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The
hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by
the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of
a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them;
there were very many lying in the valley, and they were
very dry. He said to me, "Mortal, can these bones
live?" I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know."
[Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and
say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus
says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath
to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on
you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover
you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live;
and you shall know that I am the Lord."
So I prophesied as I had been commanded;
and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling,
and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked,
and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon
them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath
in them. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath,
prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the
Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe
upon these slain, that they may live." I prophesied
as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and
they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.]
Then he said to me, "Mortal,
these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, `Our
bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off
completely.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus
says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and
bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will
bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know
that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring
you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit
within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on
your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have
spoken and will act," says the Lord.
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