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 river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw [a]visions of God. 2(On the fifth of the month [b]in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile, 3the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there the hand of the LORD came upon him.)

4As I looked, behold, a high 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 gleaming [c]metal in the midst of the fire. 5And within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form. 6Each of them had four faces and four wings. 7Their legs were straight and [d]their feet were like a calf’s [e]hoof, and they sparkled like polished bronze. 8Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, 9their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn when they moved, each went straight forward. 10As for the form of their faces, each had a human face; [f]all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and [g]all four had the face of an eagle. 11Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies. 12And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13[h]In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, [i]like torches moving among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was [j]flashing from the fire. 14And the living beings ran back and forth like bolts of lightning.

15Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one wheel on the ground beside the living beings, for [k]each of the four of them. 16The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like [l]sparkling topaz, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if [m]one wheel were within another. 17Whenever they [n]moved, they [o]moved in any of their four [p]directions without turning as they [q]moved. 18As for their rims, they were high and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were [r]covered with eyes all around. 19Whenever the living beings [s]moved, the wheels [t]moved with them. And whenever the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. 20Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction[u]. And the wheels rose just as they did; for the spirit of the living [v]beings was in the wheels. 21Whenever 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 [w]beings was in the wheels.

Vision of Divine Glory

22Now over the heads of the living [x]beings 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 two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other. 24And I also heard the sound of their wings, like the sound of abundant waters as they went, like the voice of [y]the Almighty, a sound of a crowd like the sound of an army camp; whenever they stopped, they let down their wings. 25And a voice came from above the expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they let down their wings.

26Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like [z]lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. 27Then I [aa]noticed from the appearance of His waist and upward something like gleaming [ab]metal 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 rainbow [ac]in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.

[a] 1 Some ancient versions a vision
[b] 2 Lit it was
[c] 4 Heb uncertain; Gr indicates a gold and silver alloy
[d] 7 Lit the sole of their feet
[e] 7 Lit sole of a foot
[f] 10 Lit the four of them
[g] 10 Lit the four of them
[h] 13 As in some ancient versions; MT And the likeness of the living beings
[i] 13 Lit like the appearance of
[j] 13 Lit going out
[k] 15 Lit his four faces
[l] 16 Or the look of topaz
[m] 16 Lit the wheel in the midst of the wheel
[n] 17 Lit went
[o] 17 Lit went
[p] 17 Lit sides
[q] 17 Lit went
[r] 18 Lit full of
[s] 19 Lit went
[t] 19 Lit went
[u] 20 MT adds the spirit to go
[v] 20 MT being
[w] 21 MT being
[x] 22 As in some mss and ancient versions; MT being
[y] 24 Heb Shaddai
[z] 26 Heb eben-sappir
[aa] 27 Lit saw
[ab] 27 See note v 4
[ac] 28 Lit which occurs in