Ezekiel 1 is the first chapter of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains prophecies attributed to the prophet/priest Ezekiel, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. In the New King James Version, this chapter is sub-titled "Ezekiel’s Vision of God", and in the New International Version, "Ezekiel’s Inaugural Vision". In the text, the first verse refers to "visions" (plural). Text The original text of this chapter was written in the Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 28 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls including 4Q74 (4QEzek; 50 BCE–50 CE) with extant verses 10–13, 16–17, 19–24; and 11Q4 (11QEzek; 50 BCE–50 CE) with extant verses 8–10. There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; Q; 6th century). Superscription (1:1–3) The first three verses form a superscription of the book, containing the identity of the prophet as well as the time and place that the prophecy was received and delivered. There are two distinct introductions: one in the first person (verse 1) and another in the third person (verses 2-3; the only two verses in the book written in the third person). Verse 1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. The first verse of the book announces that the writer received 'visions of God' while he was among the exiles 'by the river Chebar' in 'the thirtieth year'. The Syriac text refers to "a vision" (singular). Rashi, a medieval French rabbi, suggests that the thirty years are counted "from the beginning of the jubilee cycle", the last of which was started "at the beginning of the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign; that is, the year that Hilkiah