1 Em 31 de julho de meu trigésimo ano, enquanto eu estava com os exilados judeus junto ao rio Quebar, na Babilônia, os céus se abriram e tive visões de Deus. 2 Isso aconteceu no quinto ano do exílio do rei Joaquim. 3 (O Senhor deu essa mensagem ao sacerdote Ezequiel, filho de Buzi, junto ao rio Quebar, na terra dos babilônios, e a mão do Senhor estava sobre ele.)
4 Quando olhei, vi uma grande tempestade que vinha do norte. Uma nuvem faiscava com relâmpagos e brilhava com luz intensa. Dentro da nuvem havia fogo e, no meio do fogo, resplandecia algo semelhante a âmbar reluzente. 5 Do centro da nuvem surgiram quatro seres vivos de aparência humana, 6 porém cada um tinha quatro rostos e quatro asas. 7 Suas pernas eram retas, e seus pés tinham cascos como os de bezerro e brilhavam como bronze polido. 8 Debaixo de cada uma das quatro asas, vi mãos humanas. Assim, cada um dos quatro seres tinha quatro rostos e quatro asas. 9 As asas de cada um dos seres tocavam as asas dos seres ao seu lado. Cada um se movia para a frente, sem se virar.
10 Cada um dos quatro seres tinha rosto humano na frente, rosto de leão à direita, rosto de boi à esquerda e rosto de águia atrás. 11 Cada um tinha dois pares de asas estendidas: com um par tocava as asas dos seres de cada lado e com o outro par cobria o corpo. 12 Deslocavam-se em qualquer direção que o espírito indicava e moviam-se para a frente, sem se virar.
13 Os seres vivos eram semelhantes a brasas acesas ou tochas reluzentes, e relâmpagos pareciam faiscar entre eles. 14 Os seres vivos se deslocavam de um lado para o outro rapidamente, como relâmpagos.
15 Enquanto eu olhava para esses seres, vi quatro rodas que tocavam o chão junto a eles, uma roda para cada um. 16 As rodas brilhavam, como se fossem feitas de berilo. As quatro rodas eram semelhantes e feitas da mesma forma; cada uma tinha dentro dela outra roda que girava na transversal. 17 Os seres podiam se deslocar em qualquer uma das quatro direções, sem se virar enquanto se moviam. 18 Os aros das rodas eram altos e assustadores, cobertos de olhos em todo o redor.
19 Quando os seres vivos se moviam, as rodas se moviam com eles. Quando eles voavam para cima, as rodas também subiam. 20 O espírito dos seres vivos estava nas rodas; aonde quer que o espírito fosse, as rodas e os seres vivos o acompanhavam. 21 Quando os seres se moviam, as rodas também se moviam. Quando os seres paravam, as rodas também paravam. Quando os seres voavam para cima, as rodas também subiam, pois o espírito dos seres vivos estava nas rodas.
22 Acima deles estendia-se uma superfície como o céu, brilhante como cristal. 23 Abaixo dessa superfície as asas de cada ser vivo se estendiam de modo a tocar as asas dos outros, e as outras duas asas cobriam seu corpo. 24 Quando voavam, o estrondo de suas asas soava para mim como ondas do mar quebrando na praia, como a voz do Todo-poderoso, ou como os gritos de um grande exército. Quando os seres pararam, abaixaram as asas. 25 Enquanto estavam com as asas abaixadas, uma voz falou de além da superfície acima deles.
26 Acima dessa superfície havia algo parecido com um trono de safira. No trono, bem no alto, havia uma figura semelhante a um homem. 27 Da cintura para cima, tinha a aparência de âmbar reluzente que cintilava como o fogo, e, da cintura para baixo, parecia uma chama ardente que brilhava com esplendor. 28 Estava rodeado por um aro luminoso, como arco-íris que resplandece entre as nuvens num dia de chuva. Essa era a aparência da glória do Senhor para mim. Quando a vi, prostrei-me com o rosto no chão e ouvi a voz de alguém que falava comigo.
1 In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
2 On the fifth of the month —it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin —
3 the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. "There the hand of the LORD was on him.
4 I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north —an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal,
5 and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human,
6 but each of them had four faces and four wings.
7 Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze.
8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings,
9 and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.
10 Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.
11 Such were their faces. They each had two wings spreading out upward, each wing touching that of the creature on either side; and each had two other wings covering its body.
12 Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went.
13 The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it.
14 The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.
15 As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces.
16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel.
17 As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures went.
18 Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.
19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose.
20 Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
21 When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
22 Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault, sparkling like crystal, and awesome.
23 Under the vault their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body.
24 When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, "like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.
25 Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings.
26 Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.
27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him.
28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.