< Ezekiel 10 >
1 And I looked and saw above the expanse, above the heads of the cherubim, the likeness of a throne of sapphire.
Then I looked, and, behold, upon the firmament that was over the head of the cherubim, there appeared above them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.
2 And the LORD said to the man clothed in linen, “Go inside the wheelwork beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And as I watched, he went in.
And He spoke unto the man clothed in linen, and said: 'Go in between the wheelwork, even under the cherub, and fill both thy hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and dash them against the city.' And he went in in my sight.
3 Now when the man went in, the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple, and a cloud filled the inner court.
Now the cherubim stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court.
4 Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim and stood over the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD.
And the glory of the LORD mounted up from the cherub to the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD'S glory.
5 The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks.
And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of God Almighty when He speaketh.
6 When the LORD commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man went in and stood beside a wheel.
And it came to pass, when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying: 'Take fire from between the wheelwork, from between the cherubim', that he went in, and stood beside a wheel.
7 Then one of the cherubim reached out his hand and took some of the fire that was among them. And he put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who received it and went out.
And the cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubim unto the fire that was between the cherubim, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed in linen, who took it and went out.
8 (The cherubim appeared to have the form of human hands under their wings.)
And there appeared in the cherubim the form of a man's hand under their wings.
9 Then I looked and saw four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub. And the wheels gleamed like a beryl stone.
And I looked, and behold four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside one cherub, and another wheel beside another cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone.
10 As for their appearance, all four had the same form, like a wheel within a wheel.
And as for their appearance, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been within a wheel.
11 When they moved, they would go in any of the four directions, without turning as they moved. For wherever the head faced, the cherubim would go in that direction, without turning as they moved.
When they went, they went toward their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went.
12 Their entire bodies, including their backs, hands, and wings, were full of eyes all around, as were their four wheels.
And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had.
13 I heard the wheels being called “the whirling wheels.”
As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing The wheelwork.
14 Each of the cherubim had four faces: the first face was that of a cherub, the second that of a man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle.
And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
15 Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures I had seen by the River Kebar.
And the cherubim mounted up — this is the living creature that I saw by the river Chebar.
16 When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them, and even when they spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not veer away from their side.
And when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them.
17 When the cherubim stood still, the wheels also stood still, and when they ascended, the wheels ascended with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
When they stood, these stood, and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them; for the spirit of the living creature was in them.
18 Then the glory of the LORD moved away from the threshold of the temple and stood above the cherubim.
And the glory of the LORD went forth from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim.
19 As I watched, the cherubim lifted their wings and rose up from the ground, with the wheels beside them as they went. And they stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the LORD, with the glory of the God of Israel above them.
And the cherubim lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight when they went forth, and the wheels beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD'S house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.
20 These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the River Kebar, and I knew that they were cherubim.
This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim.
21 Each had four faces and four wings, with what looked like human hands under their wings.
Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.
22 Their faces looked like the faces I had seen by the River Kebar. Each creature went straight ahead.
And as for the likeness of their faces, they were the faces which I saw by the river Chebar, their appearances and themselves; they went every one straight forward.