The Daily RootedHome StoriesGradesChurchesWhat's NewAbout

Ezekiel

48 chapters. Pick a chapter, then pick a grade.

Pick a chapter

48 of 48 ready to print. Gray numbers are coming soon.

Chapters

Chapter 1Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 1: Visions of God by the River

Ezekiel was a priest living among the captives by the river Chebar in the land of the Chaldeans. He says the heavens were opened and he saw visions of God. In his vision a stormy wind and a great cloud with fire came out of the north. He describes four living creatures, each with four faces and four wings, and wheels beside them full of eyes. Wherever the spirit went, they went. Above them he saw the likeness of a throne and a brightness like a rainbow in the clouds. This was the appearance of the likeness of Yahweh's glory, and Ezekiel fell on his face.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 2Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 2: Ezekiel Is Sent

The voice Ezekiel heard told him to stand on his feet, and the Spirit entered into him and set him on his feet. God called him son of man and sent him to the children of Israel, a rebellious nation. Whether they would hear or refuse, they would know a prophet had been among them. God told Ezekiel not to be afraid of their words or their looks, and not to be rebellious himself. Ezekiel says he then saw a hand stretched out to him holding a scroll, written inside and out with lamentations, mourning, and woe.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 3Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 3: Sweet as Honey

God told Ezekiel to eat the scroll and then speak to the house of Israel. Ezekiel ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in his mouth. God said Israel would not listen, because they would not listen to God, but he made Ezekiel's forehead hard like a diamond so he would not be afraid. The Spirit lifted him up, and he heard a voice saying, Blessed be Yahweh's glory from his place. Ezekiel sat among the captives at Tel Aviv for seven days. Then God made him a watchman to warn the people. In the plain he saw Yahweh's glory again, and God told him he would speak only when God opened his mouth.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 4Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 4: A Picture on a Brick

God told Ezekiel to act out a message. He drew the city of Jerusalem on a tile and set up a pretend siege around it, with an iron pan as a wall between himself and the city. This was a sign to the house of Israel. Ezekiel was to lie on his left side for three hundred ninety days for Israel and on his right side forty days for Judah, a day for each year. He was to eat simple bread by weight and drink water by measure, showing that food and water would become scarce in Jerusalem. When Ezekiel said he had never eaten anything unclean, God allowed him to bake his bread over cow's dung instead.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 5Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 5: A Few Kept Safe

God told Ezekiel to shave his head and beard and divide the hair into three parts with balances. The parts showed what would happen to the people of Jerusalem when the city fell. But Ezekiel was to take a small number of hairs and bind them in the folds of his robe, a sign that God would keep a few. God said he had set Jerusalem in the middle of the nations, but she had rebelled against his ordinances and statutes more than the nations around her. Because she had defiled his sanctuary, judgment would come, and the people would know that Yahweh had spoken.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 6Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 6: They Will Know God

God told Ezekiel to set his face toward the mountains of Israel and prophesy to them. The people had built high places and altars for idols on the hills and under green trees. God said these idols and altars would be broken. Yet he would leave a remnant among the nations. Those who escaped would remember God and how their hearts had turned away from him, and they would be sorry for the evil they had done. Again and again the chapter says the people would know that he is Yahweh.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 7Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 7: The End Has Come

God gave Ezekiel a message for the land of Israel: the end had come on the four corners of the land. God would judge the people according to their ways because of their sins and their idols. The day was near. Buying and selling would not matter. The trumpet would blow, but no one would go to battle. Silver and gold could not deliver them in the day of Yahweh's wrath. People would seek peace, a vision from the prophet, and counsel from the elders, but none would come. Then they would know that he is Yahweh.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 8Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 8: What Ezekiel Saw in the Temple

