Ezekiel 9–12

9TH CHAPTER

The Lord Orders the Destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem

¹Then I heard the Lord call out with a loud voice. He said, “Come here, those who are going to punish this city. Each of you should bring your weapon with you.” ²So six men came from the upper north gate. Each one brought a deadly weapon with him. Among them was a person dressed in linen who was carrying paper and pen. The men came in and stood by the bronze altar. ³Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the angels,^awhere it had been, to the temple’s entrance. The Lord called to the person dressed in linen who was carrying paper and pen. 

⁴The Lord said to that person, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of those who sigh and groan about all the disgusting things that are being done in the city.” 

⁵Then he said to the others as I was listening, “Follow him throughout the city and kill. Don’t have any compassion, and don’t feel sorry. ⁶Kill old men, young men, old women, young women, and children. But don’t come near anyone who has a mark on him. Start with my holy place.” So they started with the old men in front of the temple. 

⁷He said to them, “Dishonor the temple! Fill its courtyards with dead people, and then leave.” So they went out and killed the people in the city. 

⁸As they were killing people, I was left alone. So I immediately bowed down. I cried, “Almighty Lord, will you destroy everyone who is left in Israel while you pour out your anger on Jerusalem?” 

⁹He answered me, “The wickedness of the nations of Israel and Judah is terrible. The land is filled with murder, and the city is filled with wrongdoing. They think that the Lord has abandoned the land and that he doesn’t see. ¹⁰But I will not have compassion or feel sorry. I will do to them what they have done to others.” 

¹¹Then the person dressed in linen who was carrying paper and pen reported, “I did everything you commanded.” 

10TH CHAPTER

The Glory of the Lord Leaves His Temple

¹As I looked at the dome over the heads of the angels,^aI saw something that looked like a throne made of sapphire. ²The Lord said to the person dressed in linen, “Go between the wheels under the angels, and fill your hands with burning coals. Then scatter them over the city.” So he went between the wheels as I watched. 

³The angels were standing on the south side of the temple as the person went. A cloud filled the inner courtyard. ⁴The Lord’s glory rose from the angels to the entrance of the temple, the cloud filled the temple, and the brightness of the Lord’s glory filled the courtyard. ⁵The sound of the angels’ wings was heard as far as the outer courtyard. It was like the sound of the Almighty God when he speaks. 

⁶After the Lord had commanded the person dressed in linen to take burning coals from between the wheels beside the angels, the person went in and stood beside one of the wheels. ⁷One of the angels reached into the fire that was between the angels and took out some coals. This angel put them in the hands of the person dressed in linen. The person took them and left. 

⁸The angels appeared to have what looked like human hands under their wings. ⁹As I looked, I saw four wheels beside the angels, one wheel beside each of the angels. The wheels looked like beryl. ¹⁰All four wheels looked the same. Each was like a wheel within a wheel. ¹¹Whenever the angels moved, they moved in any of the four directions without turning as they moved. They always moved in the direction they faced without turning as they moved. ¹²Their entire bodies, their backs, hands, wings, and wheels were covered with eyes. Each of the angels had a wheel. ¹³I heard that the wheels were called the whirling wheels. ¹⁴Each of the angels had four faces. The first was the face of an angel, the second was the face of a human, the third was the face of a lion, and the fourth was the face of an eagle. 

¹⁵The angels rose. These were the living creatures that I saw at the Chebar River. ¹⁶When the angels moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the angels lifted their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels didn’t leave their side. ¹⁷When the angels stood still, the wheels stood still. When the angels rose, the wheels rose with them. The spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. ¹⁸Then the glory of the Lord left the temple’s entrance and stood over the angels. ¹⁹The angels lifted their wings and rose from the ground. I was watching them as they left with the wheels beside them. The angels stood at the door to the east gate of the Lord’s temple, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. 

²⁰These are the living creatures that I saw under the God of Israel at the Chebar River. I realized that they were angels. ²¹Each had four faces and four wings, and under their wings were what looked like human hands. ²²Their faces looked exactly like the faces that I saw by the Chebar River. Each one went straight ahead. 

