Ezekiel 1

Ezekiel in Babylon

1  a In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by b the Chebar canal c the heavens were opened, and I saw d visions of God. ▼
▼ Or from God
 2 On the fifth day of the month (it was f the fifth year of g the exile of King Jehoiachin), 3 the word of the  Lord came to Ezekiel h the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by i the Chebar canal, and j the hand of the  Lord was upon him there.

The Glory of the  Lord

4 As I looked, behold, k a stormy wind came l out of the north, and a great cloud, with m brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, n as it were gleaming metal. ▼
▼ Or amber; also verse 27
 5 And from the midst of it came the likeness of p four living creatures. q And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, 6  r but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot. And they sparkled s like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings t on their four sides u they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: 9 their wings touched one another. v Each one of them went straight forward, w without turning as they went. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, x each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while y two covered their bodies. 12  z And each went straight forward. aa Wherever the spirit ▼
▼ Or Spirit; also twice in verse 20 and once in verse 21
 would go, they went, without turning as they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was ac like burning coals of fire, ad like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. ae And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living creatures af darted to and fro, ag like the appearance of a flash of lightning.

15  ah Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. ▼
▼ Hebrew of their faces
 16  aj As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like ak the gleaming of beryl. al And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. 17  am When they went, they went an in any of their four directions ▼
▼ Hebrew on their four sides
 ap without turning as they went. 18 And their rims were tall and awesome, aq and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. 19  ar And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; as and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. 20  at Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, au for the spirit of the living creatures ▼
▼ Or  the spirit of life; also verse 21
 was in the wheels. 21  aw When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; ax and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, ay for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

22 Over the heads of the living creatures there was az the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring ba crystal, spread out above their heads. 23 And under the expanse their wings were bb stretched out straight, one toward another. bc And each creature had two wings covering its body. 24 And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings bd like the sound of many waters, like be the sound of the bf Almighty, a sound of tumult bg like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 And there came a voice from above bh the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings.

26 And above the expanse over their heads there was bi the likeness of a throne, bj in appearance bk like sapphire; ▼
▼ Or lapis lazuli
 and seated above the likeness of a throne was bm a likeness with a human appearance. 27 And bn upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were bo gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and bp there was brightness around him. ▼
▼ Or it
 28 Like the appearance of br the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.

Such was the appearance of the likeness of bs the glory of the  Lord. And when I saw it, bt I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Copyright information for ESV