Ezekiel 10-11

Contemporary English Version

The Lord's Glory Leaves the Temple

10 ^(A) I saw the dome that was above the four winged creatures,^[a] and on it was the sapphire^[b] throne.^{[c] 2 (B)} The Lord said to the man in the linen robe, “Walk among the four wheels beside the creatures and pick up as many hot coals as you can carry. Then scatter them over the city of Jerusalem.” I watched him as he followed the Lord's instructions.

³ The winged creatures were standing south of the temple when the man walked among them. A cloud filled the inner courtyard, ⁴ and the brightness of the Lord's glory moved from above the creatures and stopped at the entrance of the temple. The entire temple was filled with his glory, and the courtyard was dazzling bright. ⁵ The sound of the creatures' wings was as loud as the voice of God All-Powerful and could even be heard in the outer courtyard.

⁶ The man in the robe was now standing beside a wheel. ⁷ One of the four creatures reached its hand into the fire among them and gave him some of the hot coals. The man took the coals and left.

⁸ I noticed again that each of the four winged creatures had what looked like human hands under their wings, ^9 (C) and I saw the four wheels near the creatures. These wheels were shining like chrysolite.^{[d] 10} Each wheel was exactly the same and had a second wheel that cut through the middle of it,^{[e] 11} so that they could move in any direction without turning. The wheels moved together whenever the creatures moved. ^12 (D) I also noticed that the wheels and the creatures' bodies, including their backs, their hands, and their wings, were covered with eyes. ¹³ And I heard a voice calling these “the wheels that spin.”

^14 (E) Each of the winged creatures had four faces: the face of a bull,^[f] the face of a human, the face of a lion, and the face of an eagle. ^15-17 These were the same creatures I had seen near the Chebar River. They controlled when and where the wheels moved—the wheels went wherever the creatures went and stopped whenever they stopped. Even when the creatures flew in the air, the wheels stayed beside them.

¹⁸ Then I watched the brightness of the Lord's glory move from the entrance of the temple and stop above the winged creatures. ¹⁹ They spread their wings and flew into the air with the wheels at their side. They stopped at the east gate of the temple, and the Lord's glory was above them.

²⁰ I knew for sure that these were the same creatures I had seen beneath the Lord's glory near the Chebar River. ^21-22 They had four wings with hands beneath them, and they had the same four faces as those near the River. Each creature moved straight ahead without turning.

Ezekiel Condemns Jerusalem's Wicked Leaders

11 The Lord's Spirit^[g] lifted me up and took me to the east gate of the temple, where I saw 25 men, including the two leaders, Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah. ² The Lord said, “Ezekiel, son of man, these men are making evil plans and giving dangerous advice to the people of Jerusalem. ³ They say things like, ‘Let's build more houses.^[h] This city is like a cooking pot over a fire, and we are the meat, but at least the pot keeps us from being burned in the fire.’^{[i] 4} So, Ezekiel, condemn them!”

⁵ The Lord's Spirit took control of me and told me to tell these leaders:

I, the Lord God, know what you leaders are saying. ⁶ You have murdered so many people that the city is filled with dead bodies! ⁷ This city is indeed a cooking pot, but the bodies of those you killed are the meat. And so I will force you to leave Jerusalem, ⁸ and I'll send armies to attack you, just as you fear. ⁹ Then you will be captured and punished by foreign enemies.^{[j] 10} You will be killed in your own country, but not before you realize that I, the Lord, have done these things.

¹¹ You leaders claim to be meat in a cooking pot, but you won't be protected by this city. No, you will die at the border of Israel. ¹² You will realize that while you were following the laws of nearby nations, you were disobeying my laws and teachings. And I am the Lord!

¹³ Before I finished speaking, Pelatiah dropped dead. I bowed down and cried out, “Please, Lord God, don't kill everyone left in Israel.”

A Promise of Hope

¹⁴ The Lord replied:

¹⁵ Ezekiel, son of man, the people living in Jerusalem claim that you and the other Israelites who were taken to Babylonia are too far away to worship me. They also claim that the land of Israel now belongs only to them. ¹⁶ But here is what I want you to tell the Israelites in Babylonia:

It's true that I, the Lord God, have forced you out of your own country and made you live among foreign nations. But for now, I will be with you wherever you are, so that you can worship me. ¹⁷ And someday, I will gather you from the nations where you are scattered and let you live in Israel again. ¹⁸ When that happens, I want you to clear the land of all those idols I hate so much. ^19 (F) Then I will take away your stubbornness and make you eager to be completely faithful to me. You will want to obey me ²⁰ and all my laws and teachings. You will be my people, and I will be your God. ²¹ But those who worship idols will be punished and get what they deserve. I, the Lord God, have spoken.

The Lord's Glory Leaves Jerusalem

^22 (G) After the Lord had finished speaking, the winged creatures spread their wings and flew into the air, and the wheels were beside them. The brightness of the Lord's glory above them ²³ left Jerusalem and stopped at a hill east of the city.

²⁴ Then in my vision, the Lord's Spirit^[k] lifted me up and carried me back to the other exiles in Babylonia. The vision faded away, ²⁵ and I told them everything the Lord had shown me.