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.’ ”
Bonde La Mifupa Mikavu
137:1 Eze 8:3; 11:24; Yer 7:32; 40:1; Lk 4:1; Yer 8:2; Mdo 8:39Mkono wa Bwana ulikuwa juu yangu, naye akanitoa nje kwa Roho wa Bwana na kuniweka katikati ya bonde lililokuwa limejaa mifupa tele. 2Akanipitisha pande zote kwenye hiyo mifupa, nami nikaona mifupa mingi sana ndani ya lile bonde, mifupa iliyokuwa imekauka sana. 337:3 1Sam 2:6; 1Kor 15:35; Rum 4:17; Isa 26:19Akaniuliza, “Mwanadamu, mifupa hii yaweza kuishi?”
Nikajibu, “Ee Bwana Mwenyezi, wewe peke yako wajua.”
437:4 Yer 22:29; Rum 10:17Ndipo akaniambia, “Itabirie mifupa hii na uiambie, ‘Enyi mifupa mikavu, sikieni neno la Bwana! 537:5 Mwa 2:7; Ufu 11:11Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenyezi asemalo kwa hii mifupa: Nitatia pumzi37:5 Pumzi pia ina maana ya roho kwa Kiebrania. ndani yenu, nanyi mtaishi. 637:6 Kut 6:2; Yoe 2:27; Eze 38:23Nitawawekea mishipa, nami nitaifanya nyama ije juu yenu na kuwafunika kwa ngozi. Nitatia pumzi ndani yenu, nanyi mtakuwa hai. Ndipo mtakapojua kuwa Mimi ndimi Bwana.’ ”
7Basi nikatabiri kama nilivyoamriwa. Wakati nilipokuwa ninatabiri, kukawa na sauti, sauti ya kugongana, nayo mifupa ikasogeleana, mfupa kwa mfupa mwenziwe. 8Nikatazama, mishipa na nyama vikatokea juu ya mifupa na ngozi ikaifunika, lakini hapakuwepo pumzi ndani yake.
937:9 Isa 32:15; Zek 12:10; Eze 39:29; Za 104:30; Yer 49:36; Zek 6:5; Dan 7:2Ndipo aliponiambia, “Utabirie upepo, tabiri, mwanadamu na uuambie, ‘Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenyezi asemalo: Njoo kutoka pande nne, ee pumzi, nawe upulizie pumzi ndani ya hawa waliouawa, ili wapate kuishi.’ ” 1037:10 Ufu 11:11; Eze 12:7Hivyo nikatabiri kama alivyoniamuru, nayo pumzi ikawaingia, wakawa hai na wakasimama kwa miguu yao, jeshi kubwa mno.
1137:11 Ay 17:15; Mao 3:54; Isa 49:14Ndipo akaniambia: “Mwanadamu, mifupa hii ni nyumba yote ya Israeli. Nao wanasema, ‘Mifupa yetu imekauka na tumaini letu limetoweka, tumekatiliwa mbali.’ 1237:12 Sef 3:20; Yer 29:14; Amo 9:14; 1Sam 2:9; Kum 32:39; Isa 26:19; Hos 13:14Hivyo watabirie na uwaambie: ‘Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenyezi asemalo: Enyi watu wangu, nitayafunua makaburi yenu na kuwatoa ndani yake, nami nitawarudisha tena katika nchi ya Israeli. 1337:13 Kut 6:2; Eze 17:24; Hos 13:14Ndipo ninyi watu wangu, mtakapojua kuwa Mimi ndimi Bwana, nitakapoyafunua makaburi yenu na kuwatoa humo. 1437:14 Isa 11:2; Yoe 2:28-29; Eze 36:27-28; Yer 43:2; Ufu 11:11Nitatia Roho yangu ndani yenu nanyi mtaishi, nami nitawakalisha katika nchi yenu wenyewe. Ndipo mtakapojua kwamba Mimi Bwana nimenena, nami nitalitenda, asema Bwana!’ ”
Taifa Moja Chini Ya Mfalme Mmoja
15Neno la Bwana likanijia kusema: 1637:16 Hes 17:2; 1Fal 12:20; 2Nya 10:17-19; 15:9“Mwanadamu, chukua fimbo na uandike juu yake, ‘Hii ni kwa ajili ya Yuda na Waisraeli waliofungamana naye.’ Kisha chukua fimbo nyingine, uandike juu yake, ‘Fimbo ya Efraimu, ni kwa ajili ya Yosefu na nyumba yote ya Israeli wanaofungamana naye.’ 1737:17 Isa 11:13; Hos 1:11; Yer 50:4Ziunganishe pamoja kuwa fimbo moja ili kwamba ziwe fimbo moja katika mkono wako.
