Ezekiel and the Bones

Previously: Ezekiel and the Wheels.

The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”

Hand of the Lord took me; hand of the Lord took me out. Hand of the Lord came over me (over/out) and brought me out-in (first out, then in/outside the inside/the interiormost aspect of the exterior part of the Spirit of the Lord). Hand to Spirit, hand to God. Hand upon me, out-Spirit in me, down in the valley. Bones everywhere.

(“How many bones were there?”)

As someone who passed by them all around, beholding: very many. Valley was full of ‘em, open and shut.

(“As dry as they were many.”)

Then the Spirit said, Bone-Boy. Do these bones live.

I just work here. You know.

And the Spirit said, Go ahead and ask. You’re the one with the bones. Maybe they’ll listen to you. Tell them I’m offering sinews and brought-flesh and skin-covers and full breath and life-result. Remind them of their situation, and mine.

I just work here, so: I worked here. From command to prophesy and from prophesy to noise and from noise to rattling there was no distance. Bones came together. Bone on bone. Sinew-sprout, sinew-wrap, fleshfulness, muscle-marble, meat-begetting – put together, stacked by row, but yet breathless. All skin, no steak. Light in the ankle joints. Dry. Jerky.

Talk to the breath, then. Prophesy directly to the breath, bone-boy, address it directly. Get it on its feet, suggest a compilation to the four winds, and get some breath on these bone-stacks.

I just work here. I prophesied, breath came in, subsequently they lived, subsequently they stood on their feet, subsequently an exceedingly great army.

Then the Spirit said: These bones are the bones of the whole house, and they say, ‘We know our bones to be dry.’ Therefore tell them that I tell them that I will open their graves, that in opening their graves I will cause them to come up from their graves and escort them elsewhere; they will know me when I have opened their graves, and in the opening of graves I will make them mine. I will put my spirit in them and they will live. Tell these bones to tell the bones of Israel. Keep the bones talking to each other.

And I said, I’m telling the bones this? Or the bones are telling me this? Or the bones are telling someone else’s bones?

Unclear chain of command. Unclear order of operations. First outside, inner last.

Tell everyone. Last-minute sale on bones. All graves must go. Otherwise what was all the breathing for?