The Prophet's Vision of the Divine Glory

11 Now it came about in the thirtieth year , on the fifth day of the fourth month , while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles , the heavens were opened and I saw [1] visions of God . 2 (On the fifth of the month [2]in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's exile , 3 the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest , son of Buzi , in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar ; and there the hand of the Lord came upon him.)

4 As I looked , behold , a 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 glowing metal in the midst of the fire . 5 Within it there were figures resembling four living beings . And this was their appearance : they had human form . 6 Each of them had four faces and four wings . 7 Their legs were straight and [3]their feet were like a calf's hoof e , and they gleamed like burnished bronze . 8 Under their wings on their four sides were human hands . As for the faces and wings of the four of them, 9 their wings touched one another ; their faces did not turn when they moved , each went straight e e forward . 10 As for the form of their faces , each had the face of a man ; [4]all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left , and [4]all four had the face of an eagle . 11 Such were their faces . Their wings were spread out above e ; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies . 12 And each went straight e e forward ; wherever e e the spirit was about to go , they would go , without turning as they went . 13 [6]In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire , [7]like torches darting back and forth among the living beings . The fire was bright , and lightning was [8]flashing from the fire . 14 And the living beings ran to and fro like bolts of lightning .

15 Now as I looked at the living beings , behold , there was one wheel on the earth beside the living beings , [9]for each of the four of them. 16 The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like [10]sparkling beryl , and all four of them had the same form , their appearance and workmanship being as if [11]one wheel were within another . 17 Whenever they [12]moved , they [12]moved in any of their four [14]directions without turning as they [12]moved . 18 As for their rims they were lofty and awesome , and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes round about . 19 Whenever the living beings [16]moved , the wheels [16]moved with them. And whenever the living beings rose from the earth , the wheels rose also. 20 Wherever e e the spirit was about to go , they would go in that direction [18]. And the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living [19]beings was in the wheels . 21 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 [20]beings was in the wheels . 22 Now over the heads of the living [21]beings there was something like an expanse , like the awesome gleam of [22]crystal , spread out over e their heads . 23 Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight , one toward the other ; each one also had two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other . 24 I also heard the sound of their wings like the sound of abundant waters as they went , like the voice of [23]the Almighty , a sound of tumult like the sound of an army camp ; whenever they stood still , they dropped their wings . 25 And there came a voice from above the expanse that was over their heads ; whenever they stood still , they dropped their wings .

26 Now above e the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne , like [24] lapis e lazuli e in appearance ; and on that which resembled a throne , high e up, was a figure with the appearance of a man . 27 Then I [25]noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something like [26]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 rainbow [27]in the clouds on a rainy day , so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance . Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord . And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking .