1 In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles by the K’var River, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. ² On the fifth day of the month, which was during the fifth year of King Y’hoyakhin’s exile, ³ the word of Adonai came to the cohen Yechezk’el son of Buzi, in the land of the Kasdim by the K’var River; there the hand of Adonai was on him.

⁴ I looked and saw a windy storm approaching from the north and a huge cloud with flashing fire, glowing brightly all around with the color of gleaming amber from within the fire. ⁵ Inside, there appeared to be four living creatures that looked like human beings; ⁶ but each one had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight, with feet like calves’ hoofs. They glittered like burnished bronze. ⁸ Beneath their wings they had human hands on their four sides. The four of them had faces and wings as follows: ⁹ they touched one another with their wings; they did not turn when they moved, but each one moved straight forward; ¹⁰ as for the appearance of their faces, they had human faces [in front], each of the four had a lion’s face on the right, each of the four had a bull’s face on the left, and each of the four had an eagle’s face [toward the rear] — ¹¹ thus their faces. As for their wings, each had two that stretched upward and joined those of others, and two more that covered their bodies. ¹² Each [living creature] moved in the direction of any of its faces; in whichever direction the spirit wanted to go, they went, without turning as they moved — ¹³ thus the appearance of the living creatures.

With them was something that looked like fiery coals burning the way torches do, with the fire flashing here and there between the living creatures; the fire had a brilliance, and out of the fire went lightning. ¹⁴ The living creatures kept speeding here and there like flashes of lightning.

¹⁵ As I gazed at the living creatures, I saw wheels on the ground, one next to each of the four-faced living creatures. ¹⁶ All four wheels looked the same: their inner parts gleamed like beryl, and their structure seemed to be that of a wheel inside a wheel. ¹⁷ When they moved, they could go in any of the four directions without turning as they moved. ¹⁸ Their rims were tall and fearsome, because the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. ¹⁹ When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved along with them; and when the creatures were lifted off the ground, the wheels went with them. ²⁰ Wherever the spirit was to go, they went, in the direction the spirit wanted to go. The wheels were lifted up next to them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. ²¹ When [the living creatures] moved, [the wheels] moved; when the former stood still, the latter stood still; and when the former were lifted off the ground, the wheels were lifted up next to them; because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

²² Over the heads of the living creatures was what appeared to be a dome glittering like ice; it was awesome, spread out over their heads, above them. ²³ Under the dome each had a pair of wings spread out straight toward those of others, and each had a pair which covered his body. ²⁴ I heard the sound of their wings when they moved; it was like the sound of rushing water, like the voice of Shaddai, like the noise of a tumultuous crowd or army. When they stopped, they lowered their wings. ²⁵ Whenever there was a sound from above the dome over their heads, they stopped and lowered their wings.

²⁶ Above the dome that was over their heads was something like a throne that looked like a sapphire. On it, above it, was what appeared to be a person. ²⁷ I saw what looked like gleaming, amber-colored fire radiating from what appeared to be his waist upward. Downward from what appeared to be his waist, I saw what looked like fire, giving a brilliant light all around him. ²⁸ This brilliance around him looked like a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was how the appearance of the glory of Adonai looked. When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of someone speaking.

2 He said to me, “Human being! Stand up! I want to speak with you!” ² As he spoke to me, a spirit entered me and put me on my feet, and I heard him who was speaking to me. ³ He said, “Human being! I am sending you to the people of Isra’el, that nation of rebels who have rebelled against me — they and their ancestors have been transgressing against me to this very day. ⁴ Because they are defiant, hardhearted children, I am sending you; and you are to tell them, ‘Here is what Adonai Elohim says.’ ⁵ Whether they listen or not, this rebellious house will still know that a prophet has been among them!

⁶ “As for you, human being, don’t be afraid of them or their words, even if briars and thorns surround you, and you sit among scorpions. Don’t be afraid of their words or be upset by their looks, for they are a rebellious house. ⁷ You are to speak my words to them, whether they listen or not, for they are very rebellious. ⁸ But you, human being, hear what I am telling you: don’t you be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth, and eat what I am about to give you.”

⁹ When I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me, holding a scroll. ¹⁰ He spread it out in front of me, and it was covered with writing front and back. Written on it were laments, dirges and woes.

3 He said to me, “Human being, eat what you see in front of you; eat this scroll. Then go and speak to the house of Isra’el.” ² So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat, ³ as he said, “Human being, eat this scroll I am giving you; fill your insides with it.” When I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey.

⁴ “Human being,” he said to me, “go to the house of Isra’el, and speak my words to them. ⁵ For you are not being sent to a people with a difficult language and unintelligible speech, but to the house of Isra’el — ⁶ not to many peoples with difficult languages and unintelligible speech, whose words you can’t understand when you hear them. Without doubt, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you. ⁷ But the house of Isra’el will not be willing to listen to you, because they aren’t willing to listen to me; since all the house of Isra’el are obstinate and hardhearted. ⁸ However, I am making you as defiant and obstinate as they are. ⁹ Yes, I am making your resoluteness harder than flint, as hard as a diamond. So don’t be afraid of them or depressed by how they look at you, because they are a rebellious house.”

