Therefore prophesy, and say to them: Earlier God told Ezekiel to give his message to the bones and the wind (verses 4 and 9), but now he tells him to speak to the Israelites. In many languages translators will need to make it clear that the pronoun them refers to the people of Israel (so Good News Translation). For prophesy see Ezek 37.4.

Thus says the Lord GOD: See Ezek 37.5.

For the emphatic word Behold, see the comments on Ezek 37.2. Here it highlights the following words of God.

I will open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people: The picture changes a little here. At the beginning of the vision the bones were just scattered about unburied on the ground, but the reference to graves here assumes that they had been buried. It is the type of inconsistency that can be expected in a vision, and translators should not try to smooth it over. In the Old Testament people usually buried dead bodies in holes dug into the ground, although sometimes they placed them in caves. Translators may need to render your graves as “the graves where you were buried” or “the graves where they buried you.” Raise you from your graves is literally “cause you to come up out of your graves” (New Century Version). The vocative expression O my people makes it clear to whom God is speaking. In many languages it will be more natural to place this vocative at the beginning of the sentence by saying “My people, I will open the graves where you were buried and make you come up out of them.” Good News Translation avoids the vocative by using indirect speech here, which is acceptable.

And I will bring you home into the land of Israel: The promised return from exile was equivalent to the resurrection of the nation. Bring you home is literally “cause you to enter,” which may be rendered “take you home” or “lead you home.”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .