1 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 Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. ² In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, ³ the word of Jehovah came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of Jehovah was there upon him.

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⁴ And I looked, and, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, with a fire infolding itself, and a brightness round about it, and out of the midst thereof as it were glowing ^‍metal, out of the midst of the fire. ⁵ And out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man; ⁶ and every one had four faces, and every one of them had four wings. ⁷ 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 burnished brass. ⁸ And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings thus: ⁹ their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. ¹⁰ As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle. ¹¹ And their faces and their wings were separate above; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. ¹² And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; they turned not when they went. ¹³ As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches: the fire went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. ¹⁴ And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

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¹⁵ Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold, one wheel upon the earth beside the living creatures, for each of the four faces thereof. ¹⁶ The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto a beryl: and they four had one likeness; and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel within a wheel. ¹⁷ When they went, they went in their four directions: they turned not when they went. ¹⁸ As for their ^‍rims, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rims full of eyes round about. ¹⁹ And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. ²⁰ Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went; thither was the spirit to go: and the wheels were lifted up beside them; for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. ²¹ 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 beside them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

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²² And over the head of the living creature there was the likeness of a firmament, like the terrible crystal to look upon, stretched forth over their heads above. ²³ And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two which covered on this side, and every one had two which covered on that side, their bodies. ²⁴ And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a noise of tumult like the noise of a host: when they stood, they let down their wings. ²⁵ And there was a voice above the firmament that was over their heads: when they stood, they let down their wings.

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²⁶ 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 a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above. ²⁷ And I saw as it were glowing metal, as the appearance of fire within it round about, from the appearance of his loins and upward; and from the appearance of his loins and downward I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness round about him. ²⁸ 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 Jehovah. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

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2 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak with thee. ² And the Spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet; and I heard him that spake unto me. ³ And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to nations that are rebellious, which have rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me even unto this very day. ⁴ And the children are impudent and stiffhearted: I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah. ⁵ And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear (for they are a rebellious house), yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. ⁶ And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. ⁷ And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear; for they are most rebellious.

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⁸ But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that which I give thee. ⁹ And when I looked, behold, a hand was put forth unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; ¹⁰ and he spread it before me: and it was written within and without; and there were written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe. 3 ¹ And he said unto me, Son of man, eat that which thou findest; eat this roll, and go, speak unto the house of Israel. ² So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat the roll. ³ And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

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⁴ And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. ⁵ For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel; ⁶ not to many peoples ^‍of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, if I sent thee to them, they would hearken unto thee. ⁷ But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are of a hard forehead and of a stiff heart. ⁸ Behold, I have made thy face hard against their faces, and thy forehead hard against their foreheads. ⁹ As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. ¹⁰ Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thy heart, and hear with thine ears. ¹¹ And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

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¹² Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of Jehovah from his place. ¹³ And I heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, even the noise of a great rushing. ¹⁴ So the Spirit lifted me up, and took me away; and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; and the hand of Jehovah was strong upon me. ¹⁵ Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river Chebar, and to where they dwelt; and I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.

3 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, even Jesus; ² who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also was Moses in all his house. ³ For he hath been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by so much as he that built the house hath more honor than the house. ⁴ For every house is builded by some one; but he that built all things is God. ⁵ And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were afterward to be spoken; ⁶ but Christ as a son, over his house; whose house are we, if we hold fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end. ⁷ Wherefore, even as the Holy Spirit saith,

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To-day if ye shall hear his voice,
⁸ Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation,
Like as in the day of the trial in the wilderness,
⁹ Where your fathers tried me by proving me,
And saw my works forty years.
¹⁰ Wherefore I was displeased with this generation,
And said, They do always err in their heart:
But they did not know my ways;
¹¹ As I sware in my wrath,
^‍They shall not enter into my rest.

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¹² Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God: ¹³ but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin: ¹⁴ for we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end: ¹⁵ while it is said,

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To-day if ye shall hear his voice,
Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

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¹⁶ For who, when they heard, did provoke? nay, did not all they that came out of Egypt by Moses? ¹⁷ And with whom was he displeased forty years? was it not with them that sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? ¹⁸ And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that were disobedient? ¹⁹ And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief.

Jehovah’s care over all his works.

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104 Bless Jehovah, O my soul.
O Jehovah my God, thou art very great;
Thou art clothed with honor and majesty:
² Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment;
Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain;
³ Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters;
Who maketh the clouds his chariot;
Who walketh upon the wings of the wind;
⁴ Who maketh winds his messengers;
Flames of fire his ministers;
⁵ Who laid the foundations of the earth,
That it should not be moved for ever.
⁶ Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a vesture;
The waters stood above the mountains.
⁷ At thy rebuke they fled;
At the voice of thy thunder they hasted away
⁸ (The mountains rose, the valleys sank down)
Unto the place which thou hadst founded for them.
⁹ Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over;
That they turn not again to cover the earth.
¹⁰ He sendeth forth springs into the valleys;
They run among the mountains;
¹¹ They give drink to every beast of the field;
The wild asses quench their thirst.
¹² By them the birds of the heavens have their habitation;
They sing among the branches.
¹³ He watereth the mountains from his chambers:
The earth is filled with the fruit of thy works.
¹⁴ He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle,
And herb for the service of man;
That he may bring forth ^‍food out of the earth,
¹⁵ And wine that maketh glad the heart of man,
^‍And oil to make his face to shine,
And bread that strengtheneth man’s heart.
¹⁶ The trees of Jehovah are filled with moisture,
The cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;
¹⁷ Where the birds make their nests:
As for the stork, the fir-trees are her house.
¹⁸ The high mountains are for the wild goats;
The rocks are a refuge for the conies.
¹⁹ He appointed the moon for seasons:
The sun knoweth his going down.
²⁰ Thou makest darkness, and it is night,
Wherein all the beasts of the forest creep forth.
²¹ The young lions roar after their prey,
And seek their food from God.
²² The sun ariseth, they get them away,
And lay them down in their dens.
²³ Man goeth forth unto his work
And to his labor until the evening.

²⁴ He that hateth dissembleth with his lips;
But he layeth up deceit within him:
²⁵ When he speaketh fair, believe him not;
For there are seven abominations in his heart:
²⁶ Though his hatred cover itself with guile,
His wickedness shall be openly showed before the assembly.