Ezekiel 1-12

English Standard Version

Ezekiel in Babylon

1 ^(A)In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by ^(B)the Chebar canal, ^(C)the heavens were opened, and I saw ^(D)visions of God.^[a] ²On the fifth day of the month (it was ^(E)the fifth year of ^(F)the exile of King Jehoiachin), ³the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel ^(G)the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by ^(H)the Chebar canal, and ^(I)the hand of the Lord was upon him there.

The Glory of the Lord

⁴As I looked, behold, ^(J)a stormy wind came ^(K)out of the north, and a great cloud, with ^(L)brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, ^(M)as it were gleaming metal.^[b] ⁵And from the midst of it came the likeness of ^(N)four living creatures. ^(O)And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, ⁶^(P)but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. ⁷Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf's foot. And they sparkled ^(Q)like burnished bronze. ⁸Under their wings ^(R)on their four sides ^(S)they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: ⁹their wings touched one another. ^(T)Each one of them went straight forward, ^(U)without turning as they went. ¹⁰As for the likeness of their faces, ^(V)each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. ¹¹Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while ^(W)two covered their bodies. ¹²^(X)And each went straight forward. ^(Y)Wherever the spirit^[c] would go, they went, without turning as they went. ¹³As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was ^(Z)like burning coals of fire, ^(AA)like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. ^(AB)And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. ¹⁴And the living creatures ^(AC)darted to and fro, ^(AD)like the appearance of a flash of lightning.

¹⁵^(AE)Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them.^[d] ¹⁶^(AF)As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like ^(AG)the gleaming of beryl. ^(AH)And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. ¹⁷^(AI)When they went, they went ^(AJ)in any of their four directions^[e] ^(AK)without turning as they went. ¹⁸And their rims were tall and awesome, ^(AL)and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. ¹⁹^(AM)And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; ^(AN)and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. ²⁰^(AO)Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, ^(AP)for the spirit of the living creatures^[f] was in the wheels. ²¹^(AQ)When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; ^(AR)and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, ^(AS)for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

²²Over the heads of the living creatures there was ^(AT)the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring ^(AU)crystal, spread out above their heads. ²³And under the expanse their wings were ^(AV)stretched out straight, one toward another. ^(AW)And each creature had two wings covering its body. ²⁴And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings ^(AX)like the sound of many waters, like ^(AY)the sound of the ^(AZ)Almighty, a sound of tumult ^(BA)like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. ²⁵And there came a voice from above ^(BB)the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings.

²⁶And above the expanse over their heads there was ^(BC)the likeness of a throne, ^(BD)in appearance ^(BE)like sapphire;^[g] and seated above the likeness of a throne was ^(BF)a likeness with a human appearance. ²⁷And ^(BG)upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were ^(BH)gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and ^(BI)there was brightness around him.^[h] ²⁸Like the appearance of ^(BJ)the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.

Such was the appearance of the likeness of ^(BK)the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, ^(BL)I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Ezekiel's Call

2 And he said to me, ^(BM)“Son of man,^[i] ^(BN)stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” ²And as he spoke to me, ^(BO)the Spirit entered into me and ^(BP)set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. ³And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to ^(BQ)nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. ^(BR)They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. ⁴The descendants also are ^(BS)impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ ⁵And ^(BT)whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are ^(BU)a rebellious house) ^(BV)they will know that a prophet has been among them. ⁶And you, son of man, ^(BW)be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, ^(BX)though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on ^(BY)scorpions.^[j] Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. ⁷And you shall speak my words to them, ^(BZ)whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.

⁸“But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. ^(CA)Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and ^(CB)eat what I give you.” ⁹And when I looked, behold, ^(CC)a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, ^(CD)a scroll of a book was in it. ¹⁰And he spread it before me. And it had writing ^(CE)on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.

3 And he said to me, ^(CF)“Son of man, eat whatever you find here. ^(CG)Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” ²So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. ³And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” ^(CH)Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth ^(CI)as sweet as honey.

⁴And he said to me, ^(CJ)“Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. ⁵For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— ⁶not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. ^(CK)Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. ⁷^(CL)But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel ^(CM)have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. ⁸^(CN)Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. ⁹Like ^(CO)emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. ^(CP)Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” ¹⁰Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, ^(CQ)all my words that I shall speak to you receive ^(CR)in your heart, and hear with your ears. ¹¹And go to the exiles, ^(CS)to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ^(CT)‘Thus says the Lord God,’ ^(CU)whether they hear or refuse to hear.”

¹²^(CV)Then the Spirit^[k] lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice^[l] of ^(CW)a great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from its place!” ¹³It was the sound of the wings of ^(CX)the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of ^(CY)a great earthquake. ¹⁴^(CZ)The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the ^(DA)hand of the Lord being strong upon me. ¹⁵^(DB)And I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were dwelling ^(DC)by the Chebar canal, and I sat where they were dwelling.^[m] And ^(DD)I sat there ^(DE)overwhelmed among them ^(DF)seven days.

A Watchman for Israel

¹⁶^(DG)And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁷^(DH)“Son of man, ^(DI)I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall ^(DJ)give them warning from me. ¹⁸^(DK)If I say to the wicked, ^(DL)‘You shall surely die,’ ^(DM)and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person ^(DN)shall die for^[n] his iniquity, ^(DO)but his blood I will require at your hand. ¹⁹^(DP)But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, ^(DQ)but you ^(DR)will have delivered your soul. ²⁰^(DS)Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, ^(DT)and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. ^(DU)Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, ^(DV)and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, ^(DW)but his blood I will require at your hand. ²¹But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”

²²^(DX)And the hand of the Lord was upon me there. And he said to me, “Arise, go out into ^(DY)the valley,^[o] and ^(DZ)there I will speak with you.” ²³So I arose and went out into the valley, and behold, ^(EA)the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory that I had seen ^(EB)by the Chebar canal, ^(EC)and I fell on my face. ²⁴^(ED)But the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house. ²⁵And you, O son of man, behold, ^(EE)cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people. ²⁶And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that ^(EF)you shall be mute and unable to reprove them, ^(EG)for they are a rebellious house. ²⁷^(EH)But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ^(EI)‘Thus says the Lord God.’ ^(EJ)He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.

The Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

4 “And you, ^(EK)son of man, ^(EL)take a brick and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, even Jerusalem. ²^(EM)And put siegeworks against it, ^(EN)and build a siege wall against it, ^(EO)and cast up a mound against it. Set camps also against it, ^(EP)and plant battering rams against it all around. ³And you, take an iron griddle, and place it as an iron wall between you and the city; ^(EQ)and set your face toward it, ^(ER)and let it be in a state of siege, and press the siege against it. This is ^(ES)a sign for the house of Israel.

⁴“Then lie on your left side, and place the punishment^[p] of the house of Israel upon it. For the number of the days that you lie on it, ^(ET)you shall bear their punishment. ⁵For I assign to you a number of days, ^(EU)390 days, ^(EV)equal to the number of the years of their punishment. ^(EW)So long shall you bear ^(EX)the punishment of the house of Israel. ⁶And when you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side, and ^(EY)bear ^(EZ)the punishment of the house of Judah. ^(FA)Forty days I assign you, a day for each year. ⁷^(FB)And you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, ^(FC)with your arm bared, and you shall prophesy against the city. ⁸And behold, ^(FD)I will place cords upon you, so that you cannot turn from one side to the other, till you have completed ^(FE)the days of your siege.

