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Ezekiel 9-12
New Century Version
Ezekiel 9-12
New Century Version
Vision of the Angels
9 Then he shouted with a loud voice in my ears, “You who are chosen to punish this city, come near with your weapon in your hand.” 2 Then six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his powerful weapon in his hand. Among them was a man dressed in linen with a writing case at his side. The men went in and stood by the bronze altar.
3 Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the creatures with wings, where it had been, to the place in the Temple where the door opened. He called to the man dressed in linen who had the writing case at his side. 4 He said to the man, “Go through Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of the people who groan and cry about all the hateful things being done among them.”
5 As I listened, he said to the other men, “Go through the city behind the man dressed in linen and kill. Don’t pity anyone, and don’t show mercy. 6 Kill and destroy old men, young men and women, little children, and older women, but don’t touch any who have the mark on them. Start at my Temple.” So they started with the elders who were in front of the Temple.
7 Then he said to the men, “Make the Temple unclean, and fill the courtyards with those who have been killed. Go out!” So the men went out and killed the people in the city. 8 While the men were killing the people, I was left alone. I bowed facedown on the ground and I cried out, “Oh, Lord God! Will you destroy everyone left alive in Israel when you turn loose your anger on Jerusalem?”
9 Then he said to me, “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is very great. The land is filled with people who murder, and the city is full of people who are not fair. The people say, ‘The Lord has left the land, and the Lord does not see.’ 10 But I will have no pity, nor will I show mercy. I will bring their evil back on their heads.”
11 Then the man dressed in linen with the writing case at his side reported, “I have done just as you commanded me.”
The Coals of Fire
10 Then I looked and saw in the dome above the heads of the living creatures something like a sapphire gem which looked like a throne. 2 The Lord said to the man dressed in linen, “Go in between the wheels under the living creatures, fill your hands with coals of fire from between the living creatures, and scatter the coals over the city.”
As I watched, the man with linen clothes went in. 3 Now the living creatures were standing on the south side of the Temple when the man went in. And a cloud filled the inner courtyard. 4 Then the glory of the Lord went up from the living creatures and stood over the door of the Temple. The Temple was filled with the cloud, and the courtyard was full of the brightness from the glory of the Lord. 5 The sound of the wings of the living creatures was heard all the way to the outer courtyard. It was like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.
6 When the Lord commanded the man dressed in linen, “Take fire from between the wheels, from between the living creatures,” the man went in and stood by a wheel. 7 One living creature put out his hand to the fire that was among them, took some of the fire, and put it in the hands of the man dressed in linen. Then the man took the fire and went out.
The Wheels and the Creatures
8 Something that looked like a human hand could be seen under the wings of the living creatures. 9 I saw the four wheels by the living creatures, one wheel by each living creature. The wheels looked like shining chrysolite. 10 All four wheels looked alike: Each looked like a wheel crossways inside another wheel. 11 When the wheels moved, they went in any of the directions that the four living creatures faced. The wheels did not turn about, and the living creatures did not turn their bodies as they went. 12 All their bodies, their backs, their hands, their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all over. Each of the four living creatures had a wheel. 13 I heard the wheels being called “whirling wheels.” 14 Each living creature had four faces. The first face was the face of a creature with wings. The second face was a human face, the third was the face of a lion, and the fourth was the face of an eagle.
15 Then the living creatures flew up. They were the same living creatures I had seen by the Kebar River. 16 When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the living creatures lifted their wings to fly up from the ground, the wheels did not leave their place beside them. 17 When the living creatures stopped, the wheels stopped. When the creatures went up, the wheels went up also, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
18 Then the glory of the Lord left the door of the Temple and stood over the living creatures. 19 As I watched, the living creatures spread their wings and flew up from the ground, with the wheels beside them. They stood where the east gate of the Temple of the Lord opened, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.
20 These were the living creatures I had seen under the God of Israel by the Kebar River. I knew they were called cherubim. 21 Each one had four faces and four wings, and under their wings were things that looked like human hands. 22 Their faces looked the same as the ones I had seen by the Kebar River. They each went straight ahead.
Prophecies Against Evil Leaders
11 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the front gate of the Temple of the Lord, which faces east. I saw twenty-five men where the gate opens, among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders of the people. 2 Then the Lord said to me, “Human, these are the men who plan evil and give wicked advice in this city of Jerusalem. 3 They say, ‘It is almost time for us to build houses. This city is like a cooking pot, and we are like the best meat.’ 4 So prophesy against them, prophesy, human.”
5 Then the Spirit of the Lord entered me and told me to say: “This is what the Lord says: You have said these things, people of Israel, and I know what you are thinking. 6 You have killed many people in this city, filling its streets with their bodies.
