Ezekiel Chapter 1

The Vision of Four Figures

1Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the 1river Chebar among the exiles, the 2heavens were opened and I saw 34visions of God. 2(On the fifth of the month 5in the 6fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile, 3the 7word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the 8land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there 9the hand of the Lord came upon him.)

4As I looked, behold, a 10storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like 11glowing metal in the midst of the fire. 5Within it there were figures resembling 12four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human 13form. 6Each of them had 14four faces and 15four wings. 7Their legs were straight and 16their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they gleamed like 17burnished bronze. 8Under their wings on their 18four sides were human 19hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, 9their wings touched one another; their faces did 20not turn when they moved, each 21went straight forward. 10As for the 22form of their faces, each had the 23face of a man; 24all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and 25all four had the face of an eagle. 11Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and 26two covering their bodies. 12And 27each went straight forward; 28wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. 1329In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of 30fire, 31like torches darting back and forth among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was 32flashing from the fire. 14And the living beings 33ran to and fro like bolts of 34lightning.

15Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one 35wheel on the earth beside the living beings, 36for each of the four of them. 16The 37appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like 38sparkling 39beryl, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if 40one wheel were within another. 17Whenever they 41moved, they 42moved in any of their four 43directions without 44turning as they 45moved. 18As for their rims they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were 46full of eyes round about. 1947Whenever the living beings 48moved, the wheels 49moved with them. And whenever the living beings 50rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. 2051Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction52. And the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living 53beings was in the wheels. 2154Whenever those went, these went; and whenever those stood still, these stood still. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living 55beings was in the wheels.

Vision of Divine Glory

22Now 56over the heads of the living 57beings there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of 58crystal, spread out over their heads. 23Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had 59two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other. 24I also heard the sound of their wings like the 60sound of abundant waters as they went, like the 61voice of 62the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the 63sound of an army camp; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings. 25And there came a voice from above the 64expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings.

26Now 65above the expanse that was over their heads there was something 66resembling a throne, like 6768lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a 69man. 27Then I 70noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something 71like 72glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. 28As the appearance of the 73rainbow 74in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the 75glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I 76fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.