A reading from the book of Ezekiel.

Then I looked and behold, on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim,

there appeared above them something like a sapphire, an appearance like a throne,

and he said to the man clothed and linen,

Go in among the whirling wheels underneath the cherubim, fill your hands with burning coals from between the cherubim,

and scatter them over the city. And he went in before my eyes. Now the cherub were standing on the south side of the house when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court. And the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord, and the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks. And when he commanded the man clothed in linen, take fire from between the whirling wheels from between the cherubum, he went in and stood beside a wheel, and a cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubum to the fire that was between the cherubum,

and took some of it, and put it into the hands of the man clothed and linen, who took it and went

out. The cherubim appeared to have the form of a human hand under their wings. And I looked and

behold, there were four wheels beside the cherub

one beside each cherub, and the appearance of the wheels was like sparkling barrel. And as

for their appearance, the four had the same likeness, as if a wheel were within a wheel.

When they went, they went in any of their four directions, without turning as they went,

but in whatever direction the front wheel faced, the others, without turning as they went, but in whatever direction the front

wheel faced, the others followed, without turning as they went. And their whole body, their

rims and their spokes, their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all around, the wheels

that the four of them had. As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing the whirling wheels,

and everyone had four faces. The first face was the

face of the cherub, and the second face was a human face, and the third the face of a lion, and the

fourth the face of an eagle. And the cherubim mounted up. These were the living creatures that I saw

by the Chebar Canal. And 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 did not turn from beside them. When they stood still,

these stood still. And when they mounted up, these mounted up with them, for the spirit of the living

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