EzekielChapter 1

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¹It was the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month. I was living among the exiles by the River Kebar. Then the heavens opened, and I saw visions of God.a ²This was on the fifth day of the month. It was the fifth year since King Jehoiachin was taken into exile. ³On that day the word of the LORD came straight to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi. He was in the land of the Chaldeans, by the River Kebar. There the hand of the LORD was on him. ⁴I looked and saw a windstorm coming from the north. There was a huge cloud with fire flashing back and forth. Bright light shone all around it. In the middle of the fire was something that glowed like amber. ⁵Inside it I saw what looked like four living creatures. This is what they looked like. They had a human shape, ⁶but each one had four faces and four wings. ⁷Their legs were straight. The bottoms of their feet were like a calf's hooves. They shone like polished bronze. ⁸Under their wings, on all four sides, they had human hands. All four living creatures had faces and wings, ⁹and their wings touched one another. They did not turn when they moved. Each one went straight ahead. ¹⁰Their faces looked like this. Each had the face of a man. Each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side and the face of an ox on the left side. Each also had the face of an eagle. ¹¹That is what their faces were like. Their wings were spread out upward. Each one had two wings that touched the wings of the creature on each side. And each had two wings that covered its body. ¹²Each creature went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go. They did not turn as they moved. ¹³In the middle of the living creatures was something like burning coals of fire, or like torches. Fire moved back and forth between the creatures. The fire was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. ¹⁴The creatures darted back and forth as fast as flashes of lightning. ¹⁵As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground. There was one wheel beside each creature with its four faces. ¹⁶This is how the wheels were made. They shone like beryl, a sparkling stone. All four looked the same. Each one was made like a wheel inside a wheel. ¹⁷When they moved, they could go in any of the four directions. They did not have to turn as they moved. ¹⁸Their rims were tall and fearsome. All four rims were full of eyes all the way around. ¹⁹When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the creatures rose up from the ground, the wheels rose too. ²⁰Wherever the spirit would go, they would go. And the wheels would rise along with them. This was because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. ²¹When the creatures moved, the wheels moved. When the creatures stood still, the wheels stood still. When the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose with them. This was because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. ²²Above the heads of the living creatures was something like a wide, spread-out dome. It was fearsome, and it shone like crystal. ²³Under the dome, their wings stretched out toward one another. Each one also had two wings covering its body. ²⁴When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings. It was like the roar of rushing waters. It was like the voice of the Almighty. It was like the noise of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. ²⁵Then a voice came from above the dome over their heads, as they stood still with their wings lowered. ²⁶Above the dome over their heads was something like a throne. It looked like sapphire. High above, on the throne, was a figure who looked like a man. ²⁷From what seemed to be his waist up, I saw a glow like amber. It looked like fire was inside it all around. From what seemed to be his waist down, I saw what looked like fire. Bright light was all around him. ²⁸The bright light around him looked like a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day. This was what the glory of the LORD looked like. When I saw it, I fell with my face to the ground. Then I heard a voice speaking.