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.

¹⁵ Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one ^(AA)wheel on the ground beside the living beings, for ^[k]each of the four of them. ¹⁶ The ^(AB)appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like ^[l]sparkling ^(AC)topaz, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if ^[m]one wheel were within another. ¹⁷ Whenever they ^[n]moved, they ^[o]moved in any of their four ^[p]directions without ^(AD)turning as they ^[q]moved. ¹⁸ As for their rims, they were high and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were ^[r](AE)covered with eyes all around. ^19 (AF)Whenever the living beings ^[s]moved, the wheels ^[t]moved with them. And whenever the living beings ^(AG)rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. ^20 (AH)Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction^[u]. And the wheels rose just as they did; for the spirit of the living ^[v]beings was in the wheels. ^21 (AI)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 ^[w]beings was in the wheels.

Vision of Divine Glory

²² Now ^(AJ)over the heads of the living ^[x]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 ^(AK)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 ^(AL)sound of abundant waters as they went, like the ^(AM)voice of ^[y]the Almighty, a sound of a crowd like the ^(AN)sound of an army camp; whenever they stopped, they let down their wings. ²⁵ And a voice came from above the ^(AO)expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they let down their wings.

²⁶ Now ^(AP)above the expanse that was over their heads there was something ^(AQ)resembling a throne, like ^[z](AR)lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a ^(AS)man. ²⁷ Then I ^[aa]noticed from the appearance of His waist and upward something ^(AT)like gleaming ^[ab]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 ^(AU)rainbow ^[ac]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.

The Warnings of History to the Ungodly

^1 [a](A)Jude, a ^(B)bond-servant of Jesus Christ and brother of ^[b]James,

To ^(C)those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and ^(D)kept for Jesus Christ: ^2 (E)May mercy, peace, and love ^(F)be multiplied to you.

^3 (G)Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our ^(H)common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you ^(I)contend earnestly for ^(J)the faith that was once for all time ^(K)handed down to ^(L)the ^[c]saints. ⁴ For certain people have ^(M)crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand ^[d](N)marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn ^(O)the grace of our God into ^(P)indecent behavior and ^(Q)deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

⁵ Now I want to ^(R)remind you, though ^(S)you know everything once and for all, that ^[e]the Lord, ^(T)after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, ^[f]subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. ⁶ And ^(U)angels who did not keep their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling place, these He has ^(V)kept in eternal restraints under darkness for the judgment of the great day, ⁷ just as ^(W)Sodom and Gomorrah and the ^(X)cities around them, since they in the same way as these angels indulged in sexual perversion and ^(Y)went after ^[g]strange flesh, are exhibited as an ^[h](Z)example in undergoing the ^(AA)punishment of eternal fire.

⁸ Yet in the same way these people also, dreaming, ^(AB)defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak abusively of angelic ^[i]majesties. ⁹ But ^(AC)Michael ^(AD)the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about ^(AE)the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him an abusive judgment, but said, “^(AF)The Lord rebuke you!” ¹⁰ But ^(AG)these people disparage all the things that they do not understand; and ^(AH)all the things that they know by instinct, ^(AI)like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. ¹¹ Woe to them! For they have gone ^(AJ)the way of Cain, and for pay ^[j]they have given themselves up to ^(AK)the error of Balaam, and ^(AL)perished in the rebellion of Korah. ¹² These are the ones who are ^[k]hidden reefs ^(AM)in your love feasts when they feast with you ^(AN)without fear, like shepherds caring only for themselves; ^(AO)clouds without water, ^(AP)carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, ^[l]doubly dead, ^(AQ)uprooted; ^13 (AR)wild waves of the sea, churning up ^(AS)their own shameful deeds like dirty foam; wandering stars, ^(AT)for whom the ^[m]gloom of darkness has been reserved forever.

¹⁴ It was also about these people that ^(AU)Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “^(AV)Behold, the Lord has come with ^[n]many thousands of His holy ones, ^15 (AW)to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ^(AX)ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” ¹⁶ These are ^(AY)grumblers, finding fault, ^(AZ)following after their own lusts; ^[o]they speak ^(BA)arrogantly, flattering people ^(BB)for the sake of gaining an advantage.

Keep Yourselves in the Love of God

¹⁷ But you, ^(BC)beloved, ^(BD)ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by ^(BE)the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁸ that they were saying to you, “^(BF)In the last time there will be mockers, ^(BG)following after their own ungodly lusts.” ¹⁹ These are the ones who cause divisions, ^[p](BH)worldly-minded, ^[q]devoid of the Spirit. ²⁰ But you, ^(BI)beloved, ^(BJ)building yourselves up on your most holy ^(BK)faith, ^(BL)praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, ^(BM)looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. ²² And have mercy on some, who are doubting; ²³ save others, ^(BN)snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, ^(BO)hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.

^24 (BP)Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling, and to ^(BQ)make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless with ^(BR)great joy, ²⁵ to the ^(BS)only ^(BT)God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, ^(BU)be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority ^(BV)before all time and now and ^[r]forever. Amen.

The Lord Exalts the Humble.

God’s Rescue of Israel from Egypt.