And it was in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, and I was in the midst of the exiles by the Kebar River. The heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of the king Jehoiachin— the word of Yahweh came clearly to Ezekiel the son of Buzi, the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans at the Kebar River, and the hand of Yahweh was on him there.

And I looked, and look! A storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud, and fire flashing back and forth, and brightness around and within it, and from its midst it was like the outward appearance of amber stone from the midst of the fire. And from its midst was the likeness of four living creatures, and this was their appearance: a human form, and each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. And their legs were straight legs, and the sole of their feet was like the sole of the foot of a calf, and they were sparkling like the outward appearance of polished bronze. And under their wings were human hands on their four sides. And their faces and their wings for the four of them were as follows: their wings were touching one another; each of them went straight forward, without turning right or left. The likeness of their faces was the face of a human in front, and the face of a lion on the right of each of them, and the face of an ox on the left of each of them, and the face of an eagle for each of them. So were their faces; their wings were spread out upward; each had two touching one another and two covering their bodies. And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit went they went, and they did not turn as they went. As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches. It was moving to and fro between the living creatures, and the fire was very bright and lightning was going out from the fire. And the living creatures were speeding to and fro like the appearance of lightning.

And I saw the living creatures, and look! A wheel was on the earth beside each of the living creatures that had four faces. The appearance of the wheels and their construction was like the appearance of beryl, and they all looked alike, and their appearance and their construction was like a wheel within a wheel. When they moved, they went toward their four sides; they did not veer at all as they went. And their rims were high and awesome, and all four of their rims were full of eyes all around. And at the going of the living creatures, the wheels next to them also went, and when the creatures were lifted from the ground the wheels also rose. Wherever the spirit went they would go there, and the wheels rose, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. At their going, they go, and at their standing, they stood, and at their being lifted up from on the earth, the wheels rose, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

Now the likeness above the heads of the living creatures was an expanse like the outward appearance of awesome ice spread out above their heads upward. And under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight one toward the other; each had two wings covering them, and each had two wings covering their bodies. And I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the voice of Shaddai, and when they moved there was a sound of tumult like the sound of an army; when they stood still they lowered their wings. And there was a sound from above the expanse that was above their heads, and when they stood they lowered their wings. And from above the expanse that was above their heads there was the likeness of a throne, looking like a sapphire, and above the likeness of the throne was a likeness similar to the appearance of a human on it, but above it. And I saw something like the outward appearance of amber, something like the appearance of fire, with a covering around it, from the likeness of his loins and upward. And from the likeness of his loins and downward I saw something like the appearance of fire, and it was radiant all around. Like the appearance of a bow that is in the cloud on a rainy day, such was the radiance around it; thus was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh. And I saw, and I fell on my face, and I heard a voice speaking.

And he said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet, so that I can speak with you." And the Spirit came into me as he was speaking to me, and it set me on my feet, and I heard the one speaking to me. And he said to me, "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to nations who are rebelling, who rebelled against me, they and their ancestors, they transgressed against me until this very day. And the children are impudent and stubborn, and so I am sending you to them, and you must say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh!’ And they, whether they listen or whether they fail to listen, for they are a rebellious house, they will know that a prophet was in their midst. And you, son of man, you must not be afraid of them, and you must not be afraid of their words, because briers and thorns are with you, and you are sitting among scorpions. You must not be afraid of their words, and you must not be dismayed because of their looks, for they are a rebellious house. And you must speak my words to them whether they listen or whether they fail to listen, for they are rebellious. And you, son of man, hear what I am speaking to you: you must not be rebellious like the house of rebellion. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving to you." And I looked, and look! There was a hand stretched out to me, and look! In it was a scroll with writing. And he rolled it out before me, and it was written on the front and back, and there were written on it laments and mourning and wailing.

