18 For thou wilt not desire a sacrifice, I would give it; Burnt offerings are not well pleased.

19 Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; Thou shalt not despise a contrite and humble heart, O God.

20 Do good according to thy good pleasure, O Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem;

21 then shall the sacrifices of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offerings be pleasing unto thee; then they shall lay calves upon thy altar.

Psalm 50. The psalm was either written or revised during the Exile years (cf. vv. 20–21).

7. The Regeneration of the People of God (Ezekiel 37)

1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and the LORD brought me forth in the spirit, and set me in the midst of a field, and it was full of bones,

2 And he went round about them, and behold, there were very many of them on the surface of the field, and behold, they were very dry.

3 And he said unto me, Son of man! Will these bones live? I said, Lord God! You know that.

4 And he said unto me, Speak a prophecy upon these bones, and say unto them, Dry bones! hear the word of the Lord!"

5 Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones, Behold, I will bring the breath into you, and ye shall live.

6 And I will surround you with sinews, and I will bring forth flesh upon you, and I will cover you with skin, and I will bring spirit into you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

7 I have spoken a prophecy as I was commanded; And while I was prophesying, there was a noise, and there was a movement, and the bones began to draw near, bone to bone.

8 And I saw, and behold, the sinews were upon them, and the flesh grew, and the skin covered them from above, but the spirit was not in them.

9 Then he said to me, 'Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit, 'Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe on these slain, and they shall live.'

10 And I prophesied as he had commanded me, and the spirit entered into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a very, very great host.

11 And 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 torn from the root."

12 Therefore prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will open your graves, and bring you out, O my people, out of your graves, and will bring you into the land of Israel.

13 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you, my people, out of your graves,

14 And I will put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I will place you in your land, and ye shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken these things, and have done them, saith the Lord.