While the elders of Judah sat before Ezekiel in his house, Yahweh's hand fell on him. Ezekiel says the Spirit lifted him up and brought him in the visions of God to Jerusalem, where he saw the glory of the God of Israel. Then he was shown what the people were doing at the temple: an image of jealousy at the gate, seventy elders offering incense to idols drawn on the wall in the dark, women weeping for Tammuz, and about twenty-five men with their backs toward Yahweh's temple worshiping the sun. The elders said Yahweh did not see them. God said these great abominations were driving him far from his sanctuary.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 9Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 9: A Mark for Those Who Care

The vision continued. Ezekiel says he saw six men come in, and among them a man clothed in linen with a writer's inkhorn by his side. The glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house. Yahweh told the man in linen to go through Jerusalem and set a mark on the foreheads of those who sigh and cry over all the abominations done in it. The others were sent to bring judgment on the city, but they were told not to come near anyone with the mark. Ezekiel fell on his face and cried out for the remnant of Israel. God answered that the iniquity of the land was exceedingly great. The man in linen reported that he had done as he was commanded.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 10Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 10: The Glory Moves to the Door

The vision continued. Ezekiel says he looked and saw above the cherubim something like a sapphire stone, like a throne. The man clothed in linen was told to take coals of fire from between the whirling wheels and scatter them over the city. Yahweh's glory rose from the cherub and stood over the threshold of the house, and the court was full of the brightness of Yahweh's glory. Ezekiel describes the cherubim again: four faces, four wings, hands under their wings, and wheels full of eyes, like a wheel within a wheel. He knew they were the same living creatures he had seen by the river Chebar. Then Yahweh's glory went out from the threshold and stood over the cherubim at the east gate of Yahweh's house.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 11Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 11: A New Heart Promised

Ezekiel says the Spirit brought him to the east gate of Yahweh's house, where twenty-five men, including leaders of the people, gave wicked counsel in the city. They claimed Jerusalem was a cauldron and they were the meat, safe inside. God told Ezekiel to prophesy against them. As Ezekiel prophesied, Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died, and Ezekiel cried out for the remnant of Israel. Then God gave a promise for the exiles: he would be a sanctuary to them for a little while in the countries where they had gone. He would gather them, give them the land of Israel, and give them one heart and a new spirit, taking away the stony heart and giving a heart of flesh. They would be his people, and he would be their God. Then the glory of God went up from the city and stood on the mountain on the east side. The vision ended, and Ezekiel told the captives all that Yahweh had shown him.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 12Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 12: Ezekiel Packs His Bags

God told Ezekiel that he lived among a rebellious house who had eyes to see but did not see, and ears to hear but did not hear. So God asked Ezekiel to act out a sign. By day, in their sight, Ezekiel brought out his baggage as if moving away. In the evening he dug through the wall with his hand and carried his bag out on his shoulder in the dark, covering his face. When the people asked what he was doing, God told him to say that he was a sign: the people of Jerusalem and their prince would go into exile in the same way. God also told Ezekiel to eat his bread with trembling as a sign of the fear to come. Finally, God answered the people's proverb that visions never come true. He said that none of his words would be delayed any longer; the word he speaks will be performed.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 13Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 13: Prophets Who Said Peace

God told Ezekiel to prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesied out of their own heart and had seen nothing. They were like foxes in the waste places. They had not gone up into the gaps or built up the wall for the house of Israel. They claimed to speak for Yahweh, but Yahweh had not sent them. They told the people there was peace when there was no peace, like people covering a weak wall with whitewash. God said a storm would come and the wall would fall, and everyone would see that the plaster could not hold it. God also spoke against women who practiced magic and lied to his people for handfuls of barley and pieces of bread. God promised to deliver his people out of their hands, because their lies had grieved the righteous and encouraged the wicked not to turn from their way.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 14Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 14: Idols in the Heart

