Ezekiel in Babylon

1 ^aIn the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by ^bthe Chebar canal, ^cthe heavens were opened, and I saw ^dvisions of God.¹ 2 On the fifth day of the month (it was ^ethe fifth year of ^fthe exile of King Jehoiachin), 3 the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel ^gthe priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by ^bthe Chebar canal, and ^hthe hand of the Lord was upon him there.

The Glory of the Lord

4 As I looked, behold, ⁱa stormy wind came ^jout of the north, and a great cloud, with ^kbrightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, ^las it were gleaming metal.² 5 And from the midst of it came the likeness of ^mfour living creatures. ⁿAnd this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, 6 ^obut each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot. And they sparkled ^plike burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings ^qon their four sides ^rthey had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: 9 their wings touched one another. ^sEach one of them went straight forward, ^qwithout turning as they went. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, ^teach had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while ^utwo covered their bodies. 12 ^sAnd each went straight forward. ^vWherever the spirit³ would go, they went, without turning as they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was ^wlike burning coals of fire, ^wlike the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. ^xAnd the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living creatures ^ydarted to and fro, ^zlike the appearance of a flash of lightning.

15 ^aNow as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them.⁴ 16 ^aAs for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like ^bthe gleaming of beryl. ^cAnd the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. 17 ^dWhen they went, they went ^ein any of their four directions^{5 f}without turning as they went. 18 And their rims were tall and awesome, ^gand the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. 19 ^hAnd when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; ⁱand when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. 20 ^jWherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, ^jfor the spirit of the living creatures⁶ was in the wheels. 21 ^hWhen those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; ⁱand when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, ^jfor the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

22 Over the heads of the living creatures there was ^kthe likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring ^lcrystal, spread out above their heads. 23 And under the expanse their wings were ^mstretched out straight, one toward another. ⁿAnd each creature had two wings covering its body. 24 And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings ^olike the sound of many waters, like ^pthe sound of the ^qAlmighty, a sound of tumult ^rlike the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 And there came a voice from above ^sthe expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings.

26 And above the expanse over their heads there was ^tthe likeness of a throne, ^tin appearance ^ulike sapphire;⁷ and seated above the likeness of a throne was ^va likeness with a human appearance. 27 And ^wupward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were ^xgleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and ^ythere was brightness around him.⁸ 28 Like the appearance of ^zthe bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.

Such was the appearance of the likeness of ^athe glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, ^bI fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Ezekiel’s Call

1 And he said to me, ^c“Son of man,^{9 d}stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 2 And as he spoke to me, ^ethe Spirit entered into me and ^fset me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to ^gnations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. ^hThey and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. 4 The descendants also are ⁱimpudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ 5 And ^jwhether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are ^ga rebellious house) ^kthey will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, ^lbe not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, ^mthough briers and thorns are with you and you sit on ⁿscorpions.¹⁰ Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. 7 And you shall speak my words to them, ^jwhether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.

8 “But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. ^oBe not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and ^peat what I give you.” 9 And when I looked, behold, ^qa hand was stretched out to me, and behold, ^ra scroll of a book was in it. 10 And he spread it before me. And it had writing ^son the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.

1 And he said to me, ^c“Son of man, eat whatever you find here. ^tEat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” ^uThen I ate it, and it was in my mouth ^vas sweet as honey.

4 And he said to me, ^w“Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. ^xSurely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. 7 ^yBut the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel ^zhave a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. 8 ^aBehold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. 9 Like ^bemery harder than flint have I made your forehead. ^cFear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” 10 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, ^dall my words that I shall speak to you receive ^ein your heart, and hear with your ears. 11 And go to the exiles, ^fto your people, and speak to them and say to them, ^g‘Thus says the Lord God,’ ^hwhether they hear or refuse to hear.”

12 ⁱThen the Spirit¹¹ lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice¹² of ^ja great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from its place!” 13 It was the sound of the wings of ^kthe living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of ^la great earthquake. 14 ^mThe Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the ⁿhand of the Lord being strong upon me. 15 ^oAnd I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were dwelling ^oby the Chebar canal, and I sat where they were dwelling.¹³ And ^pI sat there ^qoverwhelmed among them ^rseven days.

