The XXXVII. Chapter.
[ A] THe honde of the LORDE came vpon me, & caried me out in the sprete of the LORDE, & let me downe in a playne felde, that laye full of bones, & he led me roun¦de aboute by them▪ & beholde, the bones that laye vpon the felde, were very many, & mar∣uelous drye also. Then sayde he vnto me: Thou sonne of man: thinkest thou these be∣nes maye lyue agayne? I answered: O LOR¦DE God, thou knowest. And he sayde vnto me: Prophecy thou vpon these bones, & spea¦ke vnto them: Ye drye bones, heare the wor∣de of the LORDE. Thus saieth the LORDE God vnto these bones: Beholde, I will put breth in to you, that ye maye lyue: I wil geue you synowes, & make flesh growe vpon you, & couer you ouer with skynne: & so geue you breth, that ye maye lyue, and knowe, that I am the LORDE.
So I prophecied, as he had cōmaunded me. And as I was prophecienge, there came a noyse and a greate mocion, so that the bo∣nes ranne euery one to another. Now whē I had loked, beholde, they had synowes, and flesh grewe vpon them: and aboue they we∣re couered with skynne, but there was no [ B] breth in them. Then sayde he vnto me: Thou sonne of man, prophecie thou towarde the wynde: prophecy, and speake to the wynde: Thus saieth the LORDE God: Come (o thou ayre) from the foure wyndes, & blowe vpon these slayne, that they maye be restored to life. So I prophecied, as he had commaun∣ded me: Then came the brethtn to them, and they receaued life, and stode vp vpon their fe¦te, a maruelous greate sorte.
Morouer, he sayde vnto me: Thou sonne of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Beholde, they saye: oure bones are dryed vp, oure hope is gone, we are clene cut of. Therfore prophecie thou, & speake vnto them. Thus saieth the LORDE God: Behol∣de, I wil open youre graues (o my people) & take you out of youre sepulcres, & bringe you in to the londe of Israel agayne. So shall ye knowe yt I am the LORDE, when I open youre graues, & bringe you out of them. My sprete also wil I put in you, & ye shal lyue: I wil set you agayne in youre owne londe, and ye shal knowe, that I am the LORDE, which haue sayde it, and fulfilled it in dede.
The worde of the LORDE came vnto me, [ C] sayenge: Thou sonne of man, take a sticke and wryte vpon it: Vnto Iuda & to the chil∣dren of Israel his companyons. Then take another sticke, and wryte vpon it: Vnto Io∣seph the stocke of Ephraim, and to all the housholde of Israel his companyons. And than take both these together in thine hon∣de, so shal there be one stycke therof. Now yf the childrē of thy people saye vnto the: wilt thou not shewe vs, what thou meanest by these? Then geue them this answere: Thus saieth the LORDE God: Beholde, I wil take the stocke of Ioseph, which is in the honde of Ephraim and of the trybes of Israel his felowes, and wil put them to the stocke of Iuda, & make them one stocke, and they shal be one in my honde. And the two stickes whe¦re vpon thou wrytest, shalt thou haue in thi¦ne honde, that they maye se, and shalt saye vnto them:
Thus saieth the LORDE God: beholde, I wil take awaye the childrē of Israel from amonge the Heithen, vnto whom they be go¦ne, and wil gather them together on euery sy¦de, and bringe them agayne in to their owne londe: yee I wil make one people of thē in ye londe, vpon the mountaynes of Israel, and they all shal haue but one kinge. They shall [ D] nomore be two peoples from hensforth, ne∣ther be deuyded in to two kingdomes: they shal also defyle thē selues nomore with their abhominacions, Idols and all their wicked-doinges. I wil helpe thē out of all their dwel¦linge places, wherin they haue synned: & will so clense them, that they shalbe my people, and I their God.
Dauid my seruaunt shalbe their kinge, & they all shal haue one shepherde only. They shal walke in my lawes, and my commaun∣dementes shal they both kepe & fulfill. They shal dwell in the londe, that I gaue vnto Ia¦cob my seruaunt, where as youre fathers al∣so haue dwelt. Yee euē in the same londe shal they, their children, & their childers children dwell for euermore: and my seruaunt Dauid shal be their euerlastynge prynce. Morouer, I will make a bonde of peace with them, which shal be vnto them an euerlastinge co∣uenaunt. I wil sattle thē also, and multiplie them, my Sanctuary wil I set amonge thē for euermore.