Some of the elders of Israel came and sat before Ezekiel. God told him that these men had taken their idols into their heart and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face. Should they inquire of God at all? God called the house of Israel to return and turn from their idols and abominations, so that they would no more go astray and would be his people and he would be their God. Then God spoke about a land that sins against him. Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they would deliver only their own souls by their righteousness. Yet God promised that a remnant would come out of Jerusalem, and when Ezekiel saw their ways, he would be comforted and know that God had not acted without cause.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 15Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 15: The Useless Vine

God asked Ezekiel a question about the vine tree. What is the vine more than any tree of the forest? Its wood cannot be used to make anything, not even a pin to hang a vessel on. When it is whole it is suitable for no work, and when the fire has burned both its ends, it is even less useful. God said the people of Jerusalem were like that vine wood. Israel had been planted to bear fruit for God, but they had not, so judgment would come and the land would be desolate, because they had acted unfaithfully.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 16Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 16: The Baby God Cared For

God gave Ezekiel a picture-story about Jerusalem. In the story, Jerusalem was like a newborn baby girl left alone in an open field, with no one to wash her, wrap her, or care for her. God passed by, saw her, and said to her, Live! He cared for her as she grew. He washed her with water, anointed her with oil, clothed her with embroidered work and fine linen, and gave her bracelets, a chain, earrings, and a beautiful crown. Her renown went out among the nations for her beauty, which came from God's majesty put on her. But she trusted in her beauty and turned away from God. She used the gifts he had given her to honor idols, and she was unfaithful to the covenant. God said her sin was greater even than Sodom's, whose people were arrogant and did not help the poor and needy. Yet the chapter ends with grace: God will remember his covenant made in the days of her youth, establish an everlasting covenant, and forgive all that she has done.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 17Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 17: Two Eagles and a Cedar

God told Ezekiel to tell a riddle to the house of Israel. A great eagle came to Lebanon, took the top of a cedar, and carried it to a city of merchants. Then he planted a seed of the land in fruitful soil beside many waters, and it grew into a low, spreading vine. But the vine bent its roots toward another great eagle. God asked whether it would prosper. Then God explained the riddle. The first eagle was the king of Babylon, who took Judah's king and nobles to Babylon and made a covenant with one of the royal family. But that king rebelled and sent to Egypt for horses and help, breaking his oath. God said he would not escape. Then God made a promise: he himself would take a tender twig from the top of the cedar and plant it on a high mountain of Israel. It would become a good cedar, and birds of every kind would dwell in its shade.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 18Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 18: Turn and Live

The people of Israel had a proverb: The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge. They meant they were being punished for their parents' sins. God said they would not use this proverb any more, because all souls are his. Each person is responsible before God. A man who is just, who walks in God's statutes, deals truly, gives bread to the hungry, and covers the naked, will surely live. If his son does wrong, the son is responsible for his own wrong. If that son's son sees his father's sins and does not do likewise, he will live. And if a wicked man turns from all his sins and does what is lawful and right, none of his transgressions will be remembered against him. God said he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but wants them to turn from their ways and live. So he called Israel to cast away their transgressions and make themselves a new heart and a new spirit. Therefore turn yourselves, and live!

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 19Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 19: A Song of Sadness

God told Ezekiel to take up a lamentation, a sad song, for the princes of Israel. In the song, their mother was a lioness who raised her cubs among young lions. One cub became a young lion who learned to catch prey, but the nations caught him and brought him with hooks to Egypt. She raised another cub, who also became fierce, but the nations spread their net over him and brought him to the king of Babylon. Then the song changes picture. The mother was like a fruitful vine planted by the waters, with strong branches fit for rulers. But she was plucked up in fury and cast down to the ground; the east wind dried up her fruit. Now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land, and has no strong branch to be a ruler's scepter. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 20Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 20: God Acted for His Name's Sake