7 “So this is what the Lord God says: Those people you have killed and left in the middle of the city are like the best meat, and this city is like the cooking pot. But I will force you out of the city. 8 You have feared the sword, but I will bring a sword against you, says the Lord God. 9 I will force you out of the city and hand you over to strangers and punish you. 10 You will die by the sword. I will punish you at the border of Israel so you will know that I am the Lord. 11 This city will not be your cooking pot, and you will not be the best meat in the middle of it. I will punish you at the border of Israel. 12 Then you will know that I am the Lord. You did not live by my rules or obey my laws. Instead, you did the same things as the nations around you.”
13 As I prophesied, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I bowed facedown on the ground and shouted with a loud voice, “Oh no, Lord God! Will you completely destroy the Israelites who are left alive?”
Promise to Those Remaining
14 The Lord spoke his word to me, saying, 15 “Human, the people still in Jerusalem have spoken about your own relatives and all the people of Israel who are captives with you, saying, ‘They are far from the Lord. This land has been given to us as our property.’
16 “So say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I sent the people far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries. But for a little while I have become a Temple to them in the countries where they have gone.’
17 “So say: ‘This is what the Lord God says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you together from the countries where you have been scattered. Then I will give you back the land of Israel.’
18 “When they come to this land, they will remove all the evil idols and all the hateful images. 19 I will give them a desire to respect me completely, and I will put inside them a new way of thinking. I will take out the stubborn heart of stone from their bodies, and I will give them an obedient heart of flesh. 20 Then they will live by my rules and obey my laws and keep them. They will be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But those who want to serve their evil statues and hateful idols, I will pay back for their evil ways, says the Lord God.”
Ezekiel’s Vision Ends
22 Then the living creatures lifted their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. 23 The glory of the Lord went up from inside Jerusalem and stopped on the mountain on the east side of the city. 24 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the captives who had been taken from Judah to Babylonia. This happened in a vision given by the Spirit of God, and then the vision I had seen ended. 25 And I told the captives from Judah all the things the Lord had shown me.
Ezekiel Moves Out
12 Again the Lord spoke his word to me, saying: 2 “Human, you are living among a people who refuse to obey. They have eyes to see, but they do not see, and they have ears to hear, but they do not hear, because they are a people who refuse to obey.
3 “So, human, pack your things as if you will be taken away captive, and walk away like a captive in the daytime with the people watching. Move from your place to another with the people watching. Maybe they will understand, even though they are a people who refuse to obey. 4 During the day when the people are watching, bring out the things you would pack as captive. At evening, with the people watching, leave your place like those who are taken away as captives from their country. 5 Dig a hole through the wall while they watch, and bring your things out through it. 6 Lift them onto your shoulders with the people watching, and carry them out in the dark. Cover your face so you cannot see the ground, because I have made you a sign to the people of Israel.”
7 I did these things as I was commanded. In the daytime I brought what I had packed as if I were being taken away captive. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands. I brought my things out in the dark and carried them on my shoulders as the people watched.
8 Then in the morning the Lord spoke his word to me, saying: 9 “Human, didn’t Israel, who refuses to obey, ask you, ‘What are you doing?’
10 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: This message is about the king in Jerusalem and all the people of Israel who live there.’ 11 Say, ‘I am a sign to you.’
“The same things I have done will be done to the people in Jerusalem. They will be taken away from their country as captives. 12 The king among them will put his things on his shoulder in the dark and will leave. The people will dig a hole through the wall to bring him out. He will cover his face so he cannot see the ground. 13 But I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my trap. Then I will bring him to Babylon in the land of the Babylonians. He will not see that land, but he will die there. 14 All who are around the king—his helpers and all his army—I will scatter in every direction, and I will chase them with a sword.
15 “They will know that I am the Lord when I scatter them among the nations and spread them among the countries. 16 But I will save a few of them from the sword and from hunger and disease. Then they can tell about their hateful actions among the nations where they go. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
The Lesson of Ezekiel’s Shaking
17 The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: 18 “Human, tremble as you eat your food, and shake with fear as you drink your water. 19 Then say to the people of the land: ‘This is what the Lord God says about the people who live in Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They will eat their food with fear and drink their water in shock, because their land will be stripped bare because of the violence of the people who live in it. 20 The cities where people live will become ruins, and the land will become empty. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
The Visions Will Come True
21 The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: 22 “Human, what is this saying you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by and every vision comes to nothing’? 23 So say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I will make them stop saying this, and nobody in Israel will use this saying anymore.’ But tell them, ‘The time is near when every vision will come true. 24 There will be no more false visions or pleasing prophecies inside the nation of Israel, 25 but I, the Lord, will speak. What I say will be done, and it will not be delayed. You refuse to obey, but in your time I will say the word and do it, says the Lord God.’”
