Ezekiel 37
The full text of Ezekiel 37 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 The hand of the LORD was on 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.
2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley—bones that were very dry.
3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
I answered, "Sovereign LORD, you alone know."
4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.
6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'"
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.
8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'"
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'
12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.
14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.'"
15 The word of the LORD came to me:
16 "Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it, 'Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him.' Then take another stick and write on it, 'Belonging to Joseph—that is, to Ephraim—and all the Israelites associated with him.'
17 Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand.
18 "When your people ask you, 'Won't you tell us what you mean by this?'
19 say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim's hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah's stick. I will make them into a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.'
20 Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on
21 and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.
22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them, and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.
23 They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.
24 "'My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.
25 They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children's children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever.
26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever.
27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.
28 Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever."
Translation notes (13)
- Ezekiel 37:1a The Hebrew word biq'ah means a broad valley or plain. This is the same word used for the plain where the exiles settled in Ezekiel 3:22. The phrase "full of bones" describes the aftermath of a battlefield, long decomposed.
- Ezekiel 37:3a The question here tests faith without presumption. Daniel's answer is theologically perfect, showing neither denial nor presumption, but only deference to God's ultimate authority.
- Ezekiel 37:5a The Hebrew word ruach has a triple meaning: breath, wind, and spirit, and all three meanings are at work throughout this passage. God's ruach animates what is dead.
- Ezekiel 37:7a The Hebrew word ra'ash means earthquake or a thunderous rattling sound. The sound of resurrection described here is seismic, meaning it is not quiet but cataclysmic.
- Ezekiel 37:9a Echoes Gen 2:7—God breathing life into Adam. 'Four winds' = from everywhere, universal scope. 'These slain' (haruqim) confirms they died violently.
- Ezekiel 37:10a The phrase "a vast army" translates the Hebrew chayil gadol me'od me'od, which literally means "an exceedingly, exceedingly great army." This double superlative emphasizes overwhelming numbers.
- Ezekiel 37:11a The interpretation of this vision is not individual resurrection, though it implies that possibility, but rather the national restoration of exiled Israel. The people's own lament is quoted here, showing that utter despair is the starting point.
- Ezekiel 37:14a Here, ruach again refers to God's Spirit, which will indwell the restored nation. This signifies not just a physical return but also spiritual renewal (compare Ezekiel 36:26-27). The phrase "I have spoken and I have done it" means that God's word accomplishes what it declares.
- Ezekiel 37:16a The north-south division of Israel, which existed since 930 BC, will be healed. Judah refers to the southern kingdom, and Joseph or Ephraim refers to the northern kingdom, which was destroyed in 722 BC.
- Ezekiel 37:23a Covenant formula: 'my people... their God' (cf. Jer 31:33; Ezek 36:28). Cleansing is God's act, not human achievement.
- Ezekiel 37:24a The phrase 'My servant David' refers either to a restored line of kings from David's family or to the Messiah, who is the promised David at the end of time. The idea of 'one shepherd' signifies a unity of leadership (compare John 10:16).
- Ezekiel 37:26a 'Covenant of peace' (berit shalom) = the new covenant under different terminology (cf. 34:25; Isa 54:10; Jer 31:31–34). 'Sanctuary among them' anticipates chs. 40–48.
- Ezekiel 37:27a Heb. mishkan = 'dwelling/tabernacle.' God's presence permanently among his people—the ultimate goal of all biblical history (cf. Rev 21:3).
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is a new translation of the Bible prepared by Trinity Bible AI — rendered from the original Hebrew and faithful to the earliest and most reliable manuscripts. Finished in 2026, it is the most modern English Bible translation you can read today, and it is available only through Trinity Bible. All 66 books, including Ezekiel, are free to read on this site.
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