Ezekiel 1
1 Now it came
to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the
month, that I was in the midst of the captivity by the river of Chobar; and
the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
2 On the fifth day of the month; this
was the fifth year of the captivity of king Joakim.
3 And the word of the Lord came to
Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans, by the
river of Chobar; and the hand of the Lord was upon me.
4 And I looked, and, behold, a
sweeping wind came from the north, and a great cloud on it, and
there was brightness round about it, and gleaming
fire, and in the midst of it as it were the appearance of amber in the midst
of the fire, and brightness in it.
5 And in the midst as it were the
likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; the likeness
of a man was upon them. 6 And each one
had four faces, and each one
had four wings.
7 And their legs were straight; and
their feet were winged, and there were sparks, like
gleaming brass, and their wings were light.
8 And the hand of a man was under
their wings on their four sides. 9 And
the faces of them four turned not when they went; they went every one straight
forward. 10 And the likeness of their
faces was the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right to the four;
and the face of a calf on the left to the four; and the face of an eagle to
the four. 11 And the four had their
wings spread out above; each one had two joined to
one another, and two covered their bodies.
12 And each one went straight
forward: wherever the spirit was going they went, and turned not back.
13 And in the midst of the living
creatures there was an appearance as of burning coals
of fire, as an appearance of lamps turning among the living creatures; and the
brightness of fire, and out of the fire came forth lightning.
15 And I looked, and, behold, the
four had each one wheel on the ground near the living
creatures. 16 And the appearance of
the wheels was as the appearance of beryl: and the four had one likeness: and
their work was as it were a wheel in a wheel.
17 They went on their four sides:
they turned not as they went;
18 neither did their backs
turn: and they were high: and I beheld them, and the
backs of them four were full of eyes round about.
19 And when the living creatures
went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures lifted themselves
off the earth, the wheels were lifted off.
20 Wherever the cloud happened to be,
there was the spirit ready to go: the wheels went and were lifted up with
them; because the spirit of life was in the wheels.
21 When those went,
the wheels went; and when those stood,
the wheels stood; and when those lifted themselves
off the earth, they were lifted off with them: for the spirit of life was in
the wheels.
22 And the likeness over the heads of
the living creatures was as a firmament, as the appearance of crystal, spread
out over their wings above. 23 And
their wings were spread out under the firmament, reaching one to the other;
two wings to each, covering their bodies.
24 And I heard the sound of their
wings when they went, as the sound of much water: and when they stood, their
wings were let down.
25 And lo! a voice from above the
firmament 26 that was over their
head, there was as the appearance of a sapphire
stone, and the likeness of a throne upon it: and upon
the likeness of the throne was the likeness as an appearance of a man above.
27 And I saw as it were the
resemblance of amber from the appearance of the loins and upwards, and from
the appearance of the loins and under I saw an appearance of fire, and the
brightness thereof round about. 28 As
the appearance of the bow when it is in the cloud in days of rain, so was the
form of the brightness round about.