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. 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.

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) 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) 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.

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. 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. The cherubim appeared to have the form of human hands under their wings.(H)

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

  1. Ezekiel 10:1 Or lapis lazuli
  2. Ezekiel 10:11 Lit go after it

Vision of God’s Glory Departing from the Temple

10 Then I looked, and behold, in the [a](A)expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim something like a (B)sapphire stone, in appearance resembling a (C)throne, appeared above them. And He spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, “Enter between the (D)whirling wheels under the [b]cherubim and fill your hands with (E)coals of fire from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.” And he entered in my sight.

Now the cherubim were standing on the right side of the [c]temple when the man entered, and the cloud filled the (F)inner courtyard. Then the (G)glory of the Lord went up from the cherub to the threshold of the temple, and the (H)temple was filled with the cloud, and the courtyard was filled with the (I)brightness of the glory of the Lord. Moreover, the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer courtyard, like the (J)voice of [d]God Almighty when He speaks.

And it came about when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim,” he entered and stood beside a wheel. Then the cherub reached out with his hand from between the cherubim to the fire which was between the cherubim, took some coals and put them into the hands of the one clothed in linen; and he took them and went out. The cherubim appeared to have something like a human hand under their wings.

Then I looked, and behold, (K)four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like the gleam of a [e](L)Tarshish stone. 10 And as for their appearance, all four of them had the same likeness, as if one wheel were within another wheel. 11 When they moved, they went (M)in any of their four [f]directions without turning as they went; but they followed in the direction which [g]they faced, without turning as they went. 12 And their (N)whole body, their backs, their hands, their wings and the (O)wheels were [h]covered with eyes all around, the wheels belonging to all four of them. 13 The wheels were called, [i]as I heard, the [j]whirling wheels. 14 And (P)each one had four faces. The first face was the face of a cherub, the second face was the face of a human, the third, the face of a lion, and the fourth, the face of an eagle.

15 Then the cherubim rose up. They are the (Q)living beings that I saw by the river Chebar. 16 Now when the cherubim moved, the wheels would move beside them; also when the cherubim lifted up their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels themselves would not turn away from beside them. 17 When [k]the cherubim (R)stood still, [l]the wheels would stand still; and when they rose up, [m]the wheels would rise with them, because the spirit of the living beings was in them.

18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood (S)over the cherubim. 19 When (T)the cherubim departed, they lifted their wings and rose up from the ground in my sight with the wheels beside them; and they stood still at the entrance of the east gate of the Lords house, and the glory of the God of Israel [n]hovered over them.

20 These are the (U)living beings that I saw beneath the God of Israel by (V)the river Chebar; so I knew that they were cherubim. 21 (W)Each one had four faces and each one four wings, and beneath their wings was the form of human hands. 22 As for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the river Chebar. Each one went straight ahead.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 10:1 Or firmament; i.e., atmosphere and space
  2. Ezekiel 10:2 As in LXX; MT cherub
  3. Ezekiel 10:3 Lit house, and so throughout the ch
  4. Ezekiel 10:5 Heb El Shaddai
  5. Ezekiel 10:9 Perhaps topaz
  6. Ezekiel 10:11 Lit sides
  7. Ezekiel 10:11 Lit the head turned
  8. Ezekiel 10:12 Lit full of
  9. Ezekiel 10:13 Lit in my ears
  10. Ezekiel 10:13 Heb galgal
  11. Ezekiel 10:17 Lit they
  12. Ezekiel 10:17 Lit they
  13. Ezekiel 10:17 Lit they
  14. Ezekiel 10:19 Lit over them from above