1:1 In the thirtieth year,¹ on the fifth day of the fourth month, as I was among the exiles at the Chebar River,² the heavens opened³ and I saw visions⁴ of God. (1:2 In the fifth day of the month, the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile, 1:3 the word of the LORD came to the priest Ezekiel,⁵ who was the son of Buzi, in the land of the Babylonians⁶ at the Chebar River. There the hand⁷ of the LORD came upon him). 1:4 I saw a windstorm⁸ coming from the north. It had a great cloud surrounded by a radiance⁹ and a fire flashing forth,¹⁰ and from the fire something like a glowing substance.¹¹ 1:5 From the fire was the form¹² of four living beings.¹³ As for their appearance,¹⁴ they had human form.¹⁵ 1:6 Each had four faces, and four wings, 1:7 their legs were straight and the soles of their feet were like that of a calf. They gleamed¹⁶ like burnished bronze. 1:8 They had human hands¹⁷ under their wings on their four sides. Each of the four had faces, and wings, 1:9 their wings touched each other. They did not turn as they moved but went straight ahead. 1:10 Regarding the form of their faces, each had the face of a man, with the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left and the face of an eagle. 1:11 Thus were their faces,¹⁸ their wings were spread out above; each had two wings touching another, and two covering their bodies. 1:12 Each moved straight ahead, wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. 1:13¹⁹ The appearance of the living beings was like burning coals of fire,²⁰ like torches. The fire moved back and forth among the living beings. It was bright and lightning was coming out of the fire. 1:14 The living beings ran forward and backward like flashes of lightning²¹. 1:15 As I looked at the living beings each one of the four had a wheel²² touching the earth²³ beside it. 1:16 The appearance of the wheels and their structure was like jasper,²⁴ and they all looked alike. Their structure was like a wheel within a wheel. 1:17 When they moved they moved in any of their four directions; they did not turn when they moved. 1:18 Their rims were high and awesome and all four rims were full of eyes all around. 1:19 When the living beings moved, the wheels beside them moved; when the living beings went up from the earth, the wheels went up. 1:20 Wherever the spirit would go they would go,²⁵ and the wheels would be lifted up beside them for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. 1:21 When the living beings moved, the wheels moved, and when they stood the wheels stood. When they went up from the earth, the wheels went up from the earth; the wheels went up beside them, for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. 1:22 Over the heads of the living beings was something like an expanse,²⁶ that looked like dreadful ice stretched out over their heads. 1:23 Under the expanse their wings were stretched out, each toward the other. Each had two giving cover,²⁷ each had two covering the body. 1:24 When they moved I heard the sound²⁸ of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a sound of tumult,²⁹ like the sound of an army. When they stood still they lowered their wings. 1:25 Then there was a sound above the expanse which was over their head. As they stood still they lowered their wings. 1:26 Above the expanse over their head was the image of a throne like a sapphire stone. Above the throne was a form like a man. 1:27 I saw a glowing substance³⁰ that looked like fire enclosed all around from his loins up. From his loins down I saw something that looked like fire and there was a radiance around it. 1:28 Like a rainbow in the cloud after the rain, thus was the appearance of the radiance all around.³¹ This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of God. When I saw³² it, I fell down on my face and I heard a voice speaking.