Ezekiel 10
Holman Christian Standard Bible
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 sapphire[a] stone resembling the shape of a throne that appeared above them. 2 The Lord spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, “Go inside the wheelwork beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with hot coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.”(B) So he went in as I watched.
3 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) 4 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) 5 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.
6 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. 7 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. 8 The cherubim appeared to have the form of human hands under their wings.(H)
9 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 had the same form, 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,[b] 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) the first face was that of a cherub, the second that of a man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that 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 stood still,(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 stood 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 stood 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 the form of 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.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 10:1 Or lapis lazuli
- Ezekiel 10:11 Lit go after it
Ezekiel 10
International Standard Version
The Vision of God’s Throne
10 As I continued to watch, there on the expanse above the heads of the cherubim was a massive[a] sapphire stone that resembled a throne in form and appearance. 2 The Lord[b] spoke to the man who was clothed in white linen, telling him, “Go between the whirling wheels, under the cherubim, and fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim. Then scatter them[c] over the city.” So he entered as I watched.[d]
3 Now the cherubim were standing on the south[e] side of the entrance to the Temple, when the man entered and a cloud filled the inner court. 4 The glory of the Lord rose above the cherub and moved to the threshold of the Temple. A cloud filled the Temple and the court was filled with the brilliance of the Lord’s glory. 5 The sound of the wings of the cherubim, reminiscent of the voice of the Sovereign God when he speaks, could be heard as far as the outer court.
6 He issued this order to the man who was clothed in white linen: “Take fire from within the whirling wheels, among the cherubim.” So he went and stood beside the wheels.
Ezekiel’s Vision of the Cherubim
7 Then a cherub stretched out his hand to the fire, which was among the cherubim, took some of the fire, and placed it in the hands of the one clothed in white linen, who took it and left. 8 There appeared to be human hands under the wings of the cherubim.
9 As I continued to watch, I observed four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub.[f] The wheels resembled beryl stone. 10 In appearance, the four wheels looked like they consisted of a wheel within a wheel. 11 Whenever they moved, they proceeded without turning around as they moved, but they followed in the direction where their head was facing, without looking around as they moved.
12 Their entire bodies, backs, hands, and wings were filled with eyes around, including each of their four wheels. 13 The wheels whose sound I was hearing were called “the whirling wheels”. 14 Each had four faces. The first one was the face of a cherub, the second the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
15 The cherubim arose. These were the same beings that I had seen at the Chebar River. 16 When the cherubim moved, the wheels went alongside them. But when the cherubim started to ascend, beating their wings to rise above the earth, the wheels beside them didn’t turn. 17 When they stood still, the wheels stood still. When they rose up, the wheels rose up, too, because they were alive.[g]
18 Then the glory of the Lord moved away from the threshold of the Temple and stood over the cherubim. 19 The cherubim lifted their wings and rose above the earth while I watched. They went out, along with their wheels, and stood at the entrance to the east gate of the Lord’s Temple as the glory of Israel’s God remained above, covering them.
20 These were the living beings that I had seen under the God of Israel on the bank of the Chebar River. I knew that they were cherubim. 21 Each one had four faces. Each one had four wings, and the form of human hands could be seen under their wings. 22 As to the likeness of their faces, they were like what I had seen on the bank of the Chebar River. They each moved straight ahead.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 10:1 The Heb. lacks massive
- Ezekiel 10:2 Lit. He
- Ezekiel 10:2 The Heb. lacks them
- Ezekiel 10:2 Lit. entered in my sight
- Ezekiel 10:3 Lit. right side
- Ezekiel 10:9 Lit. cherub and another wheel beside another cherub.
- Ezekiel 10:17 Lit. because the spirit of the living beings resided in the wheels
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