26 The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: 27 “Human, the people of Israel are saying, ‘The vision that Ezekiel sees is for a time many years from now. He is prophesying about times far away.’
28 “So say to them: ‘The Lord God says this: None of my words will be delayed anymore. What I have said will be done, says the Lord God.’”
Ezekiel 9-12
New International Version
Ezekiel 9-12
New International Version
Judgment on the Idolaters
9 Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, “Bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on the city, each with a weapon in his hand.” 2 And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen(A) who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar.
3 Now the glory(B) of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim,(C) where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side 4 and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem(D) and put a mark(E) on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament(F) over all the detestable things that are done in it.(G)”
5 As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity(H) or compassion.(I) 6 Slaughter(J) the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children,(K) but do not touch anyone who has the mark.(L) Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the old men(M) who were in front of the temple.(N)
7 Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain.(O) Go!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city. 8 While they were killing and I was left alone, I fell facedown,(P) crying out, “Alas, Sovereign Lord!(Q) Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel in this outpouring of your wrath(R) on Jerusalem?(S)”
9 He answered me, “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice.(T) They say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land; the Lord does not see.’(U) 10 So I will not look on them with pity(V) or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.(W)”
11 Then the man in linen with the writing kit at his side brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded.”
God’s Glory Departs From the Temple
10 I looked, and I saw the likeness of a throne(X) of lapis lazuli(Y) above the vault(Z) that was over the heads of the cherubim.(AA) 2 The Lord said to the man clothed in linen,(AB) “Go in among the wheels(AC) beneath the cherubim. Fill(AD) your hands with burning coals(AE) from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And as I watched, he went in.
3 Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court. 4 Then the glory of the Lord(AF) rose from above the cherubim and moved to the threshold of the temple. The cloud filled the temple, and the court was full of the radiance of the glory of the Lord. 5 The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far away as the outer court, like the voice(AG) of God Almighty[a] when he speaks.(AH)
6 When the Lord commanded the man in linen, “Take fire from among the wheels,(AI) from among the cherubim,” the man went in and stood beside a wheel. 7 Then one of the cherubim reached out his hand to the fire(AJ) that was among them. He took up some of it and put it into the hands of the man in linen, who took it and went out. 8 (Under the wings of the cherubim could be seen what looked like human hands.)(AK)
9 I looked, and I saw beside the cherubim four wheels, one beside each of the cherubim; the wheels sparkled like topaz.(AL) 10 As for their appearance, the four of them looked alike; each was like a wheel intersecting a wheel. 11 As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the cherubim faced; the wheels did not turn about[b] as the cherubim went. The cherubim went in whatever direction the head faced, without turning as they went. 12 Their entire bodies, including their backs, their hands and their wings, were completely full of eyes,(AM) as were their four wheels.(AN) 13 I heard the wheels being called “the whirling wheels.” 14 Each of the cherubim(AO) had four faces:(AP) One face was that of a cherub, the second the face of a human being, the third the face of a lion,(AQ) and the fourth the face of an eagle.(AR)
15 Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures(AS) I had seen by the Kebar River.(AT) 16 When the cherubim moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the cherubim spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not leave their side. 17 When the cherubim stood still, they also stood still; and when the cherubim rose, they rose with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in them.(AU)
18 Then the glory(AV) of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim.(AW) 19 While I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground, and as they went, the wheels went with them.(AX) They stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory(AY) of the God of Israel was above them.
20 These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the Kebar River,(AZ) and I realized that they were cherubim. 21 Each had four faces(BA) and four wings,(BB) and under their wings was what looked like human hands. 22 Their faces had the same appearance as those I had seen by the Kebar River.(BC) Each one went straight ahead.
God’s Sure Judgment on Jerusalem
11 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the Lord that faces east. There at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men, and I saw among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah(BD) son of Benaiah, leaders(BE) of the people.(BF) 2 The Lord said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil(BG) and giving wicked advice in this city.(BH) 3 They say, ‘Haven’t our houses been recently rebuilt? This city is a pot,(BI) and we are the meat in it.’(BJ) 4 Therefore prophesy(BK) against them; prophesy, son of man.”