⁹“And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and emmer,^[q] and put them into a single vessel and make your ^(FF)bread from them. ^(FG)During the number of days that you lie on your side, ^(FH)390 days, you shall eat it. ¹⁰And your food that you eat shall be ^(FI)by weight, ^(FJ)twenty shekels^[r] a day; from day to day^[s] you shall eat it. ¹¹And water you shall drink ^(FK)by measure, the sixth part of a hin;^[t] from day to day you shall drink. ¹²And you shall eat it as a barley cake, baking it ^(FL)in their sight on human dung.” ¹³And the Lord said, “Thus shall the people of Israel eat ^(FM)their bread unclean, among the nations where I will drive them.” ¹⁴Then I said, ^(FN)“Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never defiled myself.^[u] ^(FO)From my youth up till now I have never eaten ^(FP)what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has ^(FQ)tainted meat come into my mouth.” ¹⁵Then he said to me, “See, I assign to you cow's dung instead of human dung, on which you may prepare your bread.” ¹⁶Moreover, he said to me, ^(FR)“Son of man, behold, ^(FS)I will break the supply^[v] of bread in Jerusalem. They shall eat bread ^(FT)by weight and with anxiety, and they shall drink water ^(FU)by measure and in dismay. ¹⁷I will do this that they may lack bread and water, and ^(FV)look at one another in dismay, and ^(FW)rot away because of their punishment.

Jerusalem Will Be Destroyed

5 “And you, ^(FX)O son of man, take a ^(FY)sharp sword. Use it as ^(FZ)a barber's razor and ^(GA)pass it over your head and your beard. Then take balances for weighing and divide the hair. ²^(GB)A third part you shall burn in the fire ^(GC)in the midst of the city, ^(GD)when the days of the siege are completed. And a third part you shall take and strike with the sword all around the city. ^(GE)And a third part you shall scatter to the wind, and ^(GF)I will unsheathe the sword after them. ³^(GG)And you shall take from these a small number and bind them in the skirts of your robe. ⁴^(GH)And of these again you shall take some and cast them into the midst of the fire and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will come out into all the house of Israel.

⁵“Thus says the Lord God: ^(GI)This is Jerusalem. I have set her ^(GJ)in the center of the nations, with countries all around her. ⁶And she has rebelled against my rules by doing wickedness ^(GK)more than the nations, and against my statutes more than ^(GL)the countries all around her; for they have rejected my rules and have not walked in my statutes. ⁷Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you are ^(GM)more turbulent than the nations that are all around you, ^(GN)and have not walked in my statutes or obeyed my rules, ^(GO)and have not^[w] even acted according to the rules of the nations that are all around you, ⁸therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, even I, ^(GP)am against you. ^(GQ)And I will execute judgments^[x] in your midst ^(GR)in the sight of the nations. ⁹And because of all your abominations I will do with you ^(GS)what I have never yet done, and the like of which I will never do again. ¹⁰Therefore ^(GT)fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers. ^(GU)And I will execute judgments on you, ^(GV)and any of you who survive I will scatter to all the winds. ¹¹Therefore, ^(GW)as I live, declares the Lord God, surely, ^(GX)because you have defiled my sanctuary ^(GY)with all your detestable things and with all your ^(GZ)abominations, ^(HA)therefore I will withdraw.^[y] ^(HB)My eye will not spare, and I will have no pity. ¹²^(HC)A third part of you shall die of pestilence and be consumed with famine in your midst; ^(HD)a third part shall fall by the sword all around you; ^(HE)and a third part I will scatter to all the winds and will unsheathe the sword after them.

¹³^(HF)“Thus shall my anger spend itself, and I will vent my fury upon them and satisfy myself. And they shall know that ^(HG)I am the Lord—that I have spoken in my jealousy—^(HH)when I spend my fury upon them. ¹⁴Moreover, I will make you ^(HI)a desolation and ^(HJ)an object of reproach among ^(HK)the nations all around you and in the sight of all who pass by. ¹⁵You shall be^[z] a reproach and a taunt, a warning ^(HL)and a horror, to ^(HM)the nations all around you, ^(HN)when I execute judgments on you in anger and fury, and ^(HO)with furious rebukes—I am the Lord; I have spoken— ¹⁶when I send against you^[aa] ^(HP)the deadly arrows of famine, arrows for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, and when I bring more and more famine upon ^(HQ)you and break your supply^[ab] of bread. ¹⁷I will send famine and ^(HR)wild beasts against you, ^(HS)and they will rob you of your children. Pestilence and ^(HT)blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword upon you. I am the Lord; I have spoken.”

Judgment Against Idolatry

6 The word of the Lord came to me: ²^(HU)“Son of man, ^(HV)set your face toward ^(HW)the mountains of Israel, and ^(HX)prophesy against them, ³and say, ^(HY)You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to ^(HZ)the mountains and ^(IA)the hills, to ^(IB)the ravines and the valleys: Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, ^(IC)and I will destroy your high places. ⁴^(ID)Your altars shall become desolate, and your ^(IE)incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain before your idols. ⁵^(IF)And I will lay the dead bodies of the people of Israel before their idols, ^(IG)and I will scatter your bones around your altars. ⁶Wherever you dwell, ^(IH)the cities shall be waste and ^(II)the high places ruined, so that your altars will be waste and ruined,^[ac] your idols broken and destroyed, your ^(IJ)incense altars cut down, and your works wiped out. ⁷And the slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

⁸^(IK)“Yet I will leave some of you alive. When you have among the nations ^(IL)some who escape the sword, and when you are scattered through the countries, ⁹then those of you who escape ^(IM)will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how ^(IN)I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes ^(IO)that go whoring after their idols. ^(IP)And they will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their abominations. ¹⁰And they shall know that I am the Lord. ^(IQ)I have not said in vain that I would do this evil to them.”

¹¹Thus says the Lord God: ^(IR)“Clap your hands ^(IS)and stamp your foot and say, Alas, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, ^(IT)for they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. ¹²^(IU)He who is far off shall die of pestilence, and he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who is left and is preserved shall die of famine. ^(IV)Thus I will spend my fury upon them. ¹³And you shall know that I am the Lord, ^(IW)when their slain lie among their idols around their altars, ^(IX)on every high hill, ^(IY)on all the mountaintops, ^(IZ)under every green tree, and under ^(JA)every leafy oak, wherever ^(JB)they offered pleasing aroma to all their idols. ¹⁴And ^(JC)I will stretch out my hand against them and ^(JD)make the land desolate and waste, ^(JE)in all their dwelling places, from the wilderness to ^(JF)Riblah.^[ad] Then ^(JG)they will know that I am the Lord.”

The Day of the Wrath of the Lord

7 The word of the Lord came to me: ²“And you, ^(JH)O son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel: ^(JI)An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.^[ae] ³Now ^(JJ)the end is upon you, and ^(JK)I will send my anger upon you; ^(JL)I will judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations. ⁴^(JM)And my eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity, but ^(JN)I will punish you for your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. ^(JO)Then you will know that I am the Lord.

⁵“Thus says the Lord God: Disaster ^(JP)after disaster!^[af] Behold, it comes. ⁶^(JQ)An end has come; the end has come; it has awakened against you. Behold, it comes. ⁷^(JR)Your doom^[ag] has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. ^(JS)The time has come; the day is near, a day of tumult, and not ^(JT)of joyful shouting on the mountains. ⁸Now I will soon ^(JU)pour out my wrath upon you, and ^(JV)spend my anger against you, ^(JW)and judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations. ⁹^(JX)And my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. I will punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. ^(JY)Then you will know that I am the Lord, who strikes.

