Ezekiel 1
1 And it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day of the month I being in the midst of them of the captivity, by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
[I am] Ezekiel, a priest, the son of Buzi. When I was 30 years [old], I [living] among [Israeli] people who had been (exiled from/forced to leave) [and had come to Babylon]. I was living along the Kebar River/ [south of Babylon]. Almost five years after King Jehoiachin had been (exiled/forced to leave Judah), on the fifth day of the fourth [of that year, it was as though] the sky was opened and I saw visions from God. On that day,
2 On the fifth of the month, that was the fifth year of the captivity of King Jehoiachin,
3 in very deed came the word of Yahweh unto Ezekiel son of Buzi the priest in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar, —yea the hand of Yahweh, came on him there.
God gave me [in visions here] in Babylonia, and I felt the power [MTY] of Yahweh on me.
4 So then I beheld and lo! a tempestuous wind coming out of the North, a great cloud and a fire catching hold of itself, and it had a brightness round about, —and out of the midst thereof, as burnished copper to look upon out of the midst of the fire;
[In one of the visions, I saw a] windstorm coming from the north. There was a huge cloud, and lightning was flashing continually, and a brilliant light surrounded the cloud. In the center of where the lightning was flashing there was something that resembled glowing bronze.
5 and out of the midst thereof, a likeness of four living ones, and this was their appearance, the likeness of a man, had they;
In the center of the storm I saw what resembled four living creatures. They resembled humans,
6 and four faces each, and four wings each, had they;
but each of them had four faces and four wings [DOU].
7 and their feet were straight feet, —and the sole of their feet was like the sole of the foot of a calf, but sparkling, as shining bronze to look upon;
Their legs were straight. Their feet resembled the hooves of calves, and the creatures shone like polished bronze.
8 and the hands of a man! were under their wings, on their four sides, —and their faces and their wings belonged to the four of them:
On their four sides under their wings there were hands like humans have.
9 joined to each other, were their wings, —they turned not when they went, each one straight before him, did they go;
As the four [stood there, they formed a circle/square], with their wings touching each other. They did not turn when they were moving; they went straight ahead.
10 and the likeness of their faces was the face of a man, with the face of a lion to the right of the four of them, and the face of an ox on the left, of the four of them, —the face of an eagle, also had they four;
[of the creatures had four faces]. The face that was in front [of each one was a face that] resembled a human face. The face on the right side resembled a lion’s face. The face on the left side resembled an ox’s face. The face in back resembled an eagle’s face.
11 and their wings were spread above, — two of each joined one another, and two covered their bodies;
Two of each creature’s wings were lifted up and touched the wings of the creatures that were on each side. The other two wings were folded against the creature’s body.
12 and each one straight before him, did they go, —whithersoever the spirit was minded to go, they went, they turned not when they went.
The creatures went straight ahead in whatever direction the [that controlled/guided them] wanted them to go, without changing directions while they were moving.
13 As for the likeness of the living ones, their appearance was like live coals of fire burning up like the appearance of torches, the same went to and fro between the living ones, —and the fire had brightness and out of the fire, went forth a lightning.
[four] creatures resembled burning coals or torches. A blazing fire moved back and forth among the creatures, and lighting flashed from among them.
14 And the living ones ran and returned, —like the appearance of a flash of lightning.
The creatures moved back and [extremely rapidly], like [SIM] flashes of lightning.
15 And I looked at the living ones, —and lo! one wheel upon the earth beside the living ones for each of his four faces,
While I looked at the four living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each of them.
16 The appearance of the wheels and of their structure was like a Tarshish-stone to look upon, and they four had one likeness, —and their appearance and their structure were just as would be a wheel in the midst of a wheel.
Each of the wheels was the same, and they all shone like [SIM] (chrysolite/a valuable green stone). Each seemed to have one wheel inside another wheel.
17 Upon their four sides, when they went, so did they go, —they turned not when they went.
Whenever they moved, they would go straight in one of the four directions that they faced; they did not [in another direction] while they moved.
18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were terrible, -and their rings full of eyes round about, had they four.
The rims of the wheels were covered with eyes.
19 And when the living ones went, the wheels went beside them, —and when the living ones were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up:
Whenever the living creatures moved, the wheels moved with them. [So] whenever the creatures rose from the ground, the [also] rose up.
20 whithersoever the spirit was minded to go, they went—thither was the spirit minded to go, —and the wheels would be lifted up along with them, for the spirit of the living one was in the wheels:
Wherever the [that controlled the creatures] wanted the creatures to go, they went, and the wheels went with them, because the [that controlled/guided them] was in the wheels [DOU].
21 when they went, these went, and when they stood, these stood, —and when they were lifted up from off the earth, the wheels were lifted up along with them, for the spirit of the living one was in the wheels.
Whenever the creatures moved, the wheels moved. Whenever the creatures [still], the wheels stopped. Whenever the creatures rose up from the ground, the wheels rose up with them.
22 And there was a likeness over the heads of the living one—an expanse, like terrible crystal to look upon, -stretched forth over their heads above.
Above the heads of the creatures there was something that resembled a dome. It shone like ice (OR, crystal) shines, and it was awesome.
23 And under the expanse, their wings were straight, one towards another, —each one had two covering on this side, and each one had two covering on that side, their bodies.
Under the dome, the creatures stretched out their wings. Each one had two wings; [each wing] stretched towards the creature [was next to] it, and two wings that were against the creature’s body.
24 And I heard the sound of their wings, as the sound of many waters, as the sound of the Almighty, when they went, the sound of a storm as the sound of a host, —when they stood, they let down their wings,
Whenever the creatures moved, their wings made a sound that resembled the roar made by a rushing stream. It also sounded like the voice of Almighty God, and like [SIM] the noise of a huge army marching. Whenever the creatures stood [on the ground], they lowered their wings.
25 And there was a voice above the expanse that was over their head, —when they stood, they let down their wings.
While they [on the ground] with their wings lowered, there was a voice from the dome that was over their heads.
26 And above the expanse that was over their heads, as the appearance of a sapphire stone, was the likeness of a throne, —and upon the likeness of a throne, was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above.
Above the dome was something that resembled [huge] [that was made of a huge] (sapphire/valuable blue stone). Sitting on the throne was someone that resembled a human.
27 And I saw as burnished copper to look upon, as the appearance of fire within it round about, from the appearance of his loins and upwards and from the appearance of his loins and downwards, saw I as the appearance of fire, and he had brightness round about:
I saw that above his waist his body resembled metal that was glowing as though it [a very hot] fire inside it. And I saw that below his waist there was a very brilliant light that surrounded him.
28 as the appearance of the bow which is in a cloud on a day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about, that was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh, and when I saw, I fell upon my face, and heard a voice of one speaking.
[shone] like [SIM] a rainbow shines in the clouds on a rainy day. That was the brilliant light that represented the presence of Yahweh. When I saw it, I prostrated myself on the ground, and I heard him speak.
