Ezekiel 1-4

New King James Version

Ezekiel’s Vision of God

1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by ^(A)the River Chebar, that ^(B)the heavens were opened and I saw ^(C)visions^[a] of God. ² On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, ³ the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the ^[b]Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and ^(D)the hand of the Lord was upon him there.

⁴ Then I looked, and behold, ^(E)a whirlwind was coming ^(F)out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. ^5 (G)Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And ^(H)this was their appearance: they had ^(I)the likeness of a man. ⁶ Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings. ⁷ Their ^[c]legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves’ feet. They sparkled ^(J)like the color of burnished bronze. ^8 (K)The hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings. ⁹ Their wings touched one another. The creatures did not turn when they went, but each one went straight ^(L)forward.

¹⁰ As for ^(M)the likeness of their faces, each ^(N)had the face of a man; each of the four had ^(O)the face of a lion on the right side, ^(P)each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, ^(Q)and each of the four had the face of an eagle. ¹¹ Thus were their faces. Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and ^(R)two covered their bodies. ¹² And ^(S)each one went straight forward; they went wherever the spirit wanted to go, and they did not turn when they went.

¹³ As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, ^(T)like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning. ¹⁴ And the living creatures ran back and forth, ^(U)in appearance like a flash of lightning.

¹⁵ Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, ^(V)a wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces. ^16 (W)The appearance of the wheels and their workings was ^(X)like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. ¹⁷ When they moved, they went toward any one of four directions; they did not turn aside when they went. ¹⁸ As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were ^(Y)full of eyes, all around the four of them. ^19 (Z)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 Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, because there the spirit went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, ^(AA)for the spirit of the ^[d]living creatures was in the wheels. ²¹ When those went, these went; when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the spirit of the ^[e]living creatures was in the wheels.

^22 (AB)The likeness of the ^[f]firmament above the heads of the ^[g]living creatures was like the color of an awesome ^(AC)crystal, stretched out ^(AD)over their heads. ²³ And under the firmament their wings spread out straight, one toward another. Each one had two which covered one side, and each one had two which covered the other side of the body. ^24 (AE)When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, ^(AF)like the noise of many waters, like ^(AG)the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings. ²⁵ A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings.

^26 (AH)And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, ^(AI)in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above ^(AJ)it. ²⁷ Also from the appearance of His waist and upward ^(AK)I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. ^28 (AL)Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. ^(AM)This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

Ezekiel Sent to Rebellious Israel

So when I saw it, ^(AN)I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.

Ezekiel Called to Be a Prophet

2 And He said to me, “Son of man, ^(AO)stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” ² Then ^(AP)the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me. ³ And He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has ^(AQ)rebelled against Me; ^(AR)they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. ^4 (AS)For they are ^[h]impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ ^5 (AT)As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a ^(AU)rebellious house—yet they ^(AV)will know that a prophet has been among them.

⁶ “And you, son of man, ^(AW)do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though ^(AX)briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; ^(AY)do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, ^(AZ)though they are a rebellious house. ^7 (BA)You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious. ⁸ But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and ^(BB)eat what I give you.”

⁹ Now when I looked, there was ^(BC)a hand stretched out to me; and behold, ^(BD)a scroll of a book was in it. ¹⁰ Then He spread it before me; and there was writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning and woe.

The Responsibility of the Prophet

3 Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; ^(BE)eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” ² So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll.

³ And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ^(BF)ate, and it was in my mouth ^(BG)like honey in sweetness.

⁴ Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. ⁵ For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel, ⁶ not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, ^(BH)had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. ⁷ But the house of Israel will not listen to you, ^(BI)because they will not listen to Me; ^(BJ)for all the house of Israel are ^[i]impudent and hard-hearted. ⁸ Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. ^9 (BK)Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; ^(BL)do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.”

¹⁰ Moreover He said to me: “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears. ¹¹ And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, ^(BM)‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear, or whether they refuse.”

¹² Then ^(BN)the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: “Blessed is the ^(BO)glory of the Lord from His place!” ¹³ I also heard the ^(BP)noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, and a great thunderous noise. ¹⁴ So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the ^[j]heat of my spirit; but ^(BQ)the hand of the Lord was strong upon me. ¹⁵ Then I came to the captives at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the River Chebar; and ^(BR)I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

Ezekiel Is a Watchman

¹⁶ Now it ^(BS)came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^17 (BT)“Son of man, I have made you ^(BU)a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them ^(BV)warning from Me: ¹⁸ When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man ^(BW)shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. ¹⁹ Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; ^(BX)but you have delivered your soul.

²⁰ “Again, when a ^(BY)righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. ²¹ Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.”

^22 (BZ)Then the hand of the Lord was upon me there, and He said to me, “Arise, go out ^(CA)into the plain, and there I shall talk with you.”

²³ So I arose and went out into the plain, and behold, ^(CB)the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory which I ^(CC)saw by the River Chebar; ^(CD)and I fell on my face. ²⁴ Then ^(CE)the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and spoke with me and said to me: “Go, shut yourself inside your house. ²⁵ And you, O son of man, surely ^(CF)they will put ropes on you and bind you with them, so that you cannot go out among them. ^26 (CG)I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and ^(CH)not be ^[k]one to rebuke them, ^(CI)for they are a rebellious house. ^27 (CJ)But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ^(CK)‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.

The Siege of Jerusalem Portrayed

4 “You also, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem. ^2 (CL)Lay siege against it, build a ^(CM)siege wall against it, and heap up a mound against it; set camps against it also, and place battering rams against it all around. ³ Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face against it, and it shall be ^(CN)besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. ^(CO)This will be a sign to the house of Israel.

⁴ “Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. ⁵ For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; ^(CP)so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. ⁶ And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year.

⁷ “Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem; your arm shall be uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it. ^8 (CQ)And surely I will ^[l]restrain you so that you cannot turn from one side to another till you have ended the days of your siege.

⁹ “Also take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them into one vessel, and make bread of them for yourself. During the number of days that you lie on your side, three hundred and ninety days, you shall eat it. ¹⁰ And your food which you eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from time to time you shall eat it. ¹¹ You shall also drink water by measure, one-sixth of a hin; from time to time you shall drink. ¹² And you shall eat it as barley cakes; and bake it using fuel of human waste in their sight.”

¹³ Then the Lord said, “So ^(CR)shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, where I will drive them.”

¹⁴ So I said, ^(CS)“Ah, Lord God! Indeed I have never defiled myself from my youth till now; I have never eaten ^(CT)what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has ^(CU)abominable^[m] flesh ever come into my mouth.”

¹⁵ Then He said to me, “See, I am giving you cow dung instead of human waste, and you shall prepare your bread over it.”

¹⁶ Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, surely I will cut off the ^(CV)supply of bread in Jerusalem; they shall ^(CW)eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and shall ^(CX)drink water by measure and with dread, ¹⁷ that they may lack bread and water, and be dismayed with one another, and ^(CY)waste away because of their iniquity.