< Ezekiel 1 >
1 And it comes to pass, in the thirtieth year, in the fourth [month], on the fifth of the month, and I [am] in the midst of the expulsion by the river Chebar, the heavens have been opened, and I see visions of God.
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 Kebar, [that] the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
2 In the fifth of the month—it is the fifth year of the expulsion of King Jehoiachin—
In the fifth [day] of the month, which [was] the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,
3 the word of YHWH has certainly been to Ezekiel son of Buzi the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Chebar, and there is on him there a hand of YHWH.
The word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Kebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.
4 And I look, and behold, a turbulent wind is coming from the north, a great cloud, and fire catching itself, and brightness to it all around, and out of its midst as the color of electrum, out of the midst of the fire.
And I looked, and behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness [was] about it, and from the midst of it as the color of amber, from the midst of the fire.
5 And out of its midst [is] a likeness of four living creatures, and this [is] their appearance; a likeness of man [is] to them,
Also from the midst of it [came] the likeness of four living creatures. And this [was] their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.
6 and each had four faces and each of them had four wings,
And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.
7 and their feet [are] straight feet, and the sole of their feet [is] as a sole of a calf’s foot, and they are sparkling as the color of bright bronze;
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 color of burnished brass.
8 and on their four sides [each had] hands of man under their wings; and [each] of the four had their faces and their wings;
And [they had] the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.
9 their wings [are] joining to one another, they do not turn around in their going, they each go straight forward.
Their wings [were] joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.
10 As for the likeness of their faces, [each had] the face of a man, and toward the right the four had the face of a lion, and on the left the four had the face of an ox, and the four had the face of an eagle.
As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.
11 And their faces and their wings dividing from above, of each [are] two joining together, and two are covering their bodies.
Thus [were] their faces: and their wings [were] stretched upward; two [wings] of every one [were] joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
12 And they each go straight forward, to where the Spirit is to go, they go, they do not turn around in their going.
And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; [and] they turned not when they went.
13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearances [are] as coals of fire—burning as the appearance of lamps; it is going up and down between the living creatures, and brightness [is] to the fire, and lightning is going forth out of the fire.
As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance [was] like burning coals of fire, [and] like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
14 And the living creatures are running, and turning back, as the appearance of the flash.
And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
15 And I see the living creatures, and behold, one wheel [is] in the earth, near the living creatures, at its four faces.
Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.
16 The appearance of the wheels and their works [is] as the color of beryl, and the four of them had one likeness, and their appearances and their works [are] as it were the wheel in the midst of the wheel.
The appearance of the wheels and their work [was] like the color of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work [was] as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
17 On their four sides, in their going they go, they do not turn around in their going.
When they went, they went upon their four sides: [and] they returned not when they went.
18 As for their rings, they are both high and fearful, and their rings, of the four of them, [are] full of eyes around them.
As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings [were] full of eyes around them four.
19 And in the going of the living creatures, the wheels go beside them, and in the living creatures being lifted up from off the earth, the wheels are lifted up.
And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
20 To where the Spirit is to go, they go, there the Spirit [is] to go, and the wheels are lifted up alongside them, for a living spirit [is] in the wheels.
Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither [was their] spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature [was] in the wheels.
21 In their going, they go; and in their standing, they stand; and in their being lifted up from off the earth, the wheels are lifted up alongside them; for a living spirit [is] in the wheels.
When those went, [these] went; and when those stood, [these] stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature [was] in the wheels.
22 And over the heads of the living creatures—a likeness of an expanse, as the color of the fearful ice, stretched out over their heads from above.
And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature [was] as the color of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.
23 And under the expanse their wings [are] straight, one toward [its] sister; two [wings] of each are covering them, and two [wings] of each are covering their bodies.
And under the firmament [were] their wings straight, the one towards the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.
24 And I hear the noise of their wings, as the noise of many waters, as the noise of the Mighty One, in their going—the noise of tumult, as the noise of a camp, in their standing they let their wings fall.
And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of a host: when they stood, they let down their wings.
25 And there is a voice from above the expanse, that [is] above their head: in their standing they let their wings fall.
And there was a voice from the firmament that [was] over their heads, when they stood, [and] had let down their wings.
26 And above the expanse that [is] over their head, as an appearance of a sapphire stone, [is] the likeness of a throne, and on the likeness of the throne a likeness, as the appearance of man on it from above.
And above the firmament that [was] over their heads [was] the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne [was] the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
27 And I see as the color of electrum, as the appearance of fire all around within it, from the appearance of His loins and upward; and from the appearance of His loins and downward, I have seen as the appearance of fire, and brightness [is] all around Him.
And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire around within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness on all sides.
28 As the appearance of the bow that is in a cloud in a day of rain, so [is] the appearance of the brightness all around.
As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so [was] the appearance of the brightness around. 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 a voice of one speaking.