The Living Bible (260 page)

Ezekiel
10

Suddenly a throne of beautiful blue sapphire
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appeared in the sky above the heads of the Guardian Angels.
*

    
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 Then the Lord spoke to the man in linen clothing and said: “Go in between the whirling wheels beneath the Guardian Angels, and take a handful of glowing coals and scatter them over the city.”

    
He did so while I watched.
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 The Guardian Angels were standing at the south end of the Temple when the man went in. And the cloud of glory filled the inner court.
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 Then the glory of the Lord rose from above the Guardian Angels and went over to the door of the Temple. The Temple was filled with the cloud of glory, and the court of the Temple was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord.
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 And the sound of the wings of the Guardian Angels was as the voice of Almighty God when he speaks and could be heard clear out in the outer court.

    
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 When the Lord told the man in linen clothing to go between the Guardian Angels and take some burning coals from between the wheels, the man went in and stood beside one of the wheels,
^7-8
 and one of the Guardian Angels reached out his hand (for each of the mighty Angels had, beneath his wings, what looked like human hands) and took some live coals from the flames between the Angels and put them into the hands of the man in linen clothes, who took them and went out.

    
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 Each of the four Guardian Angels had a wheel beside him—“The Whirl-Wheels,” as I heard them called, for each one had a second wheel crosswise within—sparkling like chrysolite, giving off a greenish yellow glow. Because of the construction of these wheels,
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the Angels could go straight forward in each of four directions; they did not turn when they changed direction but could go in any of the four ways their faces looked. Each of the four wheels was covered with eyes, including the rims and spokes.
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 Each of the four Guardian Angels had four faces—the first was that of an ox;
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the second, a man’s; the third, a lion’s; and the fourth, an eagle’s.

    
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 These were the same beings I had seen beside the Chebar Canal, and when they rose into the air, the wheels rose with them and stayed beside them as they flew.
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 When the Guardian Angels stood still, so did the wheels, for the spirit of the Guardian Angels was in the wheels.
*

    
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 Then the glory of the Lord moved from the door of the Temple and stood above the Guardian Angels.
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 And as I watched, the Guardian Angels flew with their wheels beside them to the east gate of the Temple. And the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

    
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 These were the living beings I had seen beneath the God of Israel beside the Chebar Canal. I knew they were the same,
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 for each had four faces and four wings, with what looked like human hands under their wings.
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 Their faces too were identical to the faces of those I had seen at the canal, and they traveled straight ahead, just as the others did.

Ezekiel
11

Then the Spirit lifted me and brought me over to the east gate of the Temple, where I saw twenty-five of the most prominent men of the city, including two officers, Jaazaniah (son of Azzur) and Pelatiah (son of Benaiah).

    
Then the Spirit said to me, “Son of dust, these are the men who are responsible for all of the wicked counsel being given out in this city.
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 For they say to the people, ‘It is time to rebuild Jerusalem, for our city is an iron shield and will protect us from all harm.’
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 Therefore, son of dust, prophesy against them loudly and clearly.”

    
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 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon me and told me to say: “The Lord says to the people of Israel: Is that what you are saying? Yes, I know it is, for I know everything you think—every thought that comes into your minds.
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 You have murdered endlessly and filled your streets with the dead.”

    
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 Therefore the Lord God says: “You think this city is an iron shield? No, it isn’t! It will not protect you. Your slain will lie within it, but you will be dragged out and slaughtered.
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 I will expose you to the war you have so greatly feared, says the Lord God,
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 and I will take you from Jerusalem and hand you over to foreigners who will carry out my judgments against you.
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 You will be slaughtered all the way to the borders of Israel, and you will know I am the Lord.
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 No, this city will not be an iron shield for you, and you safe within. I will chase you even to the borders of Israel,
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 and you will know I am the Lord—you who have not obeyed me but rather have copied the nations all around you.”

    
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 While I was still speaking and telling them this, Pelatiah (son of Benaiah) suddenly died. Then I fell to the ground on my face and cried out: “O Lord God, are you going to kill everyone in all Israel?”

    
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 Again a message came from the Lord:

    
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 “Son of dust, the remnant left in Jerusalem are saying about your brother exiles: ‘It is because they were so wicked that the Lord has deported them. Now the Lord has given us their land!’

    
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 “But tell the exiles that the Lord God says: Although I have scattered you in the countries of the world, yet I will be a sanctuary to you for the time that you are there,
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 and I will gather you back from the nations where you are scattered and give you the land of Israel again.
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 And when you return, you will remove every trace of all this idol worship.
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 I will give you one heart and a new spirit; I will take from you your hearts of stone and give you tender hearts of love for God,
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 so that you can obey my laws and be my people, and I will be your God.
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 But as for those now in Jerusalem
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who long for idols, I will repay them fully for their sins,” the Lord God says.

    
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 Then the Guardian Angels lifted their wings and rose into the air with their wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel stood above them.
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 Then the glory of the Lord rose from over the city and stood above the mountain on the east side.

    
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 Afterwards the Spirit of God carried me back again to Babylon, to the Jews in exile there. And so ended the vision of my visit to Jerusalem.
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 And I told the exiles everything the Lord had shown me.

Ezekiel
12

Again a message came to me from the Lord:

    
²
 “Son of dust,” he said, “you live among rebels who could know the truth if they wanted to, but they don’t want to; they could hear me if they would listen, but they won’t,
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 for they are rebels. So now put on a demonstration to show them what being exiled will be like. Pack whatever you can carry on your back and leave your home—go somewhere else. Go in the daylight so they can see, for perhaps even yet they will consider what this means, even though they are such rebels.
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 Bring your baggage outside your house during the daylight so they can watch. Then leave the house at night, just as captives do when they begin their long march to distant lands.
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 Dig a tunnel through the city wall while they are observing and carry your possessions out through the hole.
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 As they watch, lift your pack to your shoulders and walk away into the night; muffle your face and don’t gaze around. All this is a sign to the people of Israel of the evil that will come upon Jerusalem.”

    
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 So I did as I was told. I brought my pack outside in the daylight—all I could take into exile—and in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands. I went out into the darkness with my pack on my shoulder while the people looked on.
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 The next morning this message came to me from the Lord:

    
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 “Son of dust, these rebels, the people of Israel, have asked what all this means.
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 Tell them the Lord God says it is a message to King Zedekiah
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in Jerusalem and to all the people of Israel.
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 Explain that what you did was a demonstration of what is going to happen to them, for they shall be driven out of their homes and sent away into exile.

    
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 “Even King Zedekiah shall go out at night through a hole in the wall, taking only what he can carry with him, with muffled face, for he won’t be able to see.
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¹³
 I will capture him in my net and bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans; but he shall not see it,
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and he shall die there.
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 I will scatter his servants and guards to the four winds and send the sword after them.
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 And when I scatter them among the nations, then they shall know I am the Lord.
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 But I will spare a few of them from death by war and famine and disease. I will save them to confess to the nations how wicked they have been, and they shall know I am the Lord.”

    
¹⁷
 Then this message came to me from the Lord:

    
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 “Son of dust, tremble as you eat your meals; ration out your water as though it were your last,
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 and say to the people, the Lord God says that the people of Israel and Jerusalem shall ration their food with utmost care and sip their tiny portions of water in utter despair because of all their sins.
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 Your cities shall be destroyed and your farmlands deserted, and you shall know I am the Lord.”

    
²¹
 Again a message came to me from the Lord:

    
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 “Son of dust, what is that proverb they quote in Israel—‘The days as they pass make liars out of every prophet.’
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 The Lord God says: I will put an end to this proverb and they will soon stop saying it. Give them this one instead: ‘The time has come for all these prophecies to be fulfilled.’

    
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 “Then you will see what becomes of all the false predictions of safety and security for Jerusalem.
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 For I am the Lord! What I threaten always happens. There will be no more delays, O rebels of Israel! I will do it in your own lifetime!” says the Lord God.

    
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 Then this message came:

    
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 “Son of dust, the people of Israel say, ‘His visions won’t come true for a long, long time.’
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 Therefore say to them: ‘The Lord God says: All delay has ended! I will do it now!’”