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 And it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth mouth on the fifth day of the month I being in the midst of them of the captivity, by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

2 On the fifth of the month, that was the fifth year of the captivity of King Jehoiachin,

3 in very deed came the word of Yahweh unto Ezekiel son of Buzi the priest in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar,yea the hand of Yahweh I came on him there I-

4 So then I beheld and lo! a tempestuous wind coming out of the North, a great cloud and a fire catching hold of itself, and it had a brightness round about,

5 and out of the midst thereof, as burnished copper to look upon out of the midst of the fire; and out of the midst thereof, a likeness of four living ones, and this was their appearance, the likeness of a man, had they;

6 and four faces each, and four wings each, had they;

7 and their feet were straight feet,and the sole of their feet was like the sole of the foot of a calf, but sparkling, as shining bronze to look upon;

8 and the hands of a man! were under their wings, on their four sides,and their faces and their wings belonged to the four of them:

9 joined to each other, were their wings,they turned not when they went, each one straight before him, did they go;

10 and the likeness of their faces was the face of a man, with the face of a lion to the right of the four of them, and the face of an ox on the left, of the four of them,the face of an eagle, also had they four;

11 and their wings were spread above, two of each joined one another, and two covered their bodies;

12 and each one straight before him, did they go,whithersoever the spirit was minded to go, they went, they turned not when they went.

13 As for the likeness of the living ones, their appearance was like live coals of fire burning up like the appearance of torches, the same went to and fro between the living ones,and the fire had brightness and out of the fire, went forth a lightning.

14 And the living ones ran and returned,like the appearance of a flash of lightning.

15 And I looked at the living ones,and lo! one wheel upon the earth beside the living ones for each of his four faces,

16 The appearance of the wheels and of their structure was like a Tarshish-stone to look upon, and they four had one likeness,and their appearance and their structure were just as would be a wheel in the midst of a wheel.

17 Upon their four sides, when they went, so did they go,they turned not when they went.

18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were terrible, -and their rings full of eyes round about, had they four.

19 And when the living ones went, the wheels went beside them,and when the living ones were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up:

20 whithersoever the spirit was minded to go, they wentthither was the spirit minded to go,and the wheels would be lifted up along with them, for the spirit of the living one was in the wheels:

21 when they went, these went, and when they stood, there stood,ad when they were lifted up from off the earth, the wheels were lifted up along with them, for the spirit of the living one was in the wheels.

22 And there was a likeness over the heads of the living onean expanse, like terrible crystal to look upon, -stretched forth over their heads above.

23 And under the expanse, their wings were straight, one towards another,each one had two covering on this side, and each one had two covering on that side, their bodies.

24 And I heard the sound of their wings, as the sound of many waters, as the sound of the Almighty, when they went, the sound of a storm as the sound of a host,when they stood, they let down their wings,

25 And there was a voice above the expanse that was over their head,when they stood, they let down their wings.

26 And above the expanse that was over their heads, as the appearance of a sapphire stone, was the likeness of a throne,and upon the likeness of a throne, was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above.

27 And I saw as burnished copper to look upon, as the appearance of fire within it round about, from the appearance of his loins and upwards and from the appearance of his loins and downward, saw I as the appearance of fire, and he had brightness round about:

28 as the appearance of the bow which is in a cloud on a day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about, that was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh, and when I saw, I fell upon my face, and heard a voice of one speaking.