9. The Lord said:Ezekiel, now say to the wind, “The Lord God commands you to blow from every direction and to breathe life into these dead bodies, so they can live again.”
10. As soon as I said this, the wind blew among the bodies, and they came back to life! They all stood up, and there were enough to make a large army.
11. The Lord said:Ezekiel, the people of Israel are like dead bones. They complain that they are dried up and that they have no hope for the future.
12. So tell them, “I, the Lord God, promise to open your graves and set you free. I will bring you back to Israel,
13. and when that happens, you will realize that I am the Lord.
14. My Spirit will give you breath, and you will live again. I will bring you home, and you will know that I have kept my promise. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
15. The Lord said:
16. Ezekiel, son of man, get a stick and write on it, “The kingdom of Judah”. Then get another stick and write on it, “The kingdom of Israel”.
17. Hold these two sticks end to end, so they look like one stick.
18. And when your people ask you what this means,
19. tell them that I, the Lord, will join together the stick of Israel and the stick of Judah. I will hold them in my hand, and they will become one.
20. Hold these two sticks where they can be seen by everyone