Introduction, The Incarnate Word

1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— ² and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— ³ what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

God Is Light

⁵ This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; ⁷ but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

The Vision of Four Figures

1 Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw ^[a]visions of God. ² (On the fifth of the month ^[b]in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile, ³ the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there the hand of the Lord came upon him.)

⁴ As I looked, behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire. ⁵ Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form. ⁶ Each of them had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight and ^[c]their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze. ⁸ Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, ⁹ their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn when they moved, each went straight forward. ¹⁰ As for the form of their faces, each had the face of a man; ^[d]all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and ^[e]all four had the face of an eagle. ¹¹ Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies. ¹² And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. ^13 [f]In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, ^[g]like torches darting back and forth among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was ^[h]flashing from the fire. ¹⁴ And the living beings ran to and fro like bolts of lightning.

¹⁵ Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside the living beings, ^[i]for each of the four of them. ¹⁶ The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like ^[j]sparkling beryl, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if ^[k]one wheel were within another. ¹⁷ Whenever they ^[l]moved, they ^[m]moved in any of their four ^[n]directions without turning as they ^[o]moved. ¹⁸ As for their rims they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes round about. ¹⁹ Whenever the living beings ^[p]moved, the wheels ^[q]moved with them. And whenever the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. ²⁰ Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction^[r]. And the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living ^[s]beings was in the wheels. ²¹ Whenever those went, these went; and whenever those stood still, these stood still. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living ^[t]beings was in the wheels.

Vision of Divine Glory

²² Now over the heads of the living ^[u]beings there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of ^[v]crystal, spread out over their heads. ²³ Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other. ²⁴ I also heard the sound of their wings like the sound of abundant waters as they went, like the voice of ^[w]the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army camp; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings. ²⁵ And there came a voice from above the expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings.

²⁶ Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like ^[x]lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. ²⁷ Then I ^[y]noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something like ^[z]glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. ²⁸ As the appearance of the rainbow ^[aa]in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.