Ezekiel 37:1-11

11The Lord took hold of me with great power. In a vision, the Lord's Spirit took me to the middle of a valley. Bones covered all the ground there.

2The Lord made me walk up and down among the bones. I could see many bones there, on the ground in the valley. They were completely dry.

3He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones become alive again?’ I said, ‘Almighty Lord, only you know the answer.’

4Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones. Say to them, “Dry bones, listen to the Lord's message!

5This is what the Almighty Lord says to you bones: Listen! I will put breath into you and you will become alive.

6I will join you together and I will put meat on you. I will cover you with skin. I will put breath into you and you will become alive. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” ’

7So I prophesied, as the Lord had commanded me to do. While I was still speaking, there was a noise. It was the sound of the bones as they knocked against each other when they joined together.

8While I watched, I saw meat come and join to the bones. Then skin covered them. But there was no breath in them yet.

9Then the Lord said to me, ‘Prophesy to the wind, son of man. Speak my message to the wind. Say, “This is what the Almighty Lord says: Blow from all directions and put breath into these dead bodies! Cause them to become alive again.” ’

10So I spoke the message that the Lord had commanded me to speak. Breath went into those dead bodies and they became alive. They stood up on their feet. They were as many as a great army.

11Then the Lord said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones are a picture of all Israel's people. The Israelites are saying, “Our bones are dead and dry. There are no good things that we can hope for. We have come to an end.”