Ezekiel's First Vision of God

1.1—7.27

God's Throne

11.1: Rev 19.11On the fifth day of the fourth month of the thirtieth year,1.1 thirtieth year: It is not known to what year this refers. I, Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, was living with the Jewish exiles by the River Chebar in Babylonia. The sky opened, and I saw a vision of God. ( 21.2: 2 Kgs 24.10–16; 2 Chr 36.9–10It was the fifth year since King Jehoiachin had been taken into exile.) 3There in Babylonia beside the River Chebar, I heard the LORD speak to me and I felt his power.

4I looked up and saw a storm coming from the north. Lightning was flashing from a huge cloud, and the sky round it was glowing. Where the lightning was flashing, something shone like bronze. 51.5: Rev 4.6At the centre of the storm, I saw what looked like four living creatures in human form, 6but each of them had four faces and four wings. 7Their legs were straight, and they had hoofs like those of a bull. They shone like polished bronze. 8In addition to their four faces and four wings, they each had four human hands, one under each wing. 9Two 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.

101.10: Ezek 10.14; Rev 4.7Each 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. 11Two wings1.11 Some ancient translations Two wings; Hebrew Their faces, their 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. 12Each creature faced all four directions, and so the group could go wherever they wished, without having to turn.

13Among1.13 Some ancient translations Among; Hebrew And the likeness of. the creatures there was something that looked like a blazing torch, constantly moving. The fire would blaze up and shoot out flashes of lightning. 14The creatures themselves darted to and fro with the speed of lightning.

151.15–21: Ezek 10.9–13As I was looking at the four creatures, I saw four wheels touching the ground, one beside each of them.1.15 Some ancient translations them; Hebrew their faces. 16All four wheels were alike; each one shone like a precious stone, and each had another wheel intersecting it at right angles, 17so that the wheels could move in any of the four directions. 181.18: Rev 4.8The rims of the wheels were covered with eyes.1.18 Verse 18 in Hebrew is unclear. 19Whenever the creatures moved, the wheels moved with them, and if the creatures rose up from the earth, so did the wheels. 20The creatures went wherever they wished, and the wheels did exactly what the creatures did, because the creatures controlled them. 21So every time the creatures moved or stopped or rose in the air, the wheels did exactly the same.

221.22: Rev 4.6Above the heads of the creatures there was something that looked like a dome made of dazzling crystal. 23There under the dome stood the creatures, each stretching out two wings towards the ones next to it and covering its body with the other two wings. 241.24: Rev 1.15; 19.6I 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, 25but there was still a sound coming from above the dome over their heads.

261.26: Ezek 10.1; Rev 4.2–3Above 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. 271.27: Ezek 8.2The figure seemed to be shining like bronze in the middle of a fire. It shone all over with a bright light 28that had in it all the colours of the rainbow. This was the dazzling light that shows the presence of the LORD.

God Calls Ezekiel to be a Prophet

When I saw this, I fell face downwards on the ground. Then I heard a voice