The Vision of Four Figures

1 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. ² (On the fifth of the month ^[b]in the ^(D)fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile, ³ 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.)

⁴ As I looked, behold, a ^(H)high wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing intermittently and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like ^(I)gleaming ^[c]metal in the midst of the fire. ⁵ And within it there were figures resembling ^(J)four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human ^(K)form. ⁶ Each of them had ^(L)four faces and ^(M)four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight and ^[d]their feet were like a calf’s ^[e]hoof, and they sparkled like ^(N)polished bronze. ⁸ Under their wings on their ^(O)four sides were human ^(P)hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, ⁹ their wings touched one another; their faces did ^(Q)not turn when they moved, each ^(R)went straight forward. ¹⁰ As for the ^(S)form of their faces, each had a human ^(T)face; ^[f]all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and ^[g]all four had the face of an eagle. ¹¹ Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and ^(U)two covering their bodies. ¹² And ^(V)each went straight forward; ^(W)wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. ^13 [h]In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of ^(X)fire, ^[i]like torches moving among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was ^[j]flashing from the fire. ¹⁴ And the living beings ^(Y)ran back and forth like bolts of ^(Z)lightning.

²¹ And although you were ^(A)previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds, ²² yet He has now ^(B)reconciled you in His ^(C)body of flesh through death, in order to ^(D)present you before Him ^(E)holy and blameless and beyond reproach— ²³ if indeed you continue in ^[a]the faith firmly ^(F)established and steadfast, and not shifting from the ^(G)hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed ^(H)in all creation under heaven, ^(I)and of which I, Paul, ^[b]was made a ^[c](J)minister.

^24 (K)Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh ^(L)I am supplementing what is lacking ^[d]in Christ’s afflictions in behalf of ^(M)His body, which is the church. ^25 (N)I ^[e]was made a minister of this church according to the ^(O)commission from God granted to me for your benefit, so that I might ^[f]fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, ²⁶ that is, ^(P)the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His ^[g]saints, ²⁷ to whom ^(Q)God willed to make known what ^(R)the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is ^(S)Christ in you, the ^(T)hope of glory. ²⁸ We proclaim Him, ^(U)admonishing every person and teaching every person ^[h]with all ^(V)wisdom, so that we may ^(W)present every person ^[i](X)complete in Christ. ²⁹ For this purpose I also ^(Y)labor, ^(Z)striving ^(AA)according to His ^[j]power which ^[k]works mightily within me.

You Are Built Up in Christ

2 For I want you to know how great a ^(AB)struggle I have in your behalf and for those who are at ^(AC)Laodicea, and for all those who have not ^[l]personally seen my face, ² that their ^(AD)hearts may be encouraged, having been ^(AE)knit together in love, and that they would attain to all ^(AF)the wealth ^[m]that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a ^(AG)true knowledge of ^(AH)God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, ³ in whom are hidden all ^(AI)the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ^4 (AJ)I say this so that no one will deceive you with ^(AK)persuasive arguments. ⁵ For even though I am ^(AL)absent in body, I am nevertheless with you in spirit, rejoicing ^[n]to see ^[o]your ^(AM)orderly manner and the ^(AN)stability of your faith in Christ.

⁶ Therefore, as you have received ^(AO)Christ Jesus the Lord, so ^[p](AP)walk in Him, ⁷ having been firmly ^(AQ)rooted and now being ^(AR)built up in Him and ^(AS)established ^[q]in ^[r]your faith, just as you ^(AT)were instructed, and overflowing ^[s]with gratitude.

¹⁵ Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one ^(A)wheel on the ground beside the living beings, for ^[a]each of the four of them. ¹⁶ The ^(B)appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like ^[b]sparkling ^(C)topaz, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if ^[c]one wheel were within another. ¹⁷ Whenever they ^[d]moved, they ^[e]moved in any of their four ^[f]directions without ^(D)turning as they ^[g]moved. ¹⁸ As for their rims, they were high and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were ^[h](E)covered with eyes all around. ^19 (F)Whenever the living beings ^[i]moved, the wheels ^[j]moved with them. And whenever the living beings ^(G)rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. ^20 (H)Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction^[k]. And the wheels rose just as they did; for the spirit of the living ^[l]beings was in the wheels. ^21 (I)Whenever those went, they went; and whenever those stopped, they stopped. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose just as they did; for the spirit of the living ^[m]beings was in the wheels.

