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The Vision of Four Figures

¹ Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the ^(C1)river Chebar among the exiles, 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 the LORD 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 the LORD came upon him.)

⁴ As I looked, behold, a ^(C1)storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like ^(C2)glowing metal in the midst of the fire.⁵ Within it there were figures resembling ^(C1)four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human ^(C2)form.⁶ Each of them had ^(C1)four faces and ^(C2)four wings.⁷ Their legs were straight and ^(F1)their feet were like a calf's hoof, and they gleamed like ^(C1)burnished bronze.⁸ Under their wings on their ^(C1)four sides were human ^(C2)hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them,⁹ their wings touched one another; their faces did ^(C1)not turn when they moved, each ^(C2)went straight forward.¹⁰ As for the ^(C1)form 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 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)In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of ^(C1)fire, ^(F2)like torches darting back and forth among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was ^(F3)flashing from the fire.¹⁴ And the living beings ^(C1)ran to and fro like bolts of ^(C2)lightning.

¹⁵ Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one ^(C1)wheel on the earth beside the living beings, ^(F1)for each of the four of them.¹⁶ The ^(C1)appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like ^(F1)sparkling ^(C2)beryl, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if ^(F2)one wheel were within another.¹⁷ Whenever they ^(F1)moved, they ^(F1)moved in any of their four ^(F2)directions without ^(C1)turning as they ^(F1)moved.¹⁸ As for their rims they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were ^(C1)full of eyes round about.^19 (C1)Whenever the living beings ^(F1)moved, the wheels ^(F1)moved with them. And whenever the living beings ^(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). And the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living ^(F2)beings 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)beings was in the wheels.

Vision of Divine Glory

²² Now ^(C1)over the heads of the living ^(F1)beings there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of ^(F2)crystal, spread out over their heads.²³ Under 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 abundant waters as they went, like the ^(C2)voice of ^(F1)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 voice 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 ^(C2)resembling a throne, like ^(F1)(C3)lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a ^(C4)man.²⁷ Then I ^(F1)noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something ^(C1)like ^(F2)glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him.²⁸ As the appearance of the ^(C1)rainbow ^(F1)in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the ^(C2)glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I ^(C3)fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.