King James Version KJV
Good News Translation GNT
1 Now 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 of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
1
On the fifth day of the fourth month of the thirtieth year, I, Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, was living with the Jewish exiles by the Chebar River in Babylonia. The sky opened, and I saw a vision of God.
2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,
2
It was the fifth year since King Jehoiachin had been taken into exile.)
3 The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.
3
There in Babylonia beside the Chebar River, I heard the Lord speak to me, and I felt his power.
4 And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
4
I looked up and saw a windstorm coming from the north. Lightning was flashing from a huge cloud, and the sky around it was glowing. Where the lightning was flashing, something shone like bronze.
5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.
5
At the center of the storm I saw what looked like four living creatures in human form,
6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.
6
but each of them had four faces and four wings.
7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.
7
Their legs were straight, and they had hoofs like those of a bull. They shone like polished bronze.
8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.
8
In addition to their four faces and four wings, they each had four human hands, one under each wing.
9 Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.
9
Two wings of each creature were spread out so that the creatures formed a square, with their wing tips touching. When they moved, they moved as a group without turning their bodies.
10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.
10
Each living creature had four different faces: a human face in front, a lion's face at the right, a bull's face at the left, and an eagle's face at the back.
11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
11
Two wings of each creature were raised so that they touched the tips of the wings of the creatures next to it, and their other two wings were folded against their bodies.
12 And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.
12
Each creature faced all four directions, and so the group could go wherever they wished, without having to turn.
13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
13
Among the creatures there was something that looked like a blazing torch, constantly moving. The fire would blaze up and shoot out flashes of lightning.
14 And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
14
The creatures themselves darted back and forth with the speed of lightning.
15 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.
15
As I was looking at the four creatures I saw four wheels touching the ground, one beside each of them.
16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
16
All four wheels were alike; each one shone like a precious stone, and each had another wheel intersecting it at right angles,
17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.
17
so that the wheels could move in any of the four directions.
18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.
18
The rims of the wheels were covered with eyes.
19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
19
Whenever the creatures moved, the wheels moved with them, and if the creatures rose up from the earth, so did the wheels.
20 Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
20
The creatures went wherever they wished, and the wheels did exactly what the creatures did, because the creatures controlled them.
21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
21
So every time the creatures moved or stopped or rose in the air, the wheels did exactly the same.
22 And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.
22
Above the heads of the creatures there was something that looked like a dome made of dazzling crystal.
23 And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.
23
There under the dome stood the creatures, each stretching out two wings toward the ones next to it and covering its body with the other two wings.
24 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.
24
I heard the noise their wings made in flight; it sounded like the roar of the sea, like the noise of a huge army, like the voice of Almighty God. When they stopped flying, they folded their wings,
25 And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.
25
but there was still a sound coming from above the dome over their heads.
26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
26
Above the dome there was something that looked like a throne made of sapphire, and sitting on the throne was a figure that looked like a human being.
27 And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
27
The figure seemed to be shining like bronze in the middle of a fire. It shone all over with a bright light
28 As 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 likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
28
that had in it all the colors of the rainbow. This was the dazzling light which shows the presence of the Lord. When I saw this, I fell face downward on the ground. Then I heard a voice
The King James Version is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.