September 6
Ezekiel 1:1 — 3:27

Ezekiel

1 Now it came about in the thirtieth year, in the fourth [month], on the fifth [day] of the month, while I was in the midst of the exiled people by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I began to see visions of God. 2 On the fifth [day] of the month, that is, [in] the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin, 3 the word of Jehovah occurred specifically to Ezekiel the son of Buzi the priest in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar, and upon him in that place the hand of Jehovah came to be.

4 And I began to see, and, look! there was a tempestuous wind coming from the north, a great cloud mass and quivering fire, and it had a brightness all around, and out of the midst of it there was something like the look of electrum, out of the midst of the fire. 5 And out of the midst of it there was the likeness of four living creatures, and this was how they looked: they had the likeness of earthling man. 6 And [each] one had four faces, and [each] one of them four wings. 7 And their feet were straight feet, and the sole of their feet was like the sole of the foot of a calf; and they were gleaming as with the glow of burnished copper. 8 And there were the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides, and the four of them had their faces and their wings. 9 Their wings were joining one to the other. They would not turn when they went; they would go each one straight forward.

10 And as for the likeness of their faces, the four of them had a man’s face with a lion’s face to the right, and the four of them had a bull’s face on the left; the four of them also had an eagle’s face. 11 That is the way their faces were. And their wings were spreading out upward. Each one had two joining to each other, and two were covering their bodies.

12 And they would go each one straight forward. To wherever the spirit would incline to go, they would go. They would not turn as they went. 13 And as for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire. Something like the appearance of torches was moving back and forth between the living creatures, and the fire was bright, and out of the fire there was lightning going forth. 14 And on the part of the living creatures there was a going forth and a returning as with the appearance of the lightning.

15 As I kept seeing the living creatures, why, look! there was one wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, by the four faces of each. 16 As for the appearance of the wheels and their structure, it was like the glow of chrysolite; and the four of them had one likeness. And their appearance and their structure were just as when a wheel proved to be in the midst of a wheel. 17 When they went they would go on their four respective sides. They would not turn another way when they went. 18 And as for their rims, they had such height that they caused fearfulness; and their rims were full of eyes all around the four of them. 19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels would go beside them, and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels would be lifted up. 20 Wherever the spirit inclined to go, they would go, the spirit [inclining] to go there; and the wheels themselves would be lifted up close alongside them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 21 When they went, these would go; and when they stood still, these would stand still; and when they were lifted up from the earth, the wheels would be lifted up close alongside them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

22 And over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse like the sparkle of awesome ice, stretched out over their heads up above. 23 And under the expanse their wings were straight, one to the other. Each one had two wings covering on this side and each one had two covering on that side their bodies. 24 And I got to hear the sound of their wings, a sound like that of vast waters, like the sound of the Almighty One, when they went, the sound of a tumult, like the sound of an encampment. When they stood still, they would let their wings down.

25 And there came to be a voice above the expanse that was over their head. (When they stood still, they would let their wings down.) 26 And above the expanse that was over their head there was something in appearance like sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne. And upon the likeness of the throne there was a likeness of someone in appearance like an earthling man upon it, up above. 27 And I got to see something like the glow of electrum, like the appearance of fire all around inside thereof, from the appearance of his hips and upward; and from the appearance of his hips and downward I saw something like the appearance of fire, and he had a brightness all around. 28 There was something like the appearance of the bow that occurs in a cloud mass on the day of a pouring rain. That is how the appearance was of the brightness round about. It was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Jehovah. When I got to see [it], then I fell upon my face, and I began to hear the voice of one speaking.


2 And he proceeded to say to me: “Son of man, stand up upon your feet that I may speak with you.” 2 And spirit began to come into me as soon as he spoke to me, and it finally made me stand up upon my feet that I might hear the One speaking to me.

3 And he went on to say to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to rebellious nations that have rebelled against me. They themselves and their forefathers have transgressed against me down to this selfsame day. 4 And the sons insolent of face and hard of heart—I am sending you to them, and you must say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said.’ 5 And as for them, whether they will hear or will refrain—for they are a rebellious house—they will certainly know also that a prophet himself happened to be in the midst of them.

