Ezekiel 1:1-14

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.