The Valley of Dry Bones
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. 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. 3He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
4Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath37:5 The Hebrew for this word can also mean wind or spirit (see verses 6-14). 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.’ ”
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. 8I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them 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.’ ” 10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up 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.’ 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. 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.’ ”
One Nation Under One King
15The word of the Lord came to me: 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.’ 17Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand.
18“When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you tell us what you mean by this?’ 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.’ 20Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on 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. 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. 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,37:23 Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also Septuagint); most Hebrew manuscripts all their dwelling places where they sinned and I will cleanse them. 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. 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. 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. 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.’ ”
Bɔnhwa Mu Nnompe A Ɛho Akokwa
1Na Awurade nsa wɔ me so na ɔde ne Honhom yii me firii adi de me bɛsii bɔnhwa no mfimfini, na nnompe ayɛ no ma. 2Ɔde me dii akɔneaba wɔ mu na mehunuu nnompe bebree wɔ bɔnhwa no ase, nnompe a ɛho akokwa. 3Ɔbisaa me sɛ, “Onipa ba, saa nnompe yi bɛtumi anya nkwa anaa?”
Mekaa sɛ, “Ao Otumfoɔ Awurade, wo nko ara na wonim.”
4Afei ɔka kyerɛɛ me sɛ, “Hyɛ nkɔm wɔ nnompe yi ho na ka kyerɛ wɔn sɛ, ‘Nnompe a mo ho akokwa, montie Awurade asɛm! 5Yei ne deɛ Otumfoɔ Awurade ka kyerɛ saa nnompe yi: Mɛma ahomeɛ aba mo mu na mobɛnya nkwa. 6Mɛma ntini abɛsosɔ mo mu, na mede ɛnam agu mo so na mede wedeɛ akata mo so. Mede ahomeɛ bɛgu mo mu na moaba nkwa mu. Afei wobɛhunu sɛ mene Awurade.’ ”
7Ɛno enti mehyɛɛ nkɔm sɛdeɛ wɔhyɛɛ me no. Na megu so rehyɛ nkɔm no, ɛnne bi baeɛ, awosoɔ bi, na nnompe no keka bobɔɔ mu, dompe bɛkaa ne dompe ho. 8Na mehwɛeɛ hunuiɛ sɛ ntini baa so, na ɛnam baa ho na wedeɛ bɛkataa so, nanso na ahomeɛ biara nni mu.
9Afei ɔka kyerɛɛ me sɛ: “Hyɛ nkɔm kyerɛ ahome, hyɛ nkɔm onipa ba, na ka kyerɛ no sɛ, ‘Sei na Otumfoɔ Awurade seɛ: Ahome, firi mframa ɛnan no mu bra bɛhome gu saa awufoɔ yi mu na wɔnya nkwa.’ ” 10Enti mehyɛɛ nkɔm sɛdeɛ ɔhyɛɛ me no, na ahome hyɛnee wɔn mu; na nkwa baa wɔn mu ma wɔsɔre gyinagyinaa wɔn nan so, ɛdɔm kɛseɛ pa ara.
11Afei ɔka kyerɛɛ me sɛ, “Onipa ba, saa nnompe yi yɛ Israel efie nyinaa. Wɔka sɛ: ‘Yɛn nnompe ho akokwa na yɛn anidasoɔ asa. Wɔatwa yɛn agu korakora.’ 12Ɛno enti hyɛ nkɔm na ka kyerɛ wɔn sɛ: ‘Yei ne deɛ Otumfoɔ Awurade seɛ: Me nkurɔfoɔ, merebɛbuebue mo adamena na mayi mo afiri mu apue. Mede mo bɛsane aba Israel asase so. 13Afei mo, me nkurɔfoɔ, sɛ mebuebue mo adamena na meyiyi mo firi mu a, mobɛhunu sɛ mene Awurade no. 14Mede me Honhom bɛhyɛ mo mu na mobɛnya nkwa, na mede mo bɛtena mo ankasa asase so. Afei mobɛhunu sɛ me, Awurade na makasa na mayɛ nso, Awurade asɛm nie.’ ”
Ɔman Baako A Ɛhyɛ Ɔhene Baako Ase
15Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn sɛ: 16“Onipa ba, fa dua na twerɛ ho sɛ, ‘Yei gyina hɔ ma Yudafoɔ ne Israelfoɔ a wɔka ne ho no.’ Afei fa dua foforɔ na twerɛ ho sɛ, ‘Efraim dua a ɛyɛ Yosef ne Israel efie a wɔka ne ho nyinaa dea.’ 17Ka ne mmienu bɔ mu na ɛnyɛ dua baako wɔ wo nsam.
18“Sɛ wo nkurɔfoɔ ka sɛ, ‘Worenkyerɛ yɛn deɛ wode yei kyerɛ anaa a,’ 19ka kyerɛ wɔn sɛ, ‘Yei ne deɛ Otumfoɔ Awurade seɛ: Merebɛfa Yosef dua a ɛhyɛ Efraim ne Israel mmusuakuo a wɔka ne ho no nsa, na mede abɔ Yuda dua no mu ayɛ mmienu no baako, na wɔbɛyɛ baako wɔ me nsam.’ 20Ma nnua a woatwerɛtwerɛ ho no so kyerɛ wɔn 21na ka kyerɛ wɔn sɛ, ‘Yei ne deɛ Otumfoɔ Awurade seɛ: Mɛyi Israelfoɔ afiri amanaman a wɔkɔ soɔ no so. Mɛboaboa wɔn ano afiri afanan nyinaa na mede wɔn asane aba wɔn ankasa asase so. 22Mɛyɛ wɔn ɔman baako wɔ asase no so wɔ Israel mmepɔ so. Ɔhene baako bɛdi wɔn nyinaa so na wɔrenyɛ aman mmienu bio, na wɔrenkyɛ mu nyɛ wɔn ahennie mmienu. 23Wɔremfa wɔn ahoni ne nsɛsodeɛ tantane no anaasɛ wɔn nnebɔne no mu bi ngu wɔn ho fi bio, na mɛgye wɔn nkwa afiri wɔn akyirisane bɔne mu na mɛte wɔn ho. Wɔbɛyɛ me nkurɔfoɔ na mayɛ wɔn Onyankopɔn.
24“ ‘Me ɔsomfoɔ Dawid bɛdi wɔn so ɔhene na wɔn nyinaa bɛnya odwanhwɛfoɔ baako. Wɔbɛdi me mmara so na wɔahwɛ mʼahyɛdeɛ ayɛ. 25Wɔbɛtena asase a mede maa me ɔsomfoɔ Yakob, asase a mo agyanom tenaa soɔ. Wɔne wɔn mma ne wɔn mma mma bɛtena hɔ afebɔɔ, na me ɔsomfoɔ Dawid bɛyɛ wɔn ɔberempɔn afebɔɔ. 26Me ne wɔn bɛyɛ asomdwoeɛ apam, ɛbɛyɛ apam a ɛte hɔ daa. Mɛma wɔatim na mama wɔadɔre na mede me kronkronbea bɛsi wɔn mu afebɔɔ. 27Me tenabea bɛwɔ wɔn mu, mɛyɛ wɔn Onyankopɔn na wɔayɛ me nkurɔfoɔ. 28Afei amanaman no bɛhunu sɛ me Awurade, me na meyɛ Israel kronkron, ɛberɛ a me kronkronbea si wɔn mu afebɔɔ.’ ”
