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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

  1. Ezekiel 1:1 Or “among”
  2. Ezekiel 1:1 Hebrew “exile”
  3. Ezekiel 1:1 Literally “river of Kebar”
  4. Ezekiel 1:3 Literally “was”
  5. Ezekiel 1:3 Or “certainly”
  6. Ezekiel 1:3 Literally “river of Kebar”
  7. Ezekiel 1:4 Or “saw”
  8. Ezekiel 1:4 Literally “for it”
  9. Ezekiel 1:4 Or “middle”
  10. Ezekiel 1:4 Or “middle”
  11. Ezekiel 1:5 Or “middle”
  12. Ezekiel 1:5 Literally “this their appearance the likeness of a human to them”
  13. Ezekiel 1:6 Literally “and four faces to each”
  14. Ezekiel 1:6 Literally “and four wings to each for them”
  15. Ezekiel 1:8 Literally “hand his a man”
  16. Ezekiel 1:9 Literally “their wings were touching each her sister”
  17. Ezekiel 1:9 Literally “they did not turn at their going”
  18. Ezekiel 1:9 Literally “each toward the side of his face they went”
  19. Ezekiel 1:10 Literally “of the four of them”
  20. Ezekiel 1:10 Literally “of the four of them”
  21. Ezekiel 1:10 Literally “of the four of them”
  22. Ezekiel 1:11 Literally “from to above”
  23. Ezekiel 1:12 Literally “toward the side of his face they went”
  24. Ezekiel 1:12 Literally “towards which it was there the spirit”
  25. Ezekiel 1:12 Literally “they did not turn at their going”
  26. Ezekiel 1:13 Or “And”
  27. Ezekiel 1:13 That is, the fire
  28. Ezekiel 1:13 Literally “brightness was for the fire”
  29. Ezekiel 1:14 Literally “sped forth and returned”
  30. Ezekiel 1:15 Or “ground”
  31. Ezekiel 1:15 Literally “the living creatures for the four of his/its faces.” The LXX has “for the four of them.”
  32. Ezekiel 1:16 Or “chrysolite,” or “topaz”; this stone is difficult to identify exactly
  33. Ezekiel 1:16 Literally “likeness was one for the four of them”
  34. Ezekiel 1:16 Literally “as that it was a wheel in the midst of a wheel”
  35. Ezekiel 1:17 Literally “turn away when they went”
  36. Ezekiel 1:18 Literally “height was for them and awesomeness was for them”
  37. Ezekiel 1:18 Literally “of the four of them”
  38. Ezekiel 1:19 Literally “and at the lifting up of the creatures from the earth”
  39. Ezekiel 1:20 Literally “Toward which”
  40. Ezekiel 1:20 Hebrew “creature”
  41. Ezekiel 1:21 That is, the living creatures
  42. Ezekiel 1:21 That is, the wheels
  43. Ezekiel 1:21 Or “ground”
  44. Ezekiel 1:21 Or “were lifted up”
  45. Ezekiel 1:21 Hebrew “creature”
  46. Ezekiel 1:22 Or “And”
  47. Ezekiel 1:22 Literally “terrible”
  48. Ezekiel 1:22 Literally “frozen water”
  49. Ezekiel 1:22 Literally “from to upward”
  50. Ezekiel 1:23 Literally “each towards its sister”
  51. Ezekiel 1:24 Often translated “Almighty”
  52. Ezekiel 1:24 Literally “at their going”
  53. Ezekiel 1:24 Literally “at their standing”
  54. Ezekiel 1:25 Or “it was”
  55. Ezekiel 1:25 Literally “at their standing”
  56. Ezekiel 1:26 Literally “the appearance of a stone of sapphire”
  57. Ezekiel 1:26 Or “like”
  58. Ezekiel 1:26 Literally “from to above”
  59. Ezekiel 1:27 Literally “to above”
  60. Ezekiel 1:27 Literally “to down”
  61. Ezekiel 1:27 Literally “brightness was for it around”
  62. Ezekiel 1:28 Or “likeness”
  63. Ezekiel 1:28 Literally “the day of the rain”
  64. Ezekiel 1:28 Or “brightness”
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Ezekiel 1
International Standard Version

An Introduction to Ezekiel’s Visions

1 On the fifth day of the fourth month of the thirtieth year of the exile to Babylon,[a] while I was among the captives on the bank of[b] the Chebar River, heaven opened up and I saw visions from God.

The Vision of the Fire Cloud

2 On the fifth day[c] of the month in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s imprisonment in exile, 3 a message from[d] the Lord came directly to Buzi’s son Ezekiel,[e] the priest, by the Chebar River in the land of the Chaldeans.[f] The hand of the Lord rested upon him there.

4 I was amazed to see a wind storm blow[g] in from the north, consisting of[h] a massive cloud and fire that was flashing back and forth, surrounded by bright light. From deep within the cloud,[i] something was shining that appeared to have a color like bronze that had been placed in fire until it glowed.