And he said to me, "Son of man, what you find, eat! Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel." And I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat, and he said to me, "Son of man, you must give your stomach this to eat, and you must fill your belly with this scroll that I am giving to you." And I ate, and it became like sweet honey in my mouth. And he said to me, "Son of man, come! Go to the house of Israel, and you must speak to them with my words. For you are sent to the house of Israel, not to a people of obscure speech and of a difficult language, and not to many nations of obscure speech and a difficult language whose words you do not understand, for if I had sent you to them they would have listened to you. And the house of Israel, they are not willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me, for all of the house of Israel is hard of forehead, and they are hard of heart. But look, I have made your face hard against their faces and your forehead hard against their forehead. Like a diamond harder than flint I have made your forehead; you must not fear them, and you must not be dismayed on account of them, for they are a rebellious house. And he said to me, "Son of man, all of my words that I shall speak to you, receive into your heart and hear with your ears. And come, go to the exiles, to the children of your people, and you must speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh!’ whether they listen or whether they fail to listen." And the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the sound of a great earthquake when the glory of Yahweh rose from its place. And it was the sound of the wings of the living creatures touching lightly one against the other, and the sound of the wheels beside them and the sound of a great earthquake. And the Spirit lifted me and took me, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, and the hand of Yahweh was strong on me. And I went to the exiles at Tel Abib, who were dwelling near the Kebar River, and I sat where they were dwelling. I sat there seven days in the midst of them, stunned. And then it happened at the end of seven days, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, "Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, then you must warn them from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘Surely you will die,’ and you do not warn him and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person will die because of his guilt, and from your hand I will seek his blood. And you, if you do warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness and from his wicked way, on account of his guilt he will die, and you yourself will have saved your life. And when the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, and I place a stumbling block before him, he will die, for you did not warn him. Because of his sin he will die, and his righteousness that he did will not be remembered, and his blood I shall seek from your hand. And if you warn him, the righteous, not to sin, and the righteous does not sin, surely he will live, for he heeded a warning. And you will have saved your life."

And the hand of Yahweh was on me there, and he said to me, "Rise up, go out to the valley, and there I will speak with you." And I rose up, and I went to the valley, and, look, there the glory of Yahweh was standing, like the glory that I saw near the Kebar River, and I fell on my face. And the Spirit came into me, and it made me stand on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, "Come, shut yourself inside your house, and you, son of man, look, they will place cords on you, and they will tie you up with them. Then you will not go out into the midst of them. And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, and you will be silenced, and you will not be a reproving man for them, for they are a rebellious house. And when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you must say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "The one hearing him, let him hear, and the one failing to hear, let him fail,"’ for they are a rebellious house.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This one was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and apart from him not one thing came into being that has come into being. In him was life, and the life was the light of humanity. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

A man came, sent from God, whose name was John. This one came for a witness, in order that he could testify about the light, so that all would believe through him. That one was not the light, but came in order that he could testify about the light. The true light, who gives light to every person, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, and the world did not recognize him. He came to his own things, and his own people did not receive him. But as many as received him—to those who believe in his name—he gave to them authority to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a husband, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and took up residence among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about him and cried out, saying, "This one was he about whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me is ahead of me, because he existed before me.’" For from his fullness we have all received, and grace after grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the one and only, God, the one who is in the bosom of the Father—that one has made him known.

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem so that they could ask him, "Who are you?" And he confessed—and he did not deny, and confessed—"I am not the Christ!" And they asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" And he said, "I am not!" "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No!" Then they said to him, "Who are you, so that we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?"

He said,

just as Isaiah the prophet said." (And they had been sent from the Pharisees.) And they asked him and said to him, "Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"

John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water. In your midst stands one whom you do not know— the one who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal!" These things took place in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

On the next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This one is the one about whom I said, ‘After me is coming a man who is ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ And I did not know him, but in order that he could be revealed to Israel, because of this I came baptizing with water."

And John testified, saying, "I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and remaining upon him. And I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water, that one said to me, ‘The one upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him—this one is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testify that this one is the Chosen One of God.

On the next day again John was standing there, and two of his disciples, and looking at Jesus as he was walking by, he said, "Look! The Lamb of God!" And the two disciples heard him speaking, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus, turning around and seeing them following him, said to them, "What do you seek?" And they said to him, "Rabbi" (which means when translated "Teacher"), "where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come and you will see!" So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day (it was about the tenth hour).

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed him. This one first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah!" (which is translated "Christ"). He brought him to Jesus. Looking at him, Jesus said, "You are Simon the son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which is interpreted "Peter").

On the next day he wanted to depart for Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, "Follow me!" (Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter.) Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets wrote about—Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth!" And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see!"

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, "Look! A true Israelite in whom is no deceit!" Nathanael said to him, "From where do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!" Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these!" And he said to him, "Truly, truly I say to all of you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."