Self-interpreting Bible

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Ezekiel 37

1By the resurrection of dry bones the revival of the lost hope of Israel is prefigured. 15By the uniting of two sticks is shewed the incorporation of Israel with Judah. 21Their blessings in union under Christ their king.

1 aTHE hand of the LORD was upon me, and bcarried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open 1valley; and, lo, they were very cdry.

3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can dthese bones live? And I answered, O eLord GOD, thou knowest.

4 Again he said unto me, fProphesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O gye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, hI will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and iye shall know that I am the LORD.

7 jSo I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, kthere was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no lbreath in them.

9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the 2wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the mfour winds, O breath, and nbreathe upon these slain, that they may live.

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

11 ¶Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the pwhole house of Israel: behold, they say, qOur bones are dried, and rour hope is lost: swe are cut off for our parts.

12 Therefore tprophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, uI will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and vbring you into the land of Israel.

13 And wye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,

14 And shall put xmy spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: ythen shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

15 ¶The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

    16 Moreover, thou son of man, ztake thee one stick, and write upon it, aFor Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For bJoseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:

    17 And cjoin them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

    18 ¶And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt dthou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

    19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, eI will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them fone stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

    20 ¶And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be gin thine hand before their eyes.

    21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, hI will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:

    22 iAnd I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and jone king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:

    23 kNeither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but lI will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will mcleanse them: nso shall they be my people, and I will be their God.

    24 And oDavid my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: pthey shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.

    25 qAnd they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children rfor ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.

    26 Moreover sI will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and tmultiply them, and uwill set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

    27 My *tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, vI will be their God, and they shall be my people.

    28 wAnd the heathen shall know that I the LORD do xsanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.