It chanced, in the thirtieth year, the fifth day of the fourth Month, that I was among the prisoners by the river of Chebar: where the heavens opened, and I saw a vision of God.

Now the fifth day of the Month made out the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity.

At the same time came the word of the LORD unto Ezekiel the son of Buzi the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans by the water of Chebar, where the hand of the LORD came upon him.

and as it were the likeness of four beasts: which were fashioned like a man,

Their legs were straight; But their feet were like bullock's feet, and they glistered, as it had been fair scoured metal.

Under their wings upon all the four corners they had men's hands. Their faces and their wings were toward the four corners:

yet were the wings so, that one ever touched another. When they went, they turned them not about: but each one went straight forward.

Upon the right side of these four, their faces were like the face of a man, and the face of a Lion: But upon the left side, they had the face of an ox and the face of an eagle.

Their faces also and their wings were spread out above: so that two wings of one touched ever two wings of another, and with the other two they covered their body.

The fashion and the work of the wheels was like the sea. The four wheels were joined and made, to look upon, as it had been one wheel in another.

They were large, great and horrible to look upon. Their bodies were full of eyes round about them all four. When the beasts went, the wheels went also with them:

And when the beasts lift themselves up from the earth, the wheels were lift up also.

Whithersoever the spirit went, thither went they also, and the wheels were lift up, and followed them: for the spirit of life was in the wheels.

When the beasts went forth, stood still, or lift themselves up from the earth: then the wheels also went, stood still, and were lift up, for the breath of life was in the wheels.

under the same firmament were their wings laid abroad, one toward another, and two wings covered the body of every beast.

And when they went forth I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as it had been the voice of the great God, and a rushing together as it were of a host of men. And when they stood still, they let down their wings.

And he said, "Behold, thou son of man: I will send thee to the children of Israel, to those renegades and obstinate people - for they have taken part against me, and are run away from me: both they and their forefathers unto this day.

that whether they be obedient or no - for it is a froward household - they may know yet that there hath been a Prophet among them.

See that thou speak my words unto them, whether they be obedient or not, for they are obstinate.

Therefore, thou son of man, obey thou all things, that I say unto thee, and be not thou stiffnecked, like as they are a stiffnecked household. Open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee."

For I send thee not to a people that hath a strange, unknown, or hard speech, but unto the house of Israel;

so that thy forehead shall be harder than an Adamant or flint stone: that thou mayest fear them the less, and be less afraid of them, for they are a froward household."

and go to the prisoners of thy people. Speak unto them, and say on this manner, 'Thus the LORD God hath spoken: Whether ye hear, or hear not.'"

I heard also the noise of the wings of the beasts, that rushed one against another; yea, and the rattling of the wheels that were by them - which rushing and noise was very great.

And so in the beginning of the Month Abib, I came to the prisoners that dwelt by the water of Chebar and remained in that place, where they were: And so continued I among them seven days, being very sorry.

And when the seven days were expired, the LORD said unto me,

how it is besieged, how bulwarks and strong ditches are graven on every side of it. Describe also the tents, and a host of men round about it.

When thou hast fulfilled these days, lie down again, and sleep upon thy right side forty days, and bear the sins of the house of Judah. A day for a year; a day, I say, for a year will I ever lay upon thee.

Then said I, "O LORD God: Behold, my soul was yet never stained, for from my youth up to this hour. I did never eat of a dead carcass, or that which was slain of wild beasts, neither came there ever any unclean flesh in my mouth."

Moreover, thus said the LORD God, "This same is Jerusalem. I set her in the midst of the Heathen and nations that are round about her:

Therefore, thus sayeth the LORD God: Forsomuch as ye with your wickedness far exceed the Heathen that dwell round about you - For ye have not walked in my laws, neither have ye kept mine ordinances -

and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD God, O ye mountains of Israel: Thus hath the LORD God spoken to the mountains, hills, rivers, valleys and dales. Behold, I will bring a sword over you, and destroy your high places.

I will cast down your altars, and break down your temples. Your slain men will I lay before your gods.

And the dead carcasses of the children of Israel will I cast before their images, your bones will I straw round about your altars and dwelling places.

The cities shall be desolate, the hill chapels laid waste; your altars destroyed, and broken; your gods cast down, and taken away, your temples laid even with the ground, your own works clean rooted out.

Your slain men shall lie among you, that ye may learn to know, how that I am the LORD.

