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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

10 At that moment I saw a form of a throne in the dome above the heads of the winged creatures. It appeared above them, and it looked like lapis lazuli. He said to the man clothed in linen: Go in between the wheels under the winged creatures.[a] Fill your hands with fiery coals from between the winged creatures, and scatter them over the city. As I watched, he went in. Now the winged creatures were standing to the right of the temple when the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner courtyard. Then the Lord’s glory rose from above the winged creatures[b] and moved toward the temple’s threshold. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the courtyard was filled with the brightness of the Lord’s glory. The sound of the winged creatures’ wings could be heard as far as the outer courtyard. It was like the sound of God Almighty[c] when he speaks. When he instructed the man clothed in linen to take fire from between the winged creatures and their wheels, the man went and stood next to the wheel. Then one of the winged creatures stretched a hand between the winged creatures into the fire that was between them, and he drew out some of it and set it in the palm of the one clothed in linen. He took it and went out. It appeared that the winged creatures had the form of a human hand under their wings.

Suddenly, I saw four wheels next to the winged creatures. There was a wheel next to each winged creature, and the appearance of the wheels was like sparkling topaz. 10 It appeared that there was one shape for all four of them, as if one wheel were inside another. 11 When they moved in any of the four directions, they moved without swerving. Whichever way the leading one faced, they moved in that direction without swerving. 12 Their whole body—backs, hands, and wings—as well as their wheels, all four of them, were covered with eyes all around. 13 It was these wheels that were called “the wheels” in my hearing. 14 Each winged creature had four faces. The first face was that of a winged creature, the second face was that of a human being, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle. 15 The winged creatures rose up, the same creatures that I had seen at the Chebar River. 16 When the winged creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the winged creatures lifted their wings to ascend above the earth, the wheels remained beside them without swerving. 17 When they stood still, the wheels stood still; when they rose up, they rose up with them, because the spirit[d] of the living creatures was in them. 18 Then the Lord’s glory went out from above the temple’s threshold and it stood over the winged creatures. 19 While I watched, the winged creatures raised their wings and rose from the ground to leave, with their wheels beside them. They stopped at the entrance to the east gate of the temple, and the glory of Israel’s God was up above them. 20 These were the same living creatures that I saw underneath Israel’s God at the Chebar River, and I realized that they were winged creatures. 21 Each had four faces and four wings, with the form of a human hand under their wings. 22 The forms of their faces were the same faces that I saw at the Chebar River. Their appearance was also the same. All four of them moved straight ahead.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 10:2 LXX; MT creature
  2. Ezekiel 10:4 LXX; MT creature
  3. Ezekiel 10:5 Heb El Shaddai or God of the Mountain
  4. Ezekiel 10:17 Or wind