Date of Vision of Living Creatures and Glory of the Throne of Yahweh

1 And it was in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, and I was in the midst of^[a] the exiles^[b] by the Kebar River.^[c] The heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. ² On the fifth day of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of the king Jehoiachin— ³ the word of Yahweh came^[d] clearly^[e] to Ezekiel the son of Buzi, the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans at the Kebar River,^[f] and the hand of Yahweh was on him there.

⁴ And I looked,^[g] and look! A storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud, and fire flashing back and forth, and brightness around and within it,^[h] and from its midst^[i] it was like the outward appearance of amber stone from the midst^[j] of the fire. ⁵ And from its midst^[k] was the likeness of four living creatures, and this was their appearance: a human form,^{[l] 6} and each had four faces,^[m] and each of them had four wings.^{[n] 7} And their legs were straight legs, and the sole of their feet was like the sole of the foot of a calf, and they were sparkling like the outward appearance of polished bronze. ⁸ And under their wings were human hands^[o] on their four sides. And their faces and their wings for the four of them were as follows: ⁹ their wings were touching one another;^[p] each of them went straight forward,^[q] without turning right or left.^{[r] 10} The likeness of their faces was the face of a human in front, and the face of a lion on the right of each of them,^[s] and the face of an ox on the left of each of them,^[t] and the face of an eagle for each of them.^{[u] 11} So were their faces; their wings were spread out upward;^[v] each had two touching one another and two covering their bodies. ¹² And each went straight forward;^[w] wherever the spirit went^[x] they went, and they did not turn as they went.^{[y] 13} As for^[z] the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches. It^[aa] was moving to and fro between the living creatures, and the fire was very bright^[ab] and lightning was going out from the fire. ¹⁴ And the living creatures were speeding to and fro^[ac] like the appearance of lightning.

¹⁵ And I saw the living creatures, and look! A wheel was on the earth^[ad] beside each of the living creatures that had four faces.^{[ae] 16} The appearance of the wheels and their construction was like the appearance of beryl,^[af] and they all looked alike,^[ag] and their appearance and their construction was like a wheel within a wheel.^{[ah] 17} When they moved, they went toward their four sides; they did not veer at all as they went.^{[ai] 18} And their rims were high and awesome,^[aj] and all four of^[ak] their rims were full of eyes all around. ¹⁹ And at the going of the living creatures, the wheels next to them also went, and when the creatures were lifted from the ground^[al] the wheels also rose. ²⁰ Wherever^[am] the spirit went they would go there, and the wheels rose, for the spirit of the living creatures^[an] was in the wheels. ²¹ At their^[ao] going, they^[ap] go, and at their standing, they stood, and at their being lifted up from on the earth,^[aq] the wheels rose,^[ar] for the spirit of the living creatures^[as] was in the wheels.

²² Now^[at] the likeness above the heads of the living creatures was an expanse like the outward appearance of awesome^[au] ice^[av] spread out above their heads upward.^{[aw] 23} And under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight one toward the other;^[ax] each had two wings covering them, and each had two wings covering their bodies. ²⁴ And I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the voice of Shaddai,^[ay] and when they moved^[az] there was a sound of tumult like the sound of an army; when they stood still^[ba] they lowered their wings. ²⁵ And there was^[bb] a sound from above the expanse that was above their heads, and when they stood^[bc] they lowered their wings. ²⁶ And from above the expanse that was above their heads there was the likeness of a throne, looking like a sapphire,^[bd] and above the likeness of the throne was a likeness similar to^[be] the appearance of a human on it, but above it.^{[bf] 27} And I saw something like the outward appearance of amber, something like the appearance of fire, with a covering around it, from the likeness of his loins and upward.^[bg] And from the likeness of his loins and downward^[bh] I saw something like the appearance of fire, and it was radiant all around.^{[bi] 28} Like the appearance^[bj] of a bow that is in the cloud on a rainy day,^[bk] such was the radiance^[bl] around it; thus was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh. And I saw, and I fell on my face, and I heard a voice speaking.