The Valley of Dry Bones
1 I felt the powerful presence of the Lord, and his spirit took me and set me down in a valley where the ground was covered with bones. 2 He led me all around the valley, and I could see that there were very many bones and that they were very dry. 3 He said to me, “Mortal man, can these bones come back to life?”
I replied, “Sovereign Lord, only you can answer that!”
4 He said, “Prophesy to the bones. Tell these dry bones to listen to the word of the Lord. 5 Tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them: I am going to put breath into you and bring you back to life. 6 I will give you sinews and muscles, and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you and bring you back to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
7 So I prophesied as I had been told. While I was speaking, I heard a rattling noise, and the bones began to join together. 8 While I watched, the bones were covered with sinews and muscles, and then with skin. But there was no breath in the bodies.
9 God said to me, “Mortal man, prophesy to the wind. Tell the wind that the Sovereign Lord commands it to come from every direction, to breathe into these dead bodies, and to bring them back to life.”
10 So I prophesied as I had been told. Breath entered the bodies, and they came to life and stood up. There were enough of them to form an army.
11 God said to me, “Mortal man, the people of Israel are like these bones. They say that they are dried up, without any hope and with no future. 12 So prophesy to my people Israel and tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, am going to open their graves. I am going to take them out and bring them back to the land of Israel. 13 When I open the graves where my people are buried and bring them out, they will know that I am the Lord. 14 I will put my breath in them, bring them back to life, and let them live in their own land. Then they will know that I am the Lord. I have promised that I would do this—and I will. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Judah and Israel in One Kingdom
15 The Lord spoke to me again. 16 “Mortal man,” he said, “take a wooden stick and write on it the words, ‘The kingdom of Judah.’ Then take another stick and write on it the words, ‘The kingdom of Israel.’ 17 Then hold the two sticks end to end in your hand so that they look like one stick. 18 When your people ask you to tell them what this means, 19 tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, am going to take the stick representing Israel and put it with the one that represents Judah. Out of the two I will make one stick and hold it in my hand.
20 “Hold in your hand the two sticks and let the people see them. 21 Then tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, am going to take all my people out of the nations where they have gone, gather them together, and bring them back to their own land. 22 I will unite them into one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. They will have one king to rule over them, and they will no longer be divided into two nations or split into two kingdoms. 23 They will not defile themselves with disgusting idols any more or corrupt themselves with sin. I will free them from all the ways in which they sin and betray me. I will purify them; they will be my people, and I will be their God. 24 A king like my servant David will be their king. They will all be united under one ruler and will obey my laws faithfully. 25 They will live on the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where their ancestors lived. They will live there forever, and so will their children and all their descendants. A king like my servant David will rule them forever. 26 I will make a covenant with them that guarantees their security forever. I will establish them and increase their population, and will see to it that my Temple stands forever in their land. 27 I will live there with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 When I place my Temple there to be among them forever, then the nations will know that I, the Lord, have chosen Israel to be my own people.”
Israel ta shuninwa omwenyo
