For the iniquity of the daughter of my people Is greater than the sin of Sodom, Which was overthrown as in a moment, And no hands were turned toward her.
Their appearance is blacker than soot, They are not recognized in the streets; Their skin is shriveled on their bones, It is withered, it has become like wood.
Better are those slain with the sword Than those slain with hunger; For they pine away, being stricken For lack of the fruits of the field.
The hands of compassionate women Boiled their own children; They became food for them Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The LORD has accomplished His wrath, He has poured out His fierce anger; And He has kindled a fire in Zion Which has consumed its foundations.
The kings of the earth did not believe, Nor did any of the inhabitants of the world, That the adversary and the enemy Could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
Because of the sins of her prophets And the iniquities of her priests, Who have shed in her midst The blood of the righteous;
They wandered, blind, in the streets; They were defiled with blood So that no one could touch their garments.
“Depart! Unclean!” they cried of themselves. “Depart, depart, do not touch!” So they fled and wandered; Men among the nations said, “They shall not continue to dwell with us.”
The presence of the LORD has scattered them, He will not continue to regard them; They did not honor the priests, They did not favor the elders.
Our pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the sky; They chased us on the mountains, They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness.
The breath of our nostrils, the LORD’S anointed, Was captured in their pits, Of whom we had said, “Under his shadow We shall live among the nations.”
Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, Who dwells in the land of Uz; But the cup will come around to you as well, You will become drunk and make yourself naked.
The punishment of your iniquity has been completed, O daughter of Zion; He will exile you no longer. But He will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins!
We get our bread at the risk of our lives Because of the sword in the wilderness.
Our skin has become as hot as an oven, Because of the burning heat of famine.
They ravished the women in Zion, The virgins in the cities of Judah.
Young men worked at the grinding mill, And youths stumbled under loads of wood.
Elders are gone from the gate, Young men from their music.
The joy of our hearts has ceased; Our dancing has been turned into mourning.
The crown has fallen from our head; Woe to us, for we have sinned!
Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
(On the fifth of the month in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile,
the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there the hand of the LORD came upon him.)
As I looked, behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire.
Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them,
As for the form of their faces, each had the face of a man; all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle.
And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went.
In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches darting back and forth among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire.
And the living beings ran to and fro like bolts of lightning.
Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside the living beings, for each of the four of them.
The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like sparkling beryl, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if one wheel were within another.
As for their rims they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes round about.
Whenever the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. And whenever the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also.
Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction. And the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.
Whenever those went, these went; and whenever those stood still, these stood still. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.
Now over the heads of the living beings there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal, spread out over their heads.
Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other.
I also heard the sound of their wings like the sound of abundant waters as they went, like the voice of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army camp; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings.
And there came a voice from above the expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings.
Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man.
Then I noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him.
As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.
As He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me.
Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day.
I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’
When He spread it out before me, it was written on the front and back, and written on it were lamentations, mourning and woe.
Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”
Then He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them.
For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel,
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995
For Permission to Quote information visit http://www.lockman.org by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif.
All rights reserved.