1 No dia cinco do quarto mês do ano trinta , eu, o sacerdote Ezequiel, filho de Buzi, vivia na Babilônia, na beira do rio Quebar, junto com os judeus que haviam sido levados para lá como prisioneiros. O céu se abriu, e eu tive uma visão de Deus. 2 Quando isso aconteceu, fazia cinco anos que o rei Joaquim estava preso. 3 Ali na Babilônia, na beira do rio Quebar, eu ouvi o Senhor falar comigo e senti o seu poder.

4 Olhei e vi uma tempestade que vinha do Norte. Raios saíam de uma nuvem enorme. Em volta da nuvem, o céu estava em fogo, e no meio do fogo havia uma coisa que brilhava como bronze. 5 No meio da tempestade, vi o que me pareciam quatro animais. A sua forma era de gente, 6 porém cada um tinha quatro caras e quatro asas. 7 As pernas deles eram retas e tinham cascos que eram parecidos com cascos de touro e que brilhavam como bronze polido. 8 Além das quatro caras e das quatro asas, cada um tinha quatro mãos de gente, uma debaixo de cada asa. 9 Duas asas de cada animal estavam abertas, com as pontas tocando uma na outra. Assim os animais formavam um quadrado e andavam em grupo, sem virar o corpo.

10 Cada animal tinha quatro caras diferentes: na frente, a cara era de gente; do lado direito, era de leão; do lado esquerdo, era de boi; e atrás a cara era de águia. 11 Duas asas de cada animal se abriam para cima e tocavam as pontas das asas dos animais que estavam ao seu lado; e com as outras duas asas eles cobriam o corpo. 12 Cada animal podia olhar para as quatro direções, e por isso o grupo ia aonde queria, sem precisar virar.

13 Entre os animais havia uma coisa que parecia uma tocha acesa e que estava sempre em movimento. O fogo aumentava, e do fogo saíam relâmpagos. 14 E os animais corriam para cá e para lá como relâmpagos.

15 Quando eu estava olhando para os quatro animais, vi quatro rodas no chão, uma ao lado de cada um deles. 16 As quatro rodas eram iguais e brilhavam como pedras preciosas. Dentro de cada roda havia outra roda, atravessada, 17 e assim, sem virar, as rodas podiam rodar em qualquer direção. 18 Os aros das rodas eram cobertos de olhos.

19 Quando os animais andavam, as rodas rodavam ao lado deles; quando os animais subiam da terra, as rodas também subiam. 20 Os animais iam aonde queriam, e as rodas faziam o que os animais faziam porque os animais as controlavam. 21 Assim, toda vez que os animais andavam ou paravam ou subiam do chão, as rodas faziam o mesmo.

22 Acima das cabeças dos animais havia uma coisa que parecia uma cobertura curva feita de cristal brilhante. 23 Debaixo da cobertura, cada animal abria duas asas na direção das asas do outro que estava ao seu lado e cobria o corpo com as outras duas asas. 24 Eu ouvi o barulho das suas asas quando voavam. Era como o rugido do mar, como o barulho de um grande exército, como a voz do Deus Todo-Poderoso. Quando paravam de voar, abaixavam as asas, 25 mas ainda se ouvia um som que vinha de cima da cobertura que estava sobre as cabeças deles.

26 Acima da cobertura curva havia uma coisa parecida com um trono feito de safira. Nele, estava sentado alguém que parecia um homem 27 e que brilhava como se fosse bronze no meio do fogo. Todo ele brilhava com o mesmo clarão de fogo. 28 E a sua luz tinha todas as cores do arco-íris nas nuvens. Esta era a luz brilhante que mostra a presença da glória do Senhor.

1 Now it came to pass at thirty years, in the fourth [month], in the fifth [day] of the month, as I [was] among the captives by the river of Chebar, [that] the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

2 In the fifth [day] of the month, which [was] the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,

3 the word of the LORD came [expressly] unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there the hand of the LORD came upon him.

4 And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, and [a] great cloud, and a fire enfolding itself, and a brightness [was] about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

5 Also out of the midst thereof [came] the likeness of four living creatures. And this [was] their appearance: they had the likeness of man.

6 And each one had four faces, and four wings.

7 And their feet [were] straight feet; and the sole of their feet [was] like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like the colour of highly burnished brass.

8 And [they had] the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and their faces and their wings on [all] four sides.

9 With their wings they joined one to another; they did not return when they went; they went each one straight in the direction they were facing.

10 And the likeness of their faces was human faces; and lion faces, on the right side; and they four had ox faces on the left side; likewise they four had eagle faces.

11 Thus [were] their faces; and their wings [were] stretched upward; two [wings] of each one [were] joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

12 And they went each one straight forward in the direction they were facing: wherever the Spirit directed them to go, they went; [and] they did not return when they went.

13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance [was] like burning coals of fire [and] like the appearance of [lit] torches; the [fire] went up and down among the living creatures and the brightness of the fire; and out of the fire went forth lightning.

14 And the living creatures ran and turned as the appearance of lightnings.

15 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold a wheel upon the earth with its four rims by the living creatures.

16 The appearance of the wheels and their work [was] like unto the colour of a [stone of] Tarsis [or beryl]; and they four had one likeness; and their appearance and their workmanship [was] as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: [and] they did not return when they went.

18 And their ribs were high and dreadful, and full of eyes round about them in all four.

19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went with them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

20 Wherever the spirit wished to go, they went; wherever the spirit directed them, the wheels also rose up after them: for the spirit of the living creatures [was] in the wheels.

21 When those went, [these] went; and when those stood, [these] stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up after them: for the spirit of the living creatures [was] in the wheels.

22 And over the heads of each living creature there appeared a heaven like a marvellous crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

23 And under the heaven their wings [were] straight one toward the other: each one had two, and another two which covered their bodies.

24 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, as the voice of the Almighty, when they went; the voice of the word, as the voice of an army. When they stood, they let down their wings.

25 And there was heard a voice from the heaven that [was] over their heads, when they stood, [and] had let down their wings.

26 And above the heaven that [was] over their heads [was] the figure of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the figure of the throne [was] a likeness as the appearance of a man seated upon it.

27 And I saw something that looked like the colour of amber, that appeared to have fire round about within it, which could be seen from his loins upward; and from his loins downward, I saw what looked like fire, and it had brightness round about

28 that looked like the bow of heaven that is in the clouds in the day of rain, so [was] the appearance of the brightness round about. This [was] the vision of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And I saw it and fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke.: