Ezekiel
The Book of Ezekiel
1 And in the year thirty, fourth month, on the fifth of the month, I being among the exiles by the river Kebar, the sky opened and I saw divine visions. 2* On the fifth of the month (this was the fifth year from King Jehojakin’s deportation) 3* did Jehovah’s word come to Priest Ezekiel the son of Buzi in the Chaldean country by the river Kebar.
And Jehovah’s hand came upon me, 4 and I saw, and there there came a tempest of wind out of the north with a great cloud in it that had a radiance round it and a dancing fire, out of which fire appeared an effulgence like that of green gold, 5 and out of it the semblance of four creatures.
And this was their appearance: they had human semblance, 6 with four faces each and four wings each, 7 their legs straight legs, their feet like calves’ feet, and they sparkled with a gleam like burnished bronze. 8* And under their wings were human arms on all sides; 9 and the wings of the four each joined the next. They did not go round when they went; they each went in the direction he was facing. 10 And the semblance of their faces was a human face, and a lion’s face to the right for the four, and a bull’s face to the left for the four, and a vulture’s face for the four. 11 And their wings parted at the top: each had two wings that joined each, and two that covered their bodies. 12* And they went each toward the side it faced; whichever way they had the spirit telling them to go they went; they did not turn as they went. 13 And in the midst of the creatures was an appearance like live coals burning with an appearance like torches going back and forth between the creatures; and the fire had a radiance, and out of the fire came lightnings. 14 ——
15** And I saw the creatures, and there there was one wheel on the ground beside the creatures, all four of them; 16 and the appearance of the wheels was like the look of yellow jasper. And the four had one semblance; and their appearance and structure were as if there should be a wheel through the middle of a wheel. 17 In going they went toward all four quarters; they did not turn as they went. 18* And their rims had height and had fear; and their rims were full of eyes all round, all four. 19 And when the creatures went the wheels vent beside them; and when the creatures rose from the ground the wheels rose. 20* Whichever way they had the spirit telling them to go the wheels went, and rose simultaneously with them, for the wheels had the creatures’ spirit in them. 21* When those went these went, and when those stood still these stood still, and when those rose off the ground the wheels rose simultaneously with them, because the wheels had the creatures’ spirit in them.
22 And there was a semblance over the creatures’ heads, a plate with the look of transparent ice extending above their heads, 23* and under the plate their wings were level, brushing against each other; they each had two covering their bodies. 24 And I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of a great body of water, like Shaddai’s voice, when they went; a sound of pelting rain, like the sound of an army. When they stood still they let down their wings.
25* And there was a sound above the plate over their heads when they stood still, letting down their wings; 26* and above the plate over their heads was an appearance like that of a sapphire in the semblance of a throne, and on the semblance of the throne a semblance in human form upon it above. 27 And I saw something like the luster of green gold, an appearance as if of a fire with a casing all round it, from the appearance of his waist up; and from the appearance of his waist down I saw an appearance as if of a fire and a radiance all round it 28 like the appearance of the bow that comes in the clouds on a rainy day; such was the appearance of radiance all round. This was the appearance of the semblance of the glory of Jehovah.
And I saw it and threw myself down on my face; and I heard a voice speaking,