God’s Glory Leaves the Temple

10 Then I looked, and there above the expanse over the heads(A) of the cherubim was something like a throne with the appearance of lapis lazuli. The Lord spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, “Go inside the wheelwork beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with blazing coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.”(B) So he went in as I watched.

Now the cherubim were standing to the south of the temple when the man went in, and the cloud(C) filled the inner court.(D) Then the glory of the Lord rose from above the cherub to the threshold of the temple.(E) The temple was filled with the cloud,(F) and the court was filled with the brightness of the Lord’s glory.(G) The sound of the cherubim’s wings could be heard as far as the outer court; it was like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.

After the Lord commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from inside the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man went in and stood beside a wheel. Then the cherub reached out his hand to the fire that was among them. He took some and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out. The cherubim appeared to have the form of human hands under their wings.(H)

I looked, and there were four wheels beside the cherubim,(I) one wheel beside each cherub. The luster of the wheels was like the gleam of beryl.(J) 10 In appearance, all four looked alike, like a wheel within a wheel. 11 When they moved, they would go in any of the four directions,(K) without pivoting as they moved. But wherever the head faced, they would go in that direction, without pivoting as they went. 12 Their entire bodies,(L) including their backs, hands, wings, and the wheels that the four of them had, were full of eyes all around.(M) 13 As I listened the wheels were called “the wheelwork.” 14 Each one had four faces:(N) one was the face of a cherub, the second the face of a human, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

15 The cherubim ascended; these were the living creatures I had seen by the Chebar Canal.(O) 16 When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when they lifted their wings to rise from the earth, even then the wheels did not veer away from them. 17 When the cherubim stopped,(P) the wheels stood still, and when they ascended, the wheels ascended with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in them.

18 Then the glory of the Lord moved away from the threshold of the temple(Q) and stopped above the cherubim.(R) 19 The cherubim lifted their wings and ascended from the earth right before my eyes;(S) the wheels were beside them as they went. The glory of the God of Israel was above them, and it stopped at the entrance to the eastern gate of the Lord’s house.

20 These were the living creatures I had seen(T) beneath the God of Israel by the Chebar Canal,(U) and I recognized that they were cherubim. 21 Each had four faces and each had four wings,(V) with what looked something like human hands under their wings. 22 Their faces looked like the same faces I had seen(W) by the Chebar Canal. Each creature went straight ahead.

God’s Glory Leaves Jerusalem

10 Then I looked, and above the dome that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire,[a] in form resembling a throne.(A) He said to the man clothed in linen, “Go within the wheelwork underneath the cherubim; fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.” He went in as I looked on.(B) Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the house when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court.(C) Then the glory of the Lord rose up from the cherub to the entryway of the temple; the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the glory of the Lord.(D) The sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty[b] when he speaks.(E)

When he commanded the man clothed in linen, “Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” he went in and stood beside a wheel. And a cherub stretched out his hand from among the cherubim to the fire that was among the cherubim, took some of it, and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out. The cherubim appeared to have the form of a human hand under their wings.

I looked, and there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub, and the appearance of the wheels was like gleaming beryl.(F) 10 And as for their appearance, the four looked alike, something like a wheel within a wheel. 11 When they moved, they moved in any of the four directions without veering as they moved, but in whatever direction the front wheel faced, the others followed without veering as they moved. 12 Their entire bodies—backs, hands, and wings—were covered with eyes all around, as were the wheels of the four of them.(G) 13 As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing “the wheelwork.” 14 Each one had four faces: the first face was that of the cherub, the second face was that of a human, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle.(H)

15 The cherubim rose up. These were the living creatures that I saw by the River Chebar. 16 When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to rise up from the earth, the wheels at their side did not veer.(I) 17 When they stopped, the others stopped, and when they rose up, the others rose up with them, for a living spirit was in them.(J)

18 Then the glory of the Lord went out from the entryway of the temple and stopped above the cherubim. 19 The cherubim lifted up their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight as they went out with the wheels beside them. They stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the Lord, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.(K)

20 These were the living creatures that I saw underneath the God of Israel by the River Chebar, and I knew that they were cherubim.(L) 21 Each had four faces, each four wings, and underneath their wings something like human hands.(M) 22 As for what their faces were like, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the River Chebar. Each one moved straight ahead.(N)

Footnotes

  1. 10.1 Or lapis lazuli
  2. 10.5 Traditional rendering of Heb El Shaddai