Ezekiel’s Vision of Jerusalem

8 It was the sixth year [^Csince king Jehoiachin’s exile (1:2)], on the fifth day of the sixth month [^CSeptember 17, 592 bc; this vision is the subject of chapters 8–11]. I was sitting in my house with the elders of Judah in front of me. There ·I felt the power of the Lord God [^Lthe hand of the Lord God came upon me]. ² I looked and saw something that looked like a ·human [man]. From the waist down it looked like fire, and from the waist up it looked like bright glowing ·metal [or amber]. ³ ·It [or He] stretched out the shape of a hand and caught me by the hair on my head. ·The Spirit [or A spirit; or The wind] lifted me up between the earth and ·the sky [heaven]. He took me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance to the north gate of the inner courtyard of the Temple. In the courtyard was the ·idol that caused God to be jealous [^Limage of jealousy; 2 Kin. 21:7; 2 Chr. 33:7, 15]. ⁴ I saw the glory of the God of Israel [^Chis manifest presence] there, as I had seen ·on the plain [in the valley].

⁵ Then he said to me, “·Human [^TSon of man; 2:1], now look toward the north.” So I looked up toward the north, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar was the ·idol that caused God to be jealous [image of jealousy].

⁶ He said to me, “·Human [^TSon of man; 2:1], do you see what they are doing? Do you see how many ·hateful [detestable; abominable] things the ·people [^Lhouse] of Israel are doing here that drive me far away from my ·Temple [sanctuary]? But you will see things more ·hateful [detestable; abominable] than these.”

⁷ Then he brought me to the entry of the courtyard. When I looked, I saw a hole in the wall. ⁸ He said to me, “·Human [^TSon of man], dig through the wall.” So I dug through the wall and saw an ·entrance [doorway].

⁹ Then he said to me, “Go in and see the ·hateful [detestable; abominable], ·evil [wicked] things they are doing here.” ¹⁰ So I entered and looked, and ·I saw [^Llook; ^Tbehold] every kind of crawling thing [Lev. 11:20] and hateful beast [^Cunclean animal, ritually] and all the idols of the ·people [^Lhouse] of Israel, ·carved [engraved] on the wall all around [^Csuch images were idolatrous; Deut. 4:16–18; Rom. 1:23]. ¹¹ Standing in front of these carvings and idols were seventy of the elders of [^Lthe house of] Israel and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan. Each man had his ·pan for burning incense [censer] in his hand, and a ·sweet-smelling [fragrant] cloud of incense was rising.

¹² Then he said to me, “·Human [^TSon of man; 2:1], have you seen what the elders of [^Lthe house of] Israel are doing in the dark? Have you seen each man in the ·room [chamber; shrine] of his own ·idol [carved image]? They say, ‘The Lord doesn’t see us. The Lord has ·left [abandoned; forsaken] the land.’” ¹³ He also said to me, “You will see even more ·hateful [detestable; abominable] things that they are doing.”

¹⁴ Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord, where I saw women sitting and crying for Tammuz [^Ca Babylonian god of fertility and rain, whose annual death marked the change of seasons]. ¹⁵ He said to me, “Do you see, ·human [^Tson of man; 2:1]? You will see things even more ·hateful [detestable; abominable] than these.”

¹⁶ Then he brought me into the inner courtyard of the ·Temple [^Lhouse of the Lord]. There I saw about twenty-five men at the entrance to the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord, between the ·porch [portico] and the altar. With their backs turned to the Temple of the Lord, they faced east and were worshiping the sun in the east.

¹⁷ He said to me, “Do you see, ·human [^Tson of man; 2:1]? Is it ·unimportant [a trivial thing] that the ·people [^Lhouse] of Judah are doing the ·hateful [detestable; abominable] things they have done here? They have filled the land with violence and ·made me continually angry [provoked me to still greater anger]. ·Look [^TBehold], they are ·insulting me every way they can [^Lputting the branch to their nose; ^Cperhaps part of the worship of the sun god]. ¹⁸ So I will act ·in anger [with wrath]. I will have no pity, nor will I ·show mercy [spare them]. Even if they shout in my ears, I won’t listen to them.”

Vision of the Angels

9 Then he shouted with a loud voice in my ears, “You who are ·chosen [appointed] to ·punish [execute judgment on] this city, come near with your ·weapon [weapon of destruction] in your hand.” ² Then six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his ·powerful weapon [war club] in his hand. Among them was a man dressed in linen with a writing case at his side. The men went in and stood by the bronze altar [Ex. 27:1–8].

³ Then the glory of the God of Israel [^Chis manifest presence] went up from above the ·creatures with wings [^Lcherubim], where it had been, to the place in the ·Temple where the door opened [^Lthreshold of the house]. He called to the man dressed in linen who had the writing case at his side. ⁴ The Lord said to the man, “Go through Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of the people who groan and cry about all the ·hateful [detestable; abominable] things being done among them [Rev. 3:12; 7:3; 9:4; 14:1; 22:4].”

