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) 2} 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) 3} 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) 4} 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) 5} 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)

⁶ 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. ⁷ 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. ⁸ The cherubim appeared to have the form of a human hand under their wings.

⁹ 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)

Judgment on Wicked Counselors

11 The spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the house of the Lord, which faces east. There, at the entrance of the gateway, were twenty-five men; among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, officials of the people.^{(O) 2} He said to me, “Mortal, these are the men who devise iniquity and who give wicked counsel in this city;^{(P) 3} they say, ‘The time is not near to build houses; this city is the pot, and we are the meat.’^{(Q) 4} Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O mortal.”^(R)

⁵ Then the spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and he said to me, “Say, Thus says the Lord: This is what you think, O house of Israel; I know the things that come into your mind.^{(S) 6} You have killed many in this city and have filled its streets with the slain.^{(T) 7} Therefore thus says the Lord God: The slain whom you have placed within it are the meat, and this city is the pot, but you shall be taken out of it.^{(U) 8} You have feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, says the Lord God. ⁹ I will take you out of it and give you over to the hands of foreigners and execute judgments upon you.^{(V) 10} You shall fall by the sword; I will judge you at the border of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord.^{(W) 11} This city shall not be your pot, and you shall not be the meat inside it; I will judge you at the border of Israel. ¹² Then you shall know that I am the Lord, whose statutes you have not followed and whose ordinances you have not kept, but you have acted according to the ordinances of the nations that are around you.”^(X)

¹³ Now, while I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell down on my face, cried with a loud voice, and said, “Ah Lord God! You are finishing off the remnant of Israel!”^(Y)

God Will Restore Israel

¹⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁵ Mortal, your kinsfolk, your own kin, your fellow exiles,^[c] the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those of whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, “Stay far from the Lord; to us this land is given for a possession.”^{(Z) 16} Therefore say: Thus says the Lord God: Though I removed them far away among the nations and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a little while^[d] in the countries where they have gone.^{(AA) 17} Therefore say: Thus says the Lord God: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.^{(AB) 18} When they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations.^{(AC) 19} I will give them one heart and put a new spirit within them;^[e] I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,^{(AD) 20} so that they may follow my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them. Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God.^{(AE) 21} But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations,^[f] I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, says the Lord God.^(AF)

²² Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.^{(AG) 23} And the glory of the Lord ascended from the middle of the city and stopped on the mountain east of the city.^{(AH) 24} The spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the spirit of God into Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen left me. ²⁵ And I told the exiles all the things that the Lord had shown me.

Judah’s Captivity Portrayed

12 The word of the Lord came to me: ² Mortal, you are living in the midst of a rebellious house who have eyes to see but do not see, who have ears to hear but do not hear,^{(AI) 3} for they are a rebellious house. Therefore, mortal, prepare for yourself an exile’s baggage, and go into exile by day in their sight; you shall go like an exile from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house.^{(AJ) 4} You shall bring out your baggage by day in their sight, as baggage for exile, and you shall go out yourself at evening in their sight, as those do who go into exile.^{(AK) 5} Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry the baggage through it. ⁶ In their sight you shall lift the baggage on your shoulder and carry it out in the dark; you shall cover your face, so that you may not see the land, for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.^(AL)

⁷ I did just as I was commanded. I brought out my baggage by day, as baggage for exile, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my own hands; I brought it out in the dark, carrying it on my shoulder in their sight.

⁸ In the morning the word of the Lord came to me: ⁹ Mortal, has not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, “What are you doing?”^{(AM) 10} Say to them, “Thus says the Lord God: This oracle concerns the prince in Jerusalem^[g] and all the house of Israel in it.”^{[h](AN) 11} Say, “I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall go into exile, into captivity.”^{(AO) 12} And the prince who is among them shall lift his baggage on his shoulder in the dark and shall go out; he^[i] shall dig through the wall and carry it through; he shall cover his face so that he may not see the land with his eyes.^{(AP) 13} I will spread my net over him, and he shall be caught in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, yet he shall not see it, and he shall die there.^{(AQ) 14} I will scatter to every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops, and I will unsheathe the sword behind them.^{(AR) 15} And they shall know that I am the Lord when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries.^{(AS) 16} But I will let a few of them escape from the sword, from famine and pestilence, so that they may tell of all their abominations among the nations where they go; then they shall know that I am the Lord.^(AT)

Judgment Not Postponed

¹⁷ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁸ Mortal, eat your bread with quaking and drink your water with trembling and with fearfulness; ¹⁹ and say to the people of the land: “Thus says the Lord God concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread with fearfulness and drink their water in dismay, because their land shall be stripped of all it contains, on account of the violence of all those who live in it.^{(AU) 20} The inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the land shall become a desolation, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”^(AV)

²¹ The word of the Lord came to me: ²² Mortal, what is this proverb of yours about the land of Israel that says, “The days are prolonged, and every vision comes to nothing”?^{(AW) 23} Tell them therefore, “Thus says the Lord God: I will put an end to this proverb, and they shall use it no more as a proverb in Israel.” But say to them: “The days are near, and the fulfillment of every vision.^{(AX) 24} For there shall no longer be any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel.^{(AY) 25} But I the Lord will speak the word that I speak, and it will be fulfilled. It will no longer be delayed, but in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and fulfill it, says the Lord God.”^(AZ)

²⁶ The word of the Lord came to me: ²⁷ Mortal, the house of Israel is saying, “The vision that he sees is for many years ahead; he prophesies for distant times.”^{(BA) 28} Therefore say to them, “Thus says the Lord God: None of my words will be delayed any longer, but the word that I speak will be fulfilled, says the Lord God.”^(BB)