’s hand was on me, and he brought me out in the LORD’s Spirit, and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones.

He caused me to pass by them all around; and behold, there were very many in the open valley, and behold, they were very dry.

He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I answered, “Lord GOD, you know.”

Again he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and tell them, ‘You dry bones, hear the LORD’s word.

The Lord GOD says to these bones: “Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you will live.

I will lay sinews on you, and will bring up flesh on you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you will live. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”’”

So I prophesied as I was commanded. As I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, there was an earthquake. Then the bones came together, bone to its bone.

I saw, and, behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh came up, and skin covered them above; but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and tell the wind, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’”

So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost. We are completely cut off.’

Therefore prophesy, and tell them, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, my people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.

You will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, my people.

I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live. Then I will place you in your own land; and you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,” says the LORD.’”

One Nation with One King

The LORD’s word came again to me, saying,

“You, son of man, take one stick and write on it, ‘For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions.’ Then take another stick, and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions.’

Then join them for yourself to one another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand.

“When the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Won’t you show us what you mean by these?’

tell them, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in my hand.

The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.”’

Say to them, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land.

I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. One king will be king to them all. They will no longer be two nations. They won’t be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.

They won’t defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will save them out of all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. So they will be my people, and I will be their God.

“‘“My servant David will be king over them. They all will have one shepherd. They will also walk in my ordinances and observe my statutes, and do them.

They will dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob my servant, in which your fathers lived. They will dwell therein, they, and their children, and their children’s children, forever. David my servant will be their prince forever.

Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them. It will be an everlasting covenant with them. I will place them, multiply them, and will set my sanctuary among them forever more.

My tent also will be with them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

The nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is among them forever more.”’”