⁵ As I listened, he said to the other men, “Go through the city behind the man dressed in linen and ·kill [strike]. Don’t [^Llet your eye] pity anyone, and don’t ·show mercy [spare them]. ⁶ Kill and destroy old men, young men and ·women [virgins], little children, and older women, but don’t touch any who have the mark on them. Start at my ·Temple [sanctuary].” So they started with the ·elders [or old men] who were in front of the ·Temple [^Lhouse].

⁷ Then he said to the men, “·Make the Temple unclean [Defile the temple; ^Critually], and fill the courtyards with ·those who have been killed [the slain]. Go out!” So the men went out and killed the people in the city. ⁸ While they were ·killing the people [striking them down], I was left alone. I bowed facedown on the ground and I cried out, “Oh, Lord God! Will you destroy ·everyone left alive in [the whole remnant of] Israel when you ·turn loose your anger [pour out your wrath] on Jerusalem?”

⁹ Then he said to me, “The sin of the ·people [^Lhouse] of Israel and Judah is very great. The land is filled with people who murder, and the city is full of ·people who are not fair [injustice; corruption]. The people say, ‘The Lord has ·left [abandoned; forsaken] the land, and the Lord does not see.’ ¹⁰ But ·I [^Lmy eye] will have no pity, nor will I ·show mercy [spare]. I will bring their ·evil [deeds; ^Lway] back on their heads.”

¹¹ Then the man dressed in linen with the writing case at his side reported, “I have done just as you commanded me.”

The Coals of Fire

10 Then I looked and ·saw [^Tbehold] in the ·dome [vault; expanse; or platform; 1:22] above the heads of the ·living creatures [^Lcherubim] something like a ·sapphire [or lapis lazuli] gem which looked like a throne. ² The Lord said to the man dressed in linen, “Go in between the wheels under the living creatures, fill your hands with ·coals of fire [burning coals] from between the ·living creatures [^Lcherubim], and scatter the coals over the city.”

As I watched, the man with linen clothes went in. ³ Now the ·living creatures [^Lcherubim] were standing on the south side of the ·Temple [^Lhouse] when the man went in. And a cloud filled the inner courtyard. ⁴ Then the glory of the Lord [^Chis manifest presence] went up from the ·living creatures [^Lcherubim] and stood over the ·door [threshold] of the ·Temple [^Lhouse]. The ·Temple [^Lhouse] was filled with the cloud [Ex. 40:34–38], and the courtyard was full of the brightness from the glory of the Lord. ⁵ The sound of the wings of the ·living creatures [^Lcherubim] was heard all the way to the outer courtyard. It was like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.

⁶ When the Lord commanded the man dressed in linen, “Take fire from between the wheels, from between the ·living creatures [^Lcherubim],” the man went in and stood by a wheel. ⁷ ·One living creature [^LThe cherub] put out his hand to the fire that was among them, took some of the fire, and put it in the hands of the man dressed in linen. Then the man took the fire and went out.

The Wheels and the Creatures

⁸ Something that looked like a human hand could be seen under the wings of the ·living creatures [^Lcherubim]. ⁹ I ·saw [^Llooked and saw/^Tbehold] the four wheels by the ·living creatures [^Lcherubim], one wheel by each ·living creature [^Lcherub]. The wheels looked like shining ·chrysolite [or topaz; or beryl]. ¹⁰ All four wheels looked alike: Each looked like a wheel ·crossways inside [^Lin the middle of] another wheel. ¹¹ When the wheels moved, they went in any of the directions that the four ·living creatures [^Lcherubim] faced. The wheels did not turn about, and the ·living creatures [^Lcherubim] did not turn their bodies as they went. ¹² All their bodies, their backs, their hands, their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all over. Each of the four living creatures had a wheel. ¹³ I heard the wheels being called “·whirling wheels [or the wheelwork].” ¹⁴ Each ·living creature [^Lone] had four faces. The first face was the face of a ·creature with wings [^Lcherub]. The second face was a ·human [man’s] face, the third was the face of a lion, and the fourth was the face of an eagle.

¹⁵ Then the ·living creatures [cherubim] ·flew [mounted; rose] up. They were the same living creatures I had seen by the Kebar ·River [Canal; 1:1]. ¹⁶ When the ·living creatures [^Lcherubim] moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the ·living creatures [^Lcherubim] lifted their wings to fly up from the ground, the wheels did not leave their place beside them. ¹⁷ When the ·living creatures [^Lcherubim] stopped, the wheels stopped. When the creatures went up, the wheels went up also, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

¹⁸ Then the glory of the Lord [^Chis manifest presence] left the ·door [threshold] of the ·Temple [^Lhouse] and stood over the ·living creatures [^Lcherubim]. ¹⁹ ·As I watched [Before my eyes], the ·living creatures [^Lcherubim] spread their wings and flew up from the ·ground [earth], with the wheels beside them. They stood where the east gate of the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord opened, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.

