Ezekiel 1:1-14

The Prophet's Vision of the Divine Glory

1¹ Now it happened in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. ² In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, ³ the word of Yahweh came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of Yahweh was there on him.

⁴ I looked, and behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, with flashing lightning, and a brightness around it, and out of its midst as it were glowing metal, out of the midst of the fire. ⁵ Out of its midst came the likeness of four living creatures. This was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. ⁶ Everyone had four faces, and each one of them had four wings. ⁷ Their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot; and they sparkled like burnished brass. ⁸ They had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings thus: ⁹ their wings were joined one to another; they didn’t turn when they went; each one went straight forward. ¹⁰ As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle. ¹¹ Their faces and their wings were separate above; two wings of each one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. ¹² Each one went straight forward: where the spirit was to go, they went; they didn’t turn when they went. ¹³ As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches: the fire went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. ¹⁴ The living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.