The Vision of the Four Beings

5 Deep inside it, the likenesses of four living beings were visible. Their appearances were similar to human forms, 6 except that they each had four faces, four pairs of wings,[j] 7 and straight legs. Their feet resembled calves’ hooves, but they gleamed like polished bronze. 8 From under their wings there were human hands on their four sides.

Now as to their four faces and four pairs of wings, 9 their pairs of wings overlapped each other. They moved in straight directions without turning their faces around as they moved. 10 The form of their faces was human, but each of the four also had the face of a lion to the right, the face of an ox to the left, and the face of an eagle behind them.[k] 11 That’s what their faces were like. Their wings spread out above and around them, one pair overlapping another, with one pair covering themselves. 12 Each moved in straight directions. Wherever they decided[l] to go, they went without turning themselves.

13 Now, in the midst of the living beings there was something that[m] appeared to glow like coals kindled by a fire,[n] like torches that moved back and forth between the living beings. The fire was dazzling, and lightning flashed from the fire. 14 The living beings moved around, in appearance resembling lightning.

The Vision of the Wheels

15 As I observed the living beings, I noticed one wheel on the earth beside each being—that is, for the four of them.[o] 16 Their wheels and their construction details looked like gold-colored beryl.[p] Each wheel was identical in form to the others,[q] and they appeared to have been constructed and designed as if one wheel were within another. 17 Whenever the four moved, no matter which of four directions, they moved without turning around.

18 Their wheel rims were ornate[r] and terrifying. They were full of eyes that surrounded the four of them. 19 Whenever the living beings moved, the wheels moved, too. Whenever the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. 20 Whatever direction these spirits went, the wheels would be lifted up along with them, because the wheels were alive.[s] 21 They moved around whenever they wanted to move around,[t] and they stood still whenever they wanted to stand still;[u] and whenever they rose from the earth, the wheels remained close beside them, because the wheels were also alive.[v]

The Vision of the Wings

22 There was spread out over the heads of the living beings what looked like a canopy,[w] in outward appearance resembling ice, 23 and underneath the canopy, their wings spread out straight over their heads toward each other. They each also had two wings with which they covered themselves, one wing covering its body on one side and one wing covering itself on the other side.

24 I also heard the sound of their wings, like the sound of roaring[x] water, like the voice of the Almighty, or like a boisterous crowd within an army camp. Whenever they stopped flying, they lowered their wings. 25 A sound came from above the canopy that was spread out over their heads. Whenever they stood still, they lowered their wings. 26 From above the canopy that was spread out over their heads, there appeared to be something reminiscent of a throne, resembling sapphire[y] in form.

The Vision of the Glory of God

There was the likeness of the appearance of a human being seated on the likeness of the throne high above. 27 I noticed that from what appeared to look like his waist upward there was something that looked like metal that glowed as if it were immersed in fire. Below this there was something resembling fire, with a radiant light surrounding him. 28 The appearance of the radiant light resembled that of a rainbow shining in a cloud on a rainy day. This was what the appearance of the form of the glory of the Lord resembled. When I saw all of this,[z] I fell flat on my face. Then I heard a voice speaking.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 1:1 The Heb. lacks of the exile to Babylon
  2. Ezekiel 1:1 The Heb. lacks the bank of
  3. Ezekiel 1:2 The Heb. lacks day
  4. Ezekiel 1:3 Lit. the word of
  5. Ezekiel 1:3 The Heb. name Ezekiel means My strengthener is God
  6. Ezekiel 1:3 I.e. Aramaic speaking people of southern Mesopotamia; or magi-astrologers; and so throughout the book
  7. Ezekiel 1:4 Lit. come
  8. Ezekiel 1:4 The Heb. lacks consisting of
  9. Ezekiel 1:4 Lit. within it
  10. Ezekiel 1:6 Or four wings
  11. Ezekiel 1:10 The Heb. lacks behind them
  12. Ezekiel 1:12 Lit. wherever their spirit was
  13. Ezekiel 1:13 So LXX; MT reads These living beings
  14. Ezekiel 1:13 Or appeared like glowing coals of fire
  15. Ezekiel 1:15 Lit. of their faces
  16. Ezekiel 1:16 Lit. like tarshish; i.e. a semi-precious stone similar to beryl or yellow jasper
  17. Ezekiel 1:16 Lit. the four wheels
  18. Ezekiel 1:18 Lit. lofty; or high
  19. Ezekiel 1:20 Lit. the spirit of the living beings resided in the wheels
  20. Ezekiel 1:21 Lit. In their moving they moved
  21. Ezekiel 1:21 Lit. and in their standing they stood
  22. Ezekiel 1:21 Lit. the spirit of the living beings resided also in the wheels
  23. Ezekiel 1:22 Or expanse
  24. Ezekiel 1:24 Or of an abundant amount of
  25. Ezekiel 1:26 Or of lapis lazuli
  26. Ezekiel 1:28 The Heb. lacks all of this
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