In the seventh year, some elders of Israel came to inquire of Yahweh. God told Ezekiel to remind them of their fathers' history. In Egypt God chose Israel and swore to bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey, telling them to throw away their idols, but they rebelled. Yet God worked for his name's sake and brought them out into the wilderness. There he gave them his statutes, which if a man does, he will live in them, and his Sabbaths as a sign between him and them. Again they rebelled, and again God spared them for his name's sake. Their children also rebelled, and in the land they kept going to high places and idols. Now God promised that he would bring his people out of the countries, judge them face to face in the wilderness, cause them to pass under the rod, and bring them into the bond of the covenant. On his holy mountain they would serve him, and he would accept them like pleasant incense. They would remember their ways and know that he had dealt with them for his name's sake, not according to their wicked ways. The chapter closes with a word against the forest of the south.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 21Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 21: Sighing With a Broken Heart

God told Ezekiel to set his face toward Jerusalem and prophesy against the land. Judgment was coming, pictured as a sword drawn from its sheath. God told Ezekiel to sigh before the people with a broken heart, and when they asked why, to say it was because of the news that was coming. Ezekiel also showed how the king of Babylon would stand at a fork in the road and choose to go to Jerusalem. God told the prince of Israel that his crown would be removed: the low would be exalted and the high brought low. God said, I will overturn, overturn, overturn it. This also will be no more, until he comes whose right it is; and I will give it. A word of judgment against the Ammonites closes the chapter.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 22Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 22: Someone to Stand in the Gap

God told Ezekiel to judge Jerusalem and cause her to know all her abominations. The city had shed blood and made idols. Her leaders used their power to harm others. People despised their parents, oppressed the foreigner, and wronged the fatherless and the widow. They despised God's holy things, profaned his Sabbaths, took bribes, and forgot God. God said the house of Israel had become like dross, the waste left when silver is refined, and he would gather them into Jerusalem as into a furnace. Every group had failed: the prophets covered sin with whitewash and false visions, the priests made no difference between holy and common, the princes were like wolves seeking dishonest gain, and the people of the land oppressed the poor and needy. God said, I sought for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 23Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 23: Two Sisters Who Turned Away

God gave Ezekiel a picture-story about two sisters, the daughters of one mother. Their names were Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister. God explained that Oholah stood for Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom, and Oholibah stood for Jerusalem. Both belonged to God, but both turned away from him. Instead of trusting God, they ran after the powerful nations around them, first Egypt, then Assyria, then Babylon, and took up those nations' idols. Samaria fell to Assyria. Jerusalem saw what happened to her sister, but she did not learn; she turned away even more. God said Jerusalem had forgotten him and cast him behind her back. They had defiled his sanctuary and profaned his Sabbaths. Because Jerusalem walked in her sister's way, she would drink the same cup of sorrow, and the people would know that he is the Lord Yahweh.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 24Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 24: Ezekiel Becomes a Sign

In the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day, God told Ezekiel to write down the name of the day, because the king of Babylon drew close to Jerusalem that very day. God gave Ezekiel a parable about a cooking pot set on the fire, a picture of Jerusalem under siege, whose rust would not come off. Then God told Ezekiel that he would take away the desire of his eyes, his dear wife, but that Ezekiel should not mourn in the usual public way. Ezekiel spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening his wife died. The next morning he did as he was commanded. When the people asked what this meant, Ezekiel told them that God would take away the temple, the desire of their eyes, and that they would be too stunned to mourn in the usual way. Ezekiel would be a sign to them. When a survivor came with the news, Ezekiel's mouth would be opened, and they would know that God is Yahweh.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 25Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 25: Words to the Neighbor Nations

Ezekiel's prophecies now turn to the nations around Israel. Ammon had said Aha! when God's sanctuary was profaned and Judah went into exile; they clapped their hands and rejoiced. God said Ammon's land would become pasture for camels and flocks. Moab and Seir said that the house of Judah was like all the nations, as if God's people were nothing special; God would bring judgment on Moab. Edom had taken vengeance on Judah, so God would lay his vengeance on Edom by the hand of his people Israel. The Philistines had acted with ancient hatred, and God would execute great vengeance on them. In each case the goal was the same: they will know that I am Yahweh.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 26Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 26: Tyre on the Rock

