Old/New Testament
Ezekiel’s Vision of Jerusalem
8 It was the sixth year [C since king Jehoiachin’s exile (1:2)], on the fifth day of the sixth month [C September 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 [L the 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 [L image of jealousy; 2 Kin. 21:7; 2 Chr. 33:7, 15]. 4 I saw the glory of the God of Israel [C his manifest presence] there, as I had seen ·on the plain [in the valley].
5 Then he said to me, “·Human [T Son 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 [T Son of man; 2:1], do you see what they are doing? Do you see how many ·hateful [detestable; abominable] things the ·people [L house] 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 [T Son 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 [L look; T behold] every kind of crawling thing [Lev. 11:20] and hateful beast [C unclean animal, ritually] and all the idols of the ·people [L house] of Israel, ·carved [engraved] on the wall all around [C such 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 [L the 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 [T Son of man; 2:1], have you seen what the elders of [L the 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 [L house] of the Lord, where I saw women sitting and crying for Tammuz [C a Babylonian god of fertility and rain, whose annual death marked the change of seasons]. 15 He said to me, “Do you see, ·human [T son 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 [L house of the Lord]. There I saw about twenty-five men at the entrance to the ·Temple [L house] 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 [T son of man; 2:1]? Is it ·unimportant [a trivial thing] that the ·people [L house] 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 [T Behold], they are ·insulting me every way they can [L putting the branch to their nose; C perhaps 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 [C his manifest presence] went up from above the ·creatures with wings [L cherubim], where it had been, to the place in the ·Temple where the door opened [L threshold 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 [L let 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 [L house].
7 Then he said to the men, “·Make the Temple unclean [Defile the temple; C ritually], 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 [L house] 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 [L my eye] will have no pity, nor will I ·show mercy [spare]. I will bring their ·evil [deeds; L way] 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 [T behold] in the ·dome [vault; expanse; or platform; 1:22] above the heads of the ·living creatures [L cherubim] 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 [L cherubim], and scatter the coals over the city.”
As I watched, the man with linen clothes went in. 3 Now the ·living creatures [L cherubim] were standing on the south side of the ·Temple [L house] when the man went in. And a cloud filled the inner courtyard. 4 Then the glory of the Lord [C his manifest presence] went up from the ·living creatures [L cherubim] and stood over the ·door [threshold] of the ·Temple [L house]. The ·Temple [L house] 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 [L cherubim] 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 [L cherubim],” the man went in and stood by a wheel. 7 ·One living creature [L The 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 [L cherubim]. 9 I ·saw [L looked and saw/T behold] the four wheels by the ·living creatures [L cherubim], one wheel by each ·living creature [L cherub]. The wheels looked like shining ·chrysolite [or topaz; or beryl]. 10 All four wheels looked alike: Each looked like a wheel ·crossways inside [L in the middle of] another wheel. 11 When the wheels moved, they went in any of the directions that the four ·living creatures [L cherubim] faced. The wheels did not turn about, and the ·living creatures [L cherubim] 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 [L one] had four faces. The first face was the face of a ·creature with wings [L cherub]. 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 [L cherubim] moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the ·living creatures [L cherubim] lifted their wings to fly up from the ground, the wheels did not leave their place beside them. 17 When the ·living creatures [L cherubim] 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 [C his manifest presence] left the ·door [threshold] of the ·Temple [L house] and stood over the ·living creatures [L cherubim]. 19 ·As I watched [Before my eyes], the ·living creatures [L cherubim] spread their wings and flew up from the ·ground [earth], with the wheels beside them. They stood where the east gate of the ·Temple [L house] 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.
13 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. 2 ·Remember [Do not forget/neglect] to ·welcome [show hospitality to] strangers, because some who have done this have welcomed angels without knowing it [Gen. 18:1–16; 19:1–22]. 3 Remember those who are in prison as if you were in prison with them. Remember those who are ·suffering [mistreated] ·as if you were suffering with them [or since you are vulnerable to the same treatment; L being in a/the body yourselves].
4 Marriage should be honored by everyone, and ·husband and wife should keep their marriage [L the marriage bed should be kept] ·pure [undefiled]. God will ·judge as guilty [L judge] ·those who take part in sexual sins [L the sexually immoral and adulterers]. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be ·satisfied [content] with what you have. [L For] God has said,
“I will never leave you;
I will never ·abandon [T forsake] you [Deut. 31:6].”
6 So we can be ·sure [confident; bold] when we say,
“I will not be afraid, because the Lord is my helper.
·People can’t do anything [L What can people do…?] to me [Ps. 118:6].”
7 Remember your leaders who ·taught [proclaimed; spoke] God’s ·message [word] to you. ·Remember [Consider; Reflect on] ·how they lived and died [or the outcome/result of their way of life], and ·copy [imitate] their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
9 Do not let all kinds of strange teachings ·lead you into the wrong way [take you off course; lead you astray]. ·Your hearts should be strengthened by [or Inner strength comes from] God’s grace, not by obeying rules about foods [C referring to Jewish dietary laws; Lev. 11; Mark 7:19; Acts 10; Col. 2:16], which ·do not help [or have never benefited] those who ·obey [observe; live by] them.
10 We have a ·sacrifice [L altar], but the priests who serve in the ·Holy Tent [T Tabernacle] ·cannot [L have no authority/right to] eat from it. 11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the ·Most Holy Place [sanctuary; L holy things; T Holy of Holies] where he offers this blood for sins. But the bodies of the animals are burned outside the camp [Lev. 6:11]. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the ·city [L gate] to ·make his people holy [sanctify the people] ·with [through] his own blood. 13 So let us go to Jesus outside the camp, ·holding on as he did when we are abused [L bearing the abuse/humiliation he bore].
14 [L For] Here on earth we do not have a city that ·lasts forever [endures], but we are ·looking for [seeking] the city that ·we will have in the future [is to come]. 15 So through Jesus let us ·always [continuously] offer to God our sacrifice of praise, ·coming from [L which is the fruit of] lips that ·speak [profess; acknowledge] his name. 16 Do not ·forget [neglect] to do good to others, and share with them, because such sacrifices please God.
17 ·Obey [or Have confidence in] your leaders and ·act under [or submit to] their authority. [L For; Because] They are watching over you, because they ·are responsible [will give an account (to God)] for ·your souls [or you]. ·Obey them [Do this; Act this way] so that they will do this work with joy, not ·sadness [or complaint; groaning], for that would be of no ·benefit [advantage; help] to you.
18 Pray for us. We are ·sure [convinced] that we have a clear conscience, ·because [or and] we always want to ·do the right thing [act honorably]. 19 I especially ·beg [urge; exhort] you to pray so that ·God will send me back [L I may be restored] to you soon.
22 My brothers and sisters, I ·beg [urge; exhort] you to ·listen patiently to [bear with] this message I have written to ·encourage [exhort] you, because ·it is not very long [L I have written to you briefly]. 23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy [Acts 16:1–5; 1 Cor. 16:10–11; Phil. 2:19–24; 1 and 2 Timothy] has been ·let out of prison [L released]. If he arrives soon, ·we will both come [he will come with me] to see you.
24 Greet all your leaders and all ·of God’s people [T the saints]. Those from Italy send greetings to you.
25 Grace be with you all.
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