11TH CHAPTER

Judgment on the Rulers of Israel

¹Then the Spirit lifted me and took me to the east gate of the Lord’s temple. (It’s the gate that faces east.) Twenty-five men were at the entrance of the gate. I saw among them Azzur’s son Jaazaniah and Benaiah’s son Pelatiah. They were leaders of the people. 

²Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who plan evil and give bad advice in this city. ³They say, ‘It’s almost time to rebuild homes. This city is a cooking pot, and we’re the meat.’ ⁴So prophesy against them. Prophesy, son of man.” 

⁵The Lord’s Spirit came to me and told me to say, “This is what the Lord says: You are saying these things, nation of Israel. But I know what’s going through your mind. ⁶You have killed many people in this city and have filled its streets with corpses. 

⁷“So this is what the Almighty Lord says: The corpses that you put in the middle of the city are the meat, and the city is the cooking pot. I will force you out of the city. ⁸You are afraid of swords, so I will bring swords to attack you, declares the Almighty Lord. ⁹I will force you out of the city. I will hand you over to foreigners, and I will punish you. ¹⁰You will die in battle. I will judge you at Israel’s borders. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ¹¹The city will not be your cooking pot, and you will not be the meat in it. I will judge you at Israel’s borders. ¹²Then you will know that I am the Lord. You haven’t lived by my laws, and you haven’t obeyed my rules. You have followed the standards set by the nations around you.” 

¹³While I was prophesying, Benaiah’s son Pelatiah died. 

I immediately bowed down and cried out, “Almighty Lord, will you completely destroy all the remaining people in Israel?” 

The Lord’s Promise to Gather Israel from the Nations

¹⁴Then the Lord spoke his word to me. He said, ¹⁵“Son of man, the people who live in Jerusalem are talking about your own relatives and about the entire nation of Israel. The people who live in Jerusalem say, ‘They are far away from the Lord. This land has been given to us as our own property.’ 

¹⁶“So tell them, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, I have been their sanctuary for a little while among the countries where they’ve gone.’ 

¹⁷“So tell them, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I will bring them together from the nations and gather them from the countries where I’ve scattered them. I will give them the land of Israel. ¹⁸They will come and remove all the disgusting and detestable things that are there. ¹⁹I will give them a single purpose and put a new spirit in them. I will remove their stubborn hearts and give them obedient hearts. ²⁰Then they will live by my laws and obey my rules. They will be my people, and I will be their God. ²¹But as for those whose minds are set on following detestable and disgusting idols, I will pay them back for what they have done, declares the Almighty Lord.’ ” 

The Glory of the Lord Leaves Jerusalem

²²Then the angels^araised their wings, with the wheels beside them. The glory of the God of Israel was above them. ²³The Lord’s glory left the middle of the city and stopped above the mountain east of the city. 

²⁴In this vision from God’s Spirit, the Spirit lifted me and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia. Then the vision I saw left me. 

²⁵I told the exiles everything the Lord had shown me. 

12TH CHAPTER

Ezekiel Plays Out Israel’s Exile

¹The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, ²“Son of man, you are living among rebellious people. They have eyes, but they can’t see. They have ears, but they can’t hear because they are rebellious people. 

³“Son of man, pack your bags as if you were going into exile. Let the people see you leave in the daylight. March like a captive from your place to another place as they watch. Maybe they will understand, even though they are rebellious people. ⁴Let them see you in the daylight. Bring out your bags as if you were going into exile. In the evening let them see you leave like a captive going into exile. ⁵Dig a hole through the wall of your house, and leave through it. ⁶Let them see you put your bags on your shoulders and carry them out in the dark. Cover your face so that you won’t see the land. I’ve made you a sign to warn the nation of Israel.” 

⁷I did what I was ordered to do. During the day I brought out bags as if I were going into exile. In the evening I dug a hole through the wall. I brought out my bags in the dark. I let the people see me as I carried my bags on my shoulders. 

⁸The next morning the Lord spoke his word to me. He said, ⁹“Son of man, didn’t the rebellious nation of Israel ask you what you were doing? 

¹⁰“Tell them, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: This is the divine revelation about the prince from Jerusalem and about all the people of Israel who live there.’ 

¹¹“Tell them, ‘I am your warning sign. What I have done will happen to you. You will go into exile and into captivity. ¹²The prince who is…