Old/New Testament

1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the ^[a]captives by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. ² In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, ³ the word of Jehovah came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of Jehovah was there upon him.

⁴ And I looked, and, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, with a fire ^[b]infolding itself, and a brightness round about it, and out of the midst thereof ^[c]as it were glowing ^[d]metal, out of the midst of the fire. ⁵ And out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man; ⁶ and every one had four faces, and every one of them had four wings. ⁷ And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot; and they sparkled like burnished brass. ⁸ And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings thus: ⁹ their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. ¹⁰ As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle. ^11 [e]And their faces and their wings were separate above; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. ¹² And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; they turned not when they went. ¹³ As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches: the fire went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. ¹⁴ And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

¹⁵ Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold, one wheel upon the earth beside the living creatures, for each of the four faces thereof. ¹⁶ The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto a beryl: and they four had one likeness; and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel ^[f]within a wheel. ¹⁷ When they went, they went ^[g]in their four directions: they turned not when they went. ¹⁸ As for their ^[h]rims, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rims full of eyes round about. ¹⁹ And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. ²⁰ Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went; thither was the spirit to go: and the wheels were lifted up ^[i]beside them; for the spirit ^[j]of the living creature was in the wheels. ²¹ When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up beside them: for the spirit ^[k]of the living creature was in the wheels.

²² And over the head of the living creature there was the likeness of a firmament, like the terrible ^[l]crystal to look upon, stretched forth over their heads above. ²³ And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two which covered ^[m]on this side, and every one had two which covered ^[n]on that side, their bodies. ²⁴ And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a noise of tumult like the noise of a host: when they stood, they let down their wings. ²⁵ And there was a voice above the firmament that was over their heads: when they stood, they let down their wings.

²⁶ And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above. ²⁷ And I saw as it were glowing metal, as the appearance of fire within it round about, from the appearance of his loins and upward; and from the appearance of his loins and downward I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness round about ^[o]him. ²⁸ As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Jehovah. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

2 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak with thee. ² And the Spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet; and I heard him that spake unto me. ³ And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to nations that are rebellious, which have rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me even unto this very day. ⁴ And the children are impudent and stiffhearted: ^[p]I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah. ⁵ And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear (for they are a rebellious house), yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. ⁶ And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. ⁷ And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear; for they are most rebellious.

⁸ But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that which I give thee. ⁹ And when I looked, behold, a hand was put forth unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; ¹⁰ and he spread it before me: and it was written within and without; and there were written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

11 Now faith is ^[a]assurance of things hoped for, a ^[b]conviction of things not seen. ² For therein the elders had witness borne to them. ³ By faith we understand that the ^[c]worlds have been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which appear. ⁴ By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness borne to him that he was righteous, ^[d]God bearing witness ^[e]in respect of his gifts: and through it he being dead yet speaketh. ⁵ By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God translated him: ^[f]for he hath had witness borne to him that before his translation he had been well-pleasing unto God: ⁶ and without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him. ⁷ By faith Noah, being warned of God concerning things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. ⁸ By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. ⁹ By faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, ^[g]dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: ¹⁰ for he looked for the city which hath the foundations, whose ^[h]builder and maker is God. ¹¹ By faith even Sarah herself received power to conceive seed when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised: ¹² wherefore also there sprang of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of heaven in multitude, and as the sand, which is by the sea-shore, innumerable. ¹³ These all died ^[i]in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. ¹⁴ For they that say such things make it manifest that they are seeking after a country of their own. ¹⁵ And if indeed they had been mindful of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city. ¹⁷ By faith Abraham, being tried, ^[j]offered up Isaac: yea, he that had gladly received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; ¹⁸ even he ^[k]to whom it was said, ^[l]In Isaac shall thy seed be called: ¹⁹ accounting that God is able to raise up, even from the dead; from whence he did also in a figure receive him back.