And they that escape from you, shall think upon me among the Heathen, where they shall be in captivity. As for that whorish and unfaithful heart of theirs, wherewith they run away from me, I will break it: Yea, and put out those eyes of theirs, that committed fornication with their idols. Then shall they be ashamed, and displeased with their selves, for the wickedness and abominations, which they have done:

Whoso is far off, shall die of the pestilence; he that is nigh at hand shall perish with the sword; and the others that are besieged shall die of hunger. Thus will I satisfy my wrathful displeasure upon them.

And so shall ye learn to know that I am the LORD, when your slain men lie among your gods, and about your altars; upon all high hills and tops of mountains; among all green trees; among all thick oaks; even in the places where they did sacrifice to all their idols.

It happened that in the sixth year, the fifth day of the sixth Month, I sat in my house, and the lords of the counsel of Judah with me. And the hand of the LORD God fell even there upon me.

And as I looked up, I saw as it were a likeness of fire from his loins downward, and from his loins upward it shined marvelous clear.

So I went in, and saw: and behold, there were all manner of images of worms and beasts, all Idols and abominations of the house of Israel painted every which one round about the wall.

And so he brought me into the inward court of the LORD's house. And behold, at the port of the LORD's house, betwixt the fore entry and the altar, there were five and twenty men that turned their backs on the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east, and these worshiped the sun.

and the LORD said unto him, "Go thy way through the city of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of them that mourn and are sorry for all the abominations that be done therein."

kill and destroy both old man and young, maidens, children and wives. But as for those, that have the mark upon them: see that ye touch them not. And begin at my Sanctuary." Then they began at the elders, which were in the temple,

for he had said unto them, "When ye have defiled the temple, and filled the court with the slain, then go your way forth." So they went out, and slew down through the city.

Then said he that sat therein, to him that had the linen raiment upon him, "Creep in between the wheels that are under the Cherubims, and take thine hand full of hot coals out from between the Cherubims, and cast them over the city. And he crept in, that I might see."

Now when he had bidden the man that was clothed in linen, to go and take the hot coals from the midst of the wheels, which were under the Cherubims: he went and stood beside the wheels.

I saw also four wheels beside the Cherubims, so that by every Cherub there stood a wheel. And the wheels were, to look upon, after the fashion of the precious stone of Tharsis,

yet unto the sight were they fashioned and like, as if one wheel had been in another.

When they went forth, they went all four together, not turning about in their going. But where the first went, thither went they after also, so that they turned not about in their going.

Their whole bodies, their backs, their hands and wings, yea and the wheels also, were all full of eyes round about them, all four.

and they were lifted up above. This is the beast, that I saw at the water of Chebar.

Now when the Cherubims went, the wheels went with them; and when the Cherubims shook their wings to lift themselves upward, the wheels remained not behind, but were with them also.

Shortly, when they stood, these stood also: And when they were lift up, the wheels were lift up also with them: for the spirit of life was in the wheels.

Every one had four faces, and every one four wings, and under their wings, as it were men's hands.

Moreover, the spirit of the LORD lift me up, and brought me unto the east port of the LORD's house. And behold, there were twenty five men under the door: among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, the rulers of the people.

And with that fell the spirit of the LORD upon me, and said unto me, "Speak, 'Thus sayeth the LORD: On this manner have ye spoken, O ye house of Israel, and I know the imaginations of your hearts.

Therefore, thus sayeth the LORD God: The slain men that ye have laid on the ground in this city, are the flesh, and this city is the cauldron: But I will bring you out of it.

I will drive you out of this city and deliver you into your enemies' hand, and will condemn you.

This city shall not be your cauldron, neither shall ye be the flesh therein: but in the coasts of Israel will I punish you,

Therefore tell them, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: I will send you far off among the Gentiles, and scatter you among the nations, and I will hallow you but a little, in the lands where ye shall come.'

Tell them also, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: I will gather you again out of the nations, and bring you from the countries where ye be scattered, and will give you the land of Israel again:

And thither shall ye come. And as for all impediments, and all your abominations: I will take them away.

And I will give you one heart, and will plant a new spirit within your bowels. That stony heart will I take out of your body, and give you a fleshly heart:

that ye may walk in my commandments, and keep mine ordinances, and do them. That ye may be my people, and I your God.

But look, whose hearts are disposed to follow their abominations and wicked livings: those men's deeds will I bring upon their own heads, sayeth the LORD God.'"

"Thou son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a froward household: which have eyes to see, and yet see not; ears have they to hear, and yet hear they not. For they are an obstinate household.

Tell them I am your show-token: like as I have done, so shall it happen unto you. Flit shall ye also, and go into captivity.

But, I will leave a little number of them from the sword, hunger and pestilence: to tell all their abominations among the Heathen, where they come: that they may know how that I am the LORD.'"

