Now it came about in the thirtieth
year
, on the fifth
day of the fourth
month
, while I was by the ariver
Chebar
among
the exiles
, the bheavens
were opened
and I saw
1 cvisions
of God
.
(On the fifth of the month
1in the afifth
year
of King
Jehoiachin's
exile
,
the aword of the LORD
came
expressly
to Ezekiel
the priest
, son
of Buzi
, in the bland
of the Chaldeans
by the river
Chebar
; and there
cthe hand
of the LORD
came
upon him.)
As I looked, behold
, a astorm
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 bglowing
metal
in the midst
of the fire
.
Within it there were figures
resembling
afour
living
beings
. And this
was their appearance
: they had human
bform
.
Each of them had afour
faces
and bfour
wings
.
Their legs were straight
and 1their feet
were like a calf's
hoof
, and they gleamed
like aburnished
bronze
.
Under their wings
on their afour
sides
were human
bhands
. As for the faces
and wings
of the four
of them,
their wings touched
one
another
; their faces did anot turn
when they moved
, each
bwent
straight
forward
.
As for the aform of their faces
, each had the bface
of a man
; 1all four
had the face
of a lion
on the right
and the face
of a bull
on the left
, and 1all four
had the face
of an eagle
.
Such were their faces. Their wings
were spread
out above
; each
had two
touching
another
being, and atwo
covering
their bodies
.
And aeach went
straight
forward
; bwherever
the spirit
was about to go
, they would go
, without
turning
as they went
.
1In the midst of the living beings
there was something that looked
like burning
coals
of afire
, 2like
torches
darting
back
and forth among
the living
beings
. The fire
was bright
, and lightning
was 3flashing
from the fire
.
And the living beings
aran
to and fro
like
bolts
of blightning
.
Now as I looked at the living
beings
, behold
, there was one
awheel
on the earth
beside
the living
beings
, 1for each of the four
of them.
The aappearance of the wheels
and their workmanship
was like 1sparkling
bberyl
, and all four
of them had the same
form
, their appearance
and workmanship
being as if
2one wheel
were within
another
.
Whenever they 1moved, they 1moved
in any
of their four
2directions
without
aturning
as they 1moved
.
As for their rims they were lofty
and awesome
, and the rims
of all four
of them were afull
of eyes
round
about
.
aWhenever the living beings
1moved
, the wheels
1moved
with them. And whenever the living
beings
brose
from the earth
, the wheels
rose
also.
aWherever the spirit
was about to go
, they would go
in that direction
1. And the wheels
rose
close
beside
them; for the spirit
of the living
2beings
was in the wheels
.
aWhenever 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
1beings
was in the wheels
.
Now aover the heads
of the living
1beings
there was something like
an expanse
, like the awesome
gleam
of 2crystal
, spread
out over
their heads
.
Under the expanse
their wings
were stretched out straight
, one
toward
the other
; each
one
also had atwo
wings covering
its body
on the one
side
and on the other
.
I also heard the sound
of their wings
like the asound
of abundant
waters
as they went
, like the bvoice
of 1the Almighty
, a sound
of tumult
like the csound
of an army
camp
; whenever they stood
still
, they dropped
their wings
.
And there came a voice
from above
the aexpanse
that was over
their heads
; whenever they stood
still
, they dropped
their wings
.
Now aabove the expanse
that was over
their heads
there was something
bresembling
a throne
, like 1 clapis
lazuli
in appearance
; and on that which
resembled
a throne
, high
up, was a figure
with the appearance
of a dman
.
Then I 1noticed from the appearance
of His loins
and upward
something
alike 2glowing
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.
As the appearance of the arainbow
1in the clouds
on a rainy
day
, so
was the appearance
of the surrounding
radiance
. Such
was the appearance
of the likeness
of the bglory
of the LORD
. And when I saw
it, I cfell
on my face
and heard
a voice
speaking
.