6 “And you, O son of man, do not be afraid of them; and of their words do not be afraid, because there are obstinate ones and things pricking you and it is among scorpions that you are dwelling. Of their words do not you be afraid, and at their faces do not you be struck with terror, for they are a rebellious house. 7 And you must speak my words to them, regardless of whether they hear or they refrain, for they are a case of rebellion.

8 “And you, O son of man, hear what I am speaking to you. Do not become rebellious like the rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.”

9 And I began to see, and, look! there was a hand thrust out to me, and, look! in it there was the roll of a book. 10 And he gradually spread it out before me, and it was written upon in front and on the back; and there were written in it dirges and moaning and wailing.

3 And he proceeded to say to me: “Son of man, what you find, eat. Eat this roll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”

2 So I opened my mouth, and he gradually made me eat this roll. 3 And he went on to say to me: “Son of man, you should cause your own belly to eat, that you may fill your very intestines with this roll that I am giving you.” And I began to eat it, and it came to be in my mouth like honey for sweetness.

4 And he continued saying to me: “Son of man, go, enter in among the house of Israel, and you must speak with my words to them. 5 For it is not to a people who are unintelligible in language or heavy of tongue that you are being sent—to the house of Israel, 6 not to numerous peoples unintelligible in language or heavy in tongue, whose words you cannot hear [understandingly]. If it was to them that I had sent you, those very ones would listen to you. 7 But as for the house of Israel, they will not want to listen to you, for they are not wanting to listen to me; because all those of the house of Israel are hardheaded and hardhearted. 8 Look! I have made your face exactly as hard as their faces and your forehead exactly as hard as their foreheads. 9 Like a diamond, harder than flint, I have made your forehead. You must not be afraid of them, and you must not be struck with terror at their faces, for they are a rebellious house.”

10 And he went on to say to me: “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you, take into your heart and hear with your own ears. 11 And go, enter in among the exiled people, among the sons of your people, and you must speak to them and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said,’ regardless of whether they hear or they refrain.”

12 And a spirit proceeded to bear me along and I began to hear behind me the sound of a great rushing: “Blessed be the glory of Jehovah from his place.” 13 And there was the sound of the wings of the living creatures that were closely touching each other, and the sound of the wheels close beside them, and the sound of a great rushing. 14 And [the] spirit bore me along and proceeded to take me, so that I went bitterly in the rage of my spirit, and the hand of Jehovah upon me was strong. 15 So I entered in among the exiled people at Tel-abib, who were dwelling by the river Chebar, and I began to dwell where they were dwelling; and I kept dwelling there for seven days, stunned in the midst of them.

16 And it came about at the end of seven days that the word of Jehovah proceeded to occur to me, saying:

17 “Son of man, a watchman is what I have made you to the house of Israel, and you must hear from my mouth speech and you must warn them from me. 18 When I say to someone wicked, ‘You will positively die,’ and you do not actually warn him and speak in order to warn the wicked one from his wicked way to preserve him alive, he being wicked, in his error he will die, but his blood I shall ask back from your own hand. 19 But as for you, in case you have warned someone wicked and he does not actually turn back from his wickedness and from his wicked way, he himself for his error will die; but as for you, you will have delivered your own soul. 20 And when someone righteous turns back from his righteousness and actually does injustice and I must put a stumbling block before him, he himself will die because you did not warn him. For his sin he will die, and his righteous acts that he did will not be remembered, but his blood I shall ask back from your own hand. 21 And as for you, in case you have warned someone righteous that the righteous one should not sin, and he himself does not actually sin, he will without fail keep on living because he had been warned, and you yourself will have delivered your own soul.”

22 And the hand of Jehovah came to be upon me there and he proceeded to say to me: “Get up, go forth to the valley plain, and there I shall speak with you.” 23 So I got up and went forth to the valley plain, and, look! the glory of Jehovah was standing there, like the glory that I had seen by the river Chebar, and I went falling upon my face. 24 Then spirit entered into me and made me stand up on my feet, and he began to speak with me and say to me:

“Come, be shut up inside your house. 25 And you, O son of man, look! they will certainly put cords upon you and bind you with them so that you cannot go forth into the midst of them. 26 And your very tongue I will make stick to the roof of your mouth, and you will certainly become mute, and you will not become to them a man administering reproof, because they are a rebellious house. 27 And when I speak with you I shall open your mouth, and you must say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said.’ Let the one hearing hear, and let the one refraining refrain, because they are a rebellious house.