1 Eke lOmwene la kala kombada yange, ndele Ye okwa pitifa nge mOmhepo yOmwene ndele a kaleka nge pokati kefilufuka. Ndele lo la li li yadi oipongolo. 2 Ndele Ye okwa twalatwala nge keembinga adishe mokati kayo, ndele tala, opa li ongudu inene ya nangala mefilufuka, ndele tala, oyo aishe ya li ya kukuta unene. 3 Opo nee Ye a lombwela nge ta ti: “Kaana komunhu, oipongolo ei tai dulu tuu okuninga omwenyo?” Ndele ame nda nyamukula, handi ti: “Omwene Kalunga, Oove u shi shii.” 4 Opo nee Ye okwa lombwela nge ta ti: “Xunganekela oipongolo ei u i lombwele: Oipongolo ikukutu, udeni ondjovo yOmwene! 5 Omwene Kalunga ta ti ngaha koipongolo ei: Taleni, Ame ohandi pake mo munye omhepo, opo mu shiive okuninga ovanamwenyo. 6 Ndele Ame ohandi mu tula omifipa neenhumba kombada yeni nohandi pake oshipa kunye, nomeni leni handi mu pe omhepo, opo mu shiive okuninga ovanamwenyo; ndele nye otamu ka shiiva nokutya, Aame Omwene.” 7 Opo nee nda xunganeka ngaashi nda lombwelwa. Ndele eshi nda xunganeka, oshihomo sha udika, ndele tala, elinyengo! Ndele omakipa a ehenafana, keshe ekipa la ehena kekipa likwao. 8 Opo nee nda tala ndele nda mona kombada yao pa kala omifipa nonhumba ye uya kuwo, noshipa she a djalekwa, ndelenee muwo inamu kala omhepo. 9 Opo nee Ye okwa lombwela nge, ta ti: “Xunganekela omhepo, xunganeka, okaana komunhu, u tye komhepo: Omwene Kalunga ta ti ngaha: Akutu omhepo, ila, u dje keembinga adishe nhee dedu u fudile mo oonakudipawa ava va ninge ovanamwenyo.” 10 Ndele ame nda xunganeka ngaashi nda lombwelwa, Opo nee omhepo ye uya muvo, ndele vo va ninga ovanamwenyo, ndele vo va kala ofika, ongudu inene unene. 11 Opo nee Ye okwa lombwela nge ta ti: “Kaana komunhu, oipongolo ei oyo eumbo alishe laIsrael. Tala, vo ohava ti: Omakipa etu a kukuta, eteelelo letu la kana. Twa xula po sheke! 12 Onghee hano, xunganeka u va lombwele: Omwene Kalunga ta ti ngaha: Taleni, Ame ohandi ka lafulula eembila deni, ndele handi ke mu kufa mo meembila deni, akutu oshiwana shange, ndele Ame ohandi mu eta moshilongo shaIsrael. 13 Ndele nye otamu ka shiiva nokutya, Aame Omwene ngeenge handi lafulula eembila deni, ndele handi mu kufa meembila deni, akutu oshiwana shange! 14 Ndele Ame ohandi tula munye Omhepo yange, opo mu ninge ovanamwenyo, ndele handi mu nangeke moshilongo sheni; ndele nye otamu ka shiiva nokutya, Aame Omwene nde shi tya nonde shi wanifa, Omwene ta ti.”
Israel naJuda otai ka ninga oshilongo shimwe
15 Ondjovo yOmwene ye uya vali kwaame ndele tai ti: 16 “Ndele ove, kaana komunhu, kufa oshiti u shangele mo: ‘KuJuda nokOvaisraeli,’ ndele kufa vali oshiti shimwe u shangele mo: ‘KuJosef. Oshiti shaEfraim nokOvaisraeli,’ 17 i patela kumwe, i ninge oshiti shimwe meke loye. 18 Nongeenge ovana vomoshiwana shoye tava popi kwoove ndele tava ti: Ito tu fatululile nokutya, noinima ei ove to yeleke shike? 19 U tye kuvo: Omwene Kalunga ta ti ngaha: Taleni, Ame ohandi kufa oshiti shaJosef shi li meke laEfraim nomapata aIsrael a endafana naye; ndele Ame ohandi ke va patela kumwe noshiti shaJuda, ndele vo otava ningi oshiti shimwe, ndele tava ka ninga oshiti shimwe meke lange. 20 Noiti muyo wa shangela mo i nokukala meke loye moipafi yavo.
21 “Ndele tya kuvo: Omwene Kalunga ta ti ngaha: Tala, Ame ohandi ka kufa mo ovana vaIsrael moiwana muyo va elaela, nohandi ke va ongela keembinga adishe noku va eta moshilongo shavo. 22 Ndele Ame ohandi ke va ninga oshiwana shimwe moshilongo shavo, keemhunda daIsrael. Navo aveshe tava ka kala ve nohamba imwe, ndele vo itava kala vali oiwana ivali, noitava ka kala vali va tongoka va tukulwa oilongo ivali. 23 Ndele vo itave ke linyateka vali noikalunga yavo noixuna yavo nomatauluko avo, ndele Ame ohandi ke va mangulula meenhele adishe omo va nyonenene, ndele handi ke va yapula. Osho ngaha vo otava ka ninga oshiwana shange, naame handi ningi Kalunga kavo. 24 Ndele omupiya wange David ta ka kala ohamba yavo, ndele vo aveshe tava ka kala ve nomufita umwe, ndele vo otava ka enda pamalombwelo ange nokudiinina eenghedimhango dange noku di wanifa. 25 Ndele vo otava ka kala medu nde li pele omupiya wange Jakob, mulo ooxekulu yavo va kala. Heeno, vo otava ka kala mulo, novana vavo novatekulu vavo fiyo alushe. Nomupiya wange David ta ka kala ohamba yavo fiyo alushe. 26 Ndele Ame ohandi ka ninga ehangano navo, olo tali ka kala ehangano laalushe navo. Ndele Ame ohandi ke va eta mo noku va hapupalifa, ndele Ame ohandi ka pamekela otembeli yange mokati kavo fiyo alushe. 27 Ndele edilaumbo lange tali ka kala kombada yavo, naame ohandi ka kala Kalunga kavo, navo tava ka kala oshiwana shange. 28 Ndele oiwana tai ka shiiva nokutya, Aame Omwene, ou ta yapula Israel, otembeli yange, ngeenge tai kala mokati kavo fiyo alushe.”
