| Holman Christian Standard Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, while I was among the exiles by the Chebar Canal, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God. | 1On July 31 of my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. |
| 2On the fifth day of the month--it was the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's exile-- | 2This happened during the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity. |
| 3the word of the LORD came directly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar Canal. And the LORD's hand was on him there. | 3(The LORD gave this message to Ezekiel son of Buzi, a priest, beside the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians, and he felt the hand of the LORD take hold of him.) |
| 4I looked and there was a whirlwind coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing back and forth and brilliant light all around it. In the center of the fire, there was a gleam like amber. | 4As I looked, I saw a great storm coming from the north, driving before it a huge cloud that flashed with lightning and shone with brilliant light. There was fire inside the cloud, and in the middle of the fire glowed something like gleaming amber. |
| 5The form of four living creatures came from it. And this was their appearance: They had human form, | 5From the center of the cloud came four living beings that looked human, |
| 6but each of them had four faces and four wings. | 6except that each had four faces and four wings. |
| 7Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf, sparkling like the gleam of polished bronze. | 7Their legs were straight, and their feet had hooves like those of a calf and shone like burnished bronze. |
| 8They had human hands under their wings on their four sides. All four of them had faces and wings. | 8Under each of their four wings I could see human hands. So each of the four beings had four faces and four wings. |
| 9Their wings were touching. The creatures did not turn as they moved; each one went straight ahead. | 9The wings of each living being touched the wings of the beings beside it. Each one moved straight forward in any direction without turning around. |
| 10The form of each of their faces was that of a man, and each of the four had the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left, and the face of an eagle. | 10Each had a human face in the front, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle at the back. |
| 11That is what their faces were like. Their wings were spread upward; each had two wings touching that of another and two wings covering its body. | 11Each had two pairs of outstretched wings—one pair stretched out to touch the wings of the living beings on either side of it, and the other pair covered its body. |
| 12Each creature went straight ahead. Wherever the Spirit wanted to go, they went without turning as they moved. | 12They went in whatever direction the spirit chose, and they moved straight forward in any direction without turning around. |
| 13The form of the living creatures was like the appearance of burning coals of fire and torches. Fire was moving back and forth between the living creatures; it was bright, with lightning coming out of it. | 13The living beings looked like bright coals of fire or brilliant torches, and lightning seemed to flash back and forth among them. |
| 14The creatures were darting back and forth like flashes of lightning. | 14And the living beings darted to and fro like flashes of lightning. |
| 15When I looked at the living creatures, there was one wheel on the ground beside each creature that had four faces. | 15As I looked at these beings, I saw four wheels touching the ground beside them, one wheel belonging to each. |
| 16The appearance of the wheels and their craftsmanship was like the gleam of beryl, and all four had the same form. Their appearance and craftsmanship was like a wheel within a wheel. | 16The wheels sparkled as if made of beryl. All four wheels looked alike and were made the same; each wheel had a second wheel turning crosswise within it. |
| 17When they moved, they went in any of the four directions, without pivoting as they moved. | 17The beings could move in any of the four directions they faced, without turning as they moved. |
| 18Their rims were large and frightening. Each of their four rims were full of eyes all around. | 18The rims of the four wheels were tall and frightening, and they were covered with eyes all around. |
| 19So when the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when the creatures rose from the earth, the wheels also rose. | 19When the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. When they flew upward, the wheels went up, too. |
| 20Wherever the Spirit wanted to go, the creatures went in the direction the Spirit was moving. The wheels rose alongside them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. | 20The spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. So wherever the spirit went, the wheels and the living beings also went. |
| 21When the creatures moved, the wheels moved; when the creatures stood still, the wheels stood still; and when the creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose alongside them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. | 21When the beings moved, the wheels moved. When the beings stopped, the wheels stopped. When the beings flew upward, the wheels rose up, for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. |
| 22The shape of an expanse, with a gleam like awe-inspiring crystal, was spread out over the heads of the living creatures. | 22Spread out above them was a surface like the sky, glittering like crystal. |
| 23And under the expanse their wings extended one toward another. Each of them also had two wings covering their bodies. | 23Beneath this surface the wings of each living being stretched out to touch the others’ wings, and each had two wings covering its body. |
| 24When they moved, I heard the sound of their wings like the roar of mighty waters, like the voice of the Almighty, and a sound of commotion like the noise of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. | 24As they flew, their wings sounded to me like waves crashing against the shore or like the voice of the Almighty or like the shouting of a mighty army. When they stopped, they let down their wings. |
| 25A voice came from above the expanse over their heads; when they stood still, they lowered their wings. | 25As they stood with wings lowered, a voice spoke from beyond the crystal surface above them. |
| 26The shape of a throne with the appearance of sapphire stone was above the expanse. There was a form with the appearance of a human on the throne high above. | 26Above this surface was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli. And on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man. |
| 27From what seemed to be His waist up, I saw a gleam like amber, with what looked like fire enclosing it all around. From what seemed to be His waist down, I also saw what looked like fire. There was a brilliant light all around Him. | 27From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor. |
| 28The appearance of the brilliant light all around was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the form of the LORD's glory. When I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking. | 28All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the LORD looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me. |
| Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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