Their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. Wherefore I poured my fury upon them. 36:17
Trivia: Which of the sisters in Ezekiel 23 had her nose and ears cut off?
1:1-26
1Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God
2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,
3 The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.
Ezekiel said,
In the 30th year, the 4th month, and the 5th day of the month, the heavens opened and I saw God. [1]
4And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
A great fiery whirlwind came out of the north. [2]
5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.
Out of the mist appeared four creatures that looked like men.
6And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.
Each creature had four faces and four wings.
7And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.
They sparkled and had straight feet,
with soles like calves' feet.
8And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.
They had human hands under their wings on four sides.
9Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.
Their wings were joined together.
10As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.
Each creature had the face of a man, lion, ox, and eagle.
11Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
12 And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.
Their wings were stretched upward.
Two wings were joined together, and two covered their bodies.
13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
14And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
The creatures looked like coals, lamps, fire, and lightning.
15 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.
A wheel was on the ground by the creatures.
16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.
And there was a wheel within a wheel.
18As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.
The rings were dreadfully high,
and they had eyes round about all four of them.
19And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
Wherever the creatures went, the wheels went with them.
20 Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
Because the spirit of the creatures was in the wheels.
22 And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.
The firmament or terrible crystal stretched over their heads.
23And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.
Their wings were under the firmament.
24 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.
25 And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.
Their wings sounded like the voice of God from the firmament.
26And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
A man sat on a throne that was above the firmament.
1:27-28
27And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
I saw the man's loins both upward and downward.
His loins appeared to be on fire, with brightness round about.
28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
This appeared to be the glory of the Lord. [3]
When I saw it, I fell on my face.
And I heard a loud voice.
Ezekiel begins by telling us what day it is. It's the 30th year, 4th month, and 5th day. But the 30th year etc. of what exactly?
The next verse is more helpful in dating this, though. Ezekiel says that his vision took place in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, which would put it somewhere around 582 BCE, since Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon 587 BCE.
Ezekiel experiences what some say is the first recorded UFO sighting.
When Ezekiel saw God's loins ("the glory of the Lord"), which were on fire, he fell on his face.
(See 8:2 where Ezekiel gets to see God's loins again.)
