1I was 30 years old. I was with my people. We had been taken away from our country. We were by the River Kebar in the land of Babylon. On the fifth day of the fourth month, the heavens were opened. I saw visions of God.2It was the fifth day of the month. Jehoiachin had been king of Judah. It was the fifth year since he had been brought to Babylon as a prisoner.3A message from the LORD came to me. I was by the River Kebar in Babylon. The power of the LORD came on me there. I am Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi.4I looked up and saw a violent storm coming from the north. I saw a huge cloud. The fire of lightning was flashing out of it. Bright light surrounded it. The centre of the fire looked like glowing metal.5I saw in the fire something that looked like four living creatures. They appeared to have the shape of a human being.6But each of them had four faces and four wings.7Their legs were straight. Their feet looked like the feet of a calf. They were as bright as polished bronze.8The creatures had human hands under their wings on their four sides. All four of them had faces and wings.9The wings of one touched the wings of another. Each of the creatures went straight ahead. They didn’t change their direction as they moved.10Here’s what their faces looked like. Each of the four creatures had the face of a human being. On the right side each had the face of a lion. On the left each had the face of an ox. Each one also had an eagle’s face.11That’s what their faces looked like. They each had two wings that spread out and lifted up. Each wing touched the wing of another creature on either side. They each had two other wings that covered their bodies.12All the creatures went straight ahead. Anywhere their spirits would lead them to go, they would go. They didn’t change their direction as they went.13The living creatures looked like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved to and fro among the creatures. It was bright. Lightning flashed out of it.14The creatures raced to and fro like flashes of lightning.15As I looked at the living creatures, I saw wheels on the ground beside them. Each creature had four faces.16Here’s how the wheels looked and worked. They gleamed like topaz. All four of them looked alike. Each one seemed to be made like a wheel inside another wheel at right angles.17The wheels could go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced. The wheels didn’t change their direction as the creatures moved.18Their rims were high and terrifying. All four rims were full of eyes all the way around them.19When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved. When the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose.20Anywhere their spirits would lead them to go, they would go. And the wheels would rise along with them. That’s because the spirits of the living creatures were in the wheels.21When the living creatures moved, the wheels also moved. When the creatures stood still, they also stood still. When the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them. That’s because the spirits of the living creatures were in the wheels.22Something that looked like a huge space was spread out above the heads of the living creatures. It gleamed like crystal. It was terrifying.23The wings of the creatures were spread out under the space. They reached out towards one another. Each creature had two wings covering its body.24When the living creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings. It was like the roar of rushing waters. It sounded like the thundering voice of the Mighty God. It was like the loud noise an army makes. When the creatures stood still, they lowered their wings.25Then a voice came from above the huge space over their heads. They stood with their wings lowered.26Above the space over their heads was something that looked like a throne made out of lapis lazuli. On the throne high above was a figure that appeared to be a man.27From his waist up he looked like glowing metal that was full of fire. From his waist down he looked like fire. Bright light surrounded him.28The glow around him looked like a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day. That’s what the glory of the LORD looked like. When I saw it, I fell with my face towards the ground. Then I heard the voice of someone speaking.
4As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal.[2] (Jer 1:14; Jer 23:19; Jer 25:32; Jer 30:23; Eze 1:27; Eze 3:12; Eze 8:2)5And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, (Eze 10:14; Eze 10:21; Re 4:6)6but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. (Eze 10:21)7Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze. (Eze 40:3; Re 1:15; Re 2:18)8Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: (Eze 1:17; Eze 10:8; Eze 10:11; Eze 10:21)9their wings touched one another. Each one of them went straight forward, without turning as they went. (Eze 1:8; Eze 10:22)10As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. (Eze 10:14; Eze 10:21)11Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies. (Isa 6:2; Eze 1:23)12And each went straight forward. Wherever the spirit[3] would go, they went, without turning as they went. (Eze 1:9; Eze 10:17)13As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. (Ps 97:3; Ps 104:4)14And the living creatures darted to and fro, like the appearance of a flash of lightning. (Zec 4:10; Mt 24:27; Lu 17:24)15Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them.[4] (Eze 10:9; Da 7:9)16As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. (Eze 1:15; Eze 10:10; Da 10:6)17When they went, they went in any of their four directions[5] without turning as they went. (Eze 1:8; Eze 1:9; Eze 10:11)18And their rims were tall and awesome, and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. (Eze 10:12; Re 4:8)19And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. (Eze 10:16; Eze 10:19; Eze 11:22)20Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures[6] was in the wheels. (Eze 10:17)21When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. (Eze 1:19; Eze 1:20)22Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads. (Eze 1:25; Eze 10:1; Re 4:6)23And under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another. And each creature had two wings covering its body. (Eze 1:7; Eze 1:11)24And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. (Ge 17:1; Ps 29:3; Ps 68:33; Eze 43:2; Da 10:6; Re 1:15; Re 19:6)25And there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings. (Eze 1:22)26And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire;[7] and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. (Ex 24:10; 1Ki 22:19; Eze 10:1; Da 8:15; Re 1:13)27And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him.[8] (Eze 1:4; Eze 8:2)28Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking. (Ge 9:13; Ge 17:3; Ge 17:17; Ex 24:16; Jos 5:14; Eze 3:23; Eze 8:4; Eze 9:3; Eze 10:4; Eze 10:18; Eze 11:22; Eze 43:3; Eze 43:4; Eze 44:4; Da 8:17; Ac 9:4; Re 1:17; Re 4:3; Re 10:1)