In the eleventh year, God spoke to Ezekiel about Tyre, a rich trading city on the coast and on an island. When Jerusalem fell, Tyre said Aha!, thinking Jerusalem's loss would be its gain. God said he would bring many nations against Tyre like the sea brings up its waves. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon would come with horses and chariots. Tyre's walls and towers would be broken down, and the city would become a bare rock, a place for spreading fishing nets. God said he would cause the noise of Tyre's songs to cease, and the sound of its harps would not be heard any more. The islands would tremble at Tyre's fall, and the princes of the sea would mourn.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 27Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 27: The Ship Called Tyre

God told Ezekiel to take up a lamentation, a sad song, over Tyre. Tyre had said, I am perfect in beauty. God pictured Tyre as a magnificent ship. Its planks were cypress from Senir, its mast a cedar from Lebanon, its oars oak from Bashan, and its sails fine linen from Egypt. Men from Sidon and Arvad were its rowers. Traders from many lands brought silver, iron, tin, horses, ivory, ebony, spices, wool, and precious stones. The ships of Tarshish carried its goods. But the east wind broke the ship in the heart of the seas, and all its riches, sailors, and merchants sank with it. Sailors and kings on every coast wailed in grief, and the merchants hissed at Tyre's terrible end.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 28Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 28: The Proud King of Tyre

God told Ezekiel to speak to the prince of Tyre. His heart was lifted up, and he said, I am a god, I sit in the seat of God. He was wise and had gained gold and silver by his trading, but he was a man and not God. God said strangers would bring him down. Then God told Ezekiel to sing a lament over the king of Tyre, describing him in words that recall Eden: full of wisdom, perfect in beauty, adorned with precious stones, set like a guardian cherub on God's holy mountain. But unrighteousness was found in him; his heart was lifted up because of his beauty, and God cast him down. God also spoke against Sidon. Then God promised to gather the house of Israel from the nations. They would dwell securely in their own land, build houses, and plant vineyards, and they would know that he is Yahweh their God.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 29Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 29: Egypt the Reed

In the tenth year, God told Ezekiel to prophesy against Pharaoh king of Egypt. Pharaoh was like a great monster lying in the Nile, saying, My river is my own, and I have made it for myself. God said he would draw him out of the river. Egypt had been a staff of reed to the house of Israel: when Israel leaned on it for help, it broke and hurt them. Because of Egypt's pride, the land would be desolate for forty years. At the end of forty years, God would gather the Egyptians again, but Egypt would be a lowly kingdom and would never again be the one Israel trusted. In the twenty-seventh year, God told Ezekiel that he would give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar as payment for his long work against Tyre. On that day God would make a horn sprout for Israel and open Ezekiel's mouth among them.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 30Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 30: The Day of the Lord for Egypt

God told Ezekiel to call out, Alas for the day! The day of Yahweh was near, a day of clouds and a time of the nations. Egypt and the nations that helped it, such as Cush, Put, and Lud, would fall. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon would bring an end to Egypt's great crowds, and God would dry up the Nile canals and bring down Egypt's idols and cities, including Pathros, Zoan, No, Sin, and On. In the eleventh year, God told Ezekiel he had broken the arm of Pharaoh. God would strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and break Pharaoh's arms, and the Egyptians would be scattered among the nations. Then they would know that he is Yahweh.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 31Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 31: The Great Cedar Tree

In the eleventh year, God told Ezekiel to ask Pharaoh whom he was like in his greatness. God described Assyria as a magnificent cedar of Lebanon. Its branches were beautiful, it grew tall because of the many waters, birds nested in its boughs, animals gave birth under its branches, and great nations lived in its shade. No tree in the garden of God was as beautiful; the trees of Eden envied it. But because its heart was lifted up by its height, God gave it into the hands of the mighty one of the nations. It was cut down, and its branches lay broken on the mountains and in the valleys. The nations shook at the sound of its fall. God told Pharaoh that he would be brought down in the same way.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 32Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 32: A Lament for Pharaoh

