Ezekiel 1
1 [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,
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.
On the fifth of the month, that was the fifth year of the captivity of King Jehoiachin,
3 God gave me [in visions here] in Babylonia, and I felt the power [MTY] of Yahweh on me.
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 [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.
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 In the center of the storm I saw what resembled four living creatures. They resembled humans,
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 but each of them had four faces and four wings [DOU].
and four faces each, and four wings each, had they;
7 Their legs were straight. Their feet resembled the hooves of calves, and the creatures shone like polished bronze.
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 On their four sides under their wings there were hands like humans have.
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 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.
joined to each other, were their wings, —they turned not when they went, each one straight before him, did they go;
10 [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.
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 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.
and their wings were spread above, — two of each joined one another, and two covered their bodies;
12 The creatures went straight ahead in whatever direction the [that controlled/guided them] wanted them to go, without changing directions while they were moving.
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 [four] creatures resembled burning coals or torches. A blazing fire moved back and forth among the creatures, and lighting flashed from among them.
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 The creatures moved back and [extremely rapidly], like [SIM] flashes of lightning.
And the living ones ran and returned, —like the appearance of a flash of lightning.
15 While I looked at the four living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each of them.
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 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.
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 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.
Upon their four sides, when they went, so did they go, —they turned not when they went.
18 The rims of the wheels were covered with eyes.
As for their rings, they were so high that they were terrible, -and their rings full of eyes round about, had they four.
19 Whenever the living creatures moved, the wheels moved with them. [So] whenever the creatures rose from the ground, the [also] rose up.
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 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].
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 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.
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 Above the heads of the creatures there was something that resembled a dome. It shone like ice (OR, crystal) shines, and it was awesome.
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 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.
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 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.
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 While they [on the ground] with their wings lowered, there was a voice from the dome that was over their heads.
And there was a voice above the expanse that was over their head, —when they stood, they let down their wings.
26 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.
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 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.
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 [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.
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.