1837:18 Eze 24:19; 12:9“Watu wako watakapokuuliza, ‘Je, hutatuambia ni nini maana ya jambo hili?’ 1937:19 Zek 10:6Waambie, ‘Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenyezi asemalo: Nitaichukua fimbo ya Yosefu, iliyoko mikononi mwa Efraimu na ya makabila ya Israeli yanayofungamana naye na kuiunganisha na fimbo ya Yuda, nikizifanya kuwa fimbo moja, nao watakuwa wamoja katika mkono wangu.’ 2037:20 Eze 12:3Inua mbele ya macho yao zile fimbo ulizoziandika 2137:21 Isa 43:5-6; Mik 4:6; Eze 20:42; 39:27kisha waambie, ‘Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenyezi asemalo: Nitawatoa Waisraeli katika mataifa walikokuwa wamekwenda. Nitawakusanya popote walipo na kuwarudisha katika nchi yao wenyewe. 2237:22 Isa 11:13; Yer 3:18; Yn 10:16; Eze 17:22; 34:13-14; Yer 33:24Nitawafanya kuwa taifa moja katika nchi, katika milima ya Israeli. Patakuwa na mfalme mmoja juu yao wote na kamwe hawatagawanyika tena kuwa mataifa mawili au kugawanyika katika falme mbili. 2337:23 Isa 2:18; Nah 2:2; Eze 11:18; Hos 14:8; Zek 13:2-3; Yer 7:24; Eze 43:7Hawatajitia tena unajisi kwa sanamu zao na vinyago vyao visivyo na maana wala kwa makosa yao yoyote, kwa maana nitawaokoa kutoka dhambi zao zote zilizowarudisha nyuma, nami nitawatakasa. Wao watakuwa watu wangu, nami nitakuwa Mungu wao.
2437:24 Isa 55:4; Hos 3:5; Amo 9:15; Za 78:70-71; Yer 30:21; 1Sam 13:14“ ‘Mtumishi wangu Daudi atakuwa mfalme juu yao, nao wote watakuwa na mchungaji mmoja. Watafuata sheria zangu na kuzishika amri zangu kwa uangalifu. 2537:25 Ezr 9:12; Amo 9:15; Za 89:3-4; Eze 28:25; Isa 11:1; Eze 34:23-24Wataishi katika nchi niliyompa mtumishi wangu Yakobo, nchi ambamo baba zenu waliishi. Wao na watoto wao na watoto wa watoto wao wataishi humo milele, naye Daudi mtumishi wangu atakuwa mkuu wao milele. 2637:26 Hes 25:12; Isa 55:3; Yer 30:19; Eze 16:62; Mwa 9:16; Kum 29:14Nitafanya nao Agano la amani, litakuwa Agano la milele. Nitawafanya imara na kuongeza idadi yao, nami nitaweka mahali patakatifu pangu miongoni mwao milele. 2737:27 Law 26:11; Yn 1:14; Eze 34:30; 2Kor 6:16; Eze 36:28Maskani yangu yatakuwa pamoja nao, nitakuwa Mungu wao, nao watakuwa watu wangu. 2837:28 Kut 31:13; Eze 20:12; Hos 1:10-11; Eze 43:9; Sef 3:15Ndipo mataifa watakapojua kwamba Mimi Bwana ndiye ninayeifanya Israeli kuwa takatifu, wakati mahali patakatifu pangu patakapokuwa miongoni mwao milele.’ ”
