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.’ ”
Chigwa cha Mafupa Owuma
1Dzanja la Yehova linali pa ine, ndipo Mzimu wa Yehova unandinyamula nʼkukandikhazika pakati pa chigwa. Chigwacho chinali chodzaza ndi mafupa. 2Yehova anandiyendetsa uku ndi uku pakati pa mafupawo. Mafupawo anali ochuluka kwambiri mʼchigwa monsemo ndipo anali owuma kwambiri. 3Tsono Yehova anandifunsa kuti, “Iwe mwana wa munthu, kodi mafupa amenewa angakhalenso ndi moyo?”
Ndinayankha kuti, “Inu Ambuye Yehova, Inuyo nokha ndiye mukudziwa.”
4Pamenepo anandiwuza kuti, “Lengeza kwa mafupa amenewa ndi kuwawuza kuti amve mawu a Ine Yehova! 5Uwawuze kuti zimene Ine Ambuye Yehova ndikunena kwa mafupa ndi izi: Ndidzawuzira mpweya mwa inu, ndipo mudzakhalanso ndi moyo. 6Ndidzakupatsani mitsempha ndi mnofu. Ndiponso ndidzakukutani ndi khungu. Pambuyo pake ndidzawuzira mpweya mwa inu ndipo mudzakhalanso ndi moyo. Pamenepo mudzadziwa kuti Ine ndine Yehova.”
7Ndipo ndinanenera monga anandilamulira. Ndipo pamene ndinkanenera, ndinamva gobedegobede, ndipo mafupa aja anayamba kulumikizana, fupa ku fupa linzake. 8Ine ndinayangʼana, ndipo mitsempha ndi mnofu zinabwera pa mafupawo ndipo khungu linaphimba pamwamba pake, koma munalibe mpweya mwa iwo.
9Tsono Yehova anandiwuza kuti, “Nenera kwa mpweya, nenera iwe mwana wa munthu ndi kuwuza mpweya mawu a Ine Ambuye Yehova kuti, ‘Bwera kuno iwe mpweya. Bwera kuchokera ku mbali zonse zinayi ndi kudzawuzira anthu ophedwawa kuti akhalenso ndi moyo.’ 10Choncho ndinanenera monga anandilamulira ndipo mpweya unalowa mwa iwo; apo anthu akufawo anakhala ndi moyo, nayimirira ndipo linali gulu lalikulu lankhondo.”
11Kenaka Yehova anandiwuza kuti, “Iwe mwana wa munthu, mafupa awa ndi nyumba yonse ya Israeli. Iwo amanena kuti, ‘Mafupa athu awuma ndipo chiyembekezo chathu chatayika, ife tawonongeka!’ 12Nʼchifukwa chake nenera ndi kuwawuza kuti, ‘Ine Ambuye Yehova ndikuti: Inu anthu anga, ndidzafukula manda anu, ndipo ndidzakutulutsanimo ndi kukubwezerani ku dziko la Israeli. 13Ndipo inu, anthu anga, mudzadziwa kuti Ine ndine Yehova, pamene ndidzafukula manda anu ndikukutulutsanimo. 14Ine ndidzayika Mzimu wanga mwa inu ndipo mudzakhalanso ndi moyo. Pambuyo pake ndidzakulowetsani mʼdziko lanulanu. Choncho mudzadziwa kuti Ambuye Yehova ndayankhula zimenezi, ndipo ndidzazichitadi. Ndikutero Ine Yehova!’ ”
Dziko Limodzi Kutsogoleredwa ndi Mfumu Imodzi
15Yehova anandiyankhula kuti: 16“Iwe mwana wa munthu, tenga ndodo ndipo ulembepo kuti, ‘Ndodo ya Yuda ndi Aisraeli oyanjana nawo.’ Utengenso ndodo ina ndipo ulembepo kuti, ‘Ndodo ya Efereimu, ndiye kuti fuko la Yosefe ndi Aisraeli onse oyanjana nawo.’ 17Ulumikize ndodo ziwirizi kuti zikhale ndodo imodzi mʼdzanja lako.
18“Anthu a mtundu wako akadzakufunsa tanthauzo la zimenezi 19iwe udzawawuze mawu awa a Ine Ambuye Yehova akuti, ‘Ine ndidzatenga ndodo ya Yosefe imene ili mʼdzanja la Efereimu, ndi ya mafuko a Aisraeli oyanjana naye, ndi kuyilumikiza ku ndodo ya Yuda, kuti zikhale ndodo imodzi, ndipo zidzakhaladi ndodo imodzi mʼdzanja langa!’ 20Ndodo ziwiri zimene udzalembepozo zikadzakhala mʼmanja mwako pamaso pa anthu onse, 21udzawawuze kuti Ine Ambuye Yehova ndikuti: Ndidzawachotsa Aisraeli pakati pa anthu a mitundu ina kumene anapita ku ukapolo. Ndidzawasonkhanitsa kuchokera ku mbali zonse ndi kubwera nawo ku dziko lawolawo. 22Ndidzawasandutsa mtundu umodzi mʼdzikomo, pa mapiri a Israeli. Padzakhala mfumu imodzi yowalamulira, ndipo sadzakhalanso mitundu iwiri kapena kugawikana maufumu awiri. 23Sadzadziyipitsanso ndi mafano awo, kapena ndi zinthu zawo zonyansa, kapenanso ndi ntchito zawo zoyipa zilizonse. Ndidzawapulumutsa ku machimo awo onse ndi kuwayeretsa. Choncho adzakhala anthu anga, ndipo Ine ndidzakhala Mulungu wawo.
24“ ‘Mtumiki wanga Davide adzakhala mfumu yawo, motero onsewa adzakhala ndi mʼbusa mmodzi. Iwo adzatsatira malamulo anga ndipo adzasamalira kusunga malangizo anga. 25Iwo adzakhala mʼdziko limene ndinalipereka kwa mtumiki wanga Yakobo, dziko limene makolo anu ankakhalamo. Iwo ndi ana awo pamodzi ndi zidzukulu zawo adzakhala kumeneko ndipo Davide adzakhala mfumu yawo kwa muyaya. 26Ndidzachita nawo pangano lamtendere; lidzakhala pangano lamuyaya. Ndidzawakhazikitsa ndi kuwachulukitsa, ndipo ndidzayika malo anga opatulika pakati pawo kwamuyaya. 27Nyumba yanga yokhalamo idzakhala pakati pawo; Ine ndidzakhala Mulungu wawo, ndipo iwo adzakhala anthu anga. 28Pamenepo anthu a mitundu ina adzadziwa kuti Ine Yehova ndiye amene ndimasandutsa Israeli kukhala woyera, pamene malo anga opatulika adzakhala pakati pawo kwamuyaya!’ ”
