^{16 Ref} `And thou, son of man, take to thee one stick, and write on it, For Judah, and for the sons of Israel, his companions; and take another stick, and write on it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and all the house of Israel, his companions,

^{17 Ref} and bring them near one unto another, to thee, for one stick, and they have become one in thy hand.

^{18 Ref} `And when sons of thy people speak unto thee, saying, Dost thou not declare to us what these `are' to thee?

^{19 Ref} Speak unto them, Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am taking the stick of Joseph, that `is' in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his companions, and have given them unto him, with the stick of Judah, and have made them become one stick, and they have been one in My hand.

^{20 Ref} And the sticks on which thou writest have been in thy hand before thine eyes,

^{21 Ref} and speak thou unto them: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am taking the sons of Israel, From among the nations whither they have gone, And have gathered them from round about, And I have brought them in unto their land.

^{22 Ref} And I have made them become one nation in the land, on mountains of Israel, And one king is to them all for king, And they are no more as two nations, Nor are they divided any more into two kingdoms again.

^{23 Ref} Nor are they defiled any more with their idols, And with their abominations, And with any of their transgressions, And I have saved them out of all their dwellings, In which they have sinned, And I have cleansed them, And they have been to Me for a people, And I -- I am to them for God.

^{24 Ref} And My servant David `is' king over them, And one shepherd have they all, And in My judgments they go, And My statutes they keep, and have done them.

^{25 Ref} And they have dwelt on the land that I gave to My servant, to Jacob, In which your fathers have dwelt, And they have dwelt on it, they and their sons, And their son's sons -- unto the age, And David My servant `is' their prince -- to the age.