Ezekiel

Part 1. Judgment on Judah and Israel

Ezekiel 1

Four Creatures

1 In late Junea in the thirtieth year,b I was among the exiles by the Kebar Canal.c The heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 2 On the next dayd (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachine), 3 the word of the L came to Ezekiel son of Buzi, the priest in the land of the Babylonians by the Kebar Canal. The hand of the L was upon him there. 4 As I watched, to my surprise, a gale was coming from the north—a huge cloud with churning fire surrounded by bright light, and in its midst was something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire. 5 In the middle there was something like four living creatures.

The Living Creaturesf 1:5–22

Appearance Human in form. 5 Glowing like burning charcoal, like there were torches going back and forth between the creatures. The fire was bright, and lightning was coming out of it. 13

Faces

Number

Descriptiong 11a

Four per creature 6, 8 One like the face of a human, and also on the right side, the face of a lion, and on the left side, the face of a bull. The four of them also had the face of an eagle. 10 Wings Four 6 One on each of their four sides 8 Each touched its neighbor. 9a Spread out from above. Each creature had two touching those of another and two covering their own bodies. 11b Legs Straight 7 Feet Like calf’s hooves that gleamed like burnished bronze 7 Hands Human in form, under their wings on their four sides 8

a Literally, “on the fifth day of the fourth month.” b There are several theories regarding what the thirty years are linked to: Ezekiel’s birth, a king’s reign, etc. c “Kebar Canal”: An unknown location; one of Babylon’s many canals. d Literally, “fifth day of the fourth month.” e About late June 592 BC. f The description in the table can seem confusing. There are many interpretations of what the creatures looked like. Ezekiel 10:1 identifies them as cherubim. g Literally, “Such were their faces.”