The Vision of Four Figures
1 Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the (A)river Chebar among the exiles, the (B)heavens were opened and I saw [a](C)visions of God. 2 (On the fifth of the month [b]in the (D)fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile, 3 the (E)word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the (F)land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there (G)the hand of the Lord came upon him.)
4 As I looked, behold, a (H)storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like (I)glowing metal in the midst of the fire. 5 Within it there were figures resembling (J)four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human (K)form. 6 Each of them had (L)four faces and (M)four wings. 7 Their legs were straight and [c]their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they gleamed like (N)burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their (O)four sides were human (P)hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, 9 their wings touched one another; their faces did (Q)not turn when they moved, each (R)went straight forward. 10 As for the (S)form of their faces, each had the (T)face of a man; [d]all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and [e]all four had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and (U)two covering their bodies. 12 And (V)each went straight forward; (W)wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13 [f]In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of (X)fire, [g]like torches darting back and forth among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was [h]flashing from the fire. 14 And the living beings (Y)ran to and fro like bolts of (Z)lightning.
15 Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one (AA)wheel on the earth beside the living beings, [i]for each of the four of them. 16 The (AB)appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like [j]sparkling (AC)beryl, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if [k]one wheel were within another. 17 Whenever they [l]moved, they [m]moved in any of their four [n]directions without (AD)turning as they [o]moved. 18 As for their rims they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were (AE)full of eyes round about. 19 (AF)Whenever the living beings [p]moved, the wheels [q]moved with them. And whenever the living beings (AG)rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. 20 (AH)Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction[r]. And the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living [s]beings was in the wheels. 21 (AI)Whenever 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 [t]beings was in the wheels.
Vision of Divine Glory
22 Now (AJ)over the heads of the living [u]beings there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of [v]crystal, spread out over their heads. 23 Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had (AK)two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other. 24 I also heard the sound of their wings like the (AL)sound of abundant waters as they went, like the (AM)voice of [w]the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the (AN)sound of an army camp; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings. 25 And there came a voice from above the (AO)expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings.
26 Now (AP)above the expanse that was over their heads there was something (AQ)resembling a throne, like [x](AR)lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a (AS)man. 27 Then I [y]noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something (AT)like [z]glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. 28 As the appearance of the (AU)rainbow [aa]in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the (AV)glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I (AW)fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 1:1 Some ancient mss and versions read a vision
- Ezekiel 1:2 Lit it was
- Ezekiel 1:7 Lit the soles of their feet
- Ezekiel 1:10 Lit the four of them
- Ezekiel 1:10 Lit the four of them
- Ezekiel 1:13 So with some ancient versions; Heb as the likeness of the living beings
- Ezekiel 1:13 Lit like the appearance of
- Ezekiel 1:13 Lit coming out
- Ezekiel 1:15 Lit for his four faces
- Ezekiel 1:16 Lit the look of beryl
- Ezekiel 1:16 Lit the wheel in the midst of the wheel
- Ezekiel 1:17 Lit went
- Ezekiel 1:17 Lit went
- Ezekiel 1:17 Lit sides
- Ezekiel 1:17 Lit went
- Ezekiel 1:19 Lit went
- Ezekiel 1:19 Lit went
- Ezekiel 1:20 M.T. adds the spirit to go
- Ezekiel 1:20 M.T. reads being
- Ezekiel 1:21 M.T. reads being
- Ezekiel 1:22 So some ancient mss and versions; M.T. reads being
- Ezekiel 1:22 Or ice
- Ezekiel 1:24 Heb Shaddai
- Ezekiel 1:26 Heb eben-sappir
- Ezekiel 1:27 Lit saw
- Ezekiel 1:27 Or electrum
- Ezekiel 1:28 Lit which occurs in
Cross references
- Ezekiel 1:1 : Ezek 3:23; 10:15, 20
- Ezekiel 1:1 : Matt 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:21; Acts 7:56; 10:11; Rev 4:1; 19:11
- Ezekiel 1:1 : Ex 24:10; Num 12:6; Is 1:1; 6:1; Ezek 8:3; 11:24; 40:2; Dan 8:1, 2
- Ezekiel 1:2 : 2 Kin 24:12-15; Ezek 8:1; 20:1
- Ezekiel 1:3 : 2 Pet 1:21
- Ezekiel 1:3 : Ezek 12:13
- Ezekiel 1:3 : 1 Kin 18:46; 2 Kin 3:15; Ezek 3:14, 22
- Ezekiel 1:4 : Is 21:1; Jer 23:19; Ezek 13:11, 13
- Ezekiel 1:4 : Ezek 1:27; 8:2
- Ezekiel 1:5 : Ezek 10:15, 17, 20; Rev 4:6-8
- Ezekiel 1:5 : Ezek 1:26
- Ezekiel 1:6 : Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21
- Ezekiel 1:6 : Ezek 1:23
- Ezekiel 1:7 : Dan 10:6; Rev 1:15
- Ezekiel 1:8 : Ezek 1:17; 10:11
- Ezekiel 1:8 : Ezek 10:8, 21
- Ezekiel 1:9 : Ezek 1:17
- Ezekiel 1:9 : Ezek 1:12; 10:22
- Ezekiel 1:10 : Rev 4:7
- Ezekiel 1:10 : Ezek 10:14
- Ezekiel 1:11 : Is 6:2; Ezek 1:23
- Ezekiel 1:12 : Ezek 1:9
- Ezekiel 1:12 : Ezek 1:20
- Ezekiel 1:13 : Ps 104:4; Rev 4:5
- Ezekiel 1:14 : Zech 4:10
- Ezekiel 1:14 : Matt 24:27; Luke 17:24
- Ezekiel 1:15 : Ezek 1:19-21; 10:9
- Ezekiel 1:16 : Ezek 10:9-11
- Ezekiel 1:16 : Ezek 10:9; Dan 10:6
- Ezekiel 1:17 : Ezek 1:9, 12; 10:11
- Ezekiel 1:18 : Ezek 10:12; Rev 4:6, 8
- Ezekiel 1:19 : Ezek 10:16
- Ezekiel 1:19 : Ezek 10:19
- Ezekiel 1:20 : Ezek 1:12
- Ezekiel 1:21 : Ezek 10:17
- Ezekiel 1:22 : Ezek 10:1
- Ezekiel 1:23 : Ezek 1:6, 11
- Ezekiel 1:24 : Ezek 43:2; Rev 1:15; 19:6
- Ezekiel 1:24 : Ezek 10:5
- Ezekiel 1:24 : 2 Kin 7:6; Dan 10:6
- Ezekiel 1:25 : Ezek 1:22; 10:1
- Ezekiel 1:26 : Ezek 1:22; 10:1
- Ezekiel 1:26 : Is 6:1; Ezek 10:1; Dan 7:9
- Ezekiel 1:26 : Ex 24:10; Is 54:11
- Ezekiel 1:26 : Ezek 43:6, 7; Rev 1:13
- Ezekiel 1:27 : Ezek 1:4; 8:2
- Ezekiel 1:28 : Gen 9:13; Rev 4:3; 10:1
- Ezekiel 1:28 : Ex 24:16; Ezek 8:4; 11:22, 23; 43:4, 5
- Ezekiel 1:28 : Gen 17:3; Ezek 3:23; Dan 8:17; Rev 1:17