New Living Translation

King James Bible

1On July 31 of my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.

1Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

2This happened during the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity.

2In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,

3(The LORD gave this message to Ezekiel son of Buzi, a priest, beside the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians, and he felt the hand of the LORD take hold of him.)

3The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.

4As I looked, I saw a great storm coming from the north, driving before it a huge cloud that flashed with lightning and shone with brilliant light. There was fire inside the cloud, and in the middle of the fire glowed something like gleaming amber.

4And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

5From the center of the cloud came four living beings that looked human,

5Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

6except that each had four faces and four wings.

6And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

7Their legs were straight, and their feet had hooves like those of a calf and shone like burnished bronze.

7And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.

8Under each of their four wings I could see human hands. So each of the four beings had four faces and four wings.

8And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.

9The wings of each living being touched the wings of the beings beside it. Each one moved straight forward in any direction without turning around.

9Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

10Each had a human face in the front, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle at the back.

10As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

11Each had two pairs of outstretched wings—one pair stretched out to touch the wings of the living beings on either side of it, and the other pair covered its body.

11Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

12They went in whatever direction the spirit chose, and they moved straight forward in any direction without turning around.

12And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.

13The living beings looked like bright coals of fire or brilliant torches, and lightning seemed to flash back and forth among them.

13As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

14And the living beings darted to and fro like flashes of lightning.

14And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

15As I looked at these beings, I saw four wheels touching the ground beside them, one wheel belonging to each.

15Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.

16The wheels sparkled as if made of beryl. All four wheels looked alike and were made the same; each wheel had a second wheel turning crosswise within it.

16The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

17The beings could move in any of the four directions they faced, without turning as they moved.

17When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.

18The rims of the four wheels were tall and frightening, and they were covered with eyes all around.

18As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

19When the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. When they flew upward, the wheels went up, too.

19And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

20The spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. So wherever the spirit went, the wheels and the living beings also went.

20Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

21When the beings moved, the wheels moved. When the beings stopped, the wheels stopped. When the beings flew upward, the wheels rose up, for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.

21When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

22Spread out above them was a surface like the sky, glittering like crystal.

22And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

23Beneath this surface the wings of each living being stretched out to touch the others’ wings, and each had two wings covering its body.

23And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.

24As they flew, their wings sounded to me like waves crashing against the shore or like the voice of the Almighty or like the shouting of a mighty army. When they stopped, they let down their wings.

24And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.

25As they stood with wings lowered, a voice spoke from beyond the crystal surface above them.

25And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.

26Above this surface was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli. And on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man.

26And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

27From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor.

27And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

28All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the LORD looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me.

28As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.