A Vision of Living Beings

1 On July 31^[a] of my thirtieth year,^[b] while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. ² This happened during the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity. ³ (The Lord gave this message to Ezekiel son of Buzi, a priest, beside the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians,^[c] and he felt the hand of the Lord take hold of him.)

⁴ As I looked, I saw a great storm coming from the north, driving before it a huge cloud that flashed with lightning and shone with brilliant light. There was fire inside the cloud, and in the middle of the fire glowed something like gleaming amber.^{[d] 5} From the center of the cloud came four living beings that looked human, ⁶ except that each had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight, and their feet had hooves like those of a calf and shone like burnished bronze. ⁸ Under each of their four wings I could see human hands. So each of the four beings had four faces and four wings. ⁹ The wings of each living being touched the wings of the beings beside it. Each one moved straight forward in any direction without turning around.

¹⁰ Each had a human face in the front, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle at the back. ¹¹ Each had two pairs of outstretched wings—one pair stretched out to touch the wings of the living beings on either side of it, and the other pair covered its body. ¹² They went in whatever direction the spirit chose, and they moved straight forward in any direction without turning around.

¹³ The living beings looked like bright coals of fire or brilliant torches, and lightning seemed to flash back and forth among them. ¹⁴ And the living beings darted to and fro like flashes of lightning.

¹⁵ As I looked at these beings, I saw four wheels touching the ground beside them, one wheel belonging to each. ¹⁶ The wheels sparkled as if made of beryl. All four wheels looked alike and were made the same; each wheel had a second wheel turning crosswise within it. ¹⁷ The beings could move in any of the four directions they faced, without turning as they moved. ¹⁸ The rims of the four wheels were tall and frightening, and they were covered with eyes all around.

¹⁹ When the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. When they flew upward, the wheels went up, too. ²⁰ The spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. So wherever the spirit went, the wheels and the living beings also went. ²¹ When the beings moved, the wheels moved. When the beings stopped, the wheels stopped. When the beings flew upward, the wheels rose up, for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.

²² Spread out above them was a surface like the sky, glittering like crystal. ²³ Beneath this surface the wings of each living being stretched out to touch the others’ wings, and each had two wings covering its body. ²⁴ As they flew, their wings sounded to me like waves crashing against the shore or like the voice of the Almighty^[e] or like the shouting of a mighty army. When they stopped, they let down their wings. ²⁵ As they stood with wings lowered, a voice spoke from beyond the crystal surface above them.

²⁶ Above this surface was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli. And on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man. ²⁷ From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor. ²⁸ All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me.

Ezekiel’s Call and Commission

2 “Stand up, son of man,” said the voice. “I want to speak with you.”

²³ So Peter invited the men to stay for the night. The next day he went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.

²⁴ They arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him. ²⁶ But Peter pulled him up and said, “Stand up! I’m a human being just like you!” ²⁷ So they talked together and went inside, where many others were assembled.

²⁸ Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. ²⁹ So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me.”

³⁰ Cornelius replied, “Four days ago I was praying in my house about this same time, three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, a man in dazzling clothes was standing in front of me. ³¹ He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God! ³² Now send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.’ ³³ So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you.”