Sep 5 - Ezekiel 1-4
Ezekiel
1And it happened that, in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth of the month, when I was in the midst of the captives beside the river Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw the visions of God2On the fifth of the month, the same is the fifth year of the transmigration of king Joachin3the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel, a priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans, next to the river Chebar. And the hand of the Lord was over him there4And I saw, and behold, a whirlwind arrived from the north. And a great cloud, wrapped in fire and brightness, was all around it. And from its midst, that is, from the midst of the fire, there was something with the appearance of amber5And in its midst, there was the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: the likeness of a man was in them6Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings7Their feet were straight feet, and the sole of their foot was like the sole of the foot of a calf, and they sparkled with the appearance of glowing brass8And they had the hands of a man under their wings on the four sides. And they had faces with the wings on the four sides9And their wings were joined to one another. They did not turn as they went. Instead, each one advanced before his face10But as for the likeness of their face, there was the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right of each of the four, then the face of an ox on the left of each of the four, and the face of an eagle above each of the four11Their faces and their wings were extended above: two wings of each one were joined together, and two covered their bodies12And each one of them advanced before his face. Wherever the impetus of the spirit was to go, there they went. And they did not turn as they advanced13And as for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like that of burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps. This was the vision dashing in the midst of the living creatures, a bright fire, with lightning going forth from the fire14And the living creatures went and returned like flashes of lightning15And as I beheld the living creatures, there appeared above the earth, next to the living creatures, one wheel having four faces16And the appearance of the wheels and their work was like the appearance of the sea. And each of the four were similar to one another. And their appearance and work was like a wheel in the center of a wheel17Going forth, they went by means of their four parts. And they did not turn as they went18Also, the size and height and appearance of the wheels was dreadful. And the entire body was full of eyes all around each of the four19And when the living creatures advanced, the wheels advanced together with them. And when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels, too, were lifted up at the same time20Wherever the spirit went, as the spirit was going forth to that place, the wheels, too, were lifted up together, so as to follow them. For the spirit of life was in the wheels21When going forth, they went forth, and when standing still, they stood still. And when they were lifted up from the earth, the wheels, too, were lifted up together, so as to follow them. For the spirit of life was in the wheels22And above the heads of the living creatures was the likeness of a firmament: similar to crystal, but dreadful to behold, and extending over their heads from above23And their wings were straight under the firmament, one toward the other. One of them was covered by two wings on his body, and the other was covered similarly24And I heard the sound of their wings, like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the sublime God. When they walked, it was like the sound of a multitude, like the sound of an army. And when they stood still, their wings were let down25For when a voice came from above the firmament, which was over their heads, they stood still, and they put down their wings26And above the firmament, which was suspended over their heads, there was the likeness of a throne, with the appearance of the sapphire stone. And over the likeness of the throne, there was a likeness with the appearance of a man above it27And I saw something with the appearance of amber, with the likeness of fire within it and all around it. And from his waist and upward, and from his waist downward, I saw something with the appearance of fire shining all around28There was the appearance of the rainbow, as when it is in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the splendor on every side
1This was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And I saw, and I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of someone speaking. And he said to me: "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.2And after this was spoken to me, the Spirit entered into me, and he set me on my feet. And I heard him speaking to me3and saying: "Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to an apostate nation, which has withdrawn from me. They and their fathers have betrayed my covenant, even to this day4And those to whom I am sending you are sons with a hard face and an unyielding heart. And you shall say to them: ‘Thus says the Lord God.5Perhaps it may be that they will hear, and perhaps they may be quieted. For they are a provoking house. And they shall know that there has been a prophet in their midst6But as for you, son of man, you should not fear them, and you should not dread their words. For you are among unbelievers and subversives, and you are living with scorpions. You should not fear their words, and you should not dread their faces. For they are a provoking house7Therefore, you shall speak my words to them, so that perhaps they may hear and be quieted. For they are provoking8But as for you, son of man, listen to all that I say to you. And do not choose to be provoking, as that house is a provoker. Open your mouth, and eat whatever I give to you.9And I looked, and behold: a hand was put forth toward me; there was a scroll rolled up in it.10And he spread it out before me, and there was writing on the inside and on the outside. And there were written in it lamentations, and verses, and woes
