Ezekiel 37:1-14; John 15:26-27; John 16:4-15

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."

26 "The Helper will come - the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God and who comes from the Father. I will send him to you from the Father, and he will speak about me.

27 And you, too, will speak about me, because you have been with me from the very beginning.

4 But I have told you this, so that when the time comes for them to do these things, you will remember what I told you. "I did not tell you these things at the beginning, for I was with you.

5 But now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me where I am going.

6 And now that I have told you, your hearts are full of sadness.

7 But I am telling you the truth: it is better for you that I go away, because if I do not go, the Helper will not come to you. But if I do go away, then I will send him to you.

8 And when he comes, he will prove to the people of the world that they are wrong about sin and about what is right and about God's judgment.

9 They are wrong about sin, because they do not believe in me;

10 they are wrong about what is right, because I am going to the Father and you will not see me any more;

11 and they are wrong about judgment, because the ruler of this world has already been judged.

12 "I have much more to tell you, but now it would be too much for you to bear.

13 When, however, the Spirit comes, who reveals the truth about God, he will lead you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own authority, but he will speak of what he hears and will tell you of things to come.

14 He will give me glory, because he will take what I say and tell it to you.

15 All that my Father has is mine; that is why I said that the Spirit will take what I give him and tell it to you.