The Valley of Dry Bones

1The hande of the Lorde was vpon me, and caried me out in the spirite of the Lorde, and set me downe in the midst of a plaine fielde that was full of bones. 2And he led me rounde about by them, and beholde, there were very many in the open fielde, and lo they were very drye. 3Then saide he vnto me: Thou sonne of man, thinkest thou these bones may liue againe? I aunswered, O Lorde God, thou knowest. 4And he saide vnto me, Prophecie thou vpon these bones, & speake vnto them: Ye drye bones, heare the worde of the Lorde, 5Thus saith the Lorde God vnto these bones: Beholde, I wyll cause breath to enter into you, that ye may lyue. 6I wyll geue you sinowes, and make fleshe growe vpon you, and couer you ouer with skinne, & so geue you breath, that ye may liue, and knowe that I am the Lorde.

7So I prophecied as I was comaunded: and as I was propheciyng, there was a noyse, and lo a great motion, so that the bones came neare together, bone to his bone. 8Now when I had loked, behold they had sinowes, & flesh grewe vpon them, and aboue they were couered with skin: but there was no breath in them. 9Then saide he vnto me: Thou sonne of man, prophecie thou towarde the winde, prophecie & speake to the winde, thus saith the Lorde God: Come, O thou ayre from the foure windes, and blowe vpon these slaine, that they may lyue. 10So I prophecied as he had commaunded me: then came the breath into them, and they receaued lyfe, and stoode vp vpon their feete, a marueilous great armie.

11Moreouer he said vnto me: Thou sonne of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: Behold, they say, Our bones are dryed vp, our hope is gone, and we are cleane cut of. 12Therefore prophecie thou, and speake vnto them, thus saith the Lorde God: Beholde, I wyll open your graues O my people, and cause you to come vp out your sepulchres, and bring you into the lande of Israel againe. 13So shal ye know that I am the Lord, when I open your graues O my people, & bring you out of your sepulchres. 14My spirite also wil I put in you, and ye shal liue, I wil set you againe in your owne lande: and ye shall knowe that I the Lorde haue sayde it, and fulfilled it in deede, sayth the Lorde.

One Nation with One King

15The word of the Lord came vnto me, saying: 16Thou sonne of man, take one sticke, and write vpon it, Unto Iuda and to the children of Israel his companios. Then take another sticke and write vpon it, Unto Ioseph the stocke of Ephraim, & to all the housholde of Israel his companions. 17And ioyne thee them one to another into one sticke: and they shalbe as one in thy hande. 18Now if the children of thy people speake vnto thee, saying: Wilt thou not shew vs what thou meanest by these? 19Then geue them this aunswere, thus sayth the Lorde God: Beholde, I will take the stocke of Ioseph, whiche is in the hand of Ephraim, and of the tribes of Israel his felowes, and wil put them with him, euen with the stocke of Iuda, and make them one stocke, and they shalbe one in my hande. 20And the stickes where vpon thou wrytest, shalt thou haue in thy hand, that they may see. 21And thou shalt say vnto them, thus sayth the Lorde God: Beholde, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen vnto whom they be gone, and will gather them together on euery side, and bring them againe into their owne lande. 22Yea I wil make one people of them in the land vpon the mountaynes of Israel, and one king shalbe king to them al: they shall no more be two peoples, neither be deuided from hencefoorth into two kingdomes. 23They shall also defile them selues no more with their idoles and abhominations, and al their wicked doynges: I wil saue them out of all their dwelling places wherin they haue sinned, and will so cleanse them, that they shalbe my people, and I wilbe their God.

24Dauid my seruaunt shalbe their king, and they all shall haue one sheepheard only: they shall walke in my iudgementes, and my commaundementes shall they kepe, and fulfill them. 25They shall dwell in the lande that I gaue vnto Iacob my seruaunt, wheras your fathers also haue dwelt, yea euen in the same land shal they, their children, & their childers children dwell for euermore: and my seruaunt Dauid shalbe their prince for euer. 26Moreouer, I will make a bonde of peace with them, whiche shalbe vnto them an euerlasting couenaunt: I will settle them also and multiplie them, my sanctuarie will I set among them for euermore. 27My tabernacle shalbe with them: yea I wilbe their God, and they shalbe my people. 28Thus the heathen also shal know that I the Lorde do sanctifie Israel, when my sanctuarie shalbe among them for euermore.