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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.[a] From the center of the cloud came four living beings that looked human, except that each had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight, and their feet had hooves like those of a calf and shone like burnished bronze. Under each of their four wings I could see human hands. So each of the four beings had four faces and four wings. 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[b] or like the shouting of a mighty army. When they stopped, they let down their wings.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:4 Or like burnished metal; also in 1:27.
  2. 1:24 Hebrew Shaddai.

Then I looked, and behold, a (A)storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light all around it, and in its midst something like the gleam of (B)glowing metal in the midst of the fire. And within it there were figures with the likeness of (C)four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the (D)likeness of a man. And each of them had (E)four faces and (F)four wings. And their legs were straight, and [a]their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they sparkled like the gleam of (G)burnished bronze. And under their wings on their (H)four sides were (I)hands of a man. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, their wings touched one another; their faces did (J)not turn as they went; each (K)went straight forward. 10 And as for the (L)likeness of their faces, each had the (M)face of a man; [b]all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and [c]all four had the face of an eagle. 11 And such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and (N)two covering their bodies. 12 And (O)each went straight forward; (P)wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13 [d]As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of (Q)fire, [e]like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and lightning was [f]flashing from the fire. 14 And the living creatures (R)ran to and fro with the appearance of (S)lightning.

15 Then I looked at the living creatures, and behold, there was one (T)wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, [g]for each of the four of them. 16 The (U)appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like the gleam of (V)beryl, and all four of them had the same likeness, their appearance and workmanship being as if [h]one wheel were within another. 17 Whenever they went, they went in any of their four [i]directions without (W)turning as they went. 18 And as for their rims, they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were (X)full of eyes all around. 19 (Y)And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them. And when the living creatures (Z)rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. 20 (AA)Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction, [j]where the spirit was about to go. And the wheels rose alongside of them; for the spirit of the living [k]creatures was in the wheels. 21 (AB)Whenever those went, these went; and whenever those stood still, these stood still. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living [l]creatures was in the wheels.

The Vision of the Glory of Yahweh

22 Now (AC)over the heads of the living [m]creatures there was something with the likeness of an expanse, like the awesome gleam of [n]crystal, spread out over their heads above. 23 And underneath the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had (AD)two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other. 24 I also heard the sound of their wings like the (AE)sound of many waters as they went, like the [o](AF)sound of [p]the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the (AG)sound of an army camp; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 1:7 Lit the soles of their feet
  2. Ezekiel 1:10 Lit the four of them
  3. Ezekiel 1:10 Lit the four of them
  4. Ezekiel 1:13 Some ancient versions And in the midst of the living
  5. Ezekiel 1:13 Lit coming out
  6. Ezekiel 1:13 Lit coming out
  7. Ezekiel 1:15 Lit for his four faces
  8. Ezekiel 1:16 Lit the wheel in the midst of the wheel
  9. Ezekiel 1:17 Lit sides
  10. Ezekiel 1:20 Some ancient versions omit the final clause
  11. Ezekiel 1:20 M.T. creature
  12. Ezekiel 1:21 M.T. being
  13. Ezekiel 1:22 As in some ancient mss and versions; M.T. creature
  14. Ezekiel 1:22 Or ice
  15. Ezekiel 1:24 Or voice
  16. Ezekiel 1:24 Heb Shaddai