¹⁰^(JZ)“Behold, the day! Behold, it comes! ^(KA)Your doom has come; ^(KB)the rod has blossomed; pride has budded. ¹¹^(KC)Violence has grown up into ^(KD)a rod of wickedness. ^(KE)None of them shall remain, nor their abundance, nor their wealth; neither shall there be preeminence among them.^[ah] ¹²^(KF)The time has come; the day has arrived. Let not ^(KG)the buyer rejoice, nor ^(KH)the seller mourn, ^(KI)for wrath is upon all their multitude.^[ai] ¹³For ^(KJ)the seller shall not return to what he has sold, while they live. ^(KK)For the vision concerns all their multitude; it shall not turn back; and because of his iniquity, none can maintain his life.^[aj]

¹⁴“They have blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but none goes to battle, ^(KL)for my wrath is upon all their multitude. ¹⁵^(KM)The sword is without; pestilence and famine are within. ^(KN)He who is in the field dies by the sword, ^(KO)and him who is in the city famine and pestilence devour. ¹⁶^(KP)And if any survivors escape, they will be on the mountains, like ^(KQ)doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, each one over his iniquity. ¹⁷^(KR)All hands are feeble, and all knees turn to water. ¹⁸^(KS)They put on sackcloth, and ^(KT)horror covers them. Shame is on all faces, and ^(KU)baldness on all their heads. ¹⁹They cast their silver into the streets, and their gold is like an unclean thing. ^(KV)Their silver and gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. They cannot satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it. ^(KW)For it was ^(KX)the stumbling block of their iniquity. ²⁰^(KY)His beautiful ornament they used for pride, and ^(KZ)they made their abominable images and their detestable things of it. Therefore ^(LA)I make it an unclean thing to them. ²¹And I will give it into the hands of ^(LB)foreigners for prey, ^(LC)and to the wicked of the earth for spoil, and ^(LD)they shall profane it. ²²I will turn my face from them, and ^(LE)they shall profane my treasured^[ak] place. Robbers shall enter ^(LF)and profane it.

²³^(LG)“Forge a chain!^[al] ^(LH)For the land is full of bloody crimes ^(LI)and the city is full of violence. ²⁴I will bring ^(LJ)the worst of the nations to take possession of their houses. ^(LK)I will put an end to the pride of the strong, ^(LL)and their holy places^[am] shall be profaned. ²⁵^(LM)When anguish comes, ^(LN)they will seek peace, but there shall be none. ²⁶^(LO)Disaster comes upon disaster; ^(LP)rumor follows rumor. ^(LQ)They seek a vision from the prophet, while ^(LR)the law^[an] perishes from the priest and ^(LS)counsel from the elders. ²⁷The king mourns, the prince is wrapped in despair, and the hands of the people of the land are paralyzed by terror. According to their way ^(LT)I will do to them, and according to their judgments I will judge them, ^(LU)and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

Abominations in the Temple

8 ^(LV)In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, ^(LW)as I sat in my house, with ^(LX)the elders of Judah sitting before me, ^(LY)the hand of the Lord God fell upon me there. ²Then I looked, and behold, ^(LZ)a form that had the appearance of a man.^[ao] ^(MA)Below what appeared to be his waist was fire, and above his waist was something like the appearance of brightness, like ^(MB)gleaming metal.^[ap] ³He ^(MC)put out the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head, and the Spirit lifted me up ^(MD)between earth and heaven and ^(ME)brought me in ^(MF)visions of God to Jerusalem, ^(MG)to the entrance of the gateway of the inner court that faces north, ^(MH)where was the seat of the ^(MI)image of jealousy, ^(MJ)which provokes to jealousy. ⁴And behold, ^(MK)the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw ^(ML)in the valley.

⁵Then he said to me, ^(MM)“Son of man, lift up your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted up my eyes toward the north, and behold, north of ^(MN)the altar gate, in the entrance, was this ^(MO)image of jealousy. ⁶And he said to me, “Son of man, ^(MP)do you see what they are doing, ^(MQ)the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, ^(MR)to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations.”

⁷And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall. ⁸Then he said to me, “Son of man, ^(MS)dig in the wall.” So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance. ⁹And he said to me, “Go in, and see ^(MT)the vile abominations that they are committing here.” ¹⁰So I went in and saw. And there, ^(MU)engraved on the wall all around, was ^(MV)every form of ^(MW)creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. ¹¹And before them stood ^(MX)seventy men of ^(MY)the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of ^(MZ)Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and ^(NA)the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. ¹²Then he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing ^(NB)in the dark, each ^(NC)in his room of pictures? For they say, ^(ND)‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.’” ¹³He said also to me, ^(NE)“You will see still greater abominations that they commit.”

¹⁴Then he brought me to ^(NF)the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. ¹⁵Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O ^(NG)son of man? ^(NH)You will see still greater abominations than these.”

¹⁶And he brought me into ^(NI)the inner court of the house of the Lord. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, ^(NJ)between the ^(NK)porch and ^(NL)the altar, were about twenty-five men, ^(NM)with their backs to the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, worshiping ^(NN)the sun toward the east. ¹⁷Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O ^(NO)son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit ^(NP)the abominations that they commit here, that ^(NQ)they should fill the land with violence and ^(NR)provoke me still further to anger? Behold, they put the branch to their^[aq] nose. ¹⁸Therefore ^(NS)I will act in wrath. ^(NT)My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. ^(NU)And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”

Idolaters Killed

9 Then he cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying, “Bring near the executioners of the city, ^(NV)each with his destroying weapon in his hand.” ²And behold, six men came from the direction of ^(NW)the upper gate, which faces north, each with his weapon for slaughter in his hand, and with them was ^(NX)a man clothed in linen, with a writing case at his waist. And they went in and stood beside ^(NY)the bronze altar.

³Now ^(NZ)the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to ^(OA)the threshold of the house. And he called to ^(OB)the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his waist. ⁴And the Lord said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and ^(OC)put a mark on the foreheads of the men who ^(OD)sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” ⁵And to ^(OE)the others he said in my hearing, “Pass through the city after him, and strike. ^(OF)Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. ⁶^(OG)Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but ^(OH)touch no one on whom is the mark. And ^(OI)begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the house. ⁷Then he said to them, ^(OJ)“Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out.” So they went out and struck in the city. ⁸And while they were striking, and I was left alone, ^(OK)I fell upon my face, and cried, ^(OL)“Ah, Lord God! ^(OM)Will you destroy all the remnant of Israel ^(ON)in the outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”

⁹Then he said to me, ^(OO)“The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. ^(OP)The land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice. For ^(OQ)they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see.’ ¹⁰As for me, ^(OR)my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; ^(OS)I will bring their deeds upon their heads.”

¹¹And behold, ^(OT)the man clothed in linen, with the writing case at his waist, brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded me.”

The Glory of the Lord Leaves the Temple

10 Then I looked, and behold, ^(OU)on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something ^(OV)like a sapphire,^[ar] in appearance like a throne. ²And he said to ^(OW)the man clothed in linen, “Go in among ^(OX)the whirling wheels underneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with ^(OY)burning coals from between the cherubim, and ^(OZ)scatter them over the city.”

And he went in ^(PA)before my eyes. ³Now the cherubim were standing ^(PB)on the south side of the house, when the man went in, and ^(PC)a cloud filled ^(PD)the inner court. ⁴And ^(PE)the glory of the Lord ^(PF)went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house ^(PG)was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with ^(PH)the brightness of the glory of the Lord. ⁵And ^(PI)the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, ^(PJ)like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.

⁶And when he commanded ^(PK)the man clothed in linen, ^(PL)“Take fire from between ^(PM)the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim,” he went in and stood beside a wheel. ⁷And a cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and took some of it and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out. ⁸The cherubim appeared to have ^(PN)the form of a human hand under their wings.

⁹^(PO)And I looked, and behold, there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub, and ^(PP)the appearance of the wheels was ^(PQ)like sparkling ^(PR)beryl. ¹⁰And as for their appearance, the four had the same likeness, as if a wheel were within a wheel. ¹¹^(PS)When they went, they went in any of their four directions^[as] ^(PT)without turning as they went, ^(PU)but in whatever direction the front wheel^[at] faced, the others followed without turning as they went. ¹²^(PV)And their whole body, their rims, and their spokes, their wings,^[au] and the wheels were full of eyes all around—the wheels that the four of them had. ¹³As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing ^(PW)“the whirling wheels.” ¹⁴^(PX)And every one had four faces: ^(PY)the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was ^(PZ)a human face, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

¹⁵^(QA)And the cherubim mounted up. These were ^(QB)the living creatures that I saw by ^(QC)the Chebar canal. ¹⁶^(QD)And when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them. And ^(QE)when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels did not turn from beside them. ¹⁷^(QF)When they stood still, these stood still, and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them, for the spirit of the living creatures^[av] was in them.

