Nkuku we mafupa akawoma
1 Tjiazha tja Yahwe tjakandibhata ngono tjikandidusila pazhe nge meya ya Yahwe ngono tjikandimisa pakati kwe nkuku wakabe uli zhele mafupa. 2 Bakanditungamila kuyenda yenda pakati kwawo, bonani ndakabona mafupa manjinji mu nkuku ngono akawoma kwazo. 3 Ngono bakandibhuzwa bakati, “Nkololo we nthu, apa mafupa iyawa angatjila kene?” Adabila nditi, “Imwi She Yahwe, ndimwi munoziba.” 4 Ipapo bakabe beti kundili, “Lebelambeli ku mafupa iyawa uti, ‘Imwi mafupa akawoma ihwani dama la Yahwe. 5 She Yahwe bakati ku mafupa iyawa, “Ndowofemela mu muli ngono mowotjila. 6 Ndowolonga makanyu mu muli ngono athama kuti nyama ibe mu muli amuambadza ganda, ndowofemela mu muli ngono mowotjila, ngono mowoziba kuti ndimi Yahwe.” ’ ”
7 Ndizo alebelambeli sekwa ndakadwiwa. Ngono ndakati nditjalebelambeli bonani kukabe ne zhoba tjinyolotjo, nsindo we kulobana kwe mafupa ebhatana, fupa libhatana ne fupa. 8 Ndakalinga ngono abona makanyu ebepo ne nyama muali ne ganda liapetela, koga kwakabe kusina meya muali.
9 Ngono bakabe bendidwa beti, “Lebelambeli meya ye kufema, lebelambeli nkololo we nthu, idwa meya uti, ‘She Yahwe bakati, “Buya kudwa mu mbizho nna, meya, ufemele muna ibaba bakabulawa kuti batjile.” ’ ” 10 Ndizo alebelambeli sekwa bakandidwa ngono meya ye kufema ikangina mu bali ngono bakatjila bakamilika bakama ne makumbo abo bali mbunga usinshoma.
11 Ipapo Yahwe bakati kundili, “Nkololo we nthu, mafupa iyawa bathu bose be Iziraela. Bona banoti, ‘Mafupa edu awoma ne kugalabgwe kwedu akutjipo, tafa tapela.’ 12 Ndizo wali lebelambeli uti ku bali, ‘She Yahwe bakati, “Ndowozhula zwikumbu zwenyu, ngono amudusa mu zwikumbu zwenyu, imwi bathu bangu ngono ndowomubuza ku shango ye Iziraela. 13 Ngono mowoziba kuti ndimi Yahwe pandinowozhula zwikumbu zwenyu ngono ndimudusa mu zwikumbu zwenyu, imwi bathu bangu. 14 Ndowolonga meya yangu mu muli ngono mowotjila, ngono ndowomugadza mu shango yenyu. Ipapo mowoziba kuti imi Yahwe ndimi ndaleba ngono ndakushinga, kojalo Yahwe.” ’ ”
Ludzi gung'ompela pasi kwa mambo nng'ompela
15 Dama la Yahwe likazha kundili liti, 16 “Nkololo we nthu, Tola lukuni ukwale muguli uti, ‘Gumilile Juda ngono Baiziraela bazwizwadzanye naye.’ Ube utola gumwe lukuni ukwale muguli uti, ‘Lukuni gwa Ifureimi, igogu ngegwa Josefa ngono bathu bose be Iziraela bazwizwadzanye naye.’ 17 Hwuni idzedzi udzibhatshanye dzibe lukuni gung'ompela mu luboko gugo. 18 Ha bathu babo bekubhuzwa beti, ‘Apa aungatibudze kuti unodwani naikoku kene?’ 19 Ubadwe uti, ‘Tjinoleba She Yahwe etji, Ndabe pejo ngotola lukuni gwa Josefa, igogu gu mu luboko gwa Ifureimi ne njudzi dze Iziraela dzakazwizwadzanya naye, ngono ndibe nditola lukuni gwa Juda ndidzibhatshanya ndithama lukuni gung'ompela ngono dzibe lukuni gung'ompela mu luboko gwangu.’ 20 Ubhate hwuni dzawakwala mbeli kwabo 21 ube uti ku bali, ‘She Yahwe bakati, Ndowotola Baiziraela mu njudzi dzabakayenda kudzili. Ndowobakubunganya kudwa kose kupoteleka ababuza mu shango yabo. 22 Ndowobathama ludzi gung'ompela mu shango, pezhugwi kwe matombo e Iziraela ngono nng'ompela koga unowobe mambo wabo. Abatowofa babe njudzi mbili kakale kene kuli kuthubukanya bumambo gwabo kabili. 23 Abatowopapha kakale bakazwitemapadza nge midzimu yabo ye zwifano ne zwithu zwabo zwinoshimisa kene nge milandu yabo ngoti ndowobatjidza ndibadusa mu kuwa kwabo, ndowobatjenapadza. Ipapo banowobe bathu bangu, imi abe Ndzimu wabo.
24 “ ‘Nlanda wangu Dafite unowobe mambo wabo, bose banowobe ne nlisi nng'ompela. Banowolondolodza milayo yangu bakaitobela nge njele. 25 Banowogala mu shango yandakapa nlanda wangu Jakubo, shango yakagagwa ndi bobatategulu benyu. Ibo ne bana babo ne bana be bana babo banowogala muili nge kusingapele, Dafite nlanda wangu unowobe ntungamili wabo nge kusingapele. 26 Ndowothama tjidumano tje mbakiso nabo. Tjowobe tjili tjidumano tjisingapele. Ndowobagadzikanya abawatsha, ngono agadza bugalo gwangu gwakayengemala pakati kwabo nge kusingapele. 27 Bugalo gwangu gowobe nabo, ndowobe Ndzimu wabo ibo bakabe bathu bangu. 28 Ipapo njudzi dzowoziba kuti imi Yahwe ndothama kuti Iziraela iyengemale bugalo gwangu ha guli pakati kwabo nge kusingapele.’ ”
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.”