The Daily Audio Bible
Today's audio is from the GNT. Switch to the GNT to read along with the audio.
10 Suddenly a throne of beautiful blue sapphire[a] appeared in the sky above the heads of the Guardian Angels.
2 Then the Lord spoke to the man in linen clothing and said: “Go in between the whirling wheels beneath the Guardian Angels, and take a handful of glowing coals and scatter them over the city.”
He did so while I watched. 3 The Guardian Angels were standing at the south end of the Temple when the man went in. And the cloud of glory filled the inner court. 4 Then the glory of the Lord rose from above the Guardian Angels and went over to the door of the Temple. The Temple was filled with the cloud of glory, and the court of the Temple was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord. 5 And the sound of the wings of the Guardian Angels was as the voice of Almighty God when he speaks and could be heard clear out in the outer court.
6 When the Lord told the man in linen clothing to go between the Guardian Angels and take some burning coals from between the wheels, the man went in and stood beside one of the wheels, 7-8 and one of the Guardian Angels reached out his hand (for each of the mighty Angels had, beneath his wings, what looked like human hands) and took some live coals from the flames between the Angels and put them into the hands of the man in linen clothes, who took them and went out.
9-13 Each of the four Guardian Angels had a wheel beside him—“The Whirl-Wheels,” as I heard them called, for each one had a second wheel crosswise within—sparkling like chrysolite, giving off a greenish yellow glow. Because of the construction of these wheels,[b] the Angels could go straight forward in each of four directions; they did not turn when they changed direction but could go in any of the four ways their faces looked. Each of the four wheels was covered with eyes, including the rims and spokes. 14 Each of the four Guardian Angels had four faces—the first was that of an ox;[c] the second, a man’s; the third, a lion’s; and the fourth, an eagle’s.
15-16 These were the same beings I had seen beside the Chebar Canal, and when they rose into the air, the wheels rose with them and stayed beside them as they flew. 17 When the Guardian Angels stood still, so did the wheels, for the spirit of the Guardian Angels was in the wheels.[d]
18 Then the glory of the Lord moved from the door of the Temple and stood above the Guardian Angels. 19 And as I watched, the Guardian Angels flew with their wheels beside them to the east gate of the Temple. And the glory of the God of Israel was above them.
20 These were the living beings I had seen beneath the God of Israel beside the Chebar Canal. I knew they were the same, 21 for each had four faces and four wings, with what looked like human hands under their wings. 22 Their faces too were identical to the faces of those I had seen at the canal, and they traveled straight ahead, just as the others did.
11 1-2 Then the Spirit lifted me and brought me over to the east gate of the Temple, where I saw twenty-five of the most prominent men of the city, including two officers, Jaazaniah (son of Azzur) and Pelatiah (son of Benaiah).
Then the Spirit said to me, “Son of dust, these are the men who are responsible for all of the wicked counsel being given out in this city. 3 For they say to the people, ‘It is time to rebuild Jerusalem, for our city is an iron shield and will protect us from all harm.’[e] 4 Therefore, son of dust, prophesy against them loudly and clearly.”
5 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon me and told me to say: “The Lord says to the people of Israel: Is that what you are saying? Yes, I know it is, for I know everything you think—every thought that comes into your minds. 6 You have murdered endlessly and filled your streets with the dead.”
7 Therefore the Lord God says: “You think this city is an iron shield? No, it isn’t! It will not protect you. Your slain will lie within it, but you will be dragged out and slaughtered.[f] 8 I will expose you to the war you have so greatly feared, says the Lord God, 9 and I will take you from Jerusalem and hand you over to foreigners who will carry out my judgments against you. 10 You will be slaughtered all the way to the borders of Israel, and you will know I am the Lord. 11 No, this city will not be an iron shield for you, and you safe within. I will chase you even to the borders of Israel, 12 and you will know I am the Lord—you who have not obeyed me but rather have copied the nations all around you.”
13 While I was still speaking and telling them this, Pelatiah (son of Benaiah) suddenly died. Then I fell to the ground on my face and cried out: “O Lord God, are you going to kill everyone in all Israel?”
14 Again a message came from the Lord:
15 “Son of dust, the remnant left in Jerusalem are saying about your brother exiles: ‘It is because they were so wicked that the Lord has deported them. Now the Lord has given us their land!’
16 “But tell the exiles that the Lord God says: Although I have scattered you in the countries of the world, yet I will be a sanctuary to you for the time that you are there, 17 and I will gather you back from the nations where you are scattered and give you the land of Israel again. 18 And when you return, you will remove every trace of all this idol worship. 19 I will give you one heart and a new spirit; I will take from you your hearts of stone and give you tender hearts of love for God, 20 so that you can obey my laws and be my people, and I will be your God. 21 But as for those now in Jerusalem[g] who long for idols, I will repay them fully for their sins,” the Lord God says.