¹⁸^(QG)Then ^(QH)the glory of the Lord went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. ¹⁹^(QI)And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth ^(QJ)before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the ^(QK)east gate of the house of the Lord, and ^(QL)the glory of the God of Israel was over them.

²⁰^(QM)These were the living creatures that I saw ^(QN)underneath the God of Israel by ^(QO)the Chebar canal; and I knew that they were cherubim. ²¹^(QP)Each had four faces, and each four wings, and underneath their wings ^(QQ)the likeness of human hands. ²²^(QR)And as for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the Chebar canal. ^(QS)Each one of them went straight forward.

Judgment on Wicked Counselors

11 ^(QT)The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to ^(QU)the east gate of the house of the Lord, which faces east. And behold, at the entrance of the gateway there were ^(QV)twenty-five men. And I saw among them Jaazaniah ^(QW)the son of Azzur, and ^(QX)Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. ²And he said to me, ^(QY)“Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and who give wicked counsel in this city; ³^(QZ)who say, ^(RA)‘The time is not near^[aw] to build houses. ^(RB)This city is the cauldron, and we are the meat.’ ⁴Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O son of man.”

⁵And ^(RC)the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and he said to me, “Say, Thus says the Lord: So you think, O house of Israel. ^(RD)For I know the things that come into your mind. ⁶^(RE)You have multiplied your slain in this city and have filled its streets with the slain. ⁷Therefore thus says the Lord God: ^(RF)Your slain whom you have laid in the midst of it, ^(RG)they are the meat, and ^(RH)this city is the cauldron, but you shall be brought out of the midst of it. ⁸^(RI)You have feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, declares the Lord God. ⁹And I will bring you out of the midst of it, and ^(RJ)give you into the hands of foreigners, and ^(RK)execute judgments upon you. ¹⁰^(RL)You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel, ^(RM)and you shall know that I am the Lord. ¹¹^(RN)This city shall not be your cauldron, nor shall you be the meat in the midst of it. I will judge you at the border of Israel, ¹²and you shall know that I am the Lord. For you have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules, ^(RO)but have acted according to the rules of the nations that are around you.”

¹³And it came to pass, while I was prophesying, ^(RP)that ^(RQ)Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. ^(RR)Then I fell down on my face and cried out with a loud voice and said, ^(RS)“Ah, Lord God! ^(RT)Will you make a full end of the remnant of Israel?”

Israel's New Heart and Spirit

¹⁴And the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁵^(RU)“Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, your kinsmen,^[ax] the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those of whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ^(RV)‘Go far from the Lord; to us this land is given for a possession.’ ¹⁶Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet ^(RW)I have been a sanctuary to them for a while^[ay] in the countries where they have gone.’ ¹⁷Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(RX)I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, ^(RY)and I will give you the land of Israel.’ ¹⁸And when they come there, ^(RZ)they will remove from it all its ^(SA)detestable things and all its abominations. ¹⁹^(SB)And I will give them one heart, and ^(SC)a new spirit I will put within them. ^(SD)I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh ^(SE)and give them a heart of flesh, ²⁰^(SF)that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. ^(SG)And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. ²¹^(SH)But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, ^(SI)I will^[az] bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord God.”

²²^(SJ)Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, ^(SK)and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. ²³And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and ^(SL)stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city. ²⁴^(SM)And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me ^(SN)in the vision by the Spirit of God ^(SO)into Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen went up from me. ²⁵And I told the exiles all the things that the Lord had shown me.

Judah's Captivity Symbolized

12 The word of the Lord came to me: ²^(SP)“Son of man, you dwell in the midst of ^(SQ)a rebellious house, ^(SR)who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are ^(SS)a rebellious house. ³As for you, son of man, prepare for yourself ^(ST)an exile's baggage, and go into exile by day ^(SU)in their sight. You shall go like an exile from your place to another place ^(SV)in their sight. ^(SW)Perhaps they will understand, though^[ba] they are a rebellious house. ⁴You shall bring out your baggage by day in their sight, as baggage for exile, and you shall go out yourself ^(SX)at evening in their sight, as those do who must go into exile. ⁵In their sight ^(SY)dig through the wall, and bring your baggage out through it. ⁶In their sight you shall lift the baggage upon your shoulder and carry it out at dusk. You shall cover your face that you may not see the land, for I have made you ^(SZ)a sign for the house of Israel.”

⁷^(TA)And I did as I was commanded. ^(TB)I brought out my baggage by day, as baggage for exile, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my own hands. I brought out my baggage at dusk, carrying it on my shoulder in their sight.

⁸In the morning the word of the Lord came to me: ⁹^(TC)“Son of man, has not the house of Israel, ^(TD)the rebellious house, said to you, ^(TE)‘What are you doing?’ ¹⁰Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: This oracle concerns^[bb] ^(TF)the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are in it.’^[bc] ¹¹Say, ^(TG)‘I am a sign for you: ^(TH)as I have done, so shall it be done to them. They shall go into exile, into captivity.’ ¹²^(TI)And the prince who is among them shall lift his baggage upon his shoulder at dusk, and shall go out. ^(TJ)They shall dig through the wall to bring him out through it. ^(TK)He shall cover his face, that he may not see the land with his eyes. ¹³^(TL)And I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare. And ^(TM)I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, ^(TN)yet he shall not see it, and he shall die there. ¹⁴^(TO)And I will scatter toward every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops, ^(TP)and I will unsheathe the sword after them. ¹⁵^(TQ)And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries. ¹⁶^(TR)But I will let a few of them escape from the sword, from famine and pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they go, ^(TS)and may know that I am the Lord.”

¹⁷And the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁸^(TT)“Son of man, ^(TU)eat your bread with quaking, and drink water with trembling and with anxiety. ¹⁹And say to the people of the land, Thus says the Lord God concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: ^(TV)They shall eat their bread with anxiety, ^(TW)and drink water in dismay. In this way ^(TX)her land will be stripped of all it contains, ^(TY)on account of the violence of all those who dwell in it. ²⁰^(TZ)And the inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the land shall become a desolation; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

²¹And the word of the Lord came to me: ²²“Son of man, ^(UA)what is this proverb that you^[bd] have about the land of Israel, saying, ^(UB)‘The days grow long, and every vision comes to nothing’? ²³Tell them therefore, ‘Thus says the Lord God: I will put an end to this proverb, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel.’ But say to them, ^(UC)The days are near, and the fulfillment^[be] of every vision. ²⁴^(UD)For there shall be no more any ^(UE)false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. ²⁵For I am the Lord; I will speak ^(UF)the word that I will speak, and it will be performed. ^(UG)It will no longer be delayed, but in your days, ^(UH)O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it, declares the Lord God.”

²⁶And the word of the Lord came to me: ²⁷“Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, ^(UI)‘The vision that he sees is ^(UJ)for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’ ²⁸Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord God: ^(UK)None of my words will be delayed any longer, ^(UL)but the word that I speak will be performed, declares the Lord God.”

