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The Glory of the Lord Leaves His Temple

10 As I looked at the dome over the heads of the angels,[a] I saw something that looked like a throne made of sapphire. The Lord said to the person dressed in linen, “Go between the wheels under the angels, and fill your hands with burning coals. Then scatter them over the city.” So he went between the wheels as I watched.

The angels were standing on the south side of the temple as the person went. A cloud filled the inner courtyard. The Lord’s glory rose from the angels to the entrance of the temple, the cloud filled the temple, and the brightness of the Lord’s glory filled the courtyard. The sound of the angels’ wings was heard as far as the outer courtyard. It was like the sound of the Almighty God when he speaks.

After the Lord had commanded the person dressed in linen to take burning coals from between the wheels beside the angels, the person went in and stood beside one of the wheels. One of the angels reached into the fire that was between the angels and took out some coals. This angel put them in the hands of the person dressed in linen. The person took them and left.

The angels appeared to have what looked like human hands under their wings. As I looked, I saw four wheels beside the angels, one wheel beside each of the angels. The wheels looked like beryl. 10 All four wheels looked the same. Each was like a wheel within a wheel. 11 Whenever the angels moved, they moved in any of the four directions without turning as they moved. They always moved in the direction they faced without turning as they moved. 12 Their entire bodies, their backs, hands, wings, and wheels were covered with eyes. Each of the angels had a wheel. 13 I heard that the wheels were called the whirling wheels. 14 Each of the angels had four faces. The first was the face of an angel, the second was the face of a human, the third was the face of a lion, and the fourth was the face of an eagle.

15 The angels rose. These were the living creatures that I saw at the Chebar River. 16 When the angels moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the angels lifted their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels didn’t leave their side. 17 When the angels stood still, the wheels stood still. When the angels rose, the wheels rose with them. The spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 18 Then the glory of the Lord left the temple’s entrance and stood over the angels. 19 The angels lifted their wings and rose from the ground. I was watching them as they left with the wheels beside them. The angels stood at the door to the east gate of the Lord’s temple, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

20 These are the living creatures that I saw under the God of Israel at the Chebar River. I realized that they were angels. 21 Each had four faces and four wings, and under their wings were what looked like human hands. 22 Their faces looked exactly like the faces that I saw by the Chebar River. Each one went straight ahead.

Footnotes

  1. 10:1 Or “cherubim.”

The Glory Departs from the Temple

10 And I looked, and there in the (A)firmament[a] that was above the head of the cherubim, there appeared something like a sapphire stone, having the appearance of the likeness of a throne. (B)Then He spoke to the man clothed with linen, and said, “Go in among the wheels, under the cherub, fill your hands with (C)coals of fire from among the cherubim, and (D)scatter them over the city.” And he went in as I watched.

Now the cherubim were standing on the [b]south side of the [c]temple when the man went in, and the (E)cloud filled the inner court. (F)Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and paused over the threshold of the [d]temple; and (G)the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord’s (H)glory. And the (I)sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even in the outer court, like (J)the voice of Almighty God when He speaks.

Then it happened, when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from among the wheels, from among the cherubim,” that he went in and stood beside the wheels. And the cherub stretched out his hand from among the cherubim to the fire that was among the cherubim, and took some of it and put it into the hands of the man clothed with linen, who took it and went out. (K)The cherubim appeared to have the form of a man’s hand under their wings.

(L)And when I looked, there were four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel by one cherub and another wheel by each other cherub; the wheels appeared to have the color of a (M)beryl stone. 10 As for their appearance, all four looked alike—as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 11 (N)When they went, they went toward any of their four directions; they did not turn aside when they went, but followed in the direction the head was facing. They did not turn aside when they went. 12 And their whole body, with their back, their hands, their wings, and the wheels that the four had, were (O)full of eyes all around. 13 As for the wheels, they were called in my [e]hearing, “Wheel.”

14 (P)Each one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, the second face the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. 15 And the cherubim were lifted up. This was (Q)the living creature I saw by the River Chebar. 16 (R)When the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also did not turn from beside them. 17 (S)When [f]the cherubim stood still, the wheels stood still, and when [g]one was lifted up, [h]the other lifted itself up, for the spirit of the living creature was in them.

18 Then (T)the glory of the Lord (U)departed from the threshold of the [i]temple and stood over the cherubim. 19 And (V)the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the (W)east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

20 (X)This is the living creature I saw under the God of Israel (Y)by the River Chebar, and I knew they were cherubim. 21 (Z)Each one had four faces and each one four wings, and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings. 22 And (AA)the likeness of their faces was the same as the faces which I had seen by the River Chebar, their appearance and their persons. (AB)They each went straight forward.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 10:1 expanse
  2. Ezekiel 10:3 Lit. right
  3. Ezekiel 10:3 Lit. house
  4. Ezekiel 10:4 Lit. house
  5. Ezekiel 10:13 Lit. ears
  6. Ezekiel 10:17 Lit. they
  7. Ezekiel 10:17 Lit. they were
  8. Ezekiel 10:17 Lit. they lifted them
  9. Ezekiel 10:18 Lit. house