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.’ ”
Ekiwonvu eky’Amagumba Amakalu
137:1 a Ez 1:3; 8:3 b Ez 11:24; Luk 4:1; Bik 8:39 c Yer 7:32 d Yer 8:2; Ez 40:1Omukono gwa Mukama gwali ku nze, Mwoyo wa Mukama n’anfulumya, n’andeeta wakati mu kiwonvu ekyali kijjudde amagumba. 2N’agannaambuza, ne ndaba amagumba mangi, amakalu ennyo wansi mu kiwonvu. 337:3 Ma 32:39; 1Sa 2:6; Is 26:19N’ambuuza nti, “Omwana w’omuntu, amagumba gano gayinza okuba amalamu?”
Ne nziramu nti, “Ggwe Ayi Mukama Katonda, ggwe wekka gw’omanyi.”
437:4 Yer 22:29Awo n’aŋŋamba nti, “Wa obunnabbi ku magumba gano, oyogere nti, ‘Mmwe amagumba amakalu, muwulire ekigambo kya Mukama! 537:5 Lub 2:7; Zab 104:29-30Bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama Katonda eri amagumba gano nti, Laba ndibateekamu omukka ne mufuuka abalamu. 637:6 Ez 38:23; Yo 2:27; 3:17Ndibateekako ebinywa n’ennyama ne mbabikkako n’olususu; ndibateekamu omukka, ne mufuuka abalamu. Olwo mulimanya nga nze Mukama.’ ”
7Awo ne njogera nga bwe nalagirwa. Awo bwe nnali nga njogera, ne waba eddoboozi, ng’ebintu ebikubagana, amagumba ne geegatta, buli limu ku linnaalyo. 8Ne ntunula, ebinywa n’ennyama ne birabika ku go, n’olususu ne luddako, naye temwali mukka. 937:9 Zab 104:30Awo n’aŋŋamba nti, “Wa obunnabbi eri omukka; yogera omwana w’omuntu, ogambe nti, ‘Bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama Katonda nti, Ggwe omukka vva eri empewo ennya, oyingire mu battibwa, babe balamu.’ ” 1037:10 Kub 11:11Ne mpa obunnabbi nga bwe yandagira, omukka ne gubayingiramu ne balamuka, ne bayimirira, era ne baba eggye ddene nnyo.
1137:11 Kgb 3:54Awo n’aŋŋamba nti, “Omwana w’omuntu, amagumba gano ye nnyumba yonna eya Isirayiri. Boogera nti, ‘Amagumba gaffe gaakala era n’essuubi lyaffe lyaggwaawo, twasalibwako.’ 1237:12 Ma 32:39; 1Sa 2:6; Is 26:19; Kos 13:14; Am 9:14-15Kyonoova owa obunnabbi gye bali n’oyogera nti, ‘Bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama Katonda nti, Mmwe abantu bange, ndyasamya amalaalo gammwe ne mbazuukiza, era ndibakomyawo mu nsi ya Isirayiri. 13Kale mulimanya nga nze Mukama, era nga nammwe muli bantu bange, bwe ndyasamya amalaalo gammwe ne mbazuukiza. 1437:14 a Yo 2:28-29 b Ez 36:27-28, 36Ndibateekamu Omwoyo wange era muliba balamu; ndibateeka mu nsi yammwe mmwe ne mutuula omwo, mulyoke mumanye nga nze Mukama nkyogedde, era nkikoze, bw’ayogera Mukama Katonda.’ ”
Eggwanga Limu Lifugibwa Kabaka Omu
15Awo ekigambo kya Mukama Katonda ne kinzijira n’aŋŋamba nti, 1637:16 a 1Bk 12:20; 2By 10:17-19 b Kbl 17:2-3; 2By 15:9“Omwana w’omuntu ddira omuggo owandiikeko nti, ‘Guno gwa Yuda n’Abayisirayiri abakolagana nabo.’ Oddire n’omuggo omulala owandiikeko nti, ‘Guno muggo gwa Efulayimu owa Yusufu n’ennyumba ya Isirayiri yonna, bwe bakolagana.’ 1737:17 nny 24; Is 11:13; Yer 50:4; Kos 1:11Bagatte bafuuke omuggo gumu, bafuuke omuntu omu mu mukono gwo.
1837:18 Ez 24:19“Awo abantu bo bwe bakubuuzanga nti, ‘Amakulu ga bino kye ki?’ 1937:19 Zek 10:6Obategeezanga nti, Bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama Katonda nti, ‘Ndiddira omuggo gwa Yusufu oguli mu mukono gwa Efulayimu, n’ebika bya Isirayiri n’abo bwe bakolagana, ne mbigatta ku muggo gwa Yuda, bafuuke omuntu omu mu mukono gwange.’ 20Balage emiggo gy’owandiiseeko, 2137:21 Is 43:5-6; Ez 36:24; 39:27obagambe nti, ‘Bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama Katonda nti, Ndiggya Abayisirayiri mu mawanga gye baagenda. Ndibakuŋŋaanya okuva wonna, ne mbakomyawo mu nsi yaabwe. 2237:22 Is 11:13; Yer 3:18Ndibafuula eggwanga limu mu nsi, ku nsozi za Isirayiri. Balifugibwa kabaka omu, tebaliddayo kubeera mawanga abiri, wadde okwawulibwa mu bwakabaka obubiri. 2337:23 a Ez 36:25; 43:7 b Ez 11:18; 36:28Tebaliddayo kweyonoonyesa ne bakatonda abalala, ebintu ebikole obukozi n’emikono eby’ekivve, wadde okweyonoonyesa mu bibi byabwe. Ndibawonya okuva mu bifo byonna gye beeyonoonyesa, ndibafuula abalongoofu, muliba bantu bange, nange ndiba Katonda wammwe.
2437:24 a Kos 3:5 b Is 40:11 c Zab 78:70-71“ ‘Omuweereza wange Dawudi alibeera kabaka waabwe, era bonna baliba n’omusumba omu. Baligoberera amateeka gange, babeere beegendereza okukwata ebiragiro byange. 2537:25 a Ez 28:25 b Am 9:15 c Is 11:1Balibeera mu nsi gye nawa omuweereza wange Yakobo, ensi bajjajjammwe mwe baabeeranga. Bo n’abaana baabwe, balibeera omwo ennaku zonna, era Dawudi omuweereza wange alibeera mulangira waabwe emirembe gyonna. 2637:26 a Is 55:3 b Yer 30:19 c Ez 16:62Ndikola endagaano yange ebawa emirembe, eriba ndagaano ey’olubeerera. Ndibanyweza ne mbaaza, era nditeeka ekifo kyange eky’okubeeramu wakati mu bo emirembe gyonna. 2737:27 a Lv 26:11; Yk 1:14 b 2Ko 6:16*Ekifo kyange eky’okubeeramu kinaabeeranga mu bo. Nnaabeeranga Katonda waabwe nabo banaabeeranga bantu bange. 2837:28 Kuv 31:13Amawanga galimanya nga nze Mukama Katonda, nze ntukuza Isirayiri; ekifo kyange eky’okubeeramu kiri mu bo emirembe gyonna.’ ”
