15 The Lord’s word came
to me: 16 You, human one, take a stick, and write
on it, “Belonging to Judah and to the Israelites associated with him.” Take
another stick and write on it, “Stick of Ephraim belonging to Joseph and
everyone of the house of Israel associated with him.” 17 Join
them to each other to make a single stick so that they become one stick in your
hand. 18 When your people ask you, “Why won’t you
tell us what these sticks mean to you?” 19 say to
them, The Lord God
proclaims: I’m taking Joseph’s stick, which has been in Ephraim’s hand, and the
tribes of Israel associated with him, and I’m putting it with Judah’s stick,
and I’m making them into a single stick so that they will be one stick in my
hand. 20 When the two sticks that you’ve written on
are in your hand in their sight, 21 speak to them,
This is what the Lord God
says: I will take the Israelites from among the nations where they’ve gone, I
will gather them from all around, and I will bring them to their fertile land. 22 I
will make them into a single nation in the land on Israel’s highlands. There
will be just one king for all of them. They will no longer be two nations, and
they will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. 23 They
will no longer defile themselves with their idols or their worthless things or
with any of their rebellions. I will deliver them from all the places where
they sinned, 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. There will be just one shepherd for all of them. They will follow my case
laws and carefully observe my regulations. 25 They
will live on the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where their ancestors
lived. They will live on it, they and their children and their grandchildren,
forever. My servant David will be their prince forever. 26 I
will make a covenant of peace for them. It will be their covenant forever. I
will grant it to them and allow them to increase. I will set my sanctuary among
them forever. 27 My dwelling will be with them, and
I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 The
nations will know that I, the Lord,
make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.
Scripture taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The "CEB" and "Common English Bible" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.