Footnotes

Ezekiel 1:1 Or from God
Ezekiel 1:4 Or amber; also verse 27
Ezekiel 1:12 Or Spirit; also twice in verse 20 and once in verse 21
Ezekiel 1:15 Hebrew of their faces
Ezekiel 1:17 Hebrew on their four sides
Ezekiel 1:20 Or the spirit of life; also verse 21
Ezekiel 1:26 Or lapis lazuli
Ezekiel 1:27 Or it
Ezekiel 2:1 Or Son of Adam; so throughout Ezekiel
Ezekiel 2:6 Or on scorpion plants
Ezekiel 3:12 Or the wind; also verse 14
Ezekiel 3:12 Or sound
Ezekiel 3:15 Or Chebar, and to where they dwelt
Ezekiel 3:18 Or in; also verses 19, 20
Ezekiel 3:22 Or plain; also verse 23
Ezekiel 4:4 Or iniquity; also verses 5, 6, 17
Ezekiel 4:9 A type of wheat
Ezekiel 4:10 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
Ezekiel 4:10 Or at a set time daily; also verse 11
Ezekiel 4:11 A hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters
Ezekiel 4:14 Hebrew my soul (or throat) has never been made unclean
Ezekiel 4:16 Hebrew staff
Ezekiel 5:7 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac lack not
Ezekiel 5:8 The same Hebrew expression can mean obey rules, or execute judgments, depending on the context
Ezekiel 5:11 Some Hebrew manuscripts I will cut you down
Ezekiel 5:15 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate, Targum; Masoretic Text And it shall be
Ezekiel 5:16 Hebrew them
Ezekiel 5:16 Hebrew staff
Ezekiel 6:6 Or and punished
Ezekiel 6:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts Diblah
Ezekiel 7:2 Or earth
Ezekiel 7:5 Some Hebrew manuscripts (compare Syriac, Targum); most Hebrew manuscripts Disaster! A unique disaster!
Ezekiel 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; also verse 10
Ezekiel 7:11 The meaning of this last Hebrew sentence is uncertain
Ezekiel 7:12 Or abundance; also verses 13, 14
Ezekiel 7:13 The meaning of this last Hebrew sentence is uncertain
Ezekiel 7:22 Or secret
Ezekiel 7:23 Probably refers to an instrument of captivity
Ezekiel 7:24 By revocalization (compare Septuagint); Hebrew and those who sanctify them
Ezekiel 7:26 Or instruction
Ezekiel 8:2 By revocalization (compare Septuagint); Hebrew of fire
Ezekiel 8:2 Or amber
Ezekiel 8:17 Or my
Ezekiel 10:1 Or lapis lazuli
Ezekiel 10:11 Hebrew to their four sides
Ezekiel 10:11 Hebrew the head
Ezekiel 10:12 Or their whole body, their backs, their hands, and their wings
Ezekiel 10:17 Or spirit of life
Ezekiel 11:3 Or Is not the time near… ?
Ezekiel 11:15 Hebrew the men of your redemption
Ezekiel 11:16 Or in small measure
Ezekiel 11:21 Hebrew To the heart of their detestable things and their abominations their heart goes; I will
Ezekiel 12:3 Or will see that
Ezekiel 12:10 Or This burden is
Ezekiel 12:10 Hebrew in the midst of them
Ezekiel 12:22 The Hebrew for you is plural
Ezekiel 12:23 Hebrew word

Ezekiel 1-12

New International Version

Ezekiel’s Inaugural Vision

1 In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles^(A) by the Kebar River,^(B) the heavens were opened^(C) and I saw visions^(D) of God.

²On the fifth of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin^(E)— ³the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel^(F) the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians.^[a] There the hand of the Lord was on him.^(G)

⁴I looked, and I saw a windstorm^(H) coming out of the north^(I)—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal,^(J) ⁵and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures.^(K) In appearance their form was human,^(L) ⁶but each of them had four faces^(M) and four wings. ⁷Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze.^(N) ⁸Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands.^(O) All four of them had faces and wings, ⁹and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.^(P)

¹⁰Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.^(Q) ¹¹Such were their faces. They each had two wings^(R) spreading out upward, each wing touching that of the creature on either side; and each had two other wings covering its body. ¹²Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went.^(S) ¹³The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals^(T) of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning^(U) flashed out of it. ¹⁴The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.^(V)

¹⁵As I looked at the living creatures,^(W) I saw a wheel^(X) on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. ¹⁶This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz,^(Y) and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. ¹⁷As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not change direction^(Z) as the creatures went. ¹⁸Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes^(AA) all around.

¹⁹When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. ²⁰Wherever the spirit would go, they would go,^(AB) and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. ²¹When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.^(AC)

²²Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault,^(AD) sparkling like crystal, and awesome. ²³Under the vault their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. ²⁴When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing^(AE) waters, like the voice^(AF) of the Almighty,^[b] like the tumult of an army.^(AG) When they stood still, they lowered their wings.

²⁵Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. ²⁶Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne^(AH) of lapis lazuli,^(AI) and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.^(AJ) ²⁷I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him.^(AK) ²⁸Like the appearance of a rainbow^(AL) in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.^(AM)

This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory^(AN) of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown,^(AO) and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Ezekiel’s Call to Be a Prophet

2 He said to me, “Son of man,^[c]^(AP) stand^(AQ) up on your feet and I will speak to you.^(AR)” ²As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me^(AS) to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.

³He said: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day.^(AT) ⁴The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn.^(AU) Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’^(AV) ⁵And whether they listen or fail to listen^(AW)—for they are a rebellious people^(AX)—they will know that a prophet has been among them.^(AY) ⁶And you, son of man, do not be afraid^(AZ) of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns^(BA) are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.^(BB) ⁷You must speak^(BC) my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious.^(BD) ⁸But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel^(BE) like that rebellious people;^(BF) open your mouth and eat^(BG) what I give you.”

⁹Then I looked, and I saw a hand^(BH) stretched out to me. In it was a scroll,^(BI) ¹⁰which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.^(BJ)

3 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” ²So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

³Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate^(BK) it, and it tasted as sweet as honey^(BL) in my mouth.

⁴He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them.^(BM) ⁵You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language,^(BN) but to the people of Israel— ⁶not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.^(BO) ⁷But the people of Israel are not willing to listen^(BP) to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate.^(BQ) ⁸But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are.^(BR) ⁹I will make your forehead^(BS) like the hardest stone, harder than flint.^(BT) Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.^(BU)”

¹⁰And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart^(BV) all the words I speak to you. ¹¹Go^(BW) now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’^(BX) whether they listen or fail to listen.^(BY)”

¹²Then the Spirit lifted me up,^(BZ) and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing.^[d] ¹³It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures^(CA) brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound.^(CB) ¹⁴The Spirit^(CC) then lifted me up^(CD) and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord^(CE) on me. ¹⁵I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River.^(CF) And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days^(CG)—deeply distressed.

Ezekiel’s Task as Watchman

¹⁶At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me:^(CH) ¹⁷“Son of man, I have made you a watchman^(CI) for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.^(CJ) ¹⁸When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,^(CK)’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for^[e] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.^(CL) ¹⁹But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn^(CM) from their wickedness^(CN) or from their evil ways, they will die^(CO) for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.^(CP)

²⁰“Again, when a righteous person turns^(CQ) from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block^(CR) before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.^(CS) ²¹But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.^(CT)”

²²The hand of the Lord^(CU) was on me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go^(CV) out to the plain,^(CW) and there I will speak to you.” ²³So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River,^(CX) and I fell facedown.^(CY)

²⁴Then the Spirit came into me and raised me^(CZ) to my feet. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house.^(DA) ²⁵And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people.^(DB) ²⁶I will make your tongue stick to the roof^(DC) of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people.^(DD) ²⁷But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’^(DE) Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are a rebellious people.^(DF)

Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

4 “Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. ²Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp^(DG) up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it.^(DH) ³Then take an iron pan,^(DI) place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward^(DJ) it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign^(DK) to the people of Israel.^(DL)

⁴“Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself.^[f] You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. ⁵I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel.

⁶“After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin^(DM) of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year.^(DN) ⁷Turn your face^(DO) toward the siege of Jerusalem and with bared arm prophesy against her. ⁸I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your siege.^(DP)

⁹“Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt;^(DQ) put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side. ¹⁰Weigh out twenty shekels^[g]^(DR) of food to eat each day and eat it at set times. ¹¹Also measure out a sixth of a hin^[h] of water and drink it at set times.^(DS) ¹²Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement^(DT) for fuel.” ¹³The Lord said, “In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations where I will drive them.”^(DU)

¹⁴Then I said, “Not so, Sovereign Lord!^(DV) I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead^(DW) or torn by wild animals. No impure meat has ever entered my mouth.^(DX)”

¹⁵“Very well,” he said, “I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement.”

