1Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

2On the fifth day of the month, in the fifth year of the captivity of King Jehoiachin,

3the word of Jehovah came to Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, the priest, in the land of the Chaldaeans, by the river Chebar; and the hand of Jehovah was there upon him.

4And I looked, and behold, a stormy wind came from the north, a great cloud, and a mass of fire; and a brightness was round about it, and in the midst of it the appearance of bright brass, in the midst of the fire.

5And in the midst of it were the forms of four living creatures. And this was their appearance. They had the form of a man.

6And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

7And their feet were upright; and the sole of their feet was as the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like polished brass.

8And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides, and all four had faces and wings.

9Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not about when they went; they went every one straight forward.

10As for the form of their faces, all four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side, and all four had the face of an ox on the left side, and all four had also the face of an eagle.

11Thus were their faces. And their wings were expanded upward; two wings of every one were joined, and two covered their bodies.

12And they went every one straight forward; whither the spirit was to go, they went, and they turned not about when they went.

13And the appearance of the living creatures was as coals of fire, burning like torches; and the fire moved about among the living creatures, and shone forth brightly; and out of the fire came forth lightning.

14And the living creatures ran backward and forward like a flash of lightning.

15Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold, there stood a wheel upon the earth by each of the living creatures, with its four sides.

16The appearance of the wheels, and their work, was like that of a chrysolite, and all four had one form, and their appearance and their work was as if a wheel had been within a wheel.

17When they went, they went upon their four sides, and they turned not about when they went.

18As for their felloes, they were high and terrible; and their felloes were full of eyes round about upon all four of them.

19And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

20Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, whithersoever the spirit was to go; and the wheels were lifted up beside them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

21When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up beside them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

22And over the heads of the living creatures was the appearance of a firmament, like crystal, terrible, spread out over their heads above.

23And under the firmament were their wings upright, the one toward the other; and every one had two, which covered his body.

24And I heard the sound of their wings, as the sound of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, when they went,—a sound like the noise of a host. And when they stood still, they let down their wings.

25And there was a voice from the firmament, that was over their heads; and they stood still, and let down their wings.

26And above the firmament over their heads was an appearance like a sapphire-stone, the form of a throne; and upon the form of the throne there was a form like that of a man above.

27And I saw what had the appearance of bright brass, what had the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins and upward. And from the appearance of his loins downward I saw what had the appearance of fire, and its brightness was round about him.

28As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the glory of Jehovah. And when I saw it I fell upon my face, and I heard the voice of one who spoke.