« | Ezekiel 37 | » |
1 The hand of LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley, and it was full of bones.
2 And he caused me to pass by them round about. And, behold, there were very many in the open valley, and, lo, they were very dry.
3 And he said to me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O lord LORD, thou know.
4 Again he said to me, Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of LORD.
5 Thus says lord LORD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live.
6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live. And ye shall know that I am LORD.
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a noise, and, behold, an earthquake, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
8 And I beheld, and, lo, there were sinews upon them, and flesh came up, and skin covered them above, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, Prophesy to the wind. Prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus says lord LORD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then he said to me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost. We are clean cut off.
12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says lord LORD: Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people, and I will bring you into the land of Israel.
13 And ye shall know that I am LORD when I have opened your graves, and caused you to come up out of your graves, O my people.
14 And I will put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live. And I will place you in your own land. And ye shall know that I, LORD, have spoken it and performed it, says LORD.
15 The word of LORD came again to me, saying,
16 And thou, son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the sons of Israel his companions. Then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions.
17 And join them one to another into one stick for thyself, that they may become one in thy hand.
18 And when the sons of thy people shall speak to thee, saying, Will thou not show us what thou mean by these?
19 say to them, Thus says lord LORD: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his companions, and I will put them with it, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in my hand.
20 And the sticks on which thou write shall be in thy hand before their eyes.
21 And say to them, Thus says lord LORD: Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land.
22 And I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king to them all. And they shall no more be two nations, nor shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.
23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions, but I will save them out of all their dwelling-places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. So they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
24 And my servant David shall be king over them, and they all shall have one shepherd. They shall also walk in my ordinances, and observe my statutes, and do them.
25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob my servant, in which your fathers dwelt. And they shall dwell therein, they, and their sons, and their son's sons, forever. And David my servant shall be their ruler forever.
26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
27 My tabernacle shall also be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
28 And the nations shall know that I am LORD, who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.
A Conservative Version (ACV)
A Conservative Version (ACV) of the Bible is a translation that aims to provide a conservative and literal interpretation of the biblical texts. Developed with a focus on maintaining fidelity to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts, the ACV emphasizes a word-for-word translation methodology. The goal is to preserve the subtleties and nuances of the original languages as accurately as possible. This approach results in a version of the Bible that seeks to remain true to the text's original meaning and context, appealing to readers who prioritize precision and doctrinal integrity.
The text of the Old Testament for A Conservative Version (ACV) came from the American Standard Version published in 1901. The main changes done for the ACV were the replacement of archaic words with more modern ones, except for the old English pronouns, which were kept because they are more communicative. The New Testament was translated from, The New Testament in the Original Greek According to the Byzantine-Majority Text form. That edition was compiled by Maurice A. Robinson and William G. Pierpont, and is of the Textus Receptus tradition from which came the King James Version.
The ACV was created in response to what its translators saw as a trend toward more liberal or dynamic-equivalence translations that prioritize readability over literal accuracy. The translators aimed to produce a text that adheres closely to the original languages, even if this makes the translation more challenging for contemporary readers. This reflects their belief in the importance of preserving the exact words and phrases used in the original scriptures. The ACV also employs traditional theological terminology and phrasing, avoiding modern slang and colloquial expressions in favor of language that conveys the gravity and solemnity of the biblical message.
While the ACV has found appreciation among conservative circles, it has faced criticism for its perceived rigidity and difficulty. Critics argue that its strict adherence to a word-for-word translation can make the text less readable and accessible, potentially alienating readers unfamiliar with the original languages or who prefer a more fluid translation. Despite these criticisms, the ACV remains a valued translation for those who prioritize a conservative and literal approach to Bible interpretation, supporting their doctrinal views with a text they believe closely reflects the original scriptures.