The Prophecy of the Dry Bones
By Moshe Katz

April 20, 2014

Dedicated to my father, Rabbi Paul M. Katz of blessed memory

The hand of God was upon me, and he carried me out in the spirit of God, and he set me down in the midst of a valley and it is full of bones.

and he brought me around and around and behold they are very many upon the valley and they are very dry.

And He said to me, Son of man! Shall these bones live? and I said lord God you know.

And he said to me , Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of God. Thus says God to these bones. Behold I will bring in you spirit and you shall live. and I will lay sinews upon you and I will bring flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am God.

So I prophesied as I was commanded, and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And as I beheld, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them. But there was still no breath in them.

And He said to me prophesy to the spirit, prophesy Son of Man!  and say to the spirit, Thus says the Lord God, come from the four winds, O spirit, and breath upon these slain that they many live.

So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up on their feet, an exceeding great army.

Then he said to me, Son of Man, these bones are the whole house of Yisrael, behold, they say, our bones are dried, and our hope is lost, we are cut off.

Therefore prophesy and say to them, Thus says the Lord God, here I am opening your graves and I will take you out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am God as I open your graves my nation.

And I shall put my spirit in you and you shall live and I shall place you on your land and you shall know that I am God.

I have spoken and I have done. The speech of God.