Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

On the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,

The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.

And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire engulfing itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of its midst as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

Also out of its midst came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the color of burnished bronze.

And they went each one straight forward: wherever the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.

As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches: they went back and forth among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of beryl: and the four had the same likeness: and their appearance and their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

Wherever the spirit was to go, they went, there was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up with them: for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up along with them: for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

And the likeness of the firmament above the heads of the living creature was as the color of awesome crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.

And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke.

And when I looked, behold, a hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a scroll of a book was in it;

And he spread it before me; and it was written inside and outside: and there was written in it lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

And he said unto me, Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.

And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with you.

And he put forth the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looks toward the north; where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which provokes to jealousy.

And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the plain.

Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.

And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lies toward the north, and every man a weapon for slaughter in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the bronze altar.

And the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side;

And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! will you destroy all the rest of Israel in your pouring out of your fury upon Jerusalem?

Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubim there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.

Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD's glory.

And the sound of the cherubim's wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaks.

And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubim unto the fire that was between the cherubim, and took some of it, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen: who took it, and went out.

And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the color of a beryl stone.

As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O wheel.

And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

When they stood, these stood; and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also: for the spirit of the living creatures was in them.

And the cherubim lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD's house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.

And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward.

Then did the cherubim lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my belongings by day, as belongings for captivity, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bore it upon my shoulder in their sight.

Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar:

Behold, when it was whole, it was fit for no work: how much less shall it be fit yet for any work, when the fire has devoured it, and it is burned?

And say, Thus says the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite, and your mother a Hittite.

And as for your nativity, in the day you were born your navel was not cut, neither were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt at all, nor swaddled at all.

Now when I passed by you, and looked upon you, behold, your time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over you, and covered your nakedness: yea, I swore unto you, and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord GOD, and you became mine.

Thus were you adorned with gold and silver; and your clothing was of fine linen, and silk, and embroidered work; you did eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and you were exceedingly beautiful, and you did prosper into a kingdom.

And your renown went forth among the nations for your beauty: for it was perfect through my splendor, which I had put upon you, says the Lord GOD.

But you did trust in your own beauty, and played the harlot because of your renown, and poured out your harlotry on every one that passed by; his it was.

My food also which I gave you, fine flour, and oil, and honey, with which I fed you, you have even set it before them for a sweet aroma: and thus it was, says the Lord GOD.

Thus says the Lord GOD; Because your filthiness was poured out, and your nakedness uncovered through your harlotries with your lovers, and with all the idols of your abominations, and by the blood of your children, which you did give unto them;

You are your mother's daughter, that loathes her husband and her children; and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite.

Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom, pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

For your sister Sodom was not mentioned by your mouth in the day of your pride,

Before your wickedness was discovered, as at the time of your reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise you round about.

There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the bed of its planting.

It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a splendid vine.

The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.

Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her cubs, and made him a young lion.

And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fullness thereof, by the noise of his roaring.

Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit.

Your mother is like a vine in your vineyard, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.

And she had strong rods for the scepters of them that bore rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches.

But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.

At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up a siege mound, and to build a wall.

In you have they uncovered their fathers' nakedness: in you have they violated her that was set apart for her impurity.

And Oholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbors,

And when her sister Oholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotries more than her sister in her harlotries.

Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both the same way,

And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their harlotry, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.

So she uncovered her harlotries, and uncovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like my mind was alienated from her sister.

And furthermore, that you have sent for men to come from afar, unto whom a messenger was sent; and, lo, they came: for whom you did wash yourself, painted your eyes, and decked yourself with ornaments,

And a voice of a multitude being at ease was with her: and with the men of the common sort were brought Sabeans from the wilderness, who put bracelets upon their wrists, and beautiful crowns upon their heads.

So I spoke unto the people in the morning: and at evening my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus says the Lord GOD; Because you said, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity;

Son of man, because that Tyre has said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned over unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste:

And they shall take up a lamentation for you, and say to you, How are you destroyed, that were inhabited by seafaring men, the renowned city, which was strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, who cause their terror to be on all that inhabit it!

Fine linen with embroidered work from Egypt was that which you spread forth to be your sail; blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah was that which covered you.

Tarshish was your merchant because of the multitude of all kinds of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in your wares.

Syria was your merchant because of the multitude of the wares of your making: they traded in your wares with emeralds, purple, and embroidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate.

Damascus was your merchant in the multitude of the wares of your making, for the multitude of great wealth; in the wine of Helbon, and white wool.

Dedan was your merchant in saddle blankets for riding.

You have been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of your timbrels and of your pipes was prepared in you in the day that you were created.

You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, till iniquity was found in you.

Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, you have corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor: I will cast you to the ground, I will lay you before kings, that they may behold you.

Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyre: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was rubbed raw: yet had he no wages, nor his army, from Tyre, for the service that he had served against it:

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand.

Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with forest shade, and of a high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.

Therefore its height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and its boughs were multiplied, and its branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when it shot forth.

Thus was it beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches: for its root reached to great waters.

The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it: the fir trees were not like its boughs, and the chestnut trees were not like its branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto it in its beauty.

When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country shall be destitute of that of which it was full, when I shall strike all them that dwell in it, then shall they know that I am the LORD.

They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude: her graves are round about her: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword: though their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit: they are put in the midst of them that are slain.

Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening, before he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.

Son of man, they that inhabit those waste places of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for an inheritance.

My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.

As I live, says the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became food to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;

Because you have said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess them; although the LORD was there:

As you did rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto you: you shall be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Edom, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.

And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

And they shall say, This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities have become fortified, and are inhabited.