God’s Presence Leaves the Temple

10 And I looked, and look! On the expanse that was above the head of the cherubim something like a stone of sapphire,^[a] and like the appearance of the shape of a throne it appeared above them. ² And he spoke^[b] to the man clothed in linen and said, “Go in among the wheel area under the cherubim^[c] and fill the hollow of your hands with coals of fire from among the cherubim, and toss them on the city.” And he went right before my eyes. ³ Now^[d] the cherubim were standing on the south of the temple when the man went,^[e] and the cloud filled the inner courtyard. ⁴ And the glory of Yahweh rose up from on the cherub toward^[f] the threshold of the house,^[g] and the house^[h] was filled with the cloud, and the courtyard was filled with the brightness of the glory of Yahweh. ⁵ And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as^[i] the outer courtyard; it was like the voice of God Shaddai^[j] when he speaks.^[k]

⁶ And then at his command^[l] to the man clothed in linen, saying,^[m] “Take fire from among the wheel area from among the cherubim,” he went and stood beside the wheel. ⁷ Then the cherub stretched out his hand from among^[n] the cherubim toward the fire that was among^[o] the cherubim, and he lifted up and gave^[p] it into the hollow of the hand of the man clothed with linen, and he took it, and he went out.

⁸ And there appeared for^[q] the cherubim the form of a human hand^[r] under their wings. ⁹ And I saw, and look, four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub,^[s] and the appearance of the wheels was like the outward appearance of turquoise stone.^{[t] 10} Their appearance^[u] was the same for each of the four of them,^[v] as if the wheel was in the midst of a wheel. ¹¹ When they went^[w] to the four of their directions that they went, they did not change direction when they went,^[x] for the place to which the head^[y] turned, they went behind him; they did not change direction at their going. ¹² And their whole body,^[z] and their rims, and their spokes, and their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all around—the wheels for the four of them.^{[aa] 13} Concerning the wheels, he was calling them “the wheelwork” in my hearing.^{[ab] 14} And each one had four faces;^[ac] the face of the one was the face of a cherub, and the face of the second was the face of a human, and the face of the third was the face of a lion, and the fourth was the face of an eagle.

¹⁵ And the cherubim rose; that is, the living creatures^[ad] that I saw at the Kebar River.^{[ae] 16} And when the cherubim went,^[af] the wheels beside them went; and when the cherubim lifted their wings to rise up from the earth,^[ag] the wheels also did not turn aside from beside them. ¹⁷ When they stood,^[ah] they stood, and at their rising, they rose with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in them. ¹⁸ And the glory of Yahweh went out from^[ai] the threshold of the temple, and it stood above the cherubim. ¹⁹ And the cherubim lifted up their wings, and they rose from the earth before my eyes. At their going out, the wheels were^[aj] beside them. And he stood at the doorway of the eastern gate of the temple^[ak] of Yahweh, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.^[al]

²⁰ This was^[am] the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel at the Kebar River,^[an] and I knew that they were cherubim. ²¹ Each one had four faces,^[ao] and there were four wings for each, and the likeness of human hands^[ap] was under their wings. ²² And the likeness of their faces, they were the faces that I saw at the Kebar River;^[aq] thus was their appearance, and they each went straight ahead.^[ar]