Study Desk

Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the ^(a)river Chebar among the exiles, the ^(b)heavens were opened and I saw ^[a](c)visions of God.

(On the fifth of the month ^[b]in the ^(d)fifth year of King Jehoiachin's exile,

the ^(e)word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the ^(f)land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there ^(g)the hand of the Lord came upon him.)

As I looked, behold, a ^(h)storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like ⁽ⁱ⁾glowing metal in the midst of the fire.

Within it there were figures resembling ^(j)four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human ^(k)form.

Each of them had ^(l)four faces and ^(m)four wings.

Their legs were straight and ^[c]their feet were like a calf's hoof, and they gleamed like ⁽ⁿ⁾burnished bronze.

Under their wings on their ^(o)four sides were human ^(p)hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them,

their wings touched one another; their faces did ^(q)not turn when they moved, each ^(r)went straight forward.

As for the ^(s)form of their faces, each had the ^(t)face of a man; ^[d]all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and ^[e]all four had the face of an eagle.

Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and ^(u)two covering their bodies.

And ^(v)each went straight forward; ^(w)wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went.

^[f]In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of ^(x)fire, ^[g]like torches darting back and forth among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was ^[h]flashing from the fire.

And the living beings ^(y)ran to and fro like bolts of ^(z)lightning.

Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one ^(aa)wheel on the earth beside the living beings, ^[i]for each of the four of them.

The ^(ab)appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like ^[j]sparkling ^(ac)beryl, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if ^[k]one wheel were within another.

Whenever they ^[l]moved, they ^[m]moved in any of their four ^[n]directions without ^(ad)turning as they ^[o]moved.

As for their rims they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were ^(ae)full of eyes round about.

^(af)Whenever the living beings ^[p]moved, the wheels ^[q]moved with them. And whenever the living beings ^(ag)rose from the earth, the wheels rose also.

^(ah)Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction^[r]. And the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living ^[s]beings was in the wheels.

^(ai)Whenever those went, these went; and whenever those stood still, these stood still. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living ^[t]beings was in the wheels.

Now ^(aj)over the heads of the living ^[u]beings there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of ^[v]crystal, spread out over their heads.

Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had ^(ak)two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other.

I also heard the sound of their wings like the ^(al)sound of abundant waters as they went, like the ^(am)voice of ^[w]the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the ^(an)sound of an army camp; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings.

And there came a voice from above the ^(ao)expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings.

Now ^(ap)above the expanse that was over their heads there was something ^(aq)resembling a throne, like ^[x](ar)lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a ^(as)man.

Then I ^[y]noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something ^(at)like ^[z]glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him.

As the appearance of the ^(au)rainbow ^[aa]in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the ^(av)glory of the Lord . And when I saw it, I ^(aw)fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.

Then He said to me, "Son of man, ^(a)stand on your feet that I may speak with you!"

As He spoke to me the ^(b)Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me.

Then He said to me, "Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have ^(c)rebelled against Me; ^(d)they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day.

I am sending you to them who are ^[a](e)stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord ^[b] God .'

As for them, ^(f)whether they listen or ^[c]not—for they are a rebellious house—they will ^(g)know that a prophet has been among them.

And you, son of man, ^(h)neither fear them nor fear their words, though ⁽ⁱ⁾thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house.

But you shall ^(j)speak My words to them ^(k)whether they listen or ^[d]not, for they are rebellious.

"Now you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and ^(l)eat what I am giving you."

Then I looked, and behold, a ^(m)hand was extended to me; and lo, a ^[e](n)scroll was in it.

When He spread it out before me, it was written on the front and back, and written on it were lamentations, mourning and ^(o)woe.

Then He said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find; ^(a)eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel."

So I ^(b)opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll.

He said to me, "Son of man, feed your stomach and ^(c)fill your ^[a]body with this scroll which I am giving you." Then I ^(d)ate it, and it was sweet as ^(e)honey in my mouth.

Then He said to me, "Son of man, ^[b]go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them.

For ^(f)you are not being sent to a people of ^[c](g)unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel,

nor to many peoples of ^[d]unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. ^[e]But I have sent you to them ^[f]who should listen to you;

yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are ^(h)not willing to listen to Me. Surely the whole house of Israel is ^[g]stubborn and obstinate.

Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.

Like ^[h]emery harder than flint I have made your forehead. Do not be afraid of them or be dismayed before them, though they are a rebellious house."

Moreover, He said to me, "Son of man, take into your heart all My ⁽ⁱ⁾words which I will speak to you and listen ^[i]closely.

^[j]Go to the exiles, to the sons of your people, and speak to them and tell them, whether they listen or ^[k]not, ‘Thus says the Lord ^[l] God .'"

Then the ^(j)Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great ^(k)rumbling sound behind me, "Blessed be the glory of the Lord ^[m]in His place."

And I heard the sound of the wings of the living beings touching one another and the sound of the ^(l)wheels beside them, even a great rumbling sound.

So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away; and I went embittered in the rage of my spirit, and ^(m)the hand of the Lord was strong on me.

Then I came to the exiles who lived beside the river Chebar at Tel-abib, and I sat there ⁽ⁿ⁾seven days where they were living, causing consternation among them.

^(o)At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

"Son of man, I have appointed you a ^(p)watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, ^(q)warn them from Me.

When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his ^(r)blood I will require at your hand.

Yet if you have ^(s)warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have ^(t)delivered yourself.

Again, ^(u)when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an ^(v)obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand.

However, if you have ^(w)warned ^[n]the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself."

The hand of the Lord was on me there, and He said to me, "Get up, go out to the plain, and there I will ^(x)speak to you."

So I got up and went out to the plain; and behold, the ^(y)glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory which ^(z)I saw by the river Chebar, and I fell on my face.

The ^(aa)Spirit then entered me and made me stand on my feet, and He spoke with me and said to me, "Go, shut yourself up in your house.

As for you, son of man, they will ^(ab)put ropes on you and bind you with them so that you cannot go out among them.

Moreover, ^(ac)I will make your tongue stick to ^[o]the roof of your mouth so that you will be mute and cannot be a man who rebukes them, for they are a rebellious house.

But ^(ad)when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord ^[p] God .' He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; ^(ae)for they are a rebellious house.

"Now you son of man, ^(a)get yourself a brick, place it before you and inscribe a city on it, Jerusalem.

Then ^(b)lay siege against it, build a siege wall, ^[a]raise up a ramp, pitch camps and place battering rams against it all around.

Then get yourself an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city, and set your face toward it so that ^(c)it is under siege, and besiege it. This is a ^(d)sign to the house of Israel.

"As for you, lie down on your left side and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel on it; you shall ^(e)bear their iniquity for the number of days that you lie on it.

For I have assigned you a number of days corresponding to the years of their iniquity, three hundred and ninety days; thus ^(f)you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.

When you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah; I have assigned it to you for forty days, a day for ^(g)each year.

Then you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared and ^(h)prophesy against it.

Now behold, I will ⁽ⁱ⁾put ropes on you so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have completed the days of your siege.

"But as for you, take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and ^(j)spelt, put them in one vessel and make them into bread for yourself; you shall eat it according to the number of the days that you lie on your side, three hundred and ninety days.

Your food which you eat shall be ^(k)twenty shekels a day by weight; you shall eat it from time to time.

The water you drink shall be the sixth part of a hin by measure; you shall drink it from time to time.

You shall eat it as a barley cake, having baked it in their sight over human ^(l)dung."

Then the Lord said, "Thus will the sons of Israel eat their bread ^(m)unclean among the nations where I will banish them."

But I said, "⁽ⁿ⁾Ah, Lord ^[b] God ! Behold, I have ^(o)never been defiled; for from my youth until now I have never eaten what ^(p)died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has any ^(q)unclean meat ever entered my mouth."

Then He said to me, "See, I will give you cow's dung in place of human dung over which you will prepare your bread."

Moreover, He said to me, "Son of man, behold, I am going to ^(r)break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they will eat bread by ^(s)weight and with anxiety, and drink water by ^(t)measure and in horror,

because bread and water will be scarce; and they will be appalled with one another and ^(u)waste away in their iniquity.