Ezekiel 1
The Vision of Four Living Creatures
1Now it happened in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the ariver Chebar among the exiles, that the bheavens were opened, and I saw 1,cvisions of God. 2(On the fifth of the month 1in the afifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile, 3the aword of 1Yahweh came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the bland of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there cthe hand of Yahweh came upon him.)
4Then I looked, and behold, a astorm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light all around it, and in its midst something like the gleam of bglowing metal in the midst of the fire. 5And within it there were figures with the likeness of afour living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the blikeness of a man. 6And each of them had afour faces and bfour wings. 7And their legs were straight, and 1their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they sparkled like the gleam of aburnished bronze. 8And under their wings on their afour sides were bhands of a man. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, 9their wings touched one another; their faces did anot turn as they went; each bwent straight forward. 10And as for the alikeness of their faces, each had the bface of a man; 1all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and 2all four had the face of an eagle. 11And such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and atwo covering their bodies. 12And aeach went straight forward; bwherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. 131As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of afire, 2like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and lightning was 3flashing from the fire. 14And the living creatures aran to and fro with the appearance of blightning.
15Then I looked at the living creatures, and behold, there was one awheel on the earth beside the living creatures, 1for each of the four of them. 16The aappearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like the gleam of bberyl, and all four of them had the same likeness, their appearance and workmanship being as if 1one wheel were within another. 17Whenever they went, they went in any of their four 1directions without aturning as they went. 18And as for their rims, they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were afull of eyes all around. 19aAnd when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them. And when the living creatures brose from the earth, the wheels rose also. 20aWherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction, 1where the spirit was about to go. And the wheels rose alongside of them; for the spirit of the living 2creatures was in the wheels. 21aWhenever 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 1creatures was in the wheels.
The Vision of the Glory of Yahweh
22Now aover the heads of the living 1creatures there was something with the likeness of an expanse, like the awesome gleam of 2crystal, spread out over their heads above. 23And underneath the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had atwo wings covering its body on the one side and on the other. 24I also heard the sound of their wings like the asound of many waters as they went, like the 1,bsound of 2the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the csound of an army camp; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings. 25And there came a sound from above the aexpanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings.
26Now aabove the expanse that was over their heads there was something in the blikeness of a throne, like csapphire stone in appearance; and upon the likeness of the throne, high up, was the likeness of one with the appearance of a dman. 27Then I saw from the appearance of His loins and upward something alike the gleam of 1glowing metal with the appearance of fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something with the appearance of fire; and there was a radiance all around Him. 28As the appearance of the arainbow 1in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the radiance all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the bglory of Yahweh. And I saw this, and I cfell on my face and heard a sound of a voice speaking.