4. Then he said to me, “Speak to these bones for me. Tell them, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord!
5. This is what the Lord GOD says to you: I will cause breath to come into you, and you will come to life!
6. I will put sinew and muscles on you, and I will cover you with skin. Then I will put breath in you, and you will come back to life! Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
7. So I spoke to the bones for the Lord, as he said. I was still speaking, when I heard the loud noise. The bones began to rattle, and bone joined together with bone!
8. There before my eyes, I saw sinew and muscles begin to cover the bones. Skin began to cover them, but there was no breath in them.
9. Then the Lord said to me, “Speak to the wind for me. Son of man, speak to the wind for me. Tell the wind that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Wind, come from every direction and breathe air into these dead bodies! Breathe into them and they will come to life again!’”
10. So I spoke to the wind for the Lord, as he said, and the breath came into the dead bodies. They came to life and stood up. There were many men—a very large army!
11. Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are like the whole family of Israel. The people of Israel say, ‘Our bones have dried up; our hope is gone. We have been completely destroyed!’
12. So speak to them for me. Tell them this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘My people, I will open your graves and bring you up out of them! Then I will bring you to the land of Israel.
13. My people, I will open your graves and bring you up out of your graves, and then you will know that I am the Lord.
14. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will come to life again. Then I will lead you back to your own land. Then you will know that I am the Lord. You will know that I said this and that I made it happen.’” This is what the Lord said.
15. The word of the Lord came to me again. He said,
16. “Son of man, get one stick and write this message on it: ‘This stick belongs to Judah and his friends, the people of Israel.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘This stick of Ephraim belongs to Joseph and his friends, the people of Israel.’
17. Then join the two sticks together. In your hand, they will be one stick.
18. “Your people will ask you to explain what that means.
19. 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 his friends, the people of Israel. Then I will put that stick with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick. In my hand, they will become one stick!’
20. “Take the sticks that you wrote on and hold them in front of you.