Vision of Divine Glory

²² Now ^(J)over the heads of the living ^[n]beings there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal, spread out over their heads. ²³ Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had ^(K)two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other. ²⁴ And I also heard the sound of their wings, like the ^(L)sound of abundant waters as they went, like the ^(M)voice of ^[o]the Almighty, a sound of a crowd like the ^(N)sound of an army camp; whenever they stopped, they let down their wings. ²⁵ And a voice came from above the ^(O)expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they let down their wings.

²⁶ Now ^(P)above the expanse that was over their heads there was something ^(Q)resembling a throne, like ^[p](R)lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a ^(S)man. ²⁷ Then I ^[q]noticed from the appearance of His waist and upward something ^(T)like gleaming ^[r]metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. ²⁸ Like the appearance of the ^(U)rainbow ^[s]in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the ^(V)glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I ^(W)fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

14 “^(A)Do not let your heart be troubled; ^[a]believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many ^[b]rooms; if that were not so, ^[c]I would have told you, because ^(B)I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, ^(C)I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that ^(D)where I am, there you also will be. ⁴ And you know the way where I am going.” ^5 (E)Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; how do we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus *said to him, “I am ^(F)the way, and ^(G)the truth, and ^(H)the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

Oneness with the Father

^7 (I)If you ^[d]had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you ^(J)know Him, and have ^(K)seen Him.”

^8 (L)Philip *said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” ⁹ Jesus *said to him, “Have I been with ^[e]you for so long a time, and yet ^[f]you have not come to know Me, Philip? ^(M)The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that ^(N)I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? ^(O)The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own, but the Father, as He remains in Me, does His works. ¹¹ Believe Me that ^(P)I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise ^(Q)believe because of the works themselves. ¹² Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and ^(R)greater works than these he will do; because ^(S)I am going to the Father. ¹³ And ^(T)whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that ^(U)the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask Me anything ^(V)in My name, I will do it.

¹⁵ “^(W)If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

The Holy Spirit

¹⁶ I will ask the Father, and He will give you another ^[g](X)Helper, so that He may be with you forever; ¹⁷ the Helper is ^(Y)the Spirit of truth, ^(Z)whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.

¹⁸ “I will not leave you as orphans; ^(AA)I am coming to you. ^19 [h](AB)After a little while, ^(AC)the world no longer is going to see Me, but you are going to see Me; ^(AD)because I live, you also will live. ^20 (AE)On that day you will know that ^(AF)I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I in you. ^21 (AG)The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and ^(AH)the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will ^(AI)reveal Myself to him.” ^22 (AJ)Judas (not Iscariot) *said to Him, “Lord, what has happened ^(AK)that You are going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” ²³ Jesus answered and said to him, “^(AL)If anyone loves Me, he will ^(AM)follow My word; and ^(AN)My Father will love him, and We ^(AO)will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. ²⁴ The one who does not love Me ^(AP)does not follow My words; and ^(AQ)the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you while remaining with you. ²⁶ But the ^(AR)Helper, the Holy Spirit ^(AS)whom the Father will send in My name, ^(AT)He will teach you all things, and ^(AU)remind you of all that I said to you. ^27 (AV)Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. ^(AW)[i]Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor ^[j]fearful. ^28 (AX)You heard that I said to you, ‘I am going away, and ^(AY)I am coming to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced ^[k]because ^(AZ)I am going to the Father, for ^(BA)the Father is greater than I. ²⁹ And now ^(BB)I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. ³⁰ I will not speak much more with you, for ^(BC)the ruler of the world is coming, and he has ^[l]nothing in regard to Me, ³¹ but so that the world may know that I love the Father, ^[m]I do exactly as ^(BD)the Father commanded Me. Get up, ^(BE)let’s go from here.