Ezekiel 1
Evangelical Heritage Version
Ezekiel’s First Vision
1 In the thirtieth year,[a] in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, when I was among the exiles by the Kebar Canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth of that month, in the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin, 3 the word of the Lord came in a dramatic way[b] upon Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans,[c] by the Kebar Canal, and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.
The Glory of the Lord Appears
4 As I watched, I noticed a windstorm coming from the north. There was a large cloud, with fire flashing through it, and there was a bright light all around it. In the middle of it, there was something that looked like glowing metal[d] in the middle of the fire.
5 In the middle of it I saw what looked like four living creatures. This was what they looked like. Each of them had a human appearance, 6 but each one had four faces, and each of them had four wings. 7 Each of their legs was straight,[e] and their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they gleamed like polished bronze. 8 They had human hands under their wings on all four of their sides. All four of them had faces and wings.
9 Their wings were touching one another. The creatures did not turn from side to side as they moved, but each one faced straight ahead.[f]
10 This is what their faces looked like. Each one had a face like a man’s face. On the right side of their heads, all four of them had a face like a lion. On the left side, all four of them had a face like an ox. All four of them also had a face like an eagle. 11 Those were their faces.
Their wings were stretched upward. Each of them had one pair of wings which touched the wings of each of the cherubs next to it and another pair of wings which covered their bodies.
12 Each one faced straight ahead as it moved. They went in whatever direction the spirit[g] wanted to go. They did not turn as they moved ahead.
13 The appearance of the living creatures was like red-hot coals, like the appearance of blazing torches. Fire was moving back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and lightning was coming out of the fire. 14 The creatures darted back and forth. They looked like jagged bolts of lightning.
15 As I looked at the living creatures, I noticed one wheel on the ground beside each one of the living creatures that had four faces. 16 The appearance of the wheels and their design were like the sparkle of topaz,[h] and the four of them looked alike. Their appearance and their design were like a wheel within a wheel.[i] 17 They could go in any of the four directions when they moved, but the wheels did not turn from side to side when they moved.[j] 18 As for their rims, they were high and intimidating, and their rims were full of eyes all the way around—all four of them. 19 Whenever the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them, and whenever the living creatures would rise from the ground, the wheels rose too.
20 Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they would go. Wherever the spirit wanted to go,[k] the wheels would rise together with them, because the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 21 Whenever the living creatures moved, the wheels would move. Whenever the living creatures stood still, the wheels would stand still. Whenever the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels would rise together with them, because the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
22 There was something above the heads of the living creatures like the dome of a vaulted ceiling.[l] It looked like ice. It was spectacular. It stretched out above their heads. 23 Under the dome, two of their wings were stretched out to touch the wing of another one of the creatures. Each of the creatures also had two wings covering themselves, each had two wings covering themselves—covering their bodies.[m] 24 I heard the sound of their wings, like the sound of rushing water. It was like the voice of the Almighty when they moved—a sound of commotion, like the noise in an army camp. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. 25 A voice came from above the dome that was over their heads. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.
26 Above the dome that was over their heads, there was something that appeared to be a sapphire that was shaped like a throne. Seated on that throne-like form there was a figure that looked like a man. 27 I saw something like the gleam of glowing metal[n] with fire in it and all around it. It extended upward from what appeared to be the man’s waist. Below what appeared to be his waist, I saw what appeared to be fire, and a bright light surrounded him. 28 The bright light that surrounded him looked like the rainbow that is in the clouds on a rainy day.
This was the appearance of the likeness of the Glory of the Lord. When I saw this, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice speaking.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 1:1 Apparently the thirtieth year of Ezekiel’s life, when he would have become eligible to serve as a priest in the Temple, if he had not been in exile in Babylon
- Ezekiel 1:3 Or in a powerful way. The Hebrew uses an intensive verb form.
- Ezekiel 1:3 The Chaldeans were the ethnic group ruling Babylon.
- Ezekiel 1:4 Perhaps electrum, a natural alloy of gold and silver, or perhaps amber
- Ezekiel 1:7 Or stretched out straight. It is not clear what this phrase means. Perhaps it means they did not bend at the knee. It is also uncertain whether each creature had two legs like a man or four legs like an ox, as many cherubim pictured in Near Eastern art have.
- Ezekiel 1:9 This apparently means that each one of the living creatures that Ezekiel was seeing always remained facing in one of the four directions of the compass. When the platform moved in any direction, the living creature facing that direction served as the driver. The other living creatures did not turn when the platform serving as a chariot headed in a different direction, but they remained facing in their assigned direction.
