- 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 captives by the river of Chebar, that the Heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, the word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.
- And I looked, and behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire enfolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof, as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also, out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures, and this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man, and every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. 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 the color of burnished brass. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides, and they four had their faces and their wings. Their wings were joined one to another, they turned not when they went, they went every one straight forward. As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side, and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces. And their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. And they went every one straight forward — where the spirit was to go, they went, and they turned not when they went.
- As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps — it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
- Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold, one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces, the appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the color of a beryl, and they four had one likeness. And their appearance and their work was like a wheel in the middle of a wheel. When they went, they went upon their four sides, and they turned not when they went. As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful, and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. Wherever the spirit was to go, they went, there was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up alongside them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 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 alongside them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
- And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the color of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other; every one had two which covered on this side, and every one had two which covered on that side their bodies. And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech as the noise of a host. When they stood, they let down their wings; and there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads when they stood and had let down their wings.
- 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 the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward. And from the appearance of his loins even downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire; and it had brightness round about. 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 the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face.
- And I heard a voice of one that spoke, and he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon your feet and I will speak unto you. And the spirit entered into me when he spoke unto me and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spoke unto me. And he said unto me, Son of man, I send you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day, for they are impudent children, and stiff-hearted. I do send you unto them, and you shall say unto them, Thus says the Lord God. And they, whether they will hear or whether they will refuse — for they are a rebellious house — yet shall know that there has been a prophet among them. And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you do dwell among scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. And you shall speak my words unto them, whether they will hear or whether they will refuse, for they are most rebellious. But you, son of man, hear what I say unto you: Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat that I give you.
- And when I looked, behold, a hand was sent unto me, and behold, a scroll was therein. And he spread it before me, and it was written within and without, and there were written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe. Moreover, he said unto me, Son of man, eat that you find; eat this scroll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth and he caused me to eat that scroll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause your belly to eat, and fill your bowels with this scroll that I give you. Then did I eat it, and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
- And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get yourself unto the house of Israel and speak with my words unto them. For you are not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel, not to many people of a strange speech and of a hard language whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened unto you. But the house of Israel will not listen unto you for they will not listen unto me, for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted. Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. As a diamond harder than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. Moreover, he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto you, receive in your heart and hear with your ears. And go, get yourself to them of the captivity, unto the children of your people, and speak unto them and tell them, Thus says the Lord God — whether they will hear or whether they will refuse.
- Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place. I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, and a noise of a great rushing. So the spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit, but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.
- Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelled by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days. And it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, I have made you a watchman unto the house of Israel, therefore hear the word at my mouth and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, You shall surely die — and you give him not warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at your hand. Yet if you warn the wicked and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul. Again, when a righteous man does turn from his righteousness and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die because you have not given him warning. He shall die in his sin and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood will I require at your hand. Nevertheless, if you warn the righteous man that the righteous sin not, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he is warned, and you have delivered your soul.
- And the hand of the Lord was there upon me, and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain and I will there talk with you. Then I arose and went forth into the plain. And behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar, and I fell on my face. Then the spirit entered into me and set me upon my feet, and spoke with me and said unto me, Go, shut yourself within your house. But you, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon you and shall bind you with them, and you shall not go out among them. And I will make your tongue cleave to the roof of your mouth, that you shall be dumb and shall not be to them a reprover, for they are a rebellious house. But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say unto them, Thus says the Lord God. He that hears, let him hear, and he that refuses, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.
- You also, son of man, take a tile and lay it before you, and portray upon it the city, even Jerusalem; and lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it. Set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about. Moreover, take unto yourself an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between you and the city, and set your face against it; and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.
- Lie also upon your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it; according to the number of the days that you shall lie upon it, you shall bear their iniquity. For I have laid upon you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days — three hundred ninety days. So shall you bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.
- And when you have accomplished them, lie again on your right side, and you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days; I have appointed you each day for a year. Therefore, you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and your arm shall be uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it. And behold, I will lay bands upon you, and you shall not turn from one side to another until you have ended the days of your siege.
- Take also unto yourself wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make for yourself bread thereof, according to the number of the days that you shall lie upon your side — three hundred ninety days shall you eat thereof. And your food which you shall eat shall be by weight twenty shekels a day; from time to time shall you eat it. You shall drink also water by measure, the sixth part of a hin; from time to time shall you drink. And you shall eat it as barley cakes, and you shall bake it with dung that comes out of man, in their sight. And the Lord said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the gentiles, where I will drive them.
- Then said I, Ah Lord God, behold, my soul has not been polluted, for from my youth up even until now have I not eaten of that which dies of itself, or is torn in pieces, neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth. Then he said unto me, See, I have given you cow’s dung for man’s dung, and you shall prepare your bread with it. Moreover, he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the support of bread in Jerusalem, and they shall eat bread by weight and with care, and they shall drink water by measure and with astonishment, that they may lack bread and water, and be astonished one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.
- And you, son of man, take a sharp knife, take a barber’s razor, and cause it to pass upon your head and upon your beard; then take balances to weigh and divide the hair. You shall burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city when the days of the siege are fulfilled, and you shall take a third part and smite about it with a knife, and a third part you shall scatter in the wind, and I will draw out a sword after them. You shall also take thereof a few in number and bind them in your skirts. Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire, for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel.
- Thus says the Lord God: This is Jerusalem. I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her. And she has changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her; for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them.
- Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because you multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you, therefore, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, even I, am against you, and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations. And I will do in you that which I have not done, and unto which I will not do anymore the like, because of all your abominations.
- Therefore, the fathers shall eat the sons in your midst, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in you, and the whole remnant of you will I scatter into all the winds. Wherefore, as I live, says the Lord God, surely because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore will I also diminish you, neither shall my eye spare, neither will I have any pity. A third part of you shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in your midst; and a third part shall fall by the sword round about you; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. Thus shall my anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted, and they shall know that I the Lord have spoken it in my zeal when I have accomplished my fury in them.
- Moreover, I will make you waste and a reproach among the nations that are round about you, in the sight of all that pass by. So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about you, when I shall execute judgments in you in anger, and in fury, and in furious rebukes. I the Lord have spoken it. When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you, and I will increase the famine upon you and will break your support of bread, so will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave you, and pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword upon you. I the Lord have spoken it.
THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL
Chapter 1