One Kingdom, One King

15 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 16 “As for you, son of man, mtake a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for nthe children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ 17 Then ojoin them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.

18 “And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, p‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’—19 qsay to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take rthe stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.” ’ 20 And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand sbefore their eyes.

21 “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely tI will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; 22 and uI will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and vone king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. 23 wThey shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but xI will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

24 y“David My servant shall be king over them, and zthey shall all have one shepherd; athey shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. 25 bThen they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, cforever; and dMy servant David shall be their prince forever. 26 Moreover I will 3make ea covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and fmultiply them, and I will set My gsanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27 hMy tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be itheir God, and they shall be My people. 28 jThe nations also will know that I, the Lord, ksanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” ’ ”