22 Then the Guardian Angels lifted their wings and rose into the air with their wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel stood above them. 23 Then the glory of the Lord rose from over the city and stood above the mountain on the east side.
24 Afterwards the Spirit of God carried me back again to Babylon, to the Jews in exile there. And so ended the vision of my visit to Jerusalem. 25 And I told the exiles everything the Lord had shown me.
6 Let us stop going over the same old ground again and again, always teaching those first lessons about Christ. Let us go on instead to other things and become mature in our understanding, as strong Christians ought to be. Surely we don’t need to speak further about the foolishness of trying to be saved by being good, or about the necessity of faith in God; 2 you don’t need further instruction about baptism and spiritual gifts[a] and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.
3 The Lord willing, we will go on now to other things.
4 There is no use trying to bring you back to the Lord again if you have once understood the Good News and tasted for yourself the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and know how good the Word of God is, and felt the mighty powers of the world to come, 6 and then have turned against God. You cannot bring yourself to repent again if you have nailed the Son of God to the cross again by rejecting him, holding him up to mocking and to public shame.
7 When a farmer’s land has had many showers upon it and good crops come up, that land has experienced God’s blessing upon it. 8 But if it keeps on having crops of thistles and thorns, the land is considered no good and is ready for condemnation and burning off.
9 Dear friends, even though I am talking like this I really don’t believe that what I am saying applies to you. I am confident you are producing the good fruit that comes along with your salvation. 10 For God is not unfair. How can he forget your hard work for him, or forget the way you used to show your love for him—and still do—by helping his children? 11 And we are anxious that you keep right on loving others as long as life lasts, so that you will get your full reward.
12 Then, knowing what lies ahead for you, you won’t become bored with being a Christian nor become spiritually dull and indifferent, but you will be anxious to follow the example of those who receive all that God has promised them because of their strong faith and patience.
13 For instance, there was God’s promise to Abraham: God took an oath in his own name, since there was no one greater to swear by, 14 that he would bless Abraham again and again, and give him a son and make him the father of a great nation of people. 15 Then Abraham waited patiently until finally God gave him a son, Isaac, just as he had promised.
16 When a man takes an oath, he is calling upon someone greater than himself to force him to do what he has promised or to punish him if he later refuses to do it; the oath ends all argument about it. 17 God also bound himself with an oath, so that those he promised to help would be perfectly sure and never need to wonder whether he might change his plans.
18 He has given us both his promise and his oath, two things we can completely count on, for it is impossible for God to tell a lie. Now all those who flee to him to save them can take new courage when they hear such assurances from God; now they can know without doubt that he will give them the salvation he has promised them.
19 This certain hope of being saved is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God himself behind the sacred curtains of heaven, 20 where Christ has gone ahead to plead for us from his position as our High Priest,[b] with the honor and rank of Melchizedek.
16 He called for a famine on the land of Canaan, cutting off its food supply. 17 Then he sent Joseph as a slave to Egypt to save his people from starvation. 18 There in prison they hurt his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar 19 until God’s time finally came—how God tested his patience! 20 Then the king sent for him and set him free. 21 He was put in charge of all the king’s possessions. 22 At his pleasure he could imprison the king’s aides and teach the king’s advisors.
23 Then Jacob (Israel) arrived in Egypt and lived there with his sons. 24 In the years that followed, the people of Israel multiplied explosively until they were a greater nation than their rulers. 25 At that point God turned the Egyptians against the Israelis; they hated and enslaved them.
26 But God sent Moses as his representative, and Aaron with him, 27 to call down miracles of terror upon the land of Egypt. 28 They[a] followed his instructions. He sent thick darkness through the land 29 and turned the nation’s water into blood, poisoning the fish. 30 Then frogs invaded in enormous numbers; they were found even in the king’s private rooms. 31 When Moses spoke, the flies and other insects swarmed in vast clouds from one end of Egypt to the other. 32 Instead of rain he sent down murderous hail, and lightning flashes overwhelmed the nation. 33 Their grapevines and fig trees were ruined; all the trees lay broken on the ground. 34 He spoke, and hordes of locusts came 35 and ate up everything green, destroying all the crops. 36 Then he killed the oldest child in each Egyptian home, their pride and joy—
27 Don’t brag about your plans for tomorrow—wait and see what happens.
2 Don’t praise yourself; let others do it!
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.