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The Vision of Four Living Creatures

¹ Now it happened in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the ^(C1)river Chebar among the exiles, that the ^(C2)heavens were opened, and I saw ^(F1)(C3)visions of God.² (On the fifth of the month ^(F1)in the ^(C1)fifth year of King Jehoiachin's exile,³ the ^(C1)word of ^(F1)Yahweh came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the ^(C2)land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there ^(C3)the hand of Yahweh came upon him.)

⁴ Then I looked, and behold, a ^(C1)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 ^(C2)glowing metal in the midst of the fire.⁵ And within it there were figures with the likeness of ^(C1)four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the ^(C2)likeness of a man.⁶ And each of them had ^(C1)four faces and ^(C2)four wings.⁷ And their legs were straight, and ^(F1)their feet were like a calf's hoof, and they sparkled like the gleam of ^(C1)burnished bronze.⁸ And under their wings on their ^(C1)four sides were ^(C2)hands of a man. As for the faces and wings of the four of them,⁹ their wings touched one another; their faces did ^(C1)not turn as they went; each ^(C2)went straight forward.¹⁰ And as for the ^(C1)likeness of their faces, each had the ^(C2)face of a man; ^(F1)all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and ^(F1)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 ^(C1)two covering their bodies.¹² And ^(C1)each went straight forward; ^(C2)wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went.^13 (F1)As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of ^(C1)fire, ^(F2)like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and lightning was ^(F2)flashing from the fire.¹⁴ And the living creatures ^(C1)ran to and fro with the appearance of ^(C2)lightning.

¹⁵ Then I looked at the living creatures, and behold, there was one ^(C1)wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, ^(F1)for each of the four of them.¹⁶ The ^(C1)appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like the gleam of ^(C2)beryl, and all four of them had the same likeness, their appearance and workmanship being as if ^(F1)one wheel were within another.¹⁷ Whenever they went, they went in any of their four ^(F1)directions without ^(C1)turning as they went.¹⁸ And as for their rims, they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were ^(C1)full of eyes all around.^19 (C1)And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them. And when the living creatures ^(C2)rose from the earth, the wheels rose also.^20 (C1)Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction, ^(F1)where the spirit was about to go. And the wheels rose alongside of them; for the spirit of the living ^(F2)creatures was in the wheels.^21 (C1)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 ^(F1)creatures was in the wheels.

The Vision of the Glory of Yahweh

²² Now ^(C1)over the heads of the living ^(F1)creatures there was something with the likeness of an expanse, like the awesome gleam of ^(F2)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 ^(C1)two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other.²⁴ I also heard the sound of their wings like the ^(C1)sound of many waters as they went, like the ^(F1)(C2)sound of ^(F2)the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the ^(C3)sound of an army camp; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings.²⁵ And there came a sound from above the ^(C1)expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings.

²⁶ Now ^(C1)above the expanse that was over their heads there was something in the ^(C2)likeness of a throne, like ^(C3)sapphire stone in appearance; and upon the likeness of the throne, high up, was the likeness of one with the appearance of a ^(C4)man.²⁷ Then I saw from the appearance of His loins and upward something ^(C1)like the gleam of ^(F1)glowing metal with the appearance of fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something with the appearance of fire; and there was a radiance all around Him.²⁸ As the appearance of the ^(C1)rainbow ^(F1)in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the radiance all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the ^(C2)glory of Yahweh. And I saw this, and I ^(C3)fell on my face and heard a sound of a voice speaking.