1-3. I am Ezekiel—a priest and the son of Buzi.Five years after King Jehoiachin of Judah had been led away as a prisoner to Babylonia, I was living near the River Chebar among those who had been taken there with him. Then on the fifth day of the fourth month of the thirtieth year, the heavens suddenly opened. The Lord placed his hand upon me and showed me some visions.
4. I saw a storm blowing in from the north. Lightning flashed from a huge cloud and lit up the whole sky with a dazzling brightness. The fiery centre of the cloud was as shiny as polished metal,
5. and in that centre I saw what looked like four living creatures. They were somewhat like humans,
6. except that each one had four faces and four wings.
7. Their legs were straight, but their feet looked like the hoofs of calves and sparkled like bronze.
8. Under each of their wings, these creatures had a human hand.
9. The four creatures were standing back-to-back with the tips of their wings touching. They moved together in every direction, without turning their bodies.
10. Each creature had the face of a human in front, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of a bull on the left, and the face of an eagle at the back.
11. Two wings of each creature were spread out and touched the wings of the creatures on either side. The other two wings of each creature were folded against its body.
12. Wherever the four living creatures went, they moved together without turning their bodies, because each creature faced straight ahead.
13. The creatures were glowing like hot coals, and I saw something like a flaming torch moving back and forth among them. Lightning flashed from the torch every time its flame blazed up.
14. The creatures themselves moved as quickly as sparks jumping from a fire.
15. I then noticed that on the ground beside each of the four living creatures was a wheel,