Ezekiel 1
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Vision of the Chariot
1 In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the River Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.(A) 2 On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin),(B) 3 the word of the Lord came to the priest Ezekiel son of Buzi in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar, and the hand of the Lord was on him there.
4 As I looked, a stormy wind came out of the north: a great cloud with brightness around it and fire flashing forth continually and in the middle of the fire something like gleaming amber.(C) 5 In the middle of it was something like four living creatures. This was their appearance: they were of human form.(D) 6 Each had four faces, and each of them had four wings.(E) 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot, and they sparkled like burnished bronze.(F) 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus:(G) 9 their wings touched one another; each of them moved straight ahead, without turning as they moved. 10 As for the appearance of their faces: the four had the face of a human being, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle;(H) 11 such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies.(I) 12 Each moved straight ahead; wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went. 13 In the middle of[a] the living creatures there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches moving to and fro among the living creatures; the fire was bright, and lightning issued from the fire.(J) 14 The living creatures darted to and fro, like a flash of lightning.(K)
15 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.[b](L) 16 As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl, and the four had the same form, their construction being something like a wheel within a wheel.(M) 17 When they moved, they moved in any of the four directions without veering as they moved.(N) 18 Their rims were tall and awesome, for the rims of all four were full of eyes all around.(O) 19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose.(P) 20 Wherever the spirit would go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, for a living spirit was in the wheels.(Q) 21 When they moved, the others moved; when they stopped, the others stopped; and when they rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, for a living spirit was in the wheels.(R)
22 Over the heads of the living creatures there was something like a dome, shining like crystal,[c] spread out above their heads.(S) 23 Under the dome their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another, and each of the creatures had two wings covering its body. 24 When they moved, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of mighty waters, like the thunder of the Almighty,[d] a sound of tumult like the sound of an army; when they stopped, they let down their wings.(T) 25 And there came a voice from above the dome over their heads; when they stopped, they let down their wings.
26 And above the dome over their heads there was something like a throne, in appearance like sapphire,[e] and seated above the likeness of the throne was something that seemed like a human form.(U) 27 Upward from what appeared like the loins I saw something like gleaming amber, something that looked like fire enclosed all around, and downward from what looked like the loins I saw something that looked like fire, and there was a splendor all around.(V) 28 Like the bow in a cloud on a rainy day, such was the appearance of the splendor all around. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.
When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of someone speaking.(W)
Ezekiel 1
Lexham English Bible
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.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 1:1 Or “among”
- Ezekiel 1:1 Hebrew “exile”
- Ezekiel 1:1 Literally “river of Kebar”
- Ezekiel 1:3 Literally “was”
- Ezekiel 1:3 Or “certainly”
- Ezekiel 1:3 Literally “river of Kebar”
- Ezekiel 1:4 Or “saw”
- Ezekiel 1:4 Literally “for it”
- Ezekiel 1:4 Or “middle”
- Ezekiel 1:4 Or “middle”
- Ezekiel 1:5 Or “middle”
- Ezekiel 1:5 Literally “this their appearance the likeness of a human to them”
- Ezekiel 1:6 Literally “and four faces to each”
- Ezekiel 1:6 Literally “and four wings to each for them”
- Ezekiel 1:8 Literally “hand his a man”
- Ezekiel 1:9 Literally “their wings were touching each her sister”
- Ezekiel 1:9 Literally “they did not turn at their going”
- Ezekiel 1:9 Literally “each toward the side of his face they went”
- Ezekiel 1:10 Literally “of the four of them”
- Ezekiel 1:10 Literally “of the four of them”
- Ezekiel 1:10 Literally “of the four of them”
- Ezekiel 1:11 Literally “from to above”
- Ezekiel 1:12 Literally “toward the side of his face they went”
- Ezekiel 1:12 Literally “towards which it was there the spirit”
- Ezekiel 1:12 Literally “they did not turn at their going”
- Ezekiel 1:13 Or “And”
- Ezekiel 1:13 That is, the fire
- Ezekiel 1:13 Literally “brightness was for the fire”
- Ezekiel 1:14 Literally “sped forth and returned”
- Ezekiel 1:15 Or “ground”
- Ezekiel 1:15 Literally “the living creatures for the four of his/its faces.” The LXX has “for the four of them.”
- Ezekiel 1:16 Or “chrysolite,” or “topaz”; this stone is difficult to identify exactly
- Ezekiel 1:16 Literally “likeness was one for the four of them”
- Ezekiel 1:16 Literally “as that it was a wheel in the midst of a wheel”
- Ezekiel 1:17 Literally “turn away when they went”
- Ezekiel 1:18 Literally “height was for them and awesomeness was for them”
- Ezekiel 1:18 Literally “of the four of them”
- Ezekiel 1:19 Literally “and at the lifting up of the creatures from the earth”
- Ezekiel 1:20 Literally “Toward which”
- Ezekiel 1:20 Hebrew “creature”
- Ezekiel 1:21 That is, the living creatures
- Ezekiel 1:21 That is, the wheels
- Ezekiel 1:21 Or “ground”
- Ezekiel 1:21 Or “were lifted up”
- Ezekiel 1:21 Hebrew “creature”
- Ezekiel 1:22 Or “And”
- Ezekiel 1:22 Literally “terrible”
- Ezekiel 1:22 Literally “frozen water”
- Ezekiel 1:22 Literally “from to upward”
- Ezekiel 1:23 Literally “each towards its sister”
- Ezekiel 1:24 Often translated “Almighty”
- Ezekiel 1:24 Literally “at their going”
- Ezekiel 1:24 Literally “at their standing”
- Ezekiel 1:25 Or “it was”
- Ezekiel 1:25 Literally “at their standing”
- Ezekiel 1:26 Literally “the appearance of a stone of sapphire”
- Ezekiel 1:26 Or “like”
- Ezekiel 1:26 Literally “from to above”
- Ezekiel 1:27 Literally “to above”
- Ezekiel 1:27 Literally “to down”
- Ezekiel 1:27 Literally “brightness was for it around”
- Ezekiel 1:28 Or “likeness”
- Ezekiel 1:28 Literally “the day of the rain”
- Ezekiel 1:28 Or “brightness”
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