¹⁰ Then he said to me, “Human being, receive in your heart and hear with your ears all my words that I speak to you. ¹¹ Then go to the exiles, to your countrymen; and speak to them. Tell them, ‘Here is what Adonai Elohim, says,’ whether they listen or not.”

¹² A spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a very loud sound — blessed be the glory of Adonai from his place! ¹³ It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they beat against each other, and the sound of the wheels next to them, a very loud sound. ¹⁴ So a spirit lifted me up and took me away. I went in bitterness and the heat of my spirit, with the hand of Adonai strong on me.

¹⁵ I went to the exiles who were living in Tel-Aviv, by the K’var River and stayed with them there in a stupefied state for seven days. ¹⁶ After seven days the word of Adonai came to me: ¹⁷ “Human being, I have appointed you to be a watchman for the house of Isra’el. When you hear a word from my mouth, you are to warn them for me. ¹⁸ If I say to a wicked person, ‘You will certainly die’; and you fail to warn him, to speak and warn the wicked person to leave his wicked way and save his life; then that wicked person will die guilty; and I will hold you responsible for his death. ¹⁹ On the other hand, if you warn the wicked person, and he doesn’t turn from his wickedness or his wicked way, then he will still die guilty; but you will have saved your own life. ²⁰ Similarly, when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits wickedness, I will place a stumblingblock before him — he will die; because you failed to warn him, he will die in his sin; his righteous acts which he did will not be remembered; and I will hold you responsible for his death. ²¹ But if you warn the righteous person that a righteous person should not sin, and he doesn’t sin; then he will certainly live, because he took the warning; and you too will have saved your life.”

²² The hand of Adonai came on me there, and he said to me, “Get up, go out to the valley, and I will speak with you there.” ²³ So I got up and went out to the valley. The glory of Adonai was there, like the glory I had seen by the K’var River; and I fell on my face. ²⁴ A spirit entered me and put me on my feet. Then he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself inside your house. ²⁵ Human being, you are going to be bound with ropes, unable to go out among the people. ²⁶ I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, so that you will be mute, unable to reprove them; for they are a rebellious house. ²⁷ But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth; and you will say to them, ‘This is what Adonai Elohim says.’ Whoever is inclined to listen will listen, and whoever is inclined to refuse will refuse, because they are a rebellious house.

4 “As for you, human being, take a clay slab, lay it down in front of you, and draw on it the city of Yerushalayim. ² Show it under siege — build towers against it, raise earthworks against it, set up camps against it, and surround it with battering rams. ³ Then take an iron griddle and put it in place as a wall of iron between yourself and the city, and fix your gaze on it — the city is under siege, and you are the one besieging it. This will be a sign for the house of Isra’el.

⁴ “Next, you are to lie on your left side, and have it bear the guilt of the house of Isra’el — for as many days as you lie on your side, you will bear their guilt. ⁵ For I am assigning you one day for each year of their guilt; thus you are to bear the guilt of the house of Isra’el for 390 days. ⁶ Then, when you have finished that, you are to lie on your right side and bear the guilt of the house of Y’hudah for forty days, each day corresponding to a year; this is what I am assigning you. ⁷ You are to fix your gaze on the siege of Yerushalayim, and, with your arm bared, prophesy against it. ⁸ I am tying you down with ropes, and you are not to turn from one side to the other until you have completed the days of your siege.

⁹ “Take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and buckwheat; put them together in one bowl; and make bread from it. For as long as you lie on your side, 390 days, this is what you are to eat. ¹⁰ Each day the food you eat must weigh only three-quarters of a pound; you may eat it from time to time [during the day]. ¹¹ You are also to drink a limited amount of water, two-thirds of a quart; you may drink it from time to time [during the day]. ¹² [The bread] you eat is to be baked like barley cakes; you are to bake it before their eyes, using human dung as fuel.” ¹³ Adonai said, “This is how the people of Isra’el will eat their food — unclean — in the nations where I am driving them.” ¹⁴ I objected: “No, Adonai Elohim! I have never defiled myself — from my youth until now I have never eaten anything that died by itself or was killed by wild animals; no such disgusting food has ever entered my mouth.” ¹⁵ He answered, “All right, I will give you cow dung to use instead of human dung, and you can prepare your bread on it.”

¹⁶ He then said to me, “Human being, I am going to cut off the supply of bread in Yerushalayim, so that they will anxiously weigh out bread to eat, and, horrified, ration water to drink. ¹⁷ Finally, due to lack of bread and water, they will stare at each other in shock, wasting away because of their guilt.”