15 The word of the LORD came to me: 16 And you, O mortal, take a stick and write on it, "Of Judah and the Israelites associated with him"; and take another stick and write on it, "Of Joseph — the stick of Ephraim — and all the House of Israel associated with him." 17 Bring them close to each other, so that they become one stick, joined together in your hand. 18 And when any of your people ask you, "Won't you tell us what these actions of yours mean?" 19 answer them, "Thus said the Lord GOD: I am going to take the stick of Joseph — which is in the hand of Ephraim — and of the tribes of Israel associated with him, and I will place the stick of Judah upon it and make them into one stick; they shall be joined in My hand." 20 You shall hold up before their eyes the sticks which you have inscribed, 21 and you shall declare to them: Thus said the Lord GOD: I am going to take the Israelite people from among the nations they have gone to, and gather them from every quarter, and bring them to their own land. 22 I will make them a single nation in the land, on the hills of Israel, and one king shall be king of them all. Never again shall they be two nations, and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms. 23 Nor shall they ever again defile themselves by their fetishes and their abhorrent things, and by their other transgressions. I will save them in all their settlements where they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
24 My servant David shall be king over them; there shall be one shepherd for all of them. They shall follow My rules and faithfully obey My laws. 25 Thus they shall remain in the land which I gave to My servant Jacob and in which your fathers dwelt; they and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever, with My servant David as their prince for all time. 26 I will make a covenant of friendship with them — it shall be an everlasting covenant with them — I will establish them and multiply them, and I will place My Sanctuary among them forever. 27 My Presence shall rest over them; I will be their God and they shall be My people. 28 And when My Sanctuary abides among them forever, the nations shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel.
Taken from Tanakh, The Holy Scriptures, (Philadelphia, Jerusalem)
24 My servant David shall be king over them; there shall be one shepherd for all of them. They shall follow My rules and faithfully obey My laws. 25 Thus they shall remain in the land which I gave to My servant Jacob and in which your fathers dwelt; they and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever, with My servant David as their prince for all time. 26 I will make a covenant of friendship with them — it shall be an everlasting covenant with them — I will establish them and multiply them, and I will place My Sanctuary among them forever. 27 My Presence shall rest over them; I will be their God and they shall be My people. 28 And when My Sanctuary abides among them forever, the nations shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel.
Taken from Tanakh, The Holy Scriptures, (Philadelphia, Jerusalem)
1 comment:
There is a lot of imagery here about gathering, talking of shepherds, making the separated tribes of Israel one. This also brings an image of a family, with a parent gathering the children together from where they have strayed. Calling in the store or on the playground, "Children! Time to go!" and gathering everyone up, moving on to the next thing as a family.
-LWM
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