In the twelfth year, God told Ezekiel to take up a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt. Pharaoh thought of himself as a young lion among the nations, but he was more like a monster in the seas, stirring up the waters and muddying the rivers. God said he would spread his net over Pharaoh and bring him up. He would cover the lights of the sky over Egypt with darkness, and many peoples would be troubled when they heard of Egypt's fall. The sword of the king of Babylon would come on Egypt. Afterward God would make Egypt's waters clear and its rivers run smooth like oil. In a second lament, God described Egypt going down to the realm of the dead to join other once-mighty nations, Assyria, Elam, Meshech, Tubal, Edom, and Sidon, who had spread terror in the land of the living but now lay humbled.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 33Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 33: The Watchman

God reminded Ezekiel that he was a watchman for Israel. A watchman who sees danger coming must blow the trumpet and warn the people; if they ignore the warning, it is their responsibility, but if the watchman keeps silent, he is responsible. God said that he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but wants the wicked to turn from their ways and live. He pleaded with them to turn from their evil ways. If a wicked person turns from sin and does what is right, none of his sins will be remembered against him. In the twelfth year, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came and told Ezekiel that the city had fallen. God opened Ezekiel's mouth, and he was no longer silent. Ezekiel also learned that the people listened to him like someone singing a lovely song, but did not obey. When his words came true, they would know that a prophet had been among them.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 34Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 34: God the Good Shepherd

God told Ezekiel to prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, the leaders who fed themselves instead of the flock. They ate the fat and wore the wool but did not strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind up the injured, bring back the strays, or seek the lost. So the sheep were scattered with no shepherd. God said he would rescue his flock from those shepherds. Then God said: Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. He would gather them from the countries, bring them to good pasture on the mountains of Israel, and make them lie down. He would seek the lost, bring back the strays, bind up the injured, and strengthen the sick. God would also judge between sheep and sheep, because some strong sheep pushed the weak aside. God promised to set up one shepherd, his servant David, over them, to make a covenant of peace, and to send showers of blessing in their season.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 35Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 35: Against Mount Seir

God told Ezekiel to set his face against Mount Seir, the mountain country of Edom. Edom had kept up a lasting hatred against Israel and had handed the Israelites over to the sword in the time of their disaster. Edom also said that the two nations and two countries, Israel and Judah, would be theirs to possess, even though Yahweh was there. Edom boasted against God and multiplied words against him, and God said, I have heard it. Because Edom rejoiced when Israel's inheritance became desolate, God said Edom would also become desolate. Then they would know that he is Yahweh.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 36Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 36: A New Heart and a New Spirit

God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the mountains of Israel. The enemy nations had mocked the land and taken it, but God said he was for the mountains of Israel. They would again grow branches and fruit, cities would be rebuilt, and people and animals would multiply. God explained that he had scattered Israel because they defiled the land, and that among the nations they had profaned his holy name. Now God would act for the sake of his holy name. He would gather his people, sprinkle clean water on them, and cleanse them from all their idols. He would give them a new heart and put a new spirit within them, taking away the heart of stone and giving a heart of flesh. He would put his Spirit within them so they would walk in his ways. The desolate land would become like the garden of Eden, and the people would know that he is Yahweh.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 37Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 37: The Valley of Dry Bones

Ezekiel says the hand of Yahweh was on him and the Spirit brought him out into a valley full of bones, very many and very dry. God asked him, Son of man, can these bones live? Ezekiel answered, Lord Yahweh, you know. God told him to prophesy to the bones. As Ezekiel spoke, there was a rattling sound, and the bones came together. Sinews and flesh came on them, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the breath. Breath came into them, they lived, and they stood up on their feet, an exceedingly great army. God explained that the bones were the whole house of Israel, who said their hope was lost. God would bring them up from their graves, put his Spirit in them, and bring them home. Then God told Ezekiel to join two sticks, one for Judah and one for Joseph, into one stick in his hand. God would make his people one nation under one king, his servant David, and make an everlasting covenant of peace. His dwelling place would be with them.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 38Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 38: Gog of Magog

God told Ezekiel to prophesy against Gog, of the land of Magog, prince of Meshech and Tubal. In the latter years, after Israel had been gathered back and was living securely in unwalled villages, Gog would gather a huge alliance of nations from the far north, with Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Togarmah, and come like a storm and a cloud covering the land, planning to take plunder. But God said he himself would bring Gog against his land so that the nations would know him when he showed himself holy through Gog. On that day there would be a great shaking in the land of Israel. God would defeat Gog with earthquake, confusion, pestilence, rain, hailstones, fire, and sulfur. God said: I will magnify myself and sanctify myself, and I will make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 39Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 39: God Will Not Hide His Face

God continued his word against Gog. He would strike the bow from Gog's hand and bring Gog's armies down on the mountains of Israel, and send fire on Magog. God said he would make his holy name known among his people Israel and not let it be profaned any more. The people of Israel would burn the weapons for seven years and would spend seven months cleansing the land. Then God turned to hope. God said he would reverse the captivity of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel. The nations would understand that Israel went into exile because of their sin, not because God was weak. God would gather them from the lands of their enemies, and none would be left behind. God said: I won't hide my face from them any more, for I have poured out my Spirit on the house of Israel.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 40Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 40: A Vision of a New Temple

In the twenty-fifth year of the exile, fourteen years after Jerusalem fell, Ezekiel says the hand of Yahweh was on him. In visions of God he was brought to the land of Israel and set on a very high mountain, where he saw something like the frame of a city. There he saw a man whose appearance was like bronze, holding a linen cord and a measuring reed. The man told Ezekiel to look with his eyes, hear with his ears, and set his heart on all he would be shown, so he could tell the house of Israel. The man measured the outer wall, the east gate with its guard rooms and porch, the outer court with its rooms and pavement, the north and south gates, the gates of the inner court, the tables for preparing offerings, the rooms for the singers and priests, and the inner court with the altar before the house. Finally he measured the porch of the temple itself.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 41Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 41: Inside the Temple

Ezekiel says the man brought him to the temple and measured its entrance, the nave, and the inner room. The man told him, This is the most holy place. Around the temple were side rooms in three stories, thirty in each story, growing wider as they went up. There was a raised base all around and a separate building to the west. The inside walls were paneled with wood from floor to windows. On the walls, from the ground to above the door, were carvings of cherubim and palm trees, with a palm tree between each cherub. Each cherub had two faces, a man's face toward one palm tree and a young lion's face toward the other. In front of the holy place stood an altar of wood, and the man said, This is the table that is before Yahweh. The temple and the sanctuary each had double doors that turned on hinges.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 42Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 42: Holy and Common

Ezekiel says the man brought him into the outer court to the rooms on the north side. These were long buildings in three stories, with walkways between them, and matching rooms stood on the south side. The man explained that these were holy rooms where the priests who drew near to Yahweh would eat the most holy offerings and keep the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. When the priests left the holy place, they were to take off the garments in which they ministered, because those garments were holy, and put on other clothes before going out to the people. Then the man measured the whole temple area on the east, north, south, and west sides, five hundred reeds on each side. It had a wall all around, to make a separation between that which was holy and that which was common.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 43Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 43: The Glory Returns