- Ezekiel 1:12 Or Spirit
- Ezekiel 1:16 Hebrew tarshish, a gemstone of uncertain identity
- Ezekiel 1:16 This seems to mean one wheel was at a right angle inside the other.
- Ezekiel 1:17 The wheels revolved when the platform was moving in the direction they faced, but the wheels did not turn to the right or left as automobile wheels do.
- Ezekiel 1:20 Repetitious speech is common in Ezekiel. Such repetition often marks excited, emotional speech.
- Ezekiel 1:22 This is the same word that describes the dome or expanse of the heavens in Genesis 1. Here this structure serves as a platform for God’s throne.
- Ezekiel 1:23 The repetition may be due to excited speech, due to seeing such an amazing vision.
- Ezekiel 1:27 Or electrum, a natural alloy of silver and gold, or amber
以西結書 1
Revised Chinese Union Version (Traditional Script) Shen Edition
以西結的第一個異象(A)
神的寶座
1 在三十年四月初五，我在迦巴魯河邊被擄的人當中，那時天開了，我看見 神的異象。 2 正是約雅斤王被擄的第五年四月初五， 3 在迦勒底人之地的迦巴魯河邊，耶和華的話特地臨到布西的兒子以西結祭司，耶和華的手按在他身上。
4 我觀看，看哪，狂風從北方颳來，有一朵大雲閃爍着火，周圍有光輝，其中的火好像閃耀的金屬； 5 又從其中顯出四個活物的形像。他們的形狀是這樣：有人的形像， 6 各有四張臉，四個翅膀。 7 他們的腿是直的，腳掌好像牛犢的蹄，燦爛如磨亮的銅。 8 在四面的翅膀以下有人的手。這四個活物的臉和翅膀是這樣： 9 翅膀彼此相接，行走時並不轉彎，各自往前直行。 10 至於臉的形像：四個活物各有人的臉，右面有獅子的臉，左面有牛的臉，也有鷹的臉； 11 這就是他們的臉[a]。他們的翅膀向上張開，各有兩個翅膀彼此相接，用另外兩個翅膀遮體。 12 他們各自往前直行。靈往哪裏去，他們就往哪裏去，行走時並不轉彎。 13 至於四活物的形像，就如燒着火炭的形狀，又如火把的形狀。有火在四活物中間來回移動，這火有光輝，從火中發出閃電。 14 這些活物往來奔走，好像電光一閃。
15 我觀看活物，看哪，有四張臉的活物旁邊各有一個輪子在地上。 16 輪子的形狀結構[b]好像耀眼的水蒼玉。四輪都是一個樣式，形狀[c]結構好像輪中套輪。 17 輪子行走的時候，向四方直行，行走時並不轉彎。 18 至於輪圈，高而可畏；四個輪圈周圍佈滿眼睛。 19 活物行走，輪子也在旁邊行走；活物離地上升，輪子也上升。 20 靈往哪裏去，活物就往哪裏去；輪子在活物旁邊上升，因為活物的靈在輪中。 21 活物行走，輪子也行走；活物站住，輪子也站住；活物離地上升，輪子也在旁邊上升，因為活物的靈在輪中。
22 活物的頭上面有穹蒼的形像，像耀眼驚人的水晶，鋪張在活物的頭頂上。 23 穹蒼之下，活物的翅膀伸直，彼此相對，每個活物用兩個翅膀遮住自己；每個活物用兩個翅膀遮住自己[d]，就是自己的身體。 24 活物行走的時候，我聽見翅膀的響聲，像大水的聲音，像全能者的聲音，又像軍隊鬧鬨的聲音。活物站住的時候，翅膀垂下。 25 在他們頭上的穹蒼之上有聲音。他們站住的時候，翅膀垂下。
26 在他們頭上的穹蒼之上有寶座的形像，彷彿藍寶石的樣子；寶座的形像上方有彷彿人的樣子的形像。 27 我見他的腰以上有彷彿閃耀的金屬，周圍有彷彿火的形狀，又見他的腰以下有彷彿火的形狀，周圍也有光輝。 28 下雨的日子，雲中彩虹的形狀怎樣，周圍光輝的形狀也是怎樣。
這就是耶和華榮耀形像的樣式，我一看見就臉伏於地。我又聽見一位說話者的聲音。
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和合本修訂版經文 © 2006, 2010, 2017 香港聖經公會。蒙允許使用。 Scripture Text of Revised Chinese Union Version © 2006, 2010, 2017 Hong Kong Bible Society. www.hkbs.org.hk/en/ Used by permission.