Ezekiel in Babylon

1 ^(A)In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by ^(B)the Chebar canal, ^(C)the heavens were opened, and I saw ^(D)visions of God.^{[a] 2} On the fifth day of the month (it was ^(E)the fifth year of ^(F)the exile of King Jehoiachin), ³ the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel ^(G)the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by ^(H)the Chebar canal, and ^(I)the hand of the Lord was upon him there.

The Glory of the Lord

⁴ As I looked, behold, ^(J)a stormy wind came ^(K)out of the north, and a great cloud, with ^(L)brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, ^(M)as it were gleaming metal.^{[b] 5} And from the midst of it came the likeness of ^(N)four living creatures. ^(O)And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, ^6 (P)but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf's foot. And they sparkled ^(Q)like burnished bronze. ⁸ Under their wings ^(R)on their four sides ^(S)they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: ⁹ their wings touched one another. ^(T)Each one of them went straight forward, ^(U)without turning as they went. ¹⁰ As for the likeness of their faces, ^(V)each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. ¹¹ Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while ^(W)two covered their bodies. ^12 (X)And each went straight forward. ^(Y)Wherever the spirit^[c] would go, they went, without turning as they went. ¹³ As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was ^(Z)like burning coals of fire, ^(AA)like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. ^(AB)And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. ¹⁴ And the living creatures ^(AC)darted to and fro, ^(AD)like the appearance of a flash of lightning.

^15 (AE)Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them.^{[d] 16 (AF)}As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like ^(AG)the gleaming of beryl. ^(AH)And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. ^17 (AI)When they went, they went ^(AJ)in any of their four directions^{[e] (AK)}without turning as they went. ¹⁸ And their rims were tall and awesome, ^(AL)and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. ^19 (AM)And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; ^(AN)and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. ^20 (AO)Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, ^(AP)for the spirit of the living creatures^[f] was in the wheels. ^21 (AQ)When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; ^(AR)and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, ^(AS)for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

²² Over the heads of the living creatures there was ^(AT)the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring ^(AU)crystal, spread out above their heads. ²³ And under the expanse their wings were ^(AV)stretched out straight, one toward another. ^(AW)And each creature had two wings covering its body. ²⁴ And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings ^(AX)like the sound of many waters, like ^(AY)the sound of the ^(AZ)Almighty, a sound of tumult ^(BA)like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. ²⁵ And there came a voice from above ^(BB)the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings.

²⁶ And above the expanse over their heads there was ^(BC)the likeness of a throne, ^(BD)in appearance ^(BE)like sapphire;^[g] and seated above the likeness of a throne was ^(BF)a likeness with a human appearance. ²⁷ And ^(BG)upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were ^(BH)gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and ^(BI)there was brightness around him.^{[h] 28} Like the appearance of ^(BJ)the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.

Such was the appearance of the likeness of ^(BK)the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, ^(BL)I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Ezekiel's Call

2 And he said to me, ^(BM)“Son of man,^{[i] (BN)}stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” ² And as he spoke to me, ^(BO)the Spirit entered into me and ^(BP)set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. ³ And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to ^(BQ)nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. ^(BR)They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. ⁴ The descendants also are ^(BS)impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ ⁵ And ^(BT)whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are ^(BU)a rebellious house) ^(BV)they will know that a prophet has been among them. ⁶ And you, son of man, ^(BW)be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, ^(BX)though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on ^(BY)scorpions.^[j] Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. ⁷ And you shall speak my words to them, ^(BZ)whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.

⁸ “But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. ^(CA)Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and ^(CB)eat what I give you.” ⁹ And when I looked, behold, ^(CC)a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, ^(CD)a scroll of a book was in it. ¹⁰ And he spread it before me. And it had writing ^(CE)on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.

3 And he said to me, ^(CF)“Son of man, eat whatever you find here. ^(CG)Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” ² So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. ³ And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” ^(CH)Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth ^(CI)as sweet as honey.

⁴ And he said to me, ^(CJ)“Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. ⁵ For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— ⁶ not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. ^(CK)Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. ^7 (CL)But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel ^(CM)have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. ^8 (CN)Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. ⁹ Like ^(CO)emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. ^(CP)Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” ¹⁰ Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, ^(CQ)all my words that I shall speak to you receive ^(CR)in your heart, and hear with your ears. ¹¹ And go to the exiles, ^(CS)to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ^(CT)‘Thus says the Lord God,’ ^(CU)whether they hear or refuse to hear.”

^12 (CV)Then the Spirit^[k] lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice^[l] of ^(CW)a great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from its place!” ¹³ It was the sound of the wings of ^(CX)the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of ^(CY)a great earthquake. ^14 (CZ)The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the ^(DA)hand of the Lord being strong upon me. ^15 (DB)And I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were dwelling ^(DC)by the Chebar canal, and I sat where they were dwelling.^[m] And ^(DD)I sat there ^(DE)overwhelmed among them ^(DF)seven days.

