Ezekiel 37:1-11

YAHWEH’s powerful presence was upon me, and his Spirit lifted me up and carried me away. He set me down in the middle of a valley floor that was covered with countless bones. He made me walk all around the valley among all the vast piles of bones. There in the valley there were very many, very dry bones. YAHWEH asked me, “Son of man, can these bones come back to life again?” And I replied, “Lord YAHWEH, you are the only one who knows.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these dry bones these words, ‘Dry bones, hear what YAHWEH says. Lord YAHWEH says to you: “ ‘I am now going to breathe into you, and you will live again! I will attach muscles and sinews to you. I will make flesh grow on you. I will cover you with skin. I am going to breathe into you, and you will live again. And you will know that I am YAHWEH.’ ” So I prophesied as I had been told. And as I was prophesying, I began to hear a commotion. Behold! It was the clattering of these many skeletons coming together, bone to bone! And as I kept watching, muscles and sinews miraculously appeared! Flesh grew on the bones, and then skin wrapped completely around them, yet there was still no life-breath in them. Then YAHWEH said to me, “Prophesy to the breath. Yes, prophesy, son of man. Say to the breath, ‘Lord YAHWEH says: Divine breath, come now from the four winds. Breathe on these lifeless bodies, so that they can live again.’ ” So I prophesied as he had told me, and the breath entered their bodies. They came alive, got up from the ground, and stood to their feet—a very great, immense army. Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the entire house of Israel. They keep saying, ‘We are as dry as these dead bones. Our nation has been completely destroyed, and we have lost all hope.’