1And he said to me: "Son of man, eat whatever you will find; eat this scroll, and, going forth, speak to the sons of Israel.2And I opened my mouth, and he fed me that scroll3And he said to me: "Son of man, your stomach shall eat, and your interior shall be filled with this scroll, which I am giving to you." And I ate it, and in my mouth it became as sweet as honey4And he said to me: "Son of man, go to the house of Israel, and you shall speak my words to them5For you will be sent, not to a people of profound words or of an unknown language, but to the house of Israel6and not to many peoples of profound words or of an unknown language, whose words you would not be able to understand. But if you were sent to them, they would listen to you7Yet the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you. For they are not willing to listen to me. Certainly, the entire house of Israel has a brazen forehead and a hardened heart8Behold, I have made your face stronger than their faces, and your forehead harder than their foreheads9I have made your face like hardened iron and like flint. You should not fear them, and you should not have dread before their face. For they are a provoking house.10And he said to me: "Son of man, listen with your ears, and take into your heart, all my words, which I am speaking to you11And go forth and enter to those of the transmigration, to the sons of your people. And you shall speak to them. And you shall say to them: ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ Perhaps it may be that they will listen and be quieted.12And the Spirit took me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great commotion, saying, "Blessed is the glory of the Lord from his place,13and the voice of the wings of the living creatures striking against one another, and the voice of the wheels following the living creatures, and the voice of a great commotion14Then the Spirit lifted me and took me away. And I went forth in bitterness, with the indignation of my spirit. For the hand of the Lord was with me, strengthening me15And I went to those of the transmigration, to the stockpile of new crops, to those who were living beside the river Chebar. And I sat where they were sitting. And I remained there for seven days, while mourning in their midst16Then, when seven days had passed, the word of the Lord came to me, saying17"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. And so, you shall listen to the word from my mouth, and you shall announce it to them from me18If, when I say to the impious man, ‘You shall certainly die,’ you do not announce it to him, and you do not speak so that he may turn aside from his impious way and live, then the same impious man will die in his iniquity. But I will attribute his blood to your hand19But if you announce it to the impious man, and he is not converted from his impiety and from his impious way, then indeed he will die in his iniquity. But you will have delivered your own soul20Moreover, if the just man turns aside from his justice and commits iniquity, I will place a stumbling block before him. He shall die, because you have not announced to him. He shall die in his sin, and his justices that he did shall not be remembered. Yet truly, I will attribute his blood to your hand21But if you announce to the just man, so that the just man may not sin, and he does not sin, then he shall certainly live, because you have announced to him. And you will have delivered your own soul.22And the hand of the Lord was over me. And he said to me: "Rise up, and go out to the plain, and there I will speak with you.23And I rose up, and I went out to the plain. And behold, the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory that I saw beside the river Chebar. And I fell upon my face24And the Spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet. And he spoke to me, and he said to me: "Enter and enclose yourself in the midst of your house25And as for you, son of man, behold: they shall put chains upon you and bind you with them. And you shall not go out from their midst26And I will cause your tongue to adhere to the roof of your mouth. And you will be mute, not like a man who reproaches. For they are a provoking house27But when I will speak to you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them: ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ Whoever is listening, let him hear. And whoever is quieted, let him be quieted. For they are a provoking house.
1"And as for you, son of man, take up for yourself a tablet, and you shall set it before you. And you shall draw upon it the city of Jerusalem2And you shall set up a blockade against it, and you shall build fortifications, and you shall put together a rampart, and you shall encamp opposite it, and you shall place battering rams around it3And you shall take up for yourself an iron frying pan, and place it as an iron wall between you and the city. And harden your face against it, and it shall be under a siege, and you shall surround it. This is a sign to the house of Israel4And you shall sleep on your left side. And you shall place the iniquities of the house of Israel on it by the number of days that you will sleep on it. And you shall take upon yourself their iniquity5For I have given to you the years of their iniquity, by the number of the days: three hundred and ninety days. And you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel6And when you will have completed this, you shall sleep a second time, on your right side, and you shall assume the iniquity of the house of Judah for forty days: one day for each year; one day, I say, for each year, have I given to you7And you shall turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and your arm shall be extended. And you shall prophesy against it8Behold, I have surrounded you with chains. And you shall not turn yourself from one side to the other side, until you have completed the days of your siege9And you shall take for yourself wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and vetch. And you shall set them in one vessel, and you shall make for yourself bread by the number of days that you will sleep upon your side: three hundred and ninety days shall you shall eat from it10But your food, which you will eat, shall be in weight twenty staters a day. You shall eat it from time to time11And you shall drink water by measure, one sixth part of a hin. You shall drink it from time to time12And you shall eat it like barley bread baked under ashes. And you shall cover it, in their sight, with the dung that goes out of a man.13And the Lord said: "So shall the sons of Israel eat their bread, polluted among the Gentiles, to whom I will cast them out.14And I said: "Alas, alas, alas, O Lord God! Behold, my soul has not been polluted, and from my infancy even until now, I have not eaten anything that has died of itself, nor that which has been torn up by beasts, and no unclean flesh at all has entered into my mouth.15And he said to me: "Behold, I have given to you cow manure in place of human dung, and you shall make your bread with it.16And he said to me: "Son of man, behold: I will crush the staff of bread in Jerusalem. And they will eat bread by weight and with anxiety. And they will drink water by measure and with anguish17So then, when bread and water fail, each one may fall against his brother. And they shall waste away in their iniquities.