Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from the book of
Ezekiel, chapters 1, 2, and 3. Chapter 1. Now
it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the
fourth month, on the fifth day of the month,
as I was among the captives by the river Shabar,
that the heavens were opened and I saw visions
of God. On the fifth day of the month, which
was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity,
The word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel
the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the
Chaldeans by the river Shebar. And the hand of
the Lord was upon him there. Then I looked, and
behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north,
a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself.
And brightness was all around it, and radiating
out of its midst, like the color of amber out
of the midst of the fire. Also from within it
came the likeness of four living creatures, and
this was their appearance. They had the likeness
of a man. Each one had four faces and each one
had four wings. Their legs were straight and
the soles of their feet were like the soles of
calves' feet. They sparkled like the color of
burnished bronze. The hands of a man were under
their wings on their four sides, and each of
the four had faces and wings. Their wings touched
one another. The creatures did not turn when
they went. but each one went straight forward.
As for the likeness of their faces, each had
the face of a man, each of the four had the face
of a lion on the right side, each of the four
had the face of an ox on the left side, and each
of the four had the face of an eagle. Thus were
their faces. Their wings stretched upward. Two
wings of each one touched one another, and two
covered their bodies, and each one went straight
forward. They went wherever the spirit wanted
to go, and they did not turn when they went.
As for the likeness of the living creatures,
their appearance was like burning coals of fire,
like the appearance of torches going back and
forth among the living creatures. The fire was
bright, and out of the fire went lightning, and
the living creatures ran back and forth in appearance
like a flash of lightning. Now as I looked at
the living creatures, behold, a wheel was on
the earth beside each living creature with its
four faces. The appearance of the wheels and
their workings was like the color of beryl, and
all four had the same likeness. The appearance
of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in
the midst of a wheel. When they moved, they went
toward any one of four directions. They did not
turn aside when they went. As for their rims,
they were so high they were awesome, and their
rims were full of eyes. All around the four of
them. 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. Wherever the spirit wanted to go,
they went. because there the spirit went. And
the wheels were lifted together with them, for
the spirit of the living creatures was in the
wheels. When those went, these went. When those
stood, these stood. And when those were lifted
up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up
together with them, for the spirit of the living
creatures was in the wheels. The likeness of
the firmament above the heads of the living creatures
was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched
out over their heads, and under the firmament
their wings spread out straight one toward another.
Each one had two which covered one side, and
each one had two which covered the other side
of the body. When they went, I heard the noise
of their wings, like the noise of many waters,
like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like
the noise of an army. and when they stood still
they let down their wings a voice came from above
the firmament that was over their heads whenever
they stood they let down their wings and above
the firmament over their heads was the likeness
of a throne in appearance like a sapphire stone
on the likeness of the throne was a likeness
with the appearance of a man high above it also
from the appearance of his waist and upward i
saw as it were the colour of amber with the appearance
of fire all around within it and from the appearance
of his waist and downward i saw as it were the
appearance of fire with brightness all around
Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on
a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness
all around it. This was the appearance of the
likeness of the glory of the Lord. So when I
saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice
of one speaking. And he said to me, Son of man,
stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.
Then the Spirit entered me. when he spoke to
me and set me on my feet, and I heard him who
spoke to me. And he said to me, Son of man, I
am sending you to the children of Israel, to
a rebellious nation that has rebelled against
me. They and their fathers have transgressed
against me to this very day, for they are impudent
and stubborn children. I am sending you to them,
and you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord
God, As for them, whether they hear or whether
they refuse, for they are a rebellious house.
Yet they will know that a prophet has been among
them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of
them, nor be afraid of their words, though briars
and thorns are with you, and you dwell among
scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words or
dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious
house. You shall speak my words to them, whether
they hear or whether they refuse, for they are
rebellious. But you, son of man, hear what I
say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious
house. Open your mouth and eat what I give you.
Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched
out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was
in it. Then he spread it before me, and there
was writing on the inside and on the outside,
and written on it were lamentations and mourning
and woe. Chapter 3 Moreover he said to me, Son
of man, eat what you find. Eat this scroll and
go speak to the house of Israel. So I opened
my mouth and he caused me to eat that scroll.
And he said to me, Son of man, feed your belly
and fill your stomach with this scroll that I
give you. So I ate and it was in my mouth like
honey in sweetness. Then he said to me, Son of
man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words
to them. For you are not sent to a people of
unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to
the house of Israel. not to many people of unfamiliar
speech and of hard language, whose words you
cannot understand. Surely had I sent you to them,
they would have listened to you. But the house
of Israel will not listen to you, because they
will not listen to me. For all the house of Israel
are impudent and hard -hearted. Behold, I have
made your face strong against their faces, and
your forehead strong against their foreheads,
like adamant stone. Harder than flint I have
made your forehead. Do not be afraid of them,
nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are
a rebellious house. Moreover he said to me, Son
of man, receive into your heart all my words
that I speak to you, and hear with your ears,
and go get to the captives, to the children of
your people, and speak to them and tell them,
thus says the Lord God, whether they hear or
whether they refuse. Then the spirit lifted me
up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous
voice, Blessed is the glory of the Lord from
his place. I also heard the noise of the wings
of the living creatures that touched one another,
and the noise of the wheels beside them, and
a great thunderous noise. So the spirit lifted
me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness
in the heat of my spirit. But the hand of the
Lord was strong upon me. Then I came to the captives
at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the river Shabar. And
I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished
among them seven days. Now it came to pass at
the end of seven days that the word of the Lord
came to me, saying, Son of man, I have made you
a watchman for the house of Israel. Therefore
hear a word from my mouth, and give them warning
from me. When I say to the wicked, You shall
surely die, and you give him no warning, nor
speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way
to save his life, that same wicked man shall
die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require
at your hand. Yet if you warn the wicked, and
he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from
his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity,
but you have delivered your soul. Again, when
a righteous man turns from his righteousness
and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block
before him, he shall die, because you did not
give him warning. He shall die in his sin, and
his righteousness, which he has done, shall not
be remembered, but his blood I will require at
your hand. Nevertheless, if you warn the righteous
man that the righteous should not sin, and he
does not sin, he shall surely live because you
took warning. Also you will have delivered your
soul. Then the hand of the Lord was upon me there,
and he said to me, Arise, go out into the plain,
and there I shall talk with you. So I arose and
went out into the plain, and behold, the glory
of the Lord stood there, like the glory which
I saw by the river Shabar, and I fell on my face.
Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet,
and spoke with me and said to me, Go shut yourself
inside your house. And you, O son of man, surely
they will put robes on you and bind you with
them, so that you cannot go out among them. I
will make your tongue cling to the roof of your
mouth, so that you shall be mute and not be one
to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious house.
But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth,
and you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord
God, He who hears, let him hear, and he who refuses,
let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.