 |
Ezekiel 1
Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of Elohim. 2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, 3 the word of Yahweh came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of Yahweh was there upon him.
4 And I looked, and, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, with a fire infolding itself, and a brightness all around it, and out of the middle of it as it were glowing metal, out of the middle of the fire. 5 And out of the middle of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.6 And every one had four faces, and every one of them had four wings. 7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot; and they sparkled like burnished copper. 8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and the four of them had their faces and their wings thus: 9 their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and the four of them had the face of a lion on the right side; and the four of them had the face of an ox on the left side; the four of them had also the face of an eagle. 11 And their faces and their wings were separate above; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. 12 And they went every one straight forward: where the spirit was to go, they went; they turned not when they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches: the fire went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
15 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold, one wheel upon the earth beside the living creatures, for each of the four faces of it. 16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like a beryl: and the four of them had one likeness; and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel within a wheel. 17 When they went, they went in their four directions: they turned not when they went. 18 As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and the four of them had their rims full of eyes all around. 19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. 20 Wherever the spirit was to go, they went; there was the spirit to go: and the wheels were lifted up beside them; for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up beside them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
22 And over the head of the living creature there was the likeness of a firmament, like the terrible crystal to look upon, stretched forth over their heads above. 23 And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two which covered on this side, and every one had two which covered on that side, their bodies. 24 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a noise of tumult like the noise of a host: when they stood, they let down their wings. 25 And there was a voice above the firmament that was over their heads: when they stood, they let down their wings.
26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above. 27 And I saw as it were glowing metal, as the appearance of fire within it all around, from the appearance of his loins and upward; and from the appearance of his loins downward I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness all around him. 28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke.
Ezekiel 2
And he said to me, Son of man, stand upon your feet, and I will speak with you. 2 And the Spirit entered into me when he spoke to me, and set me upon my feet; and I heard him that spoke to me. 3 And he said to me, Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to nations that are rebellious, which have rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me even to this very day. 4 And the children are impudent and stiff-hearted: I am sending you to them; and you shall say to them, In this manner says the Sovereign Yahweh. 5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will refuse, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there has been a prophet among them. 6 And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you, and you dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. 7 And you shall speak my words to them, whether they will hear, or whether they will refuse; for they are most rebellious.
8 But you, son of man, hear what I say to you; be not you rebellious like that rebellious house: open your mouth, and eat that which I give you. 9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was put forth to me; and, lo, a roll of a book was in it; 10 and he spread it before me: and it was written on the face and the back, and there were written in it lamentations, and mourning and woe.
Ezekiel 3
And he said to me, Son of man, eat that which you find; eat this roll, and go, speak to the house of Israel. 2 So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat the roll. 3 And he said to me, Son of man, cause your belly to eat, and fill your bowels with this roll that I give you. Then I ate it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
4 And he said to me, Son of man, go, get you to the house of Israel, and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel; 6 not to many peoples of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words you can not understand. Surely, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not listen to you; for they will not listen to me: for all the house of Israel are of a hard forehead and of a stiff heart. 8 Behold, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads. 9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made your forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. 10 Moreover he said to me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. 11 And go, get you to them of the captivity, to the children of your people, and speak to them, and tell them, In this manner says the Sovereign Yahweh; whether they will hear, or whether they will refuse.
12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of Yahweh from his place. 13 And I heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, even the noise of a great rushing. 14 So the Spirit lifted me up, and took me away; and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; and the hand of Yahweh was strong upon me. 15 Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river Chebar, and to where they dwelt; and I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.
16 And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 17 Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to the wicked, You shall surely die; and you give him not warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at your hand. 19 Yet if you warn the wicked, and he turns not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. 20 Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because you have not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at your hand. 21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning; and you have delivered your soul.
22 And the hand of Yahweh was there upon me; and he said to me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with you. 23 Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of Yahweh stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face. 24 Then the Spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet; and he spoke with me, and said to me, Go, shut yourself within your house. 25 But you, son of man, behold, they shall lay bands upon you, and shall bind you with them, and you shall not go out among them: 26 and I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, that you shall be dumb, and shall not be to them a reprover; for they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, In this manner says the Sovereign Yahweh: He that hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse: for they are a rebellious house.