¹⁶He then said to me: “Son of man, I am about to cut off^(DY) the food supply in Jerusalem. The people will eat rationed food in anxiety and drink rationed water in despair,^(DZ) ¹⁷for food and water will be scarce.^(EA) They will be appalled at the sight of each other and will waste away because of^[i] their sin.^(EB)

God’s Razor of Judgment

5 “Now, son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber’s razor^(EC) to shave^(ED) your head and your beard.^(EE) Then take a set of scales and divide up the hair. ²When the days of your siege come to an end, burn^(EF) a third^(EG) of the hair inside the city. Take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city. And scatter a third to the wind.^(EH) For I will pursue them with drawn sword.^(EI) ³But take a few hairs and tuck them away in the folds of your garment.^(EJ) ⁴Again, take a few of these and throw them into the fire^(EK) and burn them up. A fire will spread from there to all Israel.

⁵“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: This is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations, with countries all around her.^(EL) ⁶Yet in her wickedness she has rebelled against my laws and decrees more than the nations and countries around her. She has rejected my laws and has not followed my decrees.^(EM)

⁷“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: You have been more unruly than the nations around you and have not followed my decrees or kept my laws. You have not even^[j] conformed to the standards of the nations around you.^(EN)

⁸“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself am against you, Jerusalem, and I will inflict punishment on you in the sight of the nations.^(EO) ⁹Because of all your detestable idols, I will do to you what I have never done before and will never do again.^(EP) ¹⁰Therefore in your midst parents will eat their children, and children will eat their parents.^(EQ) I will inflict punishment on you and will scatter all your survivors to the winds.^(ER) ¹¹Therefore as surely as I live,^(ES) declares the Sovereign^(ET) Lord, because you have defiled my sanctuary^(EU) with all your vile images^(EV) and detestable practices,^(EW) I myself will shave you; I will not look on you with pity or spare you.^(EX) ¹²A third of your people will die of the plague or perish by famine inside you; a third will fall by the sword outside your walls; and a third I will scatter to the winds^(EY) and pursue with drawn sword.^(EZ)

¹³“Then my anger will cease and my wrath^(FA) against them will subside, and I will be avenged.^(FB) And when I have spent my wrath on them, they will know that I the Lord have spoken in my zeal.^(FC)

¹⁴“I will make you a ruin and a reproach among the nations around you, in the sight of all who pass by.^(FD) ¹⁵You will be a reproach^(FE) and a taunt, a warning^(FF) and an object of horror to the nations around you when I inflict punishment on you in anger and in wrath and with stinging rebuke.^(FG) I the Lord have spoken.^(FH) ¹⁶When I shoot at you with my deadly and destructive arrows of famine, I will shoot to destroy you. I will bring more and more famine upon you and cut off your supply of food.^(FI) ¹⁷I will send famine and wild beasts^(FJ) against you, and they will leave you childless. Plague and bloodshed^(FK) will sweep through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I the Lord have spoken.^(FL)”

Doom for the Mountains of Israel

6 The word of the Lord came to me: ²“Son of man, set your face^(FM) against the mountains^(FN) of Israel; prophesy against them^(FO) ³and say: ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys:^(FP) I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.^(FQ) ⁴Your altars will be demolished and your incense altars^(FR) will be smashed; and I will slay your people in front of your idols.^(FS) ⁵I will lay the dead bodies of the Israelites in front of their idols, and I will scatter your bones^(FT) around your altars.^(FU) ⁶Wherever you live,^(FV) the towns will be laid waste and the high places^(FW) demolished, so that your altars will be laid waste and devastated, your idols^(FX) smashed and ruined, your incense altars^(FY) broken down, and what you have made wiped out.^(FZ) ⁷Your people will fall slain^(GA) among you, and you will know that I am the Lord.^(GB)

⁸“‘But I will spare some, for some of you will escape^(GC) the sword when you are scattered among the lands and nations.^(GD) ⁹Then in the nations where they have been carried captive, those who escape will remember^(GE) me—how I have been grieved^(GF) by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols.^(GG) They will loathe themselves for the evil^(GH) they have done and for all their detestable practices.^(GI) ¹⁰And they will know that I am the Lord;^(GJ) I did not threaten in vain to bring this calamity on them.^(GK)

¹¹“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Strike your hands together and stamp your feet and cry out “Alas!” because of all the wicked and detestable practices of the people of Israel, for they will fall by the sword, famine and plague.^(GL) ¹²One who is far away will die of the plague, and one who is near will fall by the sword, and anyone who survives and is spared will die of famine. So will I pour out my wrath^(GM) on them.^(GN) ¹³And they will know that I am the Lord, when their people lie slain among their idols^(GO) around their altars, on every high hill and on all the mountaintops, under every spreading tree and every leafy oak^(GP)—places where they offered fragrant incense to all their idols.^(GQ) ¹⁴And I will stretch out my hand^(GR) against them and make the land a desolate waste from the desert to Diblah^[k]—wherever they live. Then they will know that I am the Lord.^(GS)’”

The End Has Come

7 The word of the Lord came to me: ²“Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel:

“‘The end!^(GT) The end has come
    upon the four corners^(GU) of the land!
³The end is now upon you,
    and I will unleash my anger against you.
I will judge you according to your conduct^(GV)
    and repay you for all your detestable practices.^(GW)
⁴I will not look on you with pity;^(GX)
    I will not spare you.
I will surely repay you for your conduct
    and for the detestable practices among you.

“‘Then you will know that I am the Lord.’^(GY)

⁵“This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Disaster!^(GZ) Unheard-of^[l] disaster!
    See, it comes!
⁶The end^(HA) has come!
    The end has come!
It has roused itself against you.
    See, it comes!
⁷Doom has come upon you,
    upon you who dwell in the land.
The time has come! The day^(HB) is near!^(HC)
    There is panic, not joy, on the mountains.
⁸I am about to pour out my wrath^(HD) on you
    and spend my anger against you.
I will judge you according to your conduct
    and repay you for all your detestable practices.^(HE)
⁹I will not look on you with pity;
    I will not spare you.^(HF)
I will repay you for your conduct
    and for the detestable practices among you.^(HG)

“‘Then you will know that it is I the Lord who strikes you.^(HH)

¹⁰“‘See, the day!
    See, it comes!
Doom has burst forth,
    the rod^(HI) has budded,
    arrogance has blossomed!
¹¹Violence^(HJ) has arisen,^[m]
    a rod to punish the wicked.
None of the people will be left,
    none of that crowd—
none of their wealth,
    nothing of value.^(HK)
¹²The time has come!
    The day has arrived!
Let not the buyer^(HL) rejoice
    nor the seller grieve,
    for my wrath is on the whole crowd.^(HM)
¹³The seller will not recover
    the property that was sold—
    as long as both buyer and seller live.
For the vision concerning the whole crowd
    will not be reversed.
Because of their sins, not one of them
    will preserve their life.^(HN)

¹⁴“‘They have blown the trumpet,^(HO)
    they have made all things ready,
but no one will go into battle,
    for my wrath^(HP) is on the whole crowd.
¹⁵Outside is the sword;
    inside are plague and famine.
Those in the country
    will die by the sword;
those in the city
    will be devoured by famine and plague.^(HQ)
¹⁶The fugitives^(HR) who escape
    will flee to the mountains.
Like doves^(HS) of the valleys,
    they will all moan,
    each for their own sins.^(HT)
¹⁷Every hand will go limp;^(HU)
    every leg will be wet with urine.^(HV)
¹⁸They will put on sackcloth^(HW)
    and be clothed with terror.^(HX)
Every face will be covered with shame,
    and every head will be shaved.^(HY)