And unto the people of the land, speak thou on this manner: 'Thus sayeth the LORD God to them that dwell in Jerusalem, and to the land of Israel: Ye shall eat your bread with sorrow, and drink your water with heaviness. Yea, the land with the fullness thereof shall be laid waste, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.

"Thou son of man, what manner of byword is that, which ye use in the land of Israel? Saying, 'Tush, seeing that the days are so slack in coming, all the visions are of none effect.'

Tell them therefore, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: I will make that byword to cease, so that it shall no more be commonly used in Israel.' But say this unto them, 'The days are at hand, that everything which hath been prophesied, shall be fulfilled.

For it is I, the LORD, that speak it: and whatsoever I, the LORD, speak, it shall be performed, and not be slacken in coming. Yea even in your days, O ye froward household, will I devise something and bring it to pass, sayeth the LORD God.'"

"Behold, thou son of man: The house of Israel say in this manner, 'Tush, as for the vision that he hath seen, it will be many a day or it come to pass: It is far off yet, the thing that he prophesieth.'

Thus sayeth the LORD God: Woe be unto those foolish prophets that follow their own spirit, and speak where they see nothing.

O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes upon the dry field:

Therefore, thus sayeth the LORD God. Because your words be vain, and ye seek out lies: Behold, I will upon you, sayeth the LORD.

"'And that for this cause: they have deceived my people, and told them of peace, where no peace was. One setteth up a wall, and they daub it with loose clay.

So shall the wall come down. Shall it not then be said unto you, 'Where is now the mortar, that ye daubed it withal?'

Thus will I perform my wrath upon this wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar, and then will I say unto you: The wall is gone, and the daubers are away.

These are the prophets of Israel, which prophesy unto the city of Jerusalem, and look out visions of peace for them, whereas no peace is, sayeth the LORD God.'

and say, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: Woe be unto you, that sew pillows under all armholes, and bolsters under the heads both of young and old, to catch souls withal. For when ye have gotten the souls of my people in your captivity, ye promise them life,

and dishonour me to my people for a handful of barley, and for a piece of bread. When ye kill the souls of them that die not, and promise life to them that live not: Thus ye dissemble with my people, that believeth your lies.

Wherefore thus sayeth the LORD God: Behold, I will also upon the pillows, wherewith ye catch the souls in flying: them will I take from your arms, and let the souls go, that ye catch in flying.

Your bolsters also will I tear in pieces, and deliver my people out of your hand: so that they shall come no more in your hands to be spoiled, and ye shall know, that I am the LORD.

Seeing that with your lies ye discomfort the heart of the righteous, whom I have not discomforted: Again, forsomuch as ye courage the hand of the wicked, so that he may not turn from his wicked way, and live:

therefore shall ye spy out no more vanity, nor prophesy your own guessings. For I will deliver my people out of your hand, that ye may know how that I am the LORD.'"

Wherefore, tell the house of Israel, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: Be converted, forsake your idols, and turn your faces from all your abominations.

For every man, whether he be of the house of Israel, or a stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which departeth from me, and carrieth idols in his heart, purposing to go still stumbling in his own wickedness, and cometh to a Prophet, for to ask counsel at me through him: unto that man will I the LORD give answer, by mine own self.

And though Noah, Daniel and Job these three men were among them, yet shall they in their righteousness deliver but their own souls, sayeth the LORD God.

if these three men also were in the land, as truly as I live, sayeth the LORD God, they shall save neither sons nor daughters, but be only delivered themselves: and as for the land, it shall be waste.

Or if I bring a sword into the land, and charge it to go through the land, so that I slay down man and beast in it,

and if these three men were therein: As truly as I live, sayeth the LORD God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but only be saved themselves.

and if Noah, Daniel and Job were therein: as truly as I live, sayeth the LORD God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but save their own souls in their righteousness.

Do men take wood of it, to make any work withal? Or may there a nail be made of it, to hang anything upon?

No man regarded that so much, as to do any of these things for thee, or to show thee such favour, but thou wast utterly cast out upon the field: yea, despised wast thou in the day of thy birth.

So I planted thee, as the blossom of the field. Thou art grown up, and waxen great: thou hast gotten a marvelous pleasant beauty, thy breasts are come up, thy hair is goodly grown; whereas thou wast naked and bare afore.

Behold, I will stretch out mine hand over thee, and will diminish thy store of food, and deliver thee over into the wiles of the Philistines thine enemies, which are ashamed of thy abominable way.

Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, which might not satisfy thee. Yea, thou hast played the harlot, and not had enough.