Hiezechielis Prophetæ 1
1 Et factum est in trigesimo anno, in quarto, in quinta mensis, cum essem in medio captivorum iuxta fluvium Chobar, aperti sunt caeli, et vidi visiones Dei.
On the fifth day of the fourth month of the thirtieth year, I was with the other exiles by the River Kebar. The heavens opened and I saw visions of God.
2 In quinta mensis, ipse est annus quintus transmigrationis regis Ioachin,
(On the fifth day of the month of the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's exile,
3 factum est verbum Domini ad Ezechielem filium Buzi sacerdotem in terra Chaldaeorum, secus flumen Chobar: et facta est super eum ibi manus Domini.
a message from Lord was given to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of Babylonia by the River Kebar. There Lord's power came over him.)
4 Et vidi, et ecce ventus turbinis veniebat ab Aquilone: et nubes magna, et ignis involvens, et splendor in circuitu eius: et de medio eius quasi species electri, id est de medio ignis:
I looked up and saw a windstorm racing in from the north, a tremendous cloud with fire flashing like lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The middle of the fire looked like glowing metal
5 et in medio eius similitudo quattuor animalium: et hic aspectus eorum, similitudo hominis in eis.
and within it was the shape of four beings. This was what they looked like: They had a human shape,
6 Quattuor facies uni, et quattuor pennae uni.
but they each had four faces and four wings.
7 Pedes eorum pedes recti, et planta pedis eorum quasi planta pedis vituli, et scintillae quasi aspectus aeris candentis.
They had straight legs, and the soles of their feet looked like the hooves of calves, and shone like polished bronze.
8 Et manus hominis sub pennis eorum in quattuor partibus: et facies, et pennas per quattuor partes habebant.
They had human hands under their wings on each of their four sides. The four of them all had faces and wings,
9 Iunctaeque erant pennae eorum alterius ad alterum. non revertebantur cum incederent: sed unumquodque ante faciem suam gradiebatur.
and each of their wings touched the wings of the one next to it. As they moved they didn't turn—they all moved straight in one direction.
10 Similitudo autem vultus eorum: facies hominis, et facies leonis a dextris ipsorum quattuor: facies autem bovis, a sinistris ipsorum quattuor, et facies aquilae desuper ipsorum quattuor.
This what their faces looked like. They had a human face to the front, a lion's face to the right, a bull's face to the left, and lastly an eagle's face.
11 Facies eorum, et pennae eorum extentae desuper: duae pennae singulorum iungebantur, et duae tegebant corpora eorum:
These were their faces. Their wings were spread out above them. They all had two wings that touched the wings of the one beside it, as well as two wings that covered its body.
12 et unumquodque eorum coram facie sua ambulabat: ubi erat impetus spiritus, illuc gradiebantur, nec revertebantur cum ambularent.
Each of them went together in whatever direction the Spirit wished them to go, moving without turning.
13 Et similitudo animalium, et aspectus eorum quasi carbonum ignis ardentium, et quasi aspectus lampadarum. Haec erat visio discurrens in medio animalium, splendor ignis, et de igne fulgur egrediens.
These beings looked like bright burning coals or torches. Blazing fire moved to and fro between the beings, and lightning flashed out from the fire.
14 Et animalia ibant, et revertebantur in similitudinem fulguris coruscantis.
The beings raced to and fro as fast as the lightning flashes.
15 Cumque aspicerem animalia, apparuit rota una super terram iuxta animalia, habens quattuor facies.
As I was watching these beings, I noticed a wheel on the ground next to each of the beings with their four faces.
16 et aspectus rotarum, et opus earum, quasi visio maris: et una similitudo ipsarum quattuor: et aspectus earum et opera, quasi sit rota in medio rotae.
The wheels looked like they were made of topaz, and all four wheels were the same. In the middle of each wheel was what looked like another wheel set crossways.
17 Per quattuor partes earum euntes ibant: et non revertebantur cum ambularent.
They could move in any direction without turning as they did so.
18 Statura quoque erat rotis, et altitudo, et horribilis aspectus: et totum corpus oculis plenum in circuitu ipsarum quattuor.
The wheel rims were impressively high, and all of the four rims were covered in eyes.
19 Cumque ambularent animalia, ambulabant pariter et rotae iuxta ea: et cum elevarentur animalia de terra, elevabantur simul et rotae.
As the beings moved so did the wheels next to them, and when the beings flew up, the wheels did too.
20 Quocumque ibat spiritus, illuc eunte spiritu, et rotae pariter elevabantur, sequentes eum. Spiritus enim vitae erat in rotis.
They would go wherever the Spirit went. The wheels would lift up beside them, because the Spirit of the beings was in the wheels to direct them.
21 Cum euntibus ibant, et cum stantibus stabant: et cum elevatis a terra, pariter elevabantur et rotae, sequentes ea: quia spiritus vitae erat in rotis.
When the beings moved, the wheels moved; when they stopped, the wheels stopped; and when they flew up from the ground, the wheels flew up beside them, because the Spirit of the beings was in the wheels to direct them.
22 Et similitudo super capita animalium firmamenti, quasi aspectus crystalli horribilis, et extenti super capita eorum desuper.
Extending above the heads of the being was something that looked like an amazing expanse that glittered like ice crystal.
23 Sub firmamento autem pennae eorum rectae alterius ad alterum: unumquodque duabus alis velabat corpus suum, et alterum similiter velabatur.
Under this expanse the wings of the beings spread out toward one another. Each of them also had two wings that covered its body.
24 Et audiebam sonum alarum, quasi sonum aquarum multarum, quasi sonum sublimis Dei: cum ambularent quasi sonus erat multitudinis ut sonus castrorum. cumque starent, demittebantur pennae eorum.
When the beings moved, I heard the sound their wings made. It was like the roar of a thundering waterfall, like the voice of the Almighty, like the noise of an army on the march. Whenever they stopped, they folded their wings.
25 Nam cum fieret vox super firmamentum, quod erat super caput eorum, stabant, et submittebant alas suas.
A voice spoke from beyond the expanse over their heads while they were standing still with their wings folded.
26 Et super firmamentum, quod erat imminens capiti eorum, quasi aspectus lapidis sapphiri similitudo throni: et super similitudinem throni similitudo quasi aspectus hominis desuper.
Above the expanse over their heads I saw what looked like a throne made of lapis lazuli. Sitting on the throne high above was a being who looked like a man.
27 Et vidi quasi speciem electri, velut aspectum ignis, intrinsecus eius per circuitum: a lumbis eius et desuper, et a lumbis eius usque deorsum, vidi quasi speciem ignis splendentis in circuitu:
From what seemed to be his waist upwards, he looked like glowing metal with fire inside and everywhere around. From what seemed to be his waist downwards, I saw what looked like fire. He was surrounded by very bright light.
28 Velut aspectum arcus cum fuerit in nube in die pluviae. hic erat aspectus splendoris per gyrum.
The bright light surrounding him was like a rainbow shining through the clouds on a rainy day. This was what the glory of the Lord looked like. When I saw it, I fell facedown on the ground, and then I heard someone speaking to me.
