Old/New Testament
Ezekiel’s Vision of Living Things
1 It was the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month of our captivity. I, Ezekiel, was by the Kebar River in Babylon. I was among the people who had been carried away as captives from the land of Judah. The sky opened, and I saw visions of God.
2 It was the fifth year that King Jehoiachin had been a prisoner. It was on the fifth day of the month. 3 The Lord spoke his word to Ezekiel son of Buzi. This was in the land of the Babylonians by the Kebar River. There he felt the power of the Lord.
4 When I looked, I saw a stormy wind coming from the north. There was a great cloud with a bright light around it. Fire was flashing out of it. And there was something that looked like glowing metal in the center of the fire. 5 Inside the cloud were what looked like four living creatures. They were shaped like men. 6 Each of them had four faces. And each of them had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight. Their feet were like a calf’s hooves. And they sparkled like polished bronze. 8 The living creatures had men’s hands. They were under their wings on their four sides. All four of them had faces and wings. 9 And their wings touched each other. The living creatures did not turn when they moved. Each went straight ahead.
10 Their faces looked like this: In front each living creature had the face of a man. Each one had the face of a lion on the right side. Each one had the face of an ox on the left side. And in back each one had the face of an eagle. 11 This was what their faces looked like. Their wings were spread out above. Each had two wings that touched one of the other living creatures. Each living creature had two wings that covered its body. 12 Each went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, the living creatures would also go. When they went, they did not turn. 13 The living creatures looked like burning coals of fire. They were like torches. Fire went back and forth among the living creatures. It was bright, and lightning flashed from it. 14 The living creatures ran back and forth like bolts of lightning.
15 Now I looked at the living creatures. And I saw a wheel on the ground by each of the living creatures with its four faces. 16 The wheels and the way they were made were like this: They looked like sparkling chrysolite. All four of them looked the same. The wheels looked like one wheel crossways inside another wheel. 17 When they moved, they went in any one of the four directions. They did not turn as they went. 18 I saw the rims of the wheels. The rims were full of eyes all around.
19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the living creatures were lifted up from the ground, the wheels also were lifted up. 20 Wherever the spirit would go, the living creatures would go. And the wheels were lifted up beside them. This is because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved. When the living creatures stopped, the wheels stopped. And when the living creatures were lifted from the ground, the wheels were lifted beside them. This is because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
22 Now there was something like a dome over the heads of the living creatures. It sparkled like ice and was frightening. 23 And under the dome the wings of the living creatures were stretched out straight toward one another. Each living creature also had two wings covering its body. 24 I heard the sound of their wings as they moved. It was like the roaring sound of the sea. It was like the voice of God All-Powerful. It was a roaring sound like a noisy army. When the living creatures stood still, they lowered their wings.
25 And a voice came from above the dome over the heads of the living creatures. When the living creatures stood still, they lowered their wings. 26 Now above the dome there was something that looked like a throne. It looked like a sapphire gem. And on the throne was a shape like a man. 27 Then I noticed what he looked like from the waist up. He looked like glowing metal with fire inside it. And from his waist down he looked like fire. I saw a bright light all around him. 28 The glow around him looked like the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day. It seemed to look like the glory of the Lord. So when I saw it, I bowed facedown on the ground. And I heard a voice speaking.
The Lord Speaks to Ezekiel
2 He said to me, “Human being, stand up on your feet. Then I will speak with you.” 2 While he spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and put me on my feet. Then I heard the Lord speaking to me.
3 He said, “Human being, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They are a nation of people who turned against me. They broke away from me. They and their ancestors have sinned against me until this very day. 4 And I am sending you to people who are stubborn. They do not obey. You will say this to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says.’ 5 The people may listen, or they may not. They are a people who turn against me. But whatever they do, they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 You, human being, don’t be afraid of the people or their words. Thorny branches and thorns may be all around you. And you may live with insects that sting with poison. Don’t be afraid of their words. Don’t be afraid of their looks. They are a people who turn against me. 7 But speak my words to them. They may listen, or they may not, because they turn against me. 8 But you, human being, listen to what I say to you. Don’t turn against me as those people do. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.”
9 I looked and saw a hand stretched out to me. A scroll was in the hand. 10 The Lord opened the scroll in front of me. The scroll was written on the front and back. Funeral songs, sad writings and troubles were written on the scroll.
Faith
11 Faith means being sure of the things we hope for. And faith means knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. 2 People who lived in the past became famous because of faith.
3 It is by faith we understand that the whole world was made by God’s command. This means that what we see was made by something that cannot be seen.
4 It was by faith that Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. God said he was pleased with the gifts Abel offered. So God called Abel a good man because of his faith. Abel died, but through his faith he is still speaking.
5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken to heaven. He never died. He could not be found, because God had taken him away. Before he was taken, the Scripture says that he was a man who truly pleased God. 6 Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who truly want to find him.
7 It was by faith Noah heard God’s warnings about things that he could not yet see. He obeyed God and built a large boat to save his family. By his faith, Noah showed that the world was wrong. And he became one of those who are made right with God through faith.
8 It was by faith Abraham obeyed God’s call to go to another place that God promised to give him. He left his own country, not knowing where he was to go. 9 It was by faith that he lived in the country God promised to give him. He lived there like a visitor who did not belong. He lived in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who had received that same promise from God. 10 Abraham was waiting for the city[a] that has real foundations—the city planned and built by God.
11 He was too old to have children, and Sarah was not able to have children. It was by faith that Abraham was made able to become a father. Abraham trusted God to do what he had promised.[b] 12 This man was so old that he was almost dead. But from him came as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. They are as many as the grains of sand on the seashore that cannot be counted.
13 All these great men died in faith. They did not get the things that God promised his people. But they saw them coming far in the future and were glad. They said that they were like visitors and strangers on earth. 14 When people say such things, then they show that they are looking for a country that will be their own country. 15 If they had been thinking about that country they had left, they could have gone back. 16 But those men were waiting for a better country—a heavenly country. So God is not ashamed to be called their God. For he has prepared a city for them.
17 It was by faith that Abraham offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice. God made the promises to Abraham. But God tested him. And Abraham was ready to offer his own son as a sacrifice. 18 God had said, “The descendants I promised you will be from Isaac.”[c] 19 Abraham believed that God could raise the dead. And really, it was as if Abraham got Isaac back from death.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.