Ezekiel 1 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day — while I was among the exiles by the Kebar canal — the skies split open, and I saw visions from God.

On the fifth day of the month — it was the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's exile —

the word of Yahweh came directly to Ezekiel son of Buzi, the priest, in the land of the Babylonians by the Kebar canal. And there the hand of Yahweh gripped him.

I looked — and there it was: a massive storm surging out of the north, a colossal cloud wrapped in fire, flashing light radiating from it on every side, and at its center something like white-hot metal glowing inside the flames.

And from its center emerged the forms of four living beings. This is what they looked like: they had a human shape,

but each had four faces, and each had four wings.

Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf, gleaming like polished bronze.

Under their wings on all four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings arranged like this:

their wings touched each other. They did not turn as they moved — each one went straight ahead.

As for the shape of their faces: each had the face of a human in front, the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left, and the face of an eagle behind.

That was their faces. Their wings spread out above them — each had two wings touching the wings of the ones beside it, and two wings covering its body.

Each one moved straight ahead. Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, never turning as they moved.

The forms of the living beings looked like burning coals of fire — like torches. Fire surged back and forth between the beings, blazing bright, and lightning cracked out of the fire.

The living beings darted back and forth — like bolts of lightning.

As I watched the living beings, I noticed a wheel on the ground beside each one — one wheel for each of the four-faced beings.

This is what the wheels looked like: they gleamed like topaz, and all four had the same design — each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel.

When they moved, they could go in any of the four directions without turning.

Their rims were massive and terrifying — and all four rims were covered with eyes on every side.

When the living beings moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the beings rose from the ground, the wheels rose too.

Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went — and the wheels rose right along with them, because the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.

When the beings moved, the wheels moved. When the beings stopped, they stopped. When the beings rose from the ground, the wheels rose with them — because the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.

Spread out above the heads of the living beings was something like a vast expanse — dazzling, like the gleam of ice stretched out over them, breathtaking.

Under the expanse, their wings stretched out straight toward each other. Each being had two wings covering one side of its body and two covering the other.

When they moved, I heard the sound of their wings — like the roar of floodwaters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the thunder of an army on the march. When they stopped, they folded their wings.

Then a voice came from above the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they folded their wings.

Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne made of lapis lazuli. And high above on the throne sat a figure that looked like a human being.

From what appeared to be his waist up, I saw something like white-hot metal, like fire enclosed all around. And from what appeared to be his waist down, I saw what looked like fire — and brilliant light blazed from him on every side.

The brilliant light surrounding him was like a rainbow shining through clouds on a rainy day. This was what the glory of Yahweh looked like. When I saw it, I fell facedown — and then I heard a voice speaking.