Ezekiel 1:4-28

New American Standard Bible

⁴ As I looked, behold, a ^(A)high wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing intermittently and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like ^(B)gleaming ^[a]metal in the midst of the fire. ⁵ And within it there were figures resembling ^(C)four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human ^(D)form. ⁶ Each of them had ^(E)four faces and ^(F)four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight and ^[b]their feet were like a calf’s ^[c]hoof, and they sparkled like ^(G)polished bronze. ⁸ Under their wings on their ^(H)four sides were human ^(I)hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, ⁹ their wings touched one another; their faces did ^(J)not turn when they moved, each ^(K)went straight forward. ¹⁰ As for the ^(L)form of their faces, each had a human ^(M)face; ^[d]all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and ^[e]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 ^(N)two covering their bodies. ¹² And ^(O)each went straight forward; ^(P)wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. ^13 [f]In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of ^(Q)fire, ^[g]like torches moving among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was ^[h]flashing from the fire. ¹⁴ And the living beings ^(R)ran back and forth like bolts of ^(S)lightning.

¹⁵ Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one ^(T)wheel on the ground beside the living beings, for ^[i]each of the four of them. ¹⁶ The ^(U)appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like ^[j]sparkling ^(V)topaz, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if ^[k]one wheel were within another. ¹⁷ Whenever they ^[l]moved, they ^[m]moved in any of their four ^[n]directions without ^(W)turning as they ^[o]moved. ¹⁸ As for their rims, they were high and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were ^[p](X)covered with eyes all around. ^19 (Y)Whenever the living beings ^[q]moved, the wheels ^[r]moved with them. And whenever the living beings ^(Z)rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. ^20 (AA)Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction^[s]. And the wheels rose just as they did; for the spirit of the living ^[t]beings was in the wheels. ^21 (AB)Whenever those went, they went; and whenever those stopped, they stopped. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose just as they did; for the spirit of the living ^[u]beings was in the wheels.

Vision of Divine Glory

²² Now ^(AC)over the heads of the living ^[v]beings there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal, spread out over their heads. ²³ Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had ^(AD)two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other. ²⁴ And I also heard the sound of their wings, like the ^(AE)sound of abundant waters as they went, like the ^(AF)voice of ^[w]the Almighty, a sound of a crowd like the ^(AG)sound of an army camp; whenever they stopped, they let down their wings. ²⁵ And a voice came from above the ^(AH)expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they let down their wings.

²⁶ Now ^(AI)above the expanse that was over their heads there was something ^(AJ)resembling a throne, like ^[x](AK)lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a ^(AL)man. ²⁷ Then I ^[y]noticed from the appearance of His waist and upward something ^(AM)like gleaming ^[z]metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. ²⁸ Like the appearance of the ^(AN)rainbow ^[aa]in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the ^(AO)glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I ^(AP)fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.