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

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

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.

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.

Above the firmament that was over their heads, there was the fashion of a seat, as it had been made of Sapphire. Upon the seat there sat one like a man.

And then said he unto me, "Stand up upon thy feet, O thou son of man, and I will talk with thee."

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.

"Therefore, thou son of man, fear them not; neither be afraid of their words: for they shall rebel against thee, and despise thee. Yea, thou shalt dwell among scorpions. But fear not their words, be not abashed at their looks: for it is a froward household.

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."

After this said he unto me, "Thou son of man, eat that, whatsoever it be: Yea, eat that closed book, and go thy way, and speak unto the children of Israel."

and said unto me, "Thou son of man, thy belly shall eat, and thy bowels shall be filled with the book, that I give thee." Then did I eat the book and it was, in my mouth, sweeter than honey.

And he said unto me, "Thou son of man, get thee soon unto the house of Israel, and show them the words that I command thee.

He said moreover unto me, "Thou son of man, take diligent heed with thine ears, to the words that I speak unto thee, fasten them in thine heart:

"Thou son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore take good heed to the words, and give them warning at my commandment.

If I say unto thee, concerning the ungodly man, that without doubt he must die: and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest unto him, that he may turn from his evil way, and so to live - Then shall the same ungodly man die in his own unrighteousness, but his blood will I require of thine hand.

"Now if a righteous man go from his righteousness, and do the thing that is evil: I will lay a stumbling block before him, and he shall die, because thou hast not given him warning - Yea, die shall he in his own sin, so that the virtue which he did before shall not be thought upon, but his blood will I require of thine hand.

Behold, O thou son of man, there shall chains be brought for thee, to bind thee withal, so that thou shalt not escape out of them.

Thou son of man, take a tile stone, and lay it before thee, and describe upon it the city of Jerusalem;

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.

Barley cakes shalt thou eat, yet shalt thou first strike them over with man's dung, that they may see it."

Whereunto he answered me, and said, "Well then, I will grant thee to take cow's dung, for the dung of a man, and to strike the bread over withal, before them."

And he said unto me, "Behold thou son of man, I will minish all the provision of bread in Jerusalem, so that they shall weigh their bread, and eat it with scarceness. But as for water, they shall have a very little measure thereof, to drink.

O Thou son of man, take thee then a sharp knife, namely a razor. Take that, and shave the hair of thy head and beard: Then take the scales and weight, and divide the hair asunder.

but she hath despised my judgments more than the Gentiles themselves, and broken my commandments more than the nations that lie round about her. For they have cast out mine ordinances, and not walked in my laws.

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 -

Wherefore as truly as I live, sayeth the LORD God, seeing thou hast defiled my Sanctuary with all manner of abominations and with all thy shameful offenses: For this cause will I also destroy thee. Mine eye shall not oversee thee, neither will I spare thee.

Thus will I perform my indignation and set my wrath against them, and ease myself. So that when I have fulfilled mine anger against them, they shall know that I am the LORD, which with a fervent jealousy have spoken it.

so that when I punish thee in my wrath, in mine anger, and with the plague of my hot displeasure, thou shalt be a very abomination, shame, a gasping and wondering stock among the Heathen that lie about thee. Even I, the LORD, have spoken it: and it shall come to pass.

"Thou son of man, turn thy face to the mountains of Israel, that thou mayest prophesy unto them,

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

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

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.

I will stretch mine hand out upon them, and will make the land waste: So that it shall lie desolate and void from the wilderness of Diblath forth, through all their habitations: to learn them for to know, that I am the LORD.'"

"Thee I call, O thou son of man. Thus sayeth the LORD God unto the land of Israel: The end cometh: yea, verily the end cometh upon all the four corners of the land.

Mine eye shall not oversee thee, neither will I spare thee: but reward thee according to thy ways, and declare thy abominations. Then shall ye know that I am the LORD.

Mine eye shall not oversee thee, neither will I spare thee; but reward thee after thy ways, and show thy abominations, to learn you for to know how that I am the LORD that smiteth.

so that the seller shall not come again to the buyer, for neither of them both shall live. For the vision shall come so greatly over all, that it shall not be hindered: No man also with his wickedness shall be able to save his own life.

The trumpets shall ye blow, and make you all ready, but no man shall go to the battle, for I am wroth with all the whole multitude.

And he said unto me, "Thou son of man, O lift up thine eyes, and look toward the north." Then lift I up mine eyes toward the north, and behold: beside the port northward, there was an altar made unto the image of provocation in the very entering in.

And he said furthermore unto me, "Thou son of man, seest thou what these do? Seest thou the great abominations that the house of Israel commit in this place? Which ought not to be done in my sanctuary: But turn thee about, and thou shalt see yet greater abominations."

Then said he unto me, "Thou son of man, dig through the wall." And when I digged through the wall, behold there was a door.

Then said he unto me, "Thou son of man, hast thou seen what the Senators of the house of Israel do secretly, everyone in his chamber? For they say, 'Tush, the LORD seeth us not, the LORD regardeth not the world.'"

Then said he unto me, "Hast thou seen this, thou son of man? Turn ye about, and thou shalt see yet greater abominations."

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 he said unto me, "Hast thou seen this thou son of man? Thinketh the house of Israel that it is but a trifle to do these abominations here? Should they fill the land full of wickedness, and undertake to provoke me unto anger? Yea, and purposely to cast up their noses upon me?

