The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

Make the chain; for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.

Wherefore I will bring the worst of the nations, and they shall possess their houses; I will also make the pride of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be profaned.

Horror cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.

Calamity shall come upon calamity, and rumour shall be upon rumour; and they shall seek a vision of the prophet, and instruction shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders.

The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with appalment, and the hands of the people of the land shall be enfeebled; I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.'

And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.

Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins and downward, fire; and from his loins and upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of electrum.

And the form of a hand was put forth, and I was taken by a lock of my head; and a spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the gate of the inner court that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.

Then said He unto me: 'Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north.' So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward of the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.

And He said unto me: 'Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel do commit here, that I should go far off from My sanctuary? but thou shalt again see yet greater abominations.'

And He brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.

Then said He unto me: 'Son of man, dig now in the wall'; and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.

And He said unto me: 'Go in, and see the wicked abominations that they do here.'

So I went in and saw; and behold every detestable form of creeping things and beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about.

And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, every man with his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.

Then said He unto me: 'Son of man, hast thou seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his chambers of imagery? for they say: The LORD seeth us not, the LORD hath forsaken the land.'

He said also unto me: 'Thou shalt again see yet greater abominations which they do.'

Then He brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz.

Then said He unto me: 'Hast thou seen this, O son of man? thou shalt again see yet greater abominations than these.'

And He brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.

Then He said unto me: 'Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here in that they fill the land with violence, and provoke Me still more, and, lo, they put the branch to their nose?

Therefore will I also deal in fury; Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in Mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.'

Then he called in mine ears with a loud voice, saying: 'Cause ye them that have charge over the city to draw near, every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.'

And, behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate, which lieth toward the north, every man with his weapon of destruction in his hand; and one man in the midst of them clothed in linen, with a writer's inkhorn on his side. And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar.

And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon it was, to the threshold of the house; and He called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writer's inkhorn on his side.

And the LORD said unto him: 'Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof.'

And to the others He said in my hearing: 'Go ye through the city after him, and smite; let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity;

slay utterly the old man, the young man and the maiden, and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.' Then they began at the elders that were before the house.

And He said unto them: 'Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain; go ye forth.' And they went forth, and smote in the city.

And it came to pass, while they were smiting, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said: 'Ah Lord GOD! wilt Thou destroy all the residue of Israel in Thy pouring out of Thy fury upon Jerusalem?'

Then said He unto me: 'The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of wresting of judgment; for they say: The LORD hath forsaken the land, and the LORD seeth not.

And as for Me also, Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will bring their way upon their head.'

And, behold, the man clothed in linen, who had the inkhorn on his side, reported, saying: 'I have done according to all that Thou hast commanded me.'

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

And there appeared in the cherubim the form of a man's hand under their wings.

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.

And as for their appearance, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been within a wheel.

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.

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.

As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing The wheelwork.

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.

And the cherubim mounted up — this is the living creature that I saw by the river Chebar.

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.

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.

And the glory of the LORD went forth from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim.

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.

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

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

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.

Then a spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the LORD'S house, which looketh eastward; and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; and I saw in the midst of them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.

And He said unto me: 'Son of man, these are the men that devise iniquity, and that give wicked counsel in this city;

that say: The time is not near to build houses! this city is the caldron, and we are the flesh.

Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.'

And the spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and He said unto me: 'Speak: Thus saith the LORD: Thus have ye said, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind.

Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD: Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron; but ye shall be brought forth out of the midst of it.

Ye have feared the sword; and the sword will I bring upon you, saith the Lord GOD.

And I will bring you forth out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you.

Ye shall fall by the sword: I will judge you upon the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

Though this city shall not be your caldron, ye shall be the flesh in the midst thereof; I will judge you upon the border of Israel;

and ye shall know that I am the LORD; for ye have not walked in My statutes, neither have ye executed Mine ordinances, but have done after the ordinances of the nations that are round about you.'

And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said: 'Ah Lord GOD! wilt Thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?'

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:

'Son of man, as for thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel, all of them, concerning whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said: Get you far from the LORD! unto us is this land given for a possession;

therefore say: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Although I have removed them far off among the nations, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet have I been to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they are come;

therefore say: Thus saith the Lord GOD: I will even gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.

And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh;

that they may walk in My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances, and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD.'

Then did the cherubim lift up their wings, and the wheels were beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

And a spirit lifted me up, and brought me in the vision by the spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from Me.

Then I spoke unto them of the captivity all the things that the LORD had shown me.

The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying:

'Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of the rebellious house, that have eyes to see, and see not, that have ears to hear, and hear not; for they are a rebellious house.

Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for exile, and remove as though for exile by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight; it may be they will perceive, for they are a rebellious house.

And thou shalt bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for exile; and thou shalt go forth thyself at even in their sight, as when men go forth into exile.

Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.

In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulder, and carry it forth in the darkness; thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground; for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.'

And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for exile, and in the even I digged through the wall with my hand; I carried out in the darkness, and bore it upon my shoulder in their sight.

And in the morning came the word of the LORD unto me, saying:

'Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee: What doest thou?

Say thou unto them: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Concerning the prince, even this burden, in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel among whom they are,

say: I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them — they shall go into exile, into captivity.

And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder, and go forth in the darkness; they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby; he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.

My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in My snare; and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.

And I will disperse toward every wind all that are round about him to help him, and all his troops; and I will draw out the sword after them.

And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.

But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the nations whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD.'

Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying:

'Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with anxiety;

and say unto the people of the land: Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel. They shall eat their bread with anxiety, and drink their water with appalment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein.