Ezekiel 1
Common English Bible
First vision
1 In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, I was with the exiles at the Chebar River when the heavens opened and I saw visions of God. 2 (It happened on the fifth day of the month, in the fifth year after King Jehoiachin’s deportation. 3 The Lord’s word burst in on the priest Ezekiel, Buzi’s son, in the land of Babylon at the Chebar River. There the Lord’s power overcame him.)
4 As I watched, suddenly a driving storm came out of the north, a great cloud flashing fire, with brightness all around. At its center, in the middle of the fire, there was something like gleaming amber. 5 And inside that were forms of four living creatures. This was what they looked like: Each had the form of a human being, 6 though each had four faces and four wings. 7 Their feet looked like proper feet, but the soles of their feet were like calves’ hooves, and they shone like burnished bronze. 8 Human hands were under their wings on all four sides. All four creatures had faces and wings, and 9 their wings touched each other’s wings. When they moved, they each went straight ahead without turning. 10 As for the form of their faces: each of the four had a human face, with a lion’s face on the right and a bull’s face on the left, and also an eagle’s face. 11 The pairs of wings[a] that stretched out overhead touched each other, while the other pairs covered their bodies. 12 Each moved straight ahead wherever the wind propelled them; they moved without turning. 13 Regarding the creatures’ forms: they looked like blazing coals, like torches. Fire darted about between the creatures and illuminated them, and lightning flashed from the fire. 14 The creatures looked like lightning streaking back and forth.
15 As I looked at the creatures, suddenly there was a wheel on the earth corresponding to all four faces of the creatures. 16 The appearance and composition of the wheels were like sparkling topaz. There was one shape for all four of them, as if one wheel were inside another. 17 When they moved in any of the four directions, they moved without swerving. 18 Their rims were tall and terrifying, because all four of them were filled with eyes all around. 19 When the creatures moved, the wheels moved next to them. Whenever the creatures rose above the earth, the wheels also rose up. 20 Wherever the wind would appear to go, the wind would make them go there too. The wheels rose up beside them, because the spirit[b] of the creatures was in the wheels. 21 When they moved, the wheels[c] moved; when they stood still, the wheels stood still; and when they rose above the earth, the wheels rose up along with them, because the spirit[d] of the creatures was in the wheels.
22 The shape above the heads of the creatures[e] was a dome; it was like glittering ice stretched out over their heads. 23 Just below the dome, their outstretched wings touched each other. They each also had two wings to cover their bodies. 24 Then I heard the sound of their wings when they moved forward. It was like the sound of mighty waters, like the sound of the Almighty,[f] like the sound of tumult or the sound of an army camp. When they stood still, their wings came to rest. 25 Then there was a sound from above the dome over their heads. They stood still, and their wings came to rest.
26 Above the dome over their heads, there appeared something like lapis lazuli in the form of a throne. Above the form of the throne there was a form that looked like a human being. 27 Above what looked like his waist, I saw something like gleaming amber, something like fire enclosing it all around. Below what looked like his waist, I saw something that appeared to be fire. Its brightness shone all around. 28 Just as a rainbow lights up a cloud on a rainy day, so its brightness shone all around. This was how the form of the Lord’s glory appeared. When I saw it, I fell on my face. I heard the sound of someone speaking.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 1:11 LXX; MT adds and their faces.
- Ezekiel 1:20 Or wind
- Ezekiel 1:21 Or they
- Ezekiel 1:21 Or wind
- Ezekiel 1:22 LXX; MT creature
- Ezekiel 1:24 Heb Shaddai or Mountain One
Ezekiel 1
New King James Version
Ezekiel’s Vision of God
1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by (A)the River Chebar, that (B)the heavens were opened and I saw (C)visions[a] 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 [b]Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and (D)the hand of the Lord was upon him there.
4 Then I looked, and behold, (E)a whirlwind was coming (F)out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. 5 (G)Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And (H)this was their appearance: they had (I)the likeness of a man. 6 Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings. 7 Their [c]legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves’ feet. They sparkled (J)like the color of burnished bronze. 8 (K)The hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings. 9 Their wings touched one another. The creatures did not turn when they went, but each one went straight (L)forward.
10 As for (M)the likeness of their faces, each (N)had the face of a man; each of the four had (O)the face of a lion on the right side, (P)each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, (Q)and each of the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Thus were their faces. Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and (R)two covered their bodies. 12 And (S)each one went straight forward; they went wherever the spirit wanted to go, and they did not turn when they went.
13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, (T)like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning. 14 And the living creatures ran back and forth, (U)in appearance like a flash of lightning.
15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, (V)a wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces. 16 (W)The appearance of the wheels and their workings was (X)like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 17 When they moved, they went toward any one of four directions; they did not turn aside when they went. 18 As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were (Y)full of eyes, all around the four of them. 19 (Z)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 wanted to go, they went, because there the spirit went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, (AA)for the spirit of the [d]living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When those went, these went; when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the spirit of the [e]living creatures was in the wheels.
22 (AB)The likeness of the [f]firmament above the heads of the [g]living creatures was like the color of an awesome (AC)crystal, stretched out (AD)over their heads. 23 And under the firmament their wings spread out straight, one toward another. Each one had two which covered one side, and each one had two which covered the other side of the body. 24 (AE)When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, (AF)like the noise of many waters, like (AG)the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings.
26 (AH)And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, (AI)in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above (AJ)it. 27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward (AK)I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. 28 (AL)Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. (AM)This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.
Ezekiel Sent to Rebellious Israel
So when I saw it, (AN)I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 1:1 So with MT, LXX, Vg.; Syr., Tg. a vision
- Ezekiel 1:3 Or Babylonians, and so elsewhere in the book
- Ezekiel 1:7 Lit. feet
- Ezekiel 1:20 Lit. living creature; LXX, Vg. spirit of life; Tg. creatures
- Ezekiel 1:21 See note at v. 20
- Ezekiel 1:22 Or expanse
- Ezekiel 1:22 So with LXX, Tg., Vg.; MT living creature
Ezekiel 1
English Standard Version
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.[a] 2 On the fifth day of the month (it was (E)the fifth year of (F)the exile of King Jehoiachin), 3 the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel (G)the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by (H)the Chebar canal, and (I)the hand of the Lord was upon him there.
The Glory of the Lord
4 As I looked, behold, (J)a stormy wind came (K)out of the north, and a great cloud, with (L)brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, (M)as it were gleaming metal.[b] 5 And from the midst of it came the likeness of (N)four living creatures. (O)And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, 6 (P)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 (Q)like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings (R)on their four sides (S)they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: 9 their wings touched one another. (T)Each one of them went straight forward, (U)without turning as they went. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, (V)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 (W)two covered their bodies. 12 (X)And each went straight forward. (Y)Wherever the spirit[c] would go, they went, without turning as they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was (Z)like burning coals of fire, (AA)like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. (AB)And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living creatures (AC)darted to and fro, (AD)like the appearance of a flash of lightning.
15 (AE)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.[d] 16 (AF)As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like (AG)the gleaming of beryl. (AH)And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. 17 (AI)When they went, they went (AJ)in any of their four directions[e] (AK)without turning as they went. 18 And their rims were tall and awesome, (AL)and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. 19 (AM)And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; (AN)and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. 20 (AO)Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, (AP)for the spirit of the living creatures[f] was in the wheels. 21 (AQ)When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; (AR)and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, (AS)for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
22 Over the heads of the living creatures there was (AT)the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring (AU)crystal, spread out above their heads. 23 And under the expanse their wings were (AV)stretched out straight, one toward another. (AW)And each creature had two wings covering its body. 24 And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings (AX)like the sound of many waters, like (AY)the sound of the (AZ)Almighty, a sound of tumult (BA)like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 And there came a voice from above (BB)the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings.
26 And above the expanse over their heads there was (BC)the likeness of a throne, (BD)in appearance (BE)like sapphire;[g] and seated above the likeness of a throne was (BF)a likeness with a human appearance. 27 And (BG)upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were (BH)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 (BI)there was brightness around him.[h] 28 Like the appearance of (BJ)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 (BK)the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, (BL)I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 1:1 Or from God
- Ezekiel 1:4 Or amber; also verse 27
- Ezekiel 1:12 Or Spirit; also twice in verse 20 and once in verse 21
- Ezekiel 1:15 Hebrew of their faces
- Ezekiel 1:17 Hebrew on their four sides
- Ezekiel 1:20 Or the spirit of life; also verse 21
- Ezekiel 1:26 Or lapis lazuli
- Ezekiel 1:27 Or it
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Ang Bagong Tipan: Filipino Standard Version, Copyright © Philippine Bible Society 2009.
