< 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.
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.
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;
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;
6 and four faces each, and four wings each, had they;
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;
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:
9 joined to each other, were their wings, —they turned not when they went, each one straight before him, did they go;
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;
11 and their wings were spread above, — two of each joined one another, and two covered their bodies;
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.
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.
14 And the living ones ran and returned, —like the appearance of a flash 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,
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.
17 Upon their four sides, when they went, so did they go, —they turned not when they went.
18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were terrible, -and their rings full of eyes round about, had they four.
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:
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:
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.
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.
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.
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,
25 And there was a voice above the expanse that was over their head, —when they stood, they let down their wings.
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.
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:
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.
