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1 Now when I was in my thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the
month, as I was in the midst of captivity beside the river Chebar in Babylonia, the
heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
2 On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity,
3 The word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of
the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.
4 As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud with a
fire enveloping it and flashing continually; a brightness was about it and out of the midst
of it there seemed to glow amber metal, out of the midst of the fire.
5 And out of the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures or cherubim. And
this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man,
6 But each one had four faces and each one had four wings.
7 And their legs were straight legs, and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a
calf's foot, and they sparkled like burnished bronze.
8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides. And the four of
them had their faces and their wings thus:
9 Their wings touched one another; they turned not when they went but went every one straight
forward.
10 As for the likeness of their faces, they each had the face of a man in front, and each
had the face of a lion on the right side and the face of an ox on the left side; the four
also had the face of an eagle at the back of their heads.
11 Such were their faces. And their wings were stretched out upward; two wings of each
one were touching the wing of the creatures on either side of it, and two wings of each
creature covered its body.
12 And they went every one straight forward; wherever the spirit would go, they went, and
they turned not when they went.
13 In the midst of the living creatures there was what looked like burning coals of fire,
like torches moving to and fro among the living creatures; the fire was bright and out of
the fire went forth lightning.
14 And the living creatures darted back and forth like a flash of lightning.
15 Now as I was still looking at the living creatures, I saw one wheel upon the ground
beside each of the living creatures with its four faces.
16 As to the appearance of the wheels and their construction: in appearance they gleamed
like chrysolite; and the four were formed alike, and their construction work was as
it were a wheel within a wheel.
17 When they went, they went in one of their four directions without turning.
18 As for their rims, they were so high that they were dreadful, and the four had their
rims full of eyes round about.
19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living
creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
20 Wherever the spirit went, the creatures went and the wheels rose along with them,
for the spirit or life of the living creature was in the wheels.
21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted
up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up high beside them, for the spirit or life
of the living creature was in the wheels.
22 Over the head of the living creature there was the likeness of a firmament, looking like
the terrible and awesome crystal or ice stretched across the expanse of sky over their heads.
24 And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the noise of great waters,
like the voice of the Almighty, the sound of tumult like the noise of a host. When they
stood, they let down their wings.
25 And there was a voice above the firmament that was over their heads; when they stood,
they let down their wings.
26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne in appearance
like a sapphire stone, and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with the
appearance of a Man.
27 From what had the appearance of His waist upward, I saw a lustre as it were glowing
metal with the appearance of fire enclosed round about within it; and from the appearance
of His waist downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness
round about Him.
28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the
appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of
the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face and I heard a voice of
One speaking.