Ezekiel says the man brought him to the east gate, and he saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. God's voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. It was like the vision Ezekiel had seen by the river Chebar, and he fell on his face. Yahweh's glory came into the house by the east gate. The Spirit lifted Ezekiel into the inner court, and Yahweh's glory filled the house. Ezekiel heard God speaking from the temple, saying this was the place of his throne, where he would live among the children of Israel forever. Israel must no longer defile his holy name with idols. Ezekiel was to describe the temple to Israel so they would be ashamed of their sins and keep its laws. God said the law of the house was that the whole area on the mountaintop would be most holy. Then God gave the measurements of the altar and the seven days of offerings to cleanse and dedicate it, after which God would accept his people.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 44Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 44: The Shut Gate and the Priests

Ezekiel says the man brought him back to the outer east gate, and it was shut. God said the gate must remain shut, because Yahweh, the God of Israel, had entered by it. Only the prince could sit in it to eat bread before Yahweh. Then the man brought Ezekiel to the front of the temple, and he saw Yahweh's glory filling the house, and he fell on his face. God told Ezekiel to mark well the laws of the temple. In the past Israel had let foreigners who did not honor God serve in his sanctuary, and the Levites had gone astray after idols. So the Levites would serve as gatekeepers and helpers but would not come near the most holy things. The priests descended from Zadok, who stayed faithful when Israel went astray, would come near to minister before God. They would wear linen, keep themselves holy, and teach God's people the difference between the holy and the common and between the unclean and the clean. They would judge fairly and keep God's feasts. God himself would be their inheritance.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 45Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 45: Fair Measures

In the vision, God described how the land would be divided. A holy portion would be set apart for Yahweh, with the sanctuary in the middle and land for the priests and Levites. Beside it would be land for the city and for the prince. God told the princes of Israel to stop their violence and plunder, to do justice and righteousness, and to stop taking land from God's people. Everyone was to use just balances and honest measures: a just ephah and a just bath. The people would bring offerings to the prince, and the prince would provide the sacrifices for the feasts, new moons, and Sabbaths. God gave instructions for cleansing the sanctuary at the new year and for keeping the Passover and the feast in the seventh month.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 46Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 46: Worship at the Gate

In the vision, God gave rules for worship. The inner court's east gate would be shut on the six working days but opened on the Sabbath and on the day of the new moon. The prince would enter by the porch of the gate, stand by its post while the priests prepared his offerings, and worship at the threshold. The people of the land would worship at the door of that gate before Yahweh on the Sabbaths and new moons. At the appointed feasts, those who entered by the north gate would leave by the south gate, and those who entered by the south would leave by the north, so no one went back the way he came. The prince would go in and out among the people. Every morning a lamb would be offered as a continual burnt offering. The prince could give land as a gift to his sons, but he must not take the people's inheritance. Finally, the man showed Ezekiel the kitchens where the priests and ministers would boil the offerings.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 47Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 47: The River from the Temple

Ezekiel says the man brought him back to the door of the temple, and he saw water flowing out from under the threshold toward the east. The man measured a thousand cubits and led Ezekiel through water up to his ankles, then a thousand more to his knees, then to his waist. After another thousand, it was a river too deep to cross, water to swim in. On both banks Ezekiel saw very many trees. The man said the water would flow down to the Dead Sea and make its waters fresh. Wherever the river went, living things would live, and there would be very many fish. Fishermen would spread their nets along the shore. The trees by the river would bear fruit every month, because the water came from the sanctuary. Their fruit would be for food and their leaves for healing. Then God set the borders of the land and said it would be divided among the twelve tribes, with Joseph receiving two portions. Foreigners living among them would also receive an inheritance like the native-born.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5
Chapter 48Preschool–Grade 5

Ezekiel 48: The LORD Is There

The last chapter of Ezekiel divides the land among the twelve tribes, each receiving a strip running from east to west. Seven tribes were placed north of a central holy portion and five to the south. The holy portion held the sanctuary, land for the priests, land for the Levites, and land for the city, with the prince's land on either side. The city would have twelve gates, three on each side, each named after one of the tribes of Israel. The book ends with the city's new name: Yahweh is there.

Pre-KKGr 1Gr 2Gr 3Gr 4Gr 5

‹ All books