5 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on me, and he told me to say: “This is what the Lord says: That is what you are saying, you leaders in Israel, but I know what is going through your mind.(BL) 6 You have killed many people in this city and filled its streets with the dead.(BM)
7 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: The bodies you have thrown there are the meat and this city is the pot,(BN) but I will drive you out of it.(BO) 8 You fear the sword,(BP) and the sword is what I will bring against you, declares the Sovereign Lord.(BQ) 9 I will drive you out of the city and deliver you into the hands(BR) of foreigners and inflict punishment on you.(BS) 10 You will fall by the sword, and I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel.(BT) Then you will know that I am the Lord. 11 This city will not be a pot(BU) for you, nor will you be the meat in it; I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel. 12 And you will know that I am the Lord,(BV) for you have not followed my decrees(BW) or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you.(BX)”
13 Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah(BY) son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! Will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?(BZ)”
The Promise of Israel’s Return
14 The word of the Lord came to me: 15 “Son of man, the people of Jerusalem have said of your fellow exiles and all the other Israelites, ‘They are far away from the Lord; this land was given to us as our possession.’(CA)
16 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary(CB) for them in the countries where they have gone.’
17 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’(CC)
18 “They will return to it and remove all its vile images(CD) and detestable idols.(CE) 19 I will give them an undivided heart(CF) and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone(CG) and give them a heart of flesh.(CH) 20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.(CI) They will be my people,(CJ) and I will be their God.(CK) 21 But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols,(CL) I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.(CM)”
22 Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory(CN) of the God of Israel was above them.(CO) 23 The glory(CP) of the Lord went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain(CQ) east of it. 24 The Spirit(CR) lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia[c] in the vision(CS) given by the Spirit of God.
Then the vision I had seen went up from me, 25 and I told the exiles everything the Lord had shown me.(CT)
The Exile Symbolized
12 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people.(CU) They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.(CV)
3 “Therefore, son of man, pack your belongings for exile and in the daytime, as they watch, set out and go from where you are to another place. Perhaps(CW) they will understand,(CX) though they are a rebellious people.(CY) 4 During the daytime, while they watch, bring out your belongings packed for exile. Then in the evening, while they are watching, go out like those who go into exile.(CZ) 5 While they watch, dig through the wall(DA) and take your belongings out through it. 6 Put them on your shoulder as they are watching and carry them out at dusk. Cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have made you a sign(DB) to the Israelites.”
7 So I did as I was commanded.(DC) During the day I brought out my things packed for exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands. I took my belongings out at dusk, carrying them on my shoulders while they watched.
8 In the morning the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “Son of man, did not the Israelites, that rebellious people, ask you, ‘What are you doing?’(DD)
10 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: This prophecy concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the Israelites who are there.’ 11 Say to them, ‘I am a sign(DE) to you.’
“As I have done, so it will be done to them. They will go into exile as captives.(DF)
12 “The prince among them will put his things on his shoulder at dusk(DG) and leave, and a hole will be dug in the wall for him to go through. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land.(DH) 13 I will spread my net(DI) for him, and he will be caught in my snare;(DJ) I will bring him to Babylonia, the land of the Chaldeans,(DK) but he will not see(DL) it, and there he will die.(DM) 14 I will scatter to the winds all those around him—his staff and all his troops—and I will pursue them with drawn sword.(DN)
15 “They will know that I am the Lord, when I disperse them among the nations(DO) and scatter them through the countries. 16 But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine and plague, so that in the nations where they go they may acknowledge all their detestable practices. Then they will know that I am the Lord.(DP)”
17 The word of the Lord came to me: 18 “Son of man, tremble as you eat your food,(DQ) and shudder in fear as you drink your water. 19 Say to the people of the land: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says about those living in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: They will eat their food in anxiety and drink their water in despair, for their land will be stripped of everything(DR) in it because of the violence of all who live there.(DS) 20 The inhabited towns will be laid waste and the land will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord.(DT)’”
There Will Be No Delay
21 The word of the Lord came to me: 22 “Son of man, what is this proverb(DU) you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by and every vision comes to nothing’?(DV) 23 Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel.’ Say to them, ‘The days are near(DW) when every vision will be fulfilled.(DX) 24 For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations(DY) among the people of Israel. 25 But I the Lord will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay.(DZ) For in your days, you rebellious people, I will fulfill(EA) whatever I say, declares the Sovereign Lord.(EB)’”
26 The word of the Lord came to me: 27 “Son of man, the Israelites are saying, ‘The vision he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies about the distant future.’(EC)
28 “Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: None of my words will be delayed any longer; whatever I say will be fulfilled, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 10:5 Hebrew El-Shaddai
- Ezekiel 10:11 Or aside
- Ezekiel 11:24 Or Chaldea
New Century Version (NCV) 
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.