Eze 1 | ESV | STEP | In the thirtieth year , in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month , as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal , the heavens were opened , and I saw visions of God .

1 ^aIn the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by ^bthe Chebar canal, ^cthe heavens were opened, and I saw ^dvisions of God. ^{▼▼Or from God} 2 On the fifth day of the month (it was ^fthe fifth year of ^gthe exile of King Jehoiachin), 3 the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel ^hthe priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by ⁱthe Chebar canal, and ^jthe hand of the Lord was upon him there.

The Glory of the Lord

4 As I looked, behold, ^ka stormy wind came ^lout of the north, and a great cloud, with ^mbrightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, ⁿas it were gleaming metal. ^{▼▼Or amber; also verse 27} 5 And from the midst of it came the likeness of ^pfour living creatures. ^qAnd this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, 6 ^rbut each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot. And they sparkled ^slike burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings ^ton their four sides ^uthey had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: 9 their wings touched one another. ^vEach one of them went straight forward, ^wwithout turning as they went. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, ^xeach had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while ^ytwo covered their bodies. 12 ^zAnd each went straight forward. ^aaWherever the spirit ^{▼▼Or Spirit; also twice in verse 20 and once in verse 21} would go, they went, without turning as they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was ^aclike burning coals of fire, ^adlike the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. ^aeAnd the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living creatures ^afdarted to and fro, ^aglike the appearance of a flash of lightning.

15 ^ahNow as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. ^{▼▼Hebrew of their faces} 16 ^ajAs for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like ^akthe gleaming of beryl. ^alAnd the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. 17 ^amWhen they went, they went ^anin any of their four directions ^{▼▼Hebrew on their four sides} ^apwithout turning as they went. 18 And their rims were tall and awesome, ^aqand the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. 19 ^arAnd when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; ^asand when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. 20 ^atWherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, ^aufor the spirit of the living creatures ^{▼▼Or the spirit of life; also verse 21} was in the wheels. 21 ^awWhen those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; ^axand when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, ^ayfor the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

22 Over the heads of the living creatures there was ^azthe likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring ^bacrystal, spread out above their heads. 23 And under the expanse their wings were ^bbstretched out straight, one toward another. ^bcAnd each creature had two wings covering its body. 24 And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings ^bdlike the sound of many waters, like ^bethe sound of the ^bfAlmighty, a sound of tumult ^bglike the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 And there came a voice from above ^bhthe expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings.

26 And above the expanse over their heads there was ^bithe likeness of a throne, ^bjin appearance ^bklike sapphire; ^{▼▼Or lapis lazuli} and seated above the likeness of a throne was ^bma likeness with a human appearance. 27 And ^bnupward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were ^bogleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and ^bpthere was brightness around him. ^{▼▼Or it} 28 Like the appearance of ^brthe bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.

Such was the appearance of the likeness of ^bsthe glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, ^btI fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.