A Watchman for Israel

^16 (DG)And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: ^17 (DH)“Son of man, ^(DI)I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall ^(DJ)give them warning from me. ^18 (DK)If I say to the wicked, ^(DL)‘You shall surely die,’ ^(DM)and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person ^(DN)shall die for^[n] his iniquity, ^(DO)but his blood I will require at your hand. ^19 (DP)But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, ^(DQ)but you ^(DR)will have delivered your soul. ^20 (DS)Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, ^(DT)and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. ^(DU)Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, ^(DV)and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, ^(DW)but his blood I will require at your hand. ²¹ But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”

^22 (DX)And the hand of the Lord was upon me there. And he said to me, “Arise, go out into ^(DY)the valley,^[o] and ^(DZ)there I will speak with you.” ²³ So I arose and went out into the valley, and behold, ^(EA)the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory that I had seen ^(EB)by the Chebar canal, ^(EC)and I fell on my face. ^24 (ED)But the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house. ²⁵ And you, O son of man, behold, ^(EE)cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people. ²⁶ And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that ^(EF)you shall be mute and unable to reprove them, ^(EG)for they are a rebellious house. ^27 (EH)But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ^(EI)‘Thus says the Lord God.’ ^(EJ)He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.

The Word Became Flesh

1 ^(A)In the beginning was ^(B)the Word, and ^(C)the Word was with God, and ^(D)the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ^3 (E)All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ^4 (F)In him was life,^[a] and ^(G)the life was the light of men. ^5 (H)The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man ^(I)sent from God, whose name was ^(J)John. ⁷ He came as a ^(K)witness, to bear witness about the light, ^(L)that all might believe through him. ^8 (M)He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

^9 (N)The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet ^(O)the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to ^(P)his own,^[b] and ^(Q)his own people^{[c] (R)}did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, ^(S)who believed in his name, ^(T)he gave the right ^(U)to become ^(V)children of God, ¹³ who ^(W)were born, ^(X)not of blood ^(Y)nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And ^(Z)the Word ^(AA)became flesh and ^(AB)dwelt among us, ^(AC)and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son^[d] from the Father, full of ^(AD)grace and ^(AE)truth. ¹⁵ (^(AF)John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ^(AG)‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) ¹⁶ For from ^(AH)his fullness we have all received, ^(AI)grace upon grace.^{[e] 17} For ^(AJ)the law was given through Moses; ^(AK)grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ^18 (AL)No one has ever seen God; ^(AM)the only God,^[f] who is at the Father's side,^{[g] (AN)}he has made him known.

The Testimony of John the Baptist

¹⁹ And this is the ^(AO)testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ^(AP)“Who are you?” ^20 (AQ)He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” ²¹ And they asked him, “What then? ^(AR)Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you ^(AS)the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” ²² So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” ²³ He said, “I am ^(AT)the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight^[h] the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

²⁴ (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) ²⁵ They asked him, ^(AU)“Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” ²⁶ John answered them, ^(AV)“I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, ²⁷ even ^(AW)he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” ²⁸ These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Behold, the Lamb of God

²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, ^(AX)the Lamb of God, who ^(AY)takes away the sin ^(AZ)of the world! ³⁰ This is he of whom I said, ^(BA)‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but ^(BB)for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³² And John ^(BC)bore witness: ^(BD)“I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and ^(BE)it remained on him. ³³ I myself did not know him, but ^(BF)he who sent me to baptize ^(BG)with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, ^(BH)this is he who baptizes ^(BI)with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son^[i] of God.”

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

³⁵ The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶ and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, ^(BJ)the Lamb of God!” ³⁷ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, ^(BK)“What are you seeking?” And they said to him, ^(BL)“Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” ³⁹ He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.^{[j] 40 (BM)}One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus^[k] was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. ⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found ^(BN)the Messiah” (which means Christ). ⁴² He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of ^(BO)John. You shall be called ^(BP)Cephas” (which means ^(BQ)Peter^[l]).

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

^43 (BR)The next day Jesus decided ^(BS)to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴ Now ^(BT)Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵ Philip found ^(BU)Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom ^(BV)Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus ^(BW)of Nazareth, ^(BX)the son of Joseph.” ⁴⁶ Nathanael said to him, ^(BY)“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, ^(BZ)an Israelite indeed, ^(CA)in whom there is no deceit!” ⁴⁸ Nathanael said to him, “How ^(CB)do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael answered him, ^(CC)“Rabbi, ^(CD)you are the Son of God! You are the ^(CE)King of Israel!” ⁵⁰ Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,^[m] you will see ^(CF)heaven opened, and ^(CG)the angels of God ascending and descending on ^(CH)the Son of Man.”