4Q73 Ezekiel^a

Language: Hebrew

Date: 50-25 B.C.

Location: Qumran Cave 4

Contents: Ezekiel 10:5-11:11; 23:14-15, 17-18, 44-47; 41:3-6

 

Ezekiel 10

5 The sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.

6 It came to pass, when he commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim,” that he went in, and stood beside a wheel. 7 The cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and took some of it, and put it into the hands of him who was clothed in linen, who took it and went out. 8 The form of a man’s hand hands appeared here in the cherubim under their wings.

9 I looked, and behold, there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside one cherub, and another wheel beside another cherub. The appearance of the wheels was like a beryl stone. 10 As for their appearance, the four of them had one likeness, like a wheel within a wheel. 11 When they went, they went in their four directions. They didn’t turn as they went, but to the place where the head looked they followed it. They didn’t turn as they went. 12 Their whole body, including their backs, their hands, their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes all around, even the wheels that the four of them had. 13 As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing, “the whirling wheels”. 14 Every one them had four faces. The first face was the face of the cherub. The second face was the face of a man. The third face was the face of a lion. The fourth was the face of an eagle.

15 The cherubim mounted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river Chebar. 16 When the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels also didn’t turn from beside them. 17 When they stood, these stood. When they mounted up, these mounted up with them; for the spirit of the living creature was in them.

18 Yahweh’s glory went out from over the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. 19 The cherubim lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight when they went out, with the wheels beside them. Then they stood at the door of the east gate of Yahweh’s house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

20 This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim. 21 Every one had four faces, and every one four wings. The likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings. 22 As for the likeness of their faces, they were the faces which I saw by the river Chebar, their appearances and themselves. They each went straight forward.

 

Ezekiel 11

1 Moreover the Spirit lifted me up, and brought me to the east gate of Yahweh’s house, which looks eastward. Behold, twenty-five men were at the door of the gate; and I saw among them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. 2 He said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity, and who give wicked counsel in this city; 3 who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses. This is the cauldron, and we are the meat.’

[..]

5 Yahweh’s Spirit fell on me, and he said to me, “Speak, ‘Yahweh says: “Thus you have said, house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind. 6 You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain.

7 “ ‘Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Your slain whom you have laid in the middle of it, they are the meat, and this is the cauldron; but you will be brought out of the middle of it. 8 You have feared the sword; and I will bring the sword on you,” says the Lord Yahweh. 9 “I will bring you out of the middle of it, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you. 10 You will fall by the sword. I will judge you in the border of Israel. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. 11 This will not be your cauldron, neither will you be the meat in the middle of it. I will judge you in the border of Israel.

[..]

Ezekiel 23

14 “She increased her prostitution; for she saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with red, 15 dressed with belts on their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like princes, after the likeness of the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth.

[..]

17 The Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their prostitution. She was polluted with them, and her soul was alienated from them. 18 So she uncovered her prostitution and uncovered her nakedness. Then my soul was alienated from her, just like my soul was alienated from her sister.

[..]

44 They went in to her, as they go in to a prostitute. So they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, the lewd women. 45 Righteous men will judge them with the judgment of adulteresses and with the judgment of women who shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.

46 “For thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘I will bring up a mob against them, and will give them to be tossed back and forth and robbed. 47 The company will stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords. They will kill their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire.

 

Ezekiel 41

3 Then he went inward and measured each post of the entrance, two cubits; and the entrance, six cubits; and the width of the entrance, seven cubits. 4 He measured its length, twenty cubits, and the width, twenty cubits, before the temple. He said to me, “This is the most holy place.”

5 Then he measured the wall of the house, six cubits; and the width of every side room, four cubits, all around the house on every side. 6 The side rooms were in three stories, one over another, and thirty in order. They entered into the wall which belonged to the house for the side rooms all around, that they might be supported, and not penetrate the wall of the house.