¹⁹“‘They will throw their silver into the streets,^(HZ)
    and their gold will be treated as a thing unclean.
Their silver and gold
    will not be able to deliver them
    in the day of the Lord’s wrath.^(IA)
It will not satisfy^(IB) their hunger
    or fill their stomachs,
    for it has caused them to stumble^(IC) into sin.^(ID)
²⁰They took pride in their beautiful jewelry
    and used it to make^(IE) their detestable idols.
They made it into vile images;^(IF)
    therefore I will make it a thing unclean for them.^(IG)
²¹I will give their wealth as plunder^(IH) to foreigners
    and as loot to the wicked of the earth,
    who will defile it.^(II)
²²I will turn my face^(IJ) away from the people,
    and robbers will desecrate the place I treasure.
They will enter it
    and will defile it.^(IK)

²³“‘Prepare chains!
    For the land is full of bloodshed,^(IL)
    and the city is full of violence.^(IM)
²⁴I will bring the most wicked of nations
    to take possession of their houses.
I will put an end to the pride of the mighty,
    and their sanctuaries^(IN) will be desecrated.^(IO)
²⁵When terror comes,
    they will seek peace in vain.^(IP)
²⁶Calamity upon calamity^(IQ) will come,
    and rumor upon rumor.
They will go searching for a vision from the prophet,^(IR)
    priestly instruction in the law will cease,
    the counsel of the elders will come to an end.^(IS)
²⁷The king will mourn,
    the prince will be clothed with despair,^(IT)
    and the hands of the people of the land will tremble.
I will deal with them according to their conduct,^(IU)
    and by their own standards I will judge them.

“‘Then they will know that I am the Lord.^(IV)’”

Idolatry in the Temple

8 In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders^(IW) of Judah were sitting before^(IX) me, the hand of the Sovereign Lord came on me there.^(IY) ²I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man.^[n] From what appeared to be his waist down he was like fire, and from there up his appearance was as bright as glowing metal.^(IZ) ³He stretched out what looked like a hand^(JA) and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up^(JB) between earth and heaven and in visions^(JC) of God he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court,^(JD) where the idol that provokes to jealousy^(JE) stood. ⁴And there before me was the glory^(JF) of the God of Israel, as in the vision I had seen in the plain.^(JG)

⁵Then he said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol^(JH) of jealousy.

⁶And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing—the utterly detestable^(JI) things the Israelites are doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary?^(JJ) But you will see things that are even more detestable.”

⁷Then he brought me to the entrance to the court. I looked, and I saw a hole in the wall. ⁸He said to me, “Son of man, now dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there.

⁹And he said to me, “Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here.” ¹⁰So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls^(JK) all kinds of crawling things and unclean^(JL) animals and all the idols of Israel.^(JM) ¹¹In front of them stood seventy elders^(JN) of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had a censer^(JO) in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense^(JP) was rising.^(JQ)

¹²He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in the darkness,^(JR) each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The Lord does not see^(JS) us; the Lord has forsaken the land.’” ¹³Again, he said, “You will see them doing things that are even more detestable.”

¹⁴Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and I saw women sitting there, mourning the god Tammuz.^(JT) ¹⁵He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this.”

¹⁶He then brought me into the inner court^(JU) of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar,^(JV) were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun^(JW) in the east.^(JX)

¹⁷He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things^(JY) they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence^(JZ) and continually arouse my anger?^(KA) Look at them putting the branch to their nose! ¹⁸Therefore I will deal with them in anger;^(KB) I will not look on them with pity^(KC) or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen^(KD) to them.”

Judgment on the Idolaters

9 Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, “Bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on the city, each with a weapon in his hand.” ²And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen^(KE) who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar.

³Now the glory^(KF) of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim,^(KG) where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side ⁴and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem^(KH) and put a mark^(KI) on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament^(KJ) over all the detestable things that are done in it.^(KK)”

⁵As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity^(KL) or compassion.^(KM) ⁶Slaughter^(KN) the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children,^(KO) but do not touch anyone who has the mark.^(KP) Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the old men^(KQ) who were in front of the temple.^(KR)

⁷Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain.^(KS) Go!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city. ⁸While they were killing and I was left alone, I fell facedown,^(KT) crying out, “Alas, Sovereign Lord!^(KU) Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel in this outpouring of your wrath^(KV) on Jerusalem?^(KW)”

⁹He answered me, “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice.^(KX) They say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land; the Lord does not see.’^(KY) ¹⁰So I will not look on them with pity^(KZ) or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.^(LA)”

¹¹Then the man in linen with the writing kit at his side brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded.”

God’s Glory Departs From the Temple

10 I looked, and I saw the likeness of a throne^(LB) of lapis lazuli^(LC) above the vault^(LD) that was over the heads of the cherubim.^(LE) ²The Lord said to the man clothed in linen,^(LF) “Go in among the wheels^(LG) beneath the cherubim. Fill^(LH) your hands with burning coals^(LI) from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And as I watched, he went in.

³Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court. ⁴Then the glory of the Lord^(LJ) rose from above the cherubim and moved to the threshold of the temple. The cloud filled the temple, and the court was full of the radiance of the glory of the Lord. ⁵The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far away as the outer court, like the voice^(LK) of God Almighty^[o] when he speaks.^(LL)

⁶When the Lord commanded the man in linen, “Take fire from among the wheels,^(LM) from among the cherubim,” the man went in and stood beside a wheel. ⁷Then one of the cherubim reached out his hand to the fire^(LN) that was among them. He took up some of it and put it into the hands of the man in linen, who took it and went out. ⁸(Under the wings of the cherubim could be seen what looked like human hands.)^(LO)

⁹I looked, and I saw beside the cherubim four wheels, one beside each of the cherubim; the wheels sparkled like topaz.^(LP) ¹⁰As for their appearance, the four of them looked alike; each was like a wheel intersecting a wheel. ¹¹As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the cherubim faced; the wheels did not turn about^[p] as the cherubim went. The cherubim went in whatever direction the head faced, without turning as they went. ¹²Their entire bodies, including their backs, their hands and their wings, were completely full of eyes,^(LQ) as were their four wheels.^(LR) ¹³I heard the wheels being called “the whirling wheels.” ¹⁴Each of the cherubim^(LS) had four faces:^(LT) One face was that of a cherub, the second the face of a human being, the third the face of a lion,^(LU) and the fourth the face of an eagle.^(LV)

¹⁵Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures^(LW) I had seen by the Kebar River.^(LX) ¹⁶When the cherubim moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the cherubim spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not leave their side. ¹⁷When the cherubim stood still, they also stood still; and when the cherubim rose, they rose with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in them.^(LY)

¹⁸Then the glory^(LZ) of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim.^(MA) ¹⁹While I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground, and as they went, the wheels went with them.^(MB) They stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory^(MC) of the God of Israel was above them.

²⁰These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the Kebar River,^(MD) and I realized that they were cherubim. ²¹Each had four faces^(ME) and four wings,^(MF) and under their wings was what looked like human hands. ²²Their faces had the same appearance as those I had seen by the Kebar River.^(MG) Each one went straight ahead.

God’s Sure Judgment on Jerusalem

11 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the Lord that faces east. There at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men, and I saw among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah^(MH) son of Benaiah, leaders^(MI) of the people.^(MJ) ²The Lord said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil^(MK) and giving wicked advice in this city.^(ML) ³They say, ‘Haven’t our houses been recently rebuilt? This city is a pot,^(MM) and we are the meat in it.’^(MN) ⁴Therefore prophesy^(MO) against them; prophesy, son of man.”

⁵Then the Spirit of the Lord came on me, and he told me to say: “This is what the Lord says: That is what you are saying, you leaders in Israel, but I know what is going through your mind.^(MP) ⁶You have killed many people in this city and filled its streets with the dead.^(MQ)

⁷“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: The bodies you have thrown there are the meat and this city is the pot,^(MR) but I will drive you out of it.^(MS) ⁸You fear the sword,^(MT) and the sword is what I will bring against you, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(MU) ⁹I will drive you out of the city and deliver you into the hands^(MV) of foreigners and inflict punishment on you.^(MW) ¹⁰You will fall by the sword, and I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel.^(MX) Then you will know that I am the Lord. ¹¹This city will not be a pot^(MY) for you, nor will you be the meat in it; I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel. ¹²And you will know that I am the Lord,^(MZ) for you have not followed my decrees^(NA) or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you.^(NB)”

¹³Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah^(NC) son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! Will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?^(ND)”

The Promise of Israel’s Return

¹⁴The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁵“Son of man, the people of Jerusalem have said of your fellow exiles and all the other Israelites, ‘They are far away from the Lord; this land was given to us as our possession.’^(NE)

¹⁶“Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary^(NF) for them in the countries where they have gone.’

¹⁷“Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’^(NG)

¹⁸“They will return to it and remove all its vile images^(NH) and detestable idols.^(NI) ¹⁹I will give them an undivided heart^(NJ) and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone^(NK) and give them a heart of flesh.^(NL) ²⁰Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.^(NM) They will be my people,^(NN) and I will be their God.^(NO) ²¹But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols,^(NP) I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(NQ)”

²²Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory^(NR) of the God of Israel was above them.^(NS) ²³The glory^(NT) of the Lord went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain^(NU) east of it. ²⁴The Spirit^(NV) lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia^[q] in the vision^(NW) given by the Spirit of God.

Then the vision I had seen went up from me, ²⁵and I told the exiles everything the Lord had shown me.^(NX)

The Exile Symbolized

12 The word of the Lord came to me: ²“Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people.^(NY) They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.^(NZ)

³“Therefore, son of man, pack your belongings for exile and in the daytime, as they watch, set out and go from where you are to another place. Perhaps^(OA) they will understand,^(OB) though they are a rebellious people.^(OC) ⁴During the daytime, while they watch, bring out your belongings packed for exile. Then in the evening, while they are watching, go out like those who go into exile.^(OD) ⁵While they watch, dig through the wall^(OE) and take your belongings out through it. ⁶Put them on your shoulder as they are watching and carry them out at dusk. Cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have made you a sign^(OF) to the Israelites.”

⁷So I did as I was commanded.^(OG) During the day I brought out my things packed for exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands. I took my belongings out at dusk, carrying them on my shoulders while they watched.

⁸In the morning the word of the Lord came to me: ⁹“Son of man, did not the Israelites, that rebellious people, ask you, ‘What are you doing?’^(OH)

¹⁰“Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: This prophecy concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the Israelites who are there.’ ¹¹Say to them, ‘I am a sign^(OI) to you.’

“As I have done, so it will be done to them. They will go into exile as captives.^(OJ)

¹²“The prince among them will put his things on his shoulder at dusk^(OK) and leave, and a hole will be dug in the wall for him to go through. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land.^(OL) ¹³I will spread my net^(OM) for him, and he will be caught in my snare;^(ON) I will bring him to Babylonia, the land of the Chaldeans,^(OO) but he will not see^(OP) it, and there he will die.^(OQ) ¹⁴I will scatter to the winds all those around him—his staff and all his troops—and I will pursue them with drawn sword.^(OR)

¹⁵“They will know that I am the Lord, when I disperse them among the nations^(OS) and scatter them through the countries. ¹⁶But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine and plague, so that in the nations where they go they may acknowledge all their detestable practices. Then they will know that I am the Lord.^(OT)”

¹⁷The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁸“Son of man, tremble as you eat your food,^(OU) and shudder in fear as you drink your water. ¹⁹Say to the people of the land: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says about those living in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: They will eat their food in anxiety and drink their water in despair, for their land will be stripped of everything^(OV) in it because of the violence of all who live there.^(OW) ²⁰The inhabited towns will be laid waste and the land will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord.^(OX)’”

There Will Be No Delay

²¹The word of the Lord came to me: ²²“Son of man, what is this proverb^(OY) you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by and every vision comes to nothing’?^(OZ) ²³Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel.’ Say to them, ‘The days are near^(PA) when every vision will be fulfilled.^(PB) ²⁴For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations^(PC) among the people of Israel. ²⁵But I the Lord will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay.^(PD) For in your days, you rebellious people, I will fulfill^(PE) whatever I say, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(PF)’”

²⁶The word of the Lord came to me: ²⁷“Son of man, the Israelites are saying, ‘The vision he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies about the distant future.’^(PG)

²⁸“Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: None of my words will be delayed any longer; whatever I say will be fulfilled, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

Footnotes

Ezekiel 1:3 Or Chaldeans
Ezekiel 1:24 Hebrew Shaddai
Ezekiel 2:1 The Hebrew phrase ben adam means human being. The phrase son of man is retained as a form of address here and throughout Ezekiel because of its possible association with “Son of Man” in the New Testament.
Ezekiel 3:12 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text sound—may the glory of the Lord be praised from his place
Ezekiel 3:18 Or in; also in verses 19 and 20
Ezekiel 4:4 Or upon your side
Ezekiel 4:10 That is, about 8 ounces or about 230 grams
Ezekiel 4:11 That is, about 2/3 quart or about 0.6 liter
Ezekiel 4:17 Or away in
Ezekiel 5:7 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac You have
Ezekiel 6:14 Most Hebrew manuscripts; a few Hebrew manuscripts Riblah
Ezekiel 7:5 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac Disaster after
Ezekiel 7:11 Or The violent one has become
Ezekiel 8:2 Or saw a fiery figure
Ezekiel 10:5 Hebrew El-Shaddai
Ezekiel 10:11 Or aside
Ezekiel 11:24 Or Chaldea

English Standard Version (ESV)

New International Version (NIV)

Ezekiel 1-12

English Standard Version

Ezekiel in Babylon

The Glory of the Lord

Ezekiel's Call

A Watchman for Israel

The Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

Jerusalem Will Be Destroyed

Judgment Against Idolatry

The Day of the Wrath of the Lord

Abominations in the Temple

Idolaters Killed

The Glory of the Lord Leaves the Temple

Judgment on Wicked Counselors

Israel's New Heart and Spirit

Judah's Captivity Symbolized

Footnotes

Cross references

Ezekiel 1-12

New International Version

Ezekiel’s Inaugural Vision

Ezekiel’s Call to Be a Prophet

Ezekiel’s Task as Watchman

Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

God’s Razor of Judgment

Doom for the Mountains of Israel

The End Has Come

Idolatry in the Temple

Judgment on the Idolaters

God’s Glory Departs From the Temple

God’s Sure Judgment on Jerusalem

The Promise of Israel’s Return

The Exile Symbolized

There Will Be No Delay

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Ezekiel 1-12 English Standard Version

Ezekiel in Babylon

The Glory of the Lord

Ezekiel's Call

A Watchman for Israel

The Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

Jerusalem Will Be Destroyed

Judgment Against Idolatry

The Day of the Wrath of the Lord

Abominations in the Temple

Idolaters Killed

The Glory of the Lord Leaves the Temple

Judgment on Wicked Counselors

Israel's New Heart and Spirit

Judah's Captivity Symbolized

Footnotes

Cross references

Ezekiel 1-12 New International Version

Ezekiel’s Inaugural Vision

Ezekiel’s Call to Be a Prophet

Ezekiel’s Task as Watchman

Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

God’s Razor of Judgment

Doom for the Mountains of Israel

The End Has Come

Idolatry in the Temple

Judgment on the Idolaters

God’s Glory Departs From the Temple

God’s Sure Judgment on Jerusalem

The Promise of Israel’s Return

The Exile Symbolized

There Will Be No Delay

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Ezekiel 1-12

English Standard Version

Ezekiel 1-12

New International Version