21 Don’t be afraid, O land.
for the Lord has done great things.
22 Don’t be afraid, you animals of the field,
for the wilderness pastures will soon be green.
The trees will again be filled with fruit;
fig trees and grapevines will be loaded down once more.
23 Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem!
Rejoice in the Lord your God!
For the rain he sends demonstrates his faithfulness.
Once more the autumn rains will come,
as well as the rains of spring.
24 The threshing floors will again be piled high with grain,
and the presses will overflow with new wine and olive oil.
25 The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost
to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts,
the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts.
It was I who sent this great destroying army against you.
26 Once again you will have all the food you want,
and you will praise the Lord your God,
who does these miracles for you.
Never again will my people be disgraced.
27 Then you will know that I am among my people Israel,
that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other.
Never again will my people be disgraced.
1 The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of
the Lord to a valley filled with bones. 2 He led me all around
among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were
scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely
dried out. 3 Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones
become living people again?”
“O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to
4 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones
and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! 5 This is what
the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you
and make you live again! 6 I will put flesh and muscles on you and
cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to
life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
7 So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I
spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones
of each body came together and attached themselves as
complete skeletons. 8 Then as I watched, muscles and flesh
formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies,
but they still had no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds,
son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what
the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds!
Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”
10 So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath
came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their
11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the
people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry
bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ 12 Therefore,
prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to
rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 When
this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. 14 I
will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to
your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken,
and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his
great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised
Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great
expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an
inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled,
beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith,
God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation,
which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you
must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show
that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and
purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere
gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will
bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when
Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though
you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a
glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the
1 After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.
2 His judgments are true and just.
He has punished the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality.
He has avenged the murder of his servants.”
3 And again their voices rang out:
The smoke from that city ascends forever and ever!”
4 Then the twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down
and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried
out, “Amen! Praise the Lord!”
5 And from the throne came a voice that said,
from the least to the greatest.”
6 Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd
or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:
For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice,
and let us give honor to him.
For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb,
and his bride has prepared herself.
8 She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”
For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy
