Chapter 10
God’s Glory Leaves the Temple. 1 Then I looked and observed that above the vault that was over the heads of the cherubim there was what appeared to be a sapphire in the shape of a throne. 2 The Lord said to the man clothed in linen, “Go within the wheels beneath the cherubim. Fill both of your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” As I looked on, the man entered.
3 The cherubim were standing on the right side of the temple as the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court. 4 Then the glory of the Lord rose from above the cherubim to the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the entire court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord. 5 The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far away as the outer court, like the voice of God when he speaks.
6 When the Lord had commanded the man dressed in linen to take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubim, the man entered and stood by one of the wheels. 7 Then one of the cherubim stretched out his hand to the fire in their midst, took up some of it, and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and then went outside. 8 The cherubim seemed to have under their wings what appeared to be a human hand.
9 As I looked on, I saw that there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub, and the wheels had the appearance of sparkling chrysolite. 10 As for their appearance, all four seemed to be identical, something like a wheel within a wheel.
11 When the cherubim moved, they went in any of the four directions without veering from their course. In whatever direction the front wheel faced, the others followed without swerving as they moved. 12 Their entire bodies—their backs, their hands, and their wings—were filled with eyes, as were their wheels.
13 As for the wheels, I heard them called “the wheelworks.” 14 Each one had four faces. The first face was that of a cherub, the second was that of a human, the third was that of a lion, and the fourth was that of an eagle.
15 The cherubim rose up—the identical living creatures that I had seen by the River Chebar. 16 When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when the cherubim lifted up their wings and rose from the ground, the wheels at their side did not veer. 17 When they stopped, the others stopped, and when they rose up, the others rose with them, for the Spirit of the living creatures was in them.
18 Then the glory of the Lord came forth from the threshold of the temple and paused above the cherubim. 19 The cherubim lifted up their wings, and I beheld them as they rose from the ground, with the wheels beside them. They halted at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the Lord, and the glory of the God of Israel was with them.
20 These were the living creatures that I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the River Chebar, and I knew that they were cherubim. 21 Each had four faces and four wings, and underneath their wings were what appeared to be human hands. 22 Their faces were identical to those I had seen by the River Chebar. Each one moved straight ahead.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 10:18
