| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. | 1In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles at the Kebar River, the heavens opened and I saw a divine vision. |
| 2On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, | 2(On the fifth day of the month--it was the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's exile-- |
| 3the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was upon him there. | 3the word of the LORD came to the priest Ezekiel the son of Buzi, at the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. The hand of the LORD came on him there). |
| 4Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. | 4As I watched, I noticed a windstorm coming from the north--an enormous cloud, with lightning flashing, such that bright light rimmed it and came from it like glowing amber from the middle of a fire. |
| 5Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. | 5In the fire were what looked like four living beings. In their appearance they had human form, |
| 6Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings. | 6but each had four faces and four wings. |
| 7Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves’ feet. They sparkled like the color of burnished bronze. | 7Their legs were straight, but the soles of their feet were like calves' feet. They gleamed like polished bronze. |
| 8The hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings. | 8They had human hands under their wings on their four sides. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, |
| 9Their wings touched one another. The creatures did not turn when they went, but each one went straight forward. | 9their wings touched each other; they did not turn as they moved, but went straight ahead. |
| 10As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle. | 10Their faces had this appearance: Each of the four had the face of a man, with the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left and also the face of an eagle. |
| 11Thus were their faces. Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies. | 11Their wings were spread out above them; each had two wings touching the wings of one of the other beings on either side and two wings covering their bodies. |
| 12And each one went straight forward; they went wherever the spirit wanted to go, and they did not turn when they went. | 12Each moved straight ahead--wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. |
| 13As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning. | 13In the middle of the living beings was something like burning coals of fire or like torches. It moved back and forth among the living beings. It was bright, and lightning was flashing out of the fire. |
| 14And the living creatures ran back and forth, in appearance like a flash of lightning. | 14The living beings moved backward and forward as quickly as flashes of lightning. |
| 15Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces. | 15Then I looked, and I saw one wheel on the ground beside each of the four beings. |
| 16The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. | 16The appearance of the wheels and their construction was like gleaming jasper, and all four wheels looked alike. Their structure was like a wheel within a wheel. |
| 17When they moved, they went toward any one of four directions; they did not turn aside when they went. | 17When they moved they would go in any of the four directions they faced without turning as they moved. |
| 18As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them. | 18Their rims were high and awesome, and the rims of all four wheels were full of eyes all around. |
| 19When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. | 19When the living beings moved, the wheels beside them moved; when the living beings rose up from the ground, the wheels rose up too. |
| 20Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, because there the spirit went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. | 20Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise up beside them because the spirit of the living being was in the wheel. |
| 21When those went, these went; when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. | 21When the living beings moved, the wheels moved, and when they stopped moving, the wheels stopped. When they rose up from the ground, the wheels rose up from the ground; the wheels rose up beside them because the spirit of the living being was in the wheel. |
| 22The likeness of the firmament above the heads of the living creatures was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched out over their heads. | 22Over the heads of the living beings was something like a platform, glittering awesomely like ice, stretched out over their heads. |
| 23And under the firmament their wings spread out straight, one toward another. Each one had two which covered one side, and each one had two which covered the other side of the body. | 23Under the platform their wings were stretched out, each toward the other. Each of the beings also had two wings covering its body. |
| 24When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings. | 24When they moved, I heard the sound of their wings--it was like the sound of rushing waters, or the voice of the Almighty, or the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. |
| 25A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings. | 25Then there was a voice from above the platform over their heads when they stood still. |
| 26And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. | 26Above the platform over their heads was something like a sapphire shaped like a throne. High above on the throne was a form that appeared to be a man. |
| 27Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. | 27I saw an amber glow like a fire enclosed all around from his waist up. From his waist down I saw something that looked like fire. There was a brilliant light around it, |
| 28Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking. | 28like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds after the rain. This was the appearance of the surrounding brilliant light; it looked like the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I threw myself face down, and I heard a voice speaking. |
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