²⁰ These were the living creatures I had seen under the God of Israel by the Kebar ·River [Canal; 1:1]. I knew they were called cherubim. ²¹ Each one had four faces and four wings, and under their wings were things that looked like human hands. ²² Their faces looked the same as the ones I had seen by the Kebar ·River [Canal; 1:1]. They each went straight ahead.

Prophecies Against Evil Leaders

11 ·The Spirit [or A spirit/or wind] lifted me up and brought me to the ·front [^Leastern] gate of the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord, which faces east. ·I saw [^TAnd behold] twenty-five men at the entrance of the gate, among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were ·leaders [princes; officials] of the people. ² Then the Lord said to me, “·Human [^TSon of man; 2:1], these are the men who plan evil and give wicked advice in this city [^CJerusalem]. ³ They say, ‘·It is almost time [or Isn’t it a good time…?; or The time is not near] for us to build houses [^Cmeaning either (1) let’s keep building, since no judgment is coming, or (2) we don’t need to build our own houses, since we can seize the houses of others (Mic. 2:1–2)]. This city is ·like a cooking pot [the cauldron], and we are ·like the best meat [^Lthe meat; ^Cthe city will protect them; see 24:3–11 for the same image used differently].’ ⁴ So prophesy against them, prophesy, ·human [^Tson of man; 2:1].”

⁵ Then the ·Spirit [or spirit] of the Lord ·entered [fell upon] me and told me to say: “This is what the Lord says: You have said these things, ·people [^Lhouse] of Israel, and I know ·what you are thinking [^Lthe steps of your spirits]. ⁶ You have killed many people in this city, filling its streets with ·their bodies [the slain].

⁷ “So this is what the Lord God says: Those people you have killed and left in the middle of the city are ·like the best meat [^Lthe meat], and this city is ·like the cooking pot [^Lthe cauldron]. But I will ·force [drive; take] you out of the city. ⁸ You have feared the sword, ·but [so] I will bring a sword against you, says the Lord God. ⁹ I will ·force [drive; take] you out of the city and hand you over to ·strangers [foreigners] and ·punish [execute judgments upon] you. ¹⁰ You will die by the sword. I will ·punish [judge] you at the border of Israel so you will know that I am the Lord. ¹¹ This city will not be ·your cooking pot [the cauldron], and you will not be ·the best meat [^Lmeat] in the middle of it. I will ·punish [judge] you at the border of Israel. ¹² Then you will know that I am the Lord. You did not live by my ·rules [statutes] or obey my ·laws [rules; judgments]. Instead, you ·did the same things as [obeyed the laws/rules/judgments of] the nations around you.”

¹³ While I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I ·bowed [fell] facedown on the ground and ·shouted [cried out] with a loud voice, “·Oh no [Ah], Lord God! Will you completely destroy the ·Israelites who are left alive [remnant of Israel]?”

Promise to Those Remaining

¹⁴ The ·Lord spoke his word [^Lword of the Lord came] to me, saying, ¹⁵ “·Human [^TSon of man; 2:1], the people still in Jerusalem have spoken about your ·own relatives^[a] [^Lbrothers, your kinsmen redeemers; Lev. 25:25–55] and all the ·people [^Lhouse] of Israel, saying, ‘They are far from the Lord. This land has been given to us as our ·property [possession].’

¹⁶ “So say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I sent the people far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries. But ·for a little while [or in a small measure] I have become a ·Temple [sanctuary] to them in the countries where they have gone.’

¹⁷ “So say: ‘This is what the Lord God says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you together from the countries where you have been scattered. Then I will give you back the land of Israel.’

¹⁸ “When they come to this land, they will remove all the ·evil idols [detestable things] and all the ·hateful images [abominations]. ¹⁹ I will give them ·a desire to respect me completely [a unified heart; ^Lone heart], and ·I will put inside them a new way of thinking [^La new spirit]. I will take away their ·stubborn heart [^Lheart of stone], and I will give them an ·obedient heart [or tender heart; ^Lheart of flesh]. ²⁰ Then they will ·live by my rules [walk in my statutes/decrees] and obey my ·laws [rules; judgments] and keep them. They will be my people, and I will be their God. ²¹ But those who ·want to serve [are devoted to; pursue] their ·evil statues [detestable things] and ·hateful idols [abominations], I will ·pay back for their evil ways [^Lbring their way/path down upon their head], says the Lord God.”

Ezekiel’s Vision Ends

²² Then the ·living creatures [^Lcherubim] lifted their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel [^Chis manifest presence] was above them. ²³ The glory of the Lord went up from inside Jerusalem and stopped on the mountain on the east side of the city. ²⁴ ·The Spirit [or A wind/or spirit] lifted me up and brought me to the ·captives [exiles] who had been taken from Judah to ·Babylonia [^LChaldea]. This happened in a vision given by the ·Spirit [spirit] of God, and then the vision I had seen ·ended [^Lwent up from me]. ²⁵ And I told the ·captives [exiles] from Judah all the things the Lord had shown me.