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 10high wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing intermittently and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like 11gleaming 12metal in the midst of the fire. 5And within it there were figures resembling 13four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human 14form. 6Each of them had 15four faces and 16four wings. 7Their legs were straight and 17their feet were like a calf’s 18hoof, and they sparkled like 19polished bronze. 8Under their wings on their 20four sides were human 21hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, 9their wings touched one another; their faces did 22not turn when they moved, each 23went straight forward. 10As for the 24form of their faces, each had a human 25face; 26all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and 27all four had the face of an eagle. 11Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and 28two covering their bodies. 12And 29each went straight forward; 30wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. 1331In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of 32fire, 33like torches moving among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was 34flashing from the fire. 14And the living beings 35ran back and forth like bolts of 36lightning.

15Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one 37wheel on the ground beside the living beings, for 38each of the four of them. 16The 39appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like 40sparkling 41topaz, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if 42one wheel were within another. 17Whenever they 43moved, they 44moved in any of their four 45directions without 46turning as they 47moved. 18As for their rims, they were high and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were 4849covered with eyes all around. 1950Whenever the living beings 51moved, the wheels 52moved with them. And whenever the living beings 53rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. 2054Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction55. And the wheels rose just as they did; for the spirit of the living 56beings was in the wheels. 2157Whenever those went, they went; and whenever those stopped, they stopped. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose just as they did; for the spirit of the living 58beings was in the wheels.

Vision of Divine Glory

22Now 59over the heads of the living 60beings there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal, spread out over their heads. 23Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had 61two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other. 24And I also heard the sound of their wings, like the 62sound of abundant waters as they went, like the 63voice of 64the Almighty, a sound of a crowd like the 65sound of an army camp; whenever they stopped, they let down their wings. 25And a voice came from above the 66expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they let down their wings.

26Now 67above the expanse that was over their heads there was something 68resembling a throne, like 6970lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a 71man. 27Then I 72noticed from the appearance of His waist and upward something 73like gleaming 74metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. 28Like the appearance of the 75rainbow 76in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the 77glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I 78fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.