Therefore will I also do something in my wrathful displeasure: so that mine eye shall not oversee them, neither will I spare them. Yea, and though they cry in mine ears with loud voice, yet will I not hear them."

He cried also with a loud voice in mine ears, saying, "Come here, ye rulers of the city; every man with his weaponed hand to the slaughter."

Then came there six men out of the street of the upper port toward the north, and every man a weapon in his hand to the slaughter. There was one amongst them, that had on him a linen raiment, and a writer's inkhorn by his side. These went in, and stood beside the brazen altar:

for the glory of God was gone away from the Cherub, and was come down to the threshold of the house. And he called the man that had the linen raiment upon him, and the writer's inkhorn by his side,

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,

Therefore will I upon them; mine eye shall not oversee them, neither will I spare them, but will recompense their wickedness upon their heads."

And behold, the man that had the linen raiment upon him, and the writer's inkhorn by his side, told all the matter how it happened, and said, "LORD, as thou hast commanded me, so have I done."

Now the Cherubims stood upon the rightside of the house, when the man went in, and the cloud filled the innermore court.

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.

And under the wings of the Cherubims, there appeared the likeness of a man's hand.

Every one of them had four faces: so that the one face was the face of a Cherub, the second of a man, the third of a lion, the fourth of an Eagle,

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.

Then said the LORD unto me, "Thou son of man: these men imagine mischief, and a wicked counsel take they in this city,

Therefore shalt thou prophesy unto them: yea, prophesy shalt thou unto them, O son of man."

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.

"Thou son of man: thy brethren, thy kinsfolk, and the whole house of Judah which dwell at Jerusalem, say, 'They be gone far from the LORD, but the land is given us in possession.'

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.

Therefore, O thou son of man, make thy gear ready to flit, and go forth by fair daylight, that they may see. Yea, even in their sight shalt thou go from thy place to another place: if peradventure they will consider that they be an unobedient household.

Thy gear that thou hast made ready to flit withal, shalt thou bear out by fair daylight, that they may see: and thou thyself shalt go forth also at even in their sight, as a man doth when he goeth forth to flight.

"Thou son of man, if Israel, that froward household, ask thee and say, 'What doest thou there?'

"Thou son of man: with a fearful trembling shalt thou eat thy bread, with carefulness and sorrow shalt thou drink thy water.

"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.'

"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.'

"Thou son of man, speak prophecy against those prophets that preach in Israel: and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, 'Hear ye the word of the LORD.

For they stand not in the gaps, neither made they a hedge for the house of Israel, that men might abide the peril in the day of the LORD.

Mine hands shall come upon the prophets that look out vain things and preach lies: they shall not be in the council of my people, nor written in the book of the house of Israel, neither shall they come in the land of Israel: that ye may know how that I am the LORD God.

Therefore, thus sayeth the LORD God: I will break out in my wrathful displeasure with a stormy wind, so that in mine anger there shall come a mighty shower of rain and hailstones in my wrath, to destroy withal.

"Wherefore, O thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people which prophesy out of their own hearts: and speak thou prophecy against them,

"Thou son of man, these men bear their idols in their hearts, and go purposely upon the stumbling block of their own wickedness: how dare they then ask counsel at me?

Therefore speak unto them, and say, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: Every man of the house of Israel that beareth his Idols in his heart, purposing to stumble in his own wickedness, and cometh to a prophet, to enquire anything at me by him: unto that man will I the LORD myself give answer, according to the multitude of his idols:

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.

I will set my face against that man. And will make him to be an example for others; yea, and a common byword. And will root him out of my people, that he may know how that I am the LORD.

And if that Prophet be deceived, when he telleth him a word: then I the LORD myself have deceived that Prophet, and will stretch forth mine hand upon him, to root him out of my people of Israel:

"Thou son of man, when the land sinneth against me and goeth forth in wickedness: I will stretch out mine hand upon it, and destroy all the provision of their bread, and send dearth upon them, to destroy man and beast in the land.

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 I bring noisome beasts into the land to waste it up, and it be so desolate that no man may go therein for beasts;

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.

If I send a pestilence into the land, and pour out my sore indignation upon it in blood, so that I root out of it both man and beast,

Moreover, thus sayeth the LORD God: Though I send my four troublous plagues upon Jerusalem - the sword, hunger, perilous beasts, and pestilence, to destroy man and beast out of it -

"Thou son of man: What cometh of the vine among all other trees? And of the vine stock among all other timber of the grove?

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

"Thou son of man, show the city of Jerusalem their abominations,

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.

Now when I went by thee, and looked upon thee: behold, thy time was come; yea, even the time to vow thee. Then spread I my clothes over thee, to cover thy dishonesty: Yea, I made an oath unto thee, and married myself with thee, sayeth the LORD God; and so thou becamest mine own.

The goodly ornaments and Jewels which I gave thee of mine own gold and silver, hast thou taken, and made thee men's images thereof, and committed whoredom withal.

Thy garments of divers colors hast thou taken, and decked them therewith: mine oil and incense hast thou set before them.

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.

Thus sayeth the LORD God: Forsomuch as thou hast spent thy money, and discovered thy shame - through thy whoredom with all thy lovers, and with all the Idols of thy abominations, in the blood of thy children whom thou hast given them -

"Thou son of man, put forth a dark speaking and a parable unto the house of Israel,

Therefore thus sayeth the LORD God: As truly as I live, I will bring mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, upon his own head.