Ezekiel 9 - 10
The Vision of Yahweh’s Wrath
9Then He cried out in my hearing with a loud avoice saying, “Draw near, 1O executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand.” 2And behold, six men were coming from the direction of the upper gate which faces north, each with his shattering weapon in his hand; and among them was aa certain man clothed in linen with a 1scribe’s case at his loins. And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar.
3Then the aglory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the house of Yahweh. And He called to the man clothed in linen at whose loins was the 1scribe’s case. 4Yahweh said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a amark on the foreheads of the men who bsigh and groan over all the abominations which are being done in its midst.” 5But to the others He said in my hearing, “Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. 6“aKill to utter destruction old men, chosen men, virgins, little ones, and women, but do not btouch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall cstart from My sanctuary.” So they started with the 1elders who were before the house. 7And He said to them, “aDefile the house and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” Thus they went out and struck down the people in the city. 8Now it happened as they were striking the people and I alone remained, that I afell on my face and cried out and said, “bAlas, Lord Yahweh! Are You destroying the whole remnant of Israel 1by pouring out Your wrath on Jerusalem?”
9Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is very, very great, and the land is afilled with bloodshed, and the city is bfull of perversion; for cthey say, ‘Yahweh has forsaken the land, and Yahweh does not see!’ 10“But as for Me, aMy eye will have no pity, nor will I spare, but bI will put their way upon their heads.”
11Then behold, the man clothed in linen at whose loins was the scribe’s 1case responded with a word, saying, “I have done just as You have commanded me.”
Vision of Yahweh’s Glory Departing the Temple
10Then I looked, and behold, in the 1,aexpanse that was over the heads of the cherubim something like a bsapphire stone, in appearance in the likeness of a cthrone, appeared above them. 2And He spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, “Enter between the awhirling wheels under the 1cherubim and fill your hands with bcoals of fire from between the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And he entered in my sight.
3Now the cherubim were standing on the right side of the house when the man entered, and the cloud filled the ainner court. 4Then the aglory of Yahweh rose up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the bhouse was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the cbrightness of the glory of Yahweh. 5Moreover, the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the avoice of 1God Almighty when He speaks.
6Now it happened that when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim,” he entered and stood beside a wheel. 7Then the cherub sent forth his hand from between the cherubim to the fire which was between the cherubim, took some up, and put it into the hands of the one clothed in linen, who took it and went out. 8And the cherubim appeared to have the form of a man’s hand under their wings.
9Then I looked, and behold, afour wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like the gleam of a 1,bTarshish stone. 10As for their appearance, all four of them had the same likeness, as if one wheel were within another wheel. 11As they went, they went ain any of their four 1directions without turning as they went; but they went in the direction which 2they faced, without turning as they went. 12And their awhole body, their backs, their hands, their wings, and the bwheels were full of eyes all around, the wheels belonging to all four of them. 13The wheels were called in my hearing, the whirling wheels. 14And aeach one had four faces. The first face was the face of a cherub, the second face was the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
15Then the cherubim rose up. They are the aliving creatures that I saw by the river Chebar. 16Now as the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; also when the cherubim lifted up their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels would not turn from beside them. 17When 1the cherubim astood still, 2the wheels would stand still; and when they rose up, 3the wheels would rise with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in them.
18Then the glory of Yahweh departed from the threshold of the house and stood aover the cherubim. 19When athe cherubim departed, they lifted their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight with the wheels beside them; and they stood still at the entrance of the east gate of the house of Yahweh, and the glory of the God of Israel 1hovered over them.
20These are the aliving creatures that I saw beneath the God of Israel by bthe river Chebar; so I knew that they were cherubim. 21aEach one had four faces and each one four wings, and beneath their wings was the likeness of human hands. 22As for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the river Chebar. Each one went straight ahead.