Ezekiel 1
English Standard Version
Ezekiel in Babylon
1 (A)In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by (B)the Chebar canal, (C)the heavens were opened, and I saw (D)visions of God.[a] 2 On the fifth day of the month (it was (E)the fifth year of (F)the exile of King Jehoiachin), 3 the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel (G)the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by (H)the Chebar canal, and (I)the hand of the Lord was upon him there.
The Glory of the Lord
4 As I looked, behold, (J)a stormy wind came (K)out of the north, and a great cloud, with (L)brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, (M)as it were gleaming metal.[b] 5 And from the midst of it came the likeness of (N)four living creatures. (O)And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, 6 (P)but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf's foot. And they sparkled (Q)like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings (R)on their four sides (S)they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: 9 their wings touched one another. (T)Each one of them went straight forward, (U)without turning as they went. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, (V)each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while (W)two covered their bodies. 12 (X)And each went straight forward. (Y)Wherever the spirit[c] would go, they went, without turning as they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was (Z)like burning coals of fire, (AA)like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. (AB)And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living creatures (AC)darted to and fro, (AD)like the appearance of a flash of lightning.
15 (AE)Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them.[d] 16 (AF)As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like (AG)the gleaming of beryl. (AH)And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. 17 (AI)When they went, they went (AJ)in any of their four directions[e] (AK)without turning as they went. 18 And their rims were tall and awesome, (AL)and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. 19 (AM)And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; (AN)and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. 20 (AO)Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, (AP)for the spirit of the living creatures[f] was in the wheels. 21 (AQ)When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; (AR)and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, (AS)for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
22 Over the heads of the living creatures there was (AT)the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring (AU)crystal, spread out above their heads. 23 And under the expanse their wings were (AV)stretched out straight, one toward another. (AW)And each creature had two wings covering its body. 24 And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings (AX)like the sound of many waters, like (AY)the sound of the (AZ)Almighty, a sound of tumult (BA)like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 And there came a voice from above (BB)the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings.
26 And above the expanse over their heads there was (BC)the likeness of a throne, (BD)in appearance (BE)like sapphire;[g] and seated above the likeness of a throne was (BF)a likeness with a human appearance. 27 And (BG)upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were (BH)gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and (BI)there was brightness around him.[h] 28 Like the appearance of (BJ)the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.
Such was the appearance of the likeness of (BK)the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, (BL)I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 1:1 Or from God
- Ezekiel 1:4 Or amber; also verse 27
- Ezekiel 1:12 Or Spirit; also twice in verse 20 and once in verse 21
- Ezekiel 1:15 Hebrew of their faces
- Ezekiel 1:17 Hebrew on their four sides
- Ezekiel 1:20 Or the spirit of life; also verse 21
- Ezekiel 1:26 Or lapis lazuli
- Ezekiel 1:27 Or it
Yechezkel 1
Orthodox Jewish Bible
1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, while I was among those of the Golus by the Nahar Kevar, that Shomayim was opened, and I saw mar’ot Elohim.
2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of the Golus of HaMelech Yoyakhin [593 B.C.E.},
3 The Devar Hashem came expressly unto Yechezkel the kohen, ben Buzi, in Eretz Kasdim (Chaldeans) by the Nahar Kevar; and the Yad Hashem was there upon him.
4 And I looked, and, hinei, a ruach se’arah came out of the tzafon, an anan gadol, and flashing fire, with brilliant light all about it, and out of the midst thereof something gleaming, shining out of the midst of the eish.
5 Also out of the midst thereof came the demut (likeness) of four Chayos. And this was their appearance: they had the demut adam.
6 And every one had arba’ah panim, and every one had arba kenafayim.
7 And their regalim were regel yesharah; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a regel egel; and they gleamed like the shining of burnished nechoshet.
8 And they had the hands of an adam under their kenafayim on their four sides; and they four had their panim and their kenafayim.
9 Their kenafayim were joined one to another; they turned not as they went; they went every one face forward.
10 As for the demut of their panim, they four had the face of an adam, and the face of an aryeh, on the right side; and they four had the face of a shor on the left side; they four also had the face of a nesher.
11 Thus were their panim; and their kenafayim were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their geviyot.
12 And they went every one face forward; whither the Ruach was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.
13 As for the demut of the Chayos, their appearance was like coals of eish burning, and like the appearance of lapidim (torches); it spread back and forth among the Chayos; and the eish was brilliant, and out of the eish went forth barak (lightning).
14 And the Chayos ran and returned as the appearance of bazak (a flash of lightning).
15 Now as I beheld the Chayos, hinei there was one Ofan ba’aretz etzel the Chayos, with its four panim.
16 The appearance of the Ofanim and their making was like unto the color of tarshish; and they four had one demut; and their appearance and their making was as it were an Ofan within an Ofan.
17 Arba’at (four) sidedly they went; and they turned not as they went.
18 As for their rims, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rims were mele’ot einayim saviv (full of eyes round about) the four of them.
19 And when the Chayos went, the Ofanim went beside them; and when the Chayos were lifted up from ha’aretz, the Ofanim were lifted up.
20 Whithersoever the Ruach was to go, they went, thither was the Ruach to go; and the Ofanim were lifted facing them; for Ruach HaChayah was in the Ofanim.
21 When those went, these went; and when those stood still, these stood still; and when those were lifted up from ha’aretz, the Ofanim were lifted up facing them; for the Ruach HaChayah was in the Ofanim.
22 And the demut of the raki’a upon the rashei HaChayah was as the color of terrible ice crystal, spread out upward above their rashim.
23 And under the raki’a were their kenafayim stretched out, the one toward the other; every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their geviyot.
24 And when they went, I heard the kol of their kenafayim, like the kol of mayim rabbim, as the Kol Shaddai, the voice of a tumult, as the sound of a machaneh; when they stood still, they let down their kenafayim.
25 And there was a kol (voice) from the raki’a that was over their rosh, when they stood still, and had let down their kenafayim.
26 And above the raki’a that was over their rosh was the demut kisse, as the appearance of a precious stone, a sapphire; and upon the demut hakisse was the demut like the appearance of adam above upon it.
27 And I saw something gleaming, shining out like the appearance of eish; inside it all around, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw something like the appearance of eish, and it had radiance all around.
28 As the appearance of the keshet (rainbow) that is in the anan in yom hageshem, so was the appearance of the radiance all around. This was the appearance of the demut Kavod Hashem. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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