Ezekiel

Chapter 1

¹ Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, that I was in the midst of the captivity by the river of Chobar; and the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. ² On the fifth day of the month; this was the fifth year of the captivity of king Joakim. ³ And the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river of Chobar; and the hand of the Lord was upon me.¹

⁴ And I looked, and, behold, a sweeping wind came from the north, and a great cloud on it, and there was brightness round

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about it, and gleaming fire, and in the midst of it as it were the appearance of amber in the midst of the fire, and brightness in it.

⁵ And in the midst as it were the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; the likeness of a man was upon them. ⁶ And each one had four faces, and each one had four wings. ⁷ And their legs were straight; and their feet were winged, and there were sparks, like gleaming brass, and their wings were light. ⁸ And the hand of a man was under their wings on their four ²sides. ^{9 3}And the faces of them four turned not when they went; they went everyone straight forward. ¹⁰ And the likeness of their faces was the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right of the four; and the face of a calf on the left of the four; and the face of an eagle to the four. ¹¹ And the four had their wings spread out above; each one had two joined to one another, and two covered ⁴their bodies. ¹² And each one went straight forward: wherever the spirit was going they went, and turned not back.

¹³ And in the midst of the living creatures there was an appearance as of burning coals of fire, as an appearance of lamps ⁵turning among the living creatures; and the brightness of fire, and out of the fire came forth lightning.⁶

¹⁵ And I looked, and, behold, the four had each one wheel on the ground near the living creatures. ¹⁶ And the appearance of the wheels was as the appearance of beryl: and the four had one likeness: and their work was as it were a wheel in a wheel. ¹⁷ They went on their four ⁷sides: they turned not as they went; ¹⁸ neither did their backs turn: and they were high: and I beheld them, and the backs of them four were full of eyes round about.

¹⁹ And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures lifted themselves off the earth. the wheels were lifted off. ²⁰ Wherever the cloud happened to be, there was the spirit ⁸ready to go: the wheels went and were lifted up with ⁹them; because the spirit of life was in the wheels. ²¹ When those went, the wheels went; and when those stood, the wheels stood; and when those lifted themselves off the earth, they were lifted off with them: for the spirit of life was in the wheels.

²² And the likeness over the heads of the living creatures was as a firmament, as the appearance of crystal, spread out over their wings above. ²³ And their wings were spread out under the firmament, ¹⁰reaching one to the other; two wings to each, covering their bodies. ²⁴ And I heard the sound of their wings when they went, as the sound of much water:¹¹ and when they stood, their wings ¹²were let down.

²⁵ And lo! a voice from above the firmament ²⁶ that was over their head, ¹³ there was as the appearance of a sapphire stone,and

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the likeness of a throne upon it: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as an appearance of a man above. ²⁷ And I saw as it were the resemblance of amber ¹⁴from the appearance of the loins and upwards, and from the appearance of the loins and under I saw an appearance of fire, and the brightness thereof round about. ²⁸ As the appearance of the bow when it is in the cloud in days of rain, so was the ¹⁵form of brightness round about.