< Ezekiel 1 >
1 And it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was in the midst of the exiles by the river Kebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw divine visions.
And it was don, in the thrittithe yeer, in the fourthe monethe, in the fyuethe dai of the moneth, whanne Y was in the myddis of caitifs, bisidis the flood Chobar, heuenes weren openyd, and Y siy the reuelaciouns of God.
2 On the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of the exile of king Jehoyachin,
In the fyueth dai of the monethe; thilke is the fyuethe yeer of passing ouer of Joachym, kyng of Juda;
3 Came the word of the Lord expressly unto Ezekiel the son of Buzi, the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Kebar; and there came upon him there the inspiration of the Lord.
the word of the Lord was maad to Ezechiel, preest, the sone of Busi, in the lond of Caldeis, bisidis the flood Chobar; and the hond of the Lord was maad there on hym.
4 And I saw, and behold, a storm-wind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a flaming fire, and a brightness was on it round about; and out of the midst of it was like the glitter of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
And Y siy, and lo! a whirlewynd cam fro the north, and a greet cloude, and fier wlappynge in, and briytnesse in the cumpas therof; and as the licnesse of electre fro the myddis therof, that is, fro the myddis of the fier.
5 And out of the midst thereof [I saw] the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: They had the likeness of a man.
And of myddis therof was a licnesse of foure beestis. And this was the biholdyng of tho, the licnesse of a man in tho.
6 And every one had four faces, and every one of them had four wings.
And foure faces weren to oon, and foure wyngis weren to oon.
7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the glitter of burnished copper.
And the feet of tho weren streiyt feet, and the soole of the foote of tho was as the soole of a foot of a calf, and sparclis, as the biholdynge of buylynge bras.
8 And hands of man [were visible] from beneath their wings on their four sides: and their faces and their wings [were alike] on all these four.
And the hondis of a man weren vndur the wyngis of tho, in foure partis. And tho hadden faces and wyngis bi foure partis;
9 Their wings were joined one to the other: they turned not about in their going; they went every one in the direction of one of their faces.
and the wyngis of tho weren ioyned togidir of oon to another. Tho turneden not ayen, whanne tho yeden, but eche yede bifore his face.
10 And the likeness of their faces was the face of a man; and the face of a lion, on the right side for all four of them; and the face of an ox on the left side for all four of them; and the face of an eagle for all four of them.
Forsothe the licnesse `of the face of tho was the face of a man and the face of a lioun at the riythalf of tho foure. Forsothe the face of an oxe was at the left half of tho foure; and the face of an egle was aboue tho foure.
11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were spread out upward; every one had two joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
And the faces of tho and the wengis of tho weren stretchid forth aboue. Twei wyngis of eche weren ioyned togidere, and tweyne hiliden the bodies of tho.
12 And they went every one in the direction of one of his faces: whither the spirit was directed to go, they went; they turned not about in their going.
And ech of tho yede bifore his face. Where the fersnesse of the wynd was, thidur tho yeden, and turneden not ayen, whanne tho yeden.
13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like coals of fire, burning as with the appearance of torches; this [fire] it was which passed along between the living creatures: and a brightness was about the fire, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
And the licnesse of the beestis, and the biholdyng of tho, was as of brennynge coolis of fier, and as the biholdyng of laumpis. This was the siyt rennynge aboute in the myddis of beestis, the schynyng of fier, and leit goynge out of the fier.
14 And the living creatures ran backward and forward like the appearance of a flash of lightning.
And the beestis yeden, and turneden ayen at the licnesse of leit schynynge.
15 And I looked on the living creatures, and, behold, there was one wheel upon the earth close by the living creatures, by their four front faces.
And whanne Y bihelde the beestis, o wheel, hauuynge foure faces, apperide on the erthe, bisidis the beestis.
16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like the color of a chrysolite; and all four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as though it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
And the biholdyng of the wheelis and the werk of tho was as the siyt of the see; and o licnesse was of tho foure; and the biholdyng and the werkis of tho, as if a wheel be in the myddis of a wheel.
17 Toward their four sides they went in their going: they turned not round in their going.
Tho goynge yeden bi foure partis of tho, and turneden not ayen, whanne tho yeden.
18 As for their circumferences, they were so high that they excited fear: and their felloes were full of eyes round about on all these four.
Also stature, and hiynesse, and orible biholdyng was to the wheelis; and al the bodi was ful of iyen in the cumpas of tho foure.
19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went near to them: and when the living creatures lifted themselves up from the earth, the wheels lifted themselves up.
And whanne the beestis yeden, the wheelis also yeden togidere bisidis tho. And whanne the beestis weren reisid fro the erthe, the wheelis also weren reisid togidere.
20 Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went; [for] thither was [their] spirit to go: and the wheels lifted themselves up at the same time with them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
Whidur euere the spirit yede, whanne the spirit yede thedur, also the wheelis suynge it weren reisid togidere; for whi the spirit of lijf was in the wheelis.
21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those lifted themselves up from the earth, the wheels lifted themselves up at the same time with them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
Tho yeden with the beestis goynge, and tho stoden with the beestis stondynge. And with the beestis reisid fro erthe, also the wheelis suynge tho beestis weren reisid togidere; for the spirit of lijf was in the wheelis.
22 And the likeness of a vault was over the head of the living creatures, [shining] like the glitter of the purest crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.
And the licnesse of the firmament was aboue the heed of the beestis, and as the biholdyng of orible cristal, and stretchid abrood on the heed of tho beestis aboue.
23 And under the vault their wings were straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered them, and every one had two, which covered them, —[namely, ] their bodies.
Forsothe vndur the firmament the wyngis of tho beestis weren streiyt, of oon to anothir; ech beeste hilide his bodi with twei wyngis, and an other was hilid in lijk maner.
24 And I heard the sound of their wings, like the sound of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, when they went, the sound of [their] speech, as the noise of an army: when they stood still, they let down their wings.
And Y herde the sown of wyngis, as the sown of many watris, as the sown of hiy God. Whanne tho yeden, ther was as a sown of multitude, as the sown of oostis of batel; and whanne tho stoden, the wyngis of tho weren late doun.
25 And there was a voice from the vault that was over their head: when they stood still, they let down their wings.
For whi whanne a vois was maad on the firmament, that was on the heed of tho, tho stoden, and leten doun her wyngis.
26 And above the vault that was over their head was like the appearance of a sapphire-stone, the likeness of a throne: and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
And on the firmament, that was aboue the heed of tho, was as the biholdyng of a saphire stoon, the licnesse of a trone; and on the licnesse of the trone was a licnesse, as the biholdyng of a man aboue.
27 And I saw as if it were the glitter of amber, as the appearance of fire within it round about, from the appearance of his loins upward; and from the appearance of his loins downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
And Y siy as a licnesse of electre, as the biholding of fier with ynne, bi the cumpas therof; fro the lendis of hym and aboue, and fro the lendis of him til to bynethe, Y siy as the licnesse of fier schynynge in cumpas,
28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about: this was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard the voice of one that spoke.
as the biholdynge of the reynbowe, whanne it is in the cloude in the dai of reyn. This was the biholdyng of schynyng bi cumpas. This was a siyt of the licnesse of the glorie of the Lord. And Y siy, and felle doun on my face; and Y herde the vois of a spekere.