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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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