Ezekiel

Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.

1Then I looked. Above the open space over the heads of the cherubim was something like a throne of blue sapphire stone.

Note"Firmament" means the wide open space overhead. "Cherubims" is the old plural of cherub; today we say cherubim. They are winged living creatures shown here carrying God's presence.

2And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight.

2The LORD said to the man dressed in linen, "Go in among the wheels, under the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim, and scatter them over the city." I watched him go in.

3Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court.

3When the man went in, the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple, and a cloud filled the inner court.

NoteThe KJV says "the right side." In the Bible, directions are given as if you are facing east, so the right side is the south side.

4Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over 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.

4Then the glory of the LORD rose up from above the cherubim and stopped over the doorway of the temple. The cloud filled the temple, and the bright light of the LORD's glory filled the court.

5And the sound of the cherubims’ wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh.

5The sound of the cherubim's wings could be heard all the way out in the outer court. It sounded like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.

6And it came to pass, that when he had commanded the man clothed with linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubims; then he went in, and stood beside the wheels.

6The LORD had commanded the man dressed in linen, "Take fire from among the wheels, from among the cherubim." So the man went in and stood beside a wheel.

7And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubims unto the fire that was between the cherubims, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen: who took it, and went out.

7Then one of the cherubim reached out his hand toward the fire that was among them. He took some of it and put it into the hands of the man dressed in linen, who took it and went out.

8And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man’s hand under their wings.

8The cherubim appeared to have something shaped like human hands under their wings.

9And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone.

9Then I looked and saw four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel next to each cherub. The wheels shone like a beryl stone, a pale green gem.

10And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel.

10All four wheels looked alike. Each one looked like a wheel set inside another wheel.

11When they went, they went upon 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.

11When they moved, they could go in any of the four directions without turning. Wherever the head faced, they went that way, without turning as they moved.

12And 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.

12Their whole bodies were covered with eyes all around, including their backs, their hands, and their wings. The four wheels were covered with eyes too.

13As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O wheel.

13I heard someone call the wheels "the whirling wheels."

NoteThe KJV reads "O wheel," which sounds like someone calling out to a wheel. The Hebrew word is a name for the wheels themselves: the whirling wheels.

14And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a 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.

14Each of the cherubim had four faces. The first was the face of a cherub, the second a man's face, the third a lion's face, and the fourth an eagle's face.

15And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.

15Then the cherubim rose up from the ground. These were the living creatures I had seen by the Chebar River.

16And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them.

16When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them. Even when the cherubim spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels stayed right at their side.

17When they stood, these stood; and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also: for the spirit of the living creature was in them.

17When the cherubim stood still, the wheels stood still. When the cherubim rose up, the wheels rose with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

18Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.

18Then the glory of the LORD moved away from the doorway of the temple and stopped above the cherubim.

19And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one 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.

19As I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground, with the wheels beside them. They stopped at the east gate of the LORD's house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

20This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims.

20These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the Chebar River. Now I knew that they were cherubim.

21Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.

21Each one had four faces and four wings, with what looked like human hands under their wings.

22And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward.

22Their faces looked just like the faces I had seen by the Chebar River. Each creature moved straight ahead.