Our daunce is turned into mourning.
The crowne is fallen from our head:
Woe unto us, that wee have sinned.

For this our heart is faint,

For these things our eyes are dimme.

Because of the mountaine of Zion, which is desolate,

The foxes walke upon it.

Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever:

Thy throne from generation to generation.

Wherefore doest thou forget us for ever,

And forsake us so long time?

Turne thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned:
Renew our dayes as of old.

But thou hast utterly reiected us :

Thou art very wroth against us.

CHAPTER
V

THE BOOKE OF THE PROPHET

EZEKIEL

CHAPTER I

OW it came to passe in the thirtieth yeere, in The time of the fourth moneth, in the fifth day of the Ezekiels prophecie at moneth, (as I was among the captives by the Chebar. river of Chebar) that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. In the fifth day of the moneth, (which was the fifth yeere of king Iehoiakins captivitie,) the word of the LORD came expresly unto Ezekiel the Priest, the sonne of Buzi, in the land of the Caldeans, by the river Chebar, and the hand of the LORD was there upon him. And I looked, and behold, a whirlewinde came out of the North, His vision a great cloude, and a fire infoulding it selfe, and a brightnesse was of foure Cherubims, about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof came the likenesse of foure living creatures, and this was their appearance: they had the likenesse of a man. And every one had foure faces, and every one had foure wings. And their feet were straight feet,

CHAPTER

I

Of the foure wheeles,

and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calves foot, and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brasse. And they had the handes of a man under their wings on their foure sides, and they foure had their faces and their wings. Their wings were ioyned one to another, they turned not when they went: they went every one straight forward. As for the likenesse of their faces, they foure had the face of a man, and the face of a lyon on the right side, and they foure had the face of an oxe on the left side: they foure also had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces and their wings were stretched upward, two wings of every one were ioyned one to an other, and two covered their bodies. And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to goe, they went and they turned not when they went. As for the likenesse of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coles of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and downe among the living creatures, and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went foorth lightning. And the living creatures ranne, and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

Now as I behelde the living creatures: behold one wheele upon the earth by the living creatures, with his foure faces. The appearance of the wheeles, and their worke was like unto the colour of a Berill: and they foure had one likenesse, and their appearance and their worke was as it were a wheele in the middle of a wheele. When they went, they went upon their foure sides: and they returned not when they went. As for their rings, they were so high, that they were dreadful, and their rings were full of eyes round about them foure. And when the living creatures went, the wheeles went by them: and when the living creatures were lift up from the earth, the wheels were lift up. Whithersoever the spirit was to goe, they went, thither was their spirit to goe, and the wheeles were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheeles. When those went, these went, and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheeles were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheeles. And the likenesse of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible chrystall, stretched foorth over their heads above. And 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. And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice

of the Almightie, the voice of speech, as the noise of an hoste: when they stood, they let downe their wings. And there was a voice from the firmament, that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let downe their wings.

CHAPTER

I

And above the firmament that was over their heads, was the like- and of the nesse of a Throne, as the appearance of a Saphyre stone, and upon glory of God. the likenesse of the Throne was the likenesse as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it: from the appearance of his loynes even upward, and from the appearance of his loynes even downeward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightnesse round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloude in the day of raine, so was the appearance of the brightnesse round about. This was the appearance of the likenesse 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.

A

CHAPTER II

commission:

ND he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feete, and I Ezekiels will speake unto thee. And the spirit entred into me, when hee spake unto me, and set me upon my feete, that I heard him that spake unto me: and hee said unto me, Sonne of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against mee: they and their fathers have transgressed against mee, even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stiffe hearted: I doe send thee unto them, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus sayth the Lord GOD. And they, whether they wil heare or whether they will forbeare, (for they are a rebellious house) yet shall know that there hath bene a Prophet among them.

And thou sonne of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid His instruction. of their wordes, though bryars and thornes be with thee, and thou doest dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their lookes, though they be a rebellious house. And thou shalt speake my words unto them, whether they will heare or whether they will forbeare, for they are most rebellious. But thou, sonne of man, heare what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth and eate that I give thee.

And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto mee, and loe, The roule of a roule of a booke was therein. And he spread it before me, and his heavie prophecie. it was written within and without, and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

4: AA

185

CHAPTER
III

Ezekiel eateth
the roule.

God encourageth him.

God sheweth

him the rule of prophecie.

MR

CHAPTER III

OREOVER he said unto me, Sonne of man, eate that thou findest: eate this roule, and goe, speake unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and hee caused me to eate that roule. And he said unto mee; Sonne of man, cause thy belly to eate, and fill thy bowels with this roule that I give thee. Then did I eate it, and it was in my mouth as honie for sweetnesse. And he said unto me, Sonne of man, goe, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speake with my words unto them. For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speach, and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel. Not to many people of a strange speach and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand: surely had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee: but the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard hearted. Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an adamant harder then flint have I made thy forehead feare them not, neither be dismayed at their lookes, though they be a rebellious house. Moreover he said unto me, Sonne of man, all my words that I shall speake unto thee, receive in thine heart, and heare with thine eares. And goe, get thee to them of the captivity, unto thy people, and speake unto them and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD, whether they will heare, or whether they will forbeare. Then the spirit tooke me up, and I heard behind me a voyce of a great rushing, saying; Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place. I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheeles over against them, and a noise of a great rushing. So the spirit lifted me up, and tooke me away, and I went in bitternesse, in the heate of my spirit, but the hand of the LORD was strong upon mee.

:

Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sate where they sate, and remained there astonished among them seven daies. And it came to passe at the end of seven dayes, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying; Sonne of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore heare the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked; Thou shalt surely die, and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warne the wicked from his wicked way to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquitie: but his blood will I require at thine

hand. Yet if thou warne the wicked, and he turne not from his wickednesse, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soule. Againe, when a righteous man doth turne from his righteousnesse and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling blocke before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sinne, and his righteousnesse which he hath done shal not be remembred: but his blood will I require at thine hand. Neverthelesse if thou warne the righteous man, that the righteous sinne not, and he doth not sinne; he shall surely live, because he is warned: also thou hast delivered thy soule.

CHAPTER

III

And the hand of the LORD was there upon me, and he said unto God shutteth me; Arise, goe forth into the plaine, and I will there talke with and openeth the Prophets thee. Then I arose and went forth into the plaine, and behold, the mouth. glory of the LORD stood there as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar, and I fell on my face. Then the spirit entred into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Goe shut thy selfe within thine house. But thou, O sonne of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not goe out among them. And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roofe of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumme and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house. But when I speake with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them; Thus saith the Lord GOD, He that heareth, let him heare, and he that forbeareth, let him forbeare for they are a rebellious house.

T

CHAPTER IIII

is shewed the

Ieroboam to the captivitie.

HOU also sonne of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before Under the thee, and pourtray upon it the citie, even Ierusalem, and type of a siege, lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a time from the mount against it: set the campe also against it, and set battering defection of rammes against it round about. Moreover take thou unto thee an yron panne, and set it for a wall of yron betweene thee and the city, and set thy face against it, and it shalbe besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it: this shalbe a signe to the house of Israel. Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquitie of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the dayes that thou shalt lie upon it, thou shalt beare their iniquitie. For I have layed upon thee the yeeres of their iniquitie, according to the number of the dayes, three hundreth and ninetie daies. So shalt thou beare the iniquitie of the house of Israel. And when thou hast accom