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 of
Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of
king Jehoiachin's captivity,
3 The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest,
the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar;
and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.
4 And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north,
a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness
was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of
amber, out of the midst of the fire.
5 Also out of the midst thereof 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 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 the
colour of burnished brass.
8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their
four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.
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 four had the face
of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they
four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also
had the face of an eagle.
11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward;
two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered
their bodies.
12 And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit
was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.
13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance
was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps:
it 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 by the living creatures, with his four faces.
16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto
the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their
appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle
of a wheel.
17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they
turned not when they went.
18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful;
and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.
19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them:
and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth,
the wheels were lifted up.
20 Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was
their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against
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 over against them: for the spirit of the living
creature was in the wheels.
22 And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living
creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, 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, as the voice of the Almighty, the
voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they
let down their wings.
25 And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their
heads, when they stood, and had 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 the likeness as the
appearance of a man above upon it.
27 And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire
round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even
upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward,
I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness
round about.
28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the
day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about.
This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the
LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a
voice of one that spake.
Chapter 2
1 And he said unto
me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.
2 And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and
set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
3 And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children
of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against
me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even
unto this very day.
4 For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send
thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the
Lord GOD.
5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear,
(for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there
hath been a prophet among them.
6 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid
of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou
dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor
be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will
hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.
8 But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou
rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat
that I give thee.
9 And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and,
lo, a roll of a book was therein;
10 And he spread it before me; and it was written within and
without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning,
and woe.
Chapter 3
1 Moreover he said
unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and
go speak unto the house of Israel.
2 So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.
3 And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and
fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I
eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
4 And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house
of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.
5 For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and
of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;
6 Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language,
whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee
to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.
7 But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they
will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent
and hardhearted.
8 Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and
thy forehead strong against their foreheads.
9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead:
fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they
be a rebellious house.
10 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I
shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with
thine ears.
11 And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children
of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith
the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
12 Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice
of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD
from his place.
13 I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures
that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against
them, and a 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; but the hand of the
LORD was strong upon me.
15 Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt
by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained
there astonished among them seven days.
16 And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word
of the LORD came unto me, saying,
17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of
Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning
from me.
18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou
givest him not warning, nor speakest 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 thine hand.
19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness,
nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou
hast delivered thy soul.
20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness,
and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him,
he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall
die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall
not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous
sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because
he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
22 And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto
me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with
thee.
23 Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold,
the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw
by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.
24 Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet,
and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within
thine house.
25 But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon
thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out
among them:
26 And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth,
that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover:
for they are a rebellious house.
27 But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou
shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth,
let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they
are a rebellious house. |