God's Glory Exits the Temple

1And I looked and saw above the expanse, above the heads of the cherubim, the likeness of a throne of sapphire. 2And the LORD said to the man clothed in linen, “Go inside the wheelwork beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And as I watched, he went in.

3Now when the man went in, the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple, and a cloud filled the inner court. 4Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim and stood over the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD. 5The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks.

6When the LORD commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man went in and stood beside a wheel. 7Then one of the cherubim reached out his hand and took some of the fire that was among them. And he put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who received it and went out. 8(The cherubim appeared to have the form of human hands under their wings.)

9Then I looked and saw four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub. And the wheels gleamed like a beryl stone. 10As for their appearance, all four had the same form, like a wheel within a wheel. 11When they moved, they would go in any of the four directions, without turning as they moved. For wherever the head faced, the cherubim would go in that direction, without turning as they moved. 12Their entire bodies, including their backs, hands, and wings, were full of eyes all around, as were their four wheels. 13I heard the wheels being called “the whirling wheels.” 14Each of the cherubim had four faces: the first face was that of a cherub, the second that of a man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle.

15Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures I had seen by the River Kebar. 16When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them, and even when they spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not veer away from their side. 17When the cherubim stood still, the wheels also stood still, and when they ascended, the wheels ascended with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

18Then the glory of the LORD moved away from the threshold of the temple and stood above the cherubim. 19As I watched, the cherubim lifted their wings and rose up from the ground, with the wheels beside them as they went. And they stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the LORD, with the glory of the God of Israel above them.

20These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the River Kebar, and I knew that they were cherubim. 21Each had four faces and four wings, with what looked like human hands under their wings. 22Their faces looked like the faces I had seen by the River Kebar. Each creature went straight ahead.