A Watchman for Israel

16 ^sAnd at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: 17 ^t“Son of man, ^uI have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall ^vgive them warning from me. 18 ^wIf I say to the wicked, ^x‘You shall surely die,’ ^vand you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person ^yshall die for¹⁴ his iniquity, ^zbut his blood I will require at your hand. 19 ^aBut if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, ^bbut you ^cwill have delivered your soul. 20 ^dAgain, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, ^eand I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. ^vBecause you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, ^dand his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, ^zbut his blood I will require at your hand. 21 But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”

22 ^fAnd the hand of the Lord was upon me there. And he said to me, “Arise, go out into ^gthe valley,¹⁵ and ^hthere I will speak with you.” 23 So I arose and went out into the valley, and behold, ⁱthe glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory that I had seen ^jby the Chebar canal, ⁱand I fell on my face. 24 ^kBut the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house. 25 And you, O son of man, behold, ^lcords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that ^myou shall be mute and unable to reprove them, ⁿfor they are a rebellious house. 27 ^oBut when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ^p‘Thus says the Lord God.’ ^qHe who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.

Yodh

By Faith, or by Works of the Law?

1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? ^zIt was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly ^aportrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: ^bDid you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by ^chearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? ^dHaving begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by¹ the flesh? 4 ^eDid you suffer² so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and ^fworks miracles among you do so ^gby works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as ^hAbraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

7 Know then that it is ⁱthose of faith who are ^jthe sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that ^kGod would justify³ the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ^l“In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

10 For all who rely on works of the law are ^munder a curse; for it is written, ⁿ“Cursed be everyone who does not ^oabide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that ^pno one is justified before God by the law, for ^q“The righteous shall live by faith.”⁴ 12 But the law is not of faith, rather ^r“The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ ^sredeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ^t“Cursed is everyone who is hanged ^uon a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might ^vcome to the Gentiles, so that ^wwe might receive ^xthe promised Spirit⁵ through faith.

The Law and the Promise

15 ^yTo give a human example, brothers:^{6 z}even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now ^athe promises were made ^bto Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, ^c“And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came ^d430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as ^eto make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but ^fGod gave it to Abraham by a promise.

19 Why then the law? ^gIt was added because of transgressions, ^huntil the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was ⁱput in place through angels ^jby an intermediary. 20 Now ^kan intermediary implies more than one, but ^lGod is one.

21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For ^mif a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture ⁿimprisoned everything under sin, so that ^othe promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given ^pto those who believe.

23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, ^qimprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, ^rthe law was our ^sguardian until Christ came, ^tin order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus ^uyou are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as ^vwere baptized ^winto Christ have ^xput on Christ. 28 ^yThere is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave⁷ nor free, ^zthere is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And ^aif you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, ^bheirs according to promise.

Sons and Heirs

1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave,⁸ though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, ^cwere enslaved to the elementary principles⁹ of the world. 4 But ^dwhen the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, ^eborn ^fof woman, born ^gunder the law, 5 ^hto redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive ⁱadoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent ^jthe Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then ^kan heir through God.

Paul’s Concern for the Galatians

8 Formerly, when you ^ldid not know God, you ^mwere enslaved to those that by nature ⁿare not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather ^oto be known by God, ^phow can you turn back again to ^qthe weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? 10 ^rYou observe days and months and seasons and years! 11 I am afraid ^sI may have labored over you in vain.

12 Brothers,^{10 t}I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. ^uYou did me no wrong. 13 You know it was ^vbecause of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you ^wat first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me ^xas an angel of God, ^yas Christ Jesus. 15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I then become your enemy by ^ztelling you the truth?¹¹ 17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and ^anot only when I am present with you, 19 ^bmy little children, ^cfor whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ ^dis formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Example of Hagar and Sarah

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, ^eone by a slave woman and ^fone by a free woman. 23 But ^gthe son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while ^hthe son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two ⁱcovenants. ^jOne is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia;¹² she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But ^kthe Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,

28 Now you,¹³ brothers, ^mlike Isaac, ⁿare children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh ^opersecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, ^pso also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? ^q“Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but ^rof the free woman.