エゼキエル書 1 – JCB & NIRV

Japanese Contemporary Bible

エゼキエル書 1:1-28

1

最初の幻

1-3ブジの息子である私エゼキエルは祭司でしたが、バビロンに連れて来られた捕囚のユダヤ人の一人として、ケバル川のほとりに住んでいました。第四の月の五日、突然、天が開いて、私は神からの幻を見たのです。その時、私は三十歳になっていました。

4その幻の中で、私は見たのです。北の方から、燃える火のような巨大な雲を前面に押し出しながら、激しい嵐が私を目がけて突進して来ます。雲に包まれた火は絶え間なく閃光を放ちながら、火の中には、みがき上げた真鍮のように輝くものがありました。

5すると、その雲の真ん中から、人間のように見える奇妙な姿をした四つのものが現れました。 6その四つのものは、それぞれ四つの顔と二対の翼を持っていました。 7足は人間の足のようですが、先が子牛のひづめのように分かれていて、みがいた真鍮のように輝いているのです。 8また、それぞれ翼の下から人間の手が出ているのが見えました。

9この四つの生きものは翼を連ねて、曲がらずにまっすぐ飛んで来ました。 10それぞれの顔は、正面は人の顔、右側はライオンの顔、左側は牛の顔、背面はわしの顔でした。 11それぞれの二対の翼は、背中の中央から広げられ、一対は両側の生きものの翼に触れ合い、他の一対は体を覆っていました。 12そして、彼らの霊が行く所はどこへでも、曲がることなく、まっすぐに進んで行きました。

13これらの生きものの間を、赤く燃える炭火や明るいたいまつのように輝く別の生きものがうごめいていました。それらの生きものからは、いなずまが出ていました。 14その生きものたちは、いなずまの光のように速く、あちこち動き回っていました。

15私がこの光景に見入っていると、四つの生きものの下には、地上でそれらを支えるように四つの輪があるのが見えました。それぞれの生きものに一つの輪がついているのです。 16輪はみがき上げた琥珀でできているように見え、輪の中にもう一つの輪が内側にあるようにはめ込まれていました。 17これらの輪は、向きを変えずに四つの方向に向かうことができました。 18四つの輪には縁と輻があり、縁の外側には目がいっぱいついていました。 19-21四つの生きものが前方に飛ぶときは輪も前方に動き、上に飛ぶと輪も上に動きました。生きものが止まると輪も止まりました。生きものの霊が輪の中にあったからです。それで、霊が行く所はどこへでも、輪と生きものも行きました。

22生きものの上に広がった大空は、まるで水晶のように輝き、ことばでは表現できないほどの美しさでした。 23それぞれの生きものの翼は、互いにまっすぐに伸びて触れ合い、もう一対の翼が体を覆っていました。 24生きものが飛ぶと、翼は打ち寄せる波や神の声のように、あるいは大軍勢の雄たけびのようなとどろきを立てました。生きものは止まると、翼を下に垂れました。 25生きものが止まるたびに、頭上の水晶のような大空から声が聞こえました。

26生きものの頭上の空高く、壮麗な青いサファイヤで作った王座のようなものがあり、人間の姿に似た方が座っていたのです。 27-28その方は、腰から上は、火のように照り輝く、燃える青銅のように見えました。腰から下は炎に包まれ、その方の回りには虹のような輝きがありました。このように、主の栄光が示されたのです。これを見て、私は地にひれ伏しました。そして、私に語りかける方の声を聞いたのです。

New International Reader’s Version

Ezekiel 1:1-28

The Lord Gives Ezekiel Visions of His Glory

1I was 30 years old. I was with my people. We had been taken away from our country. We were by the Kebar River in the land of Babylon. On the fifth day of the fourth month, the heavens were opened. I saw visions of God.

2It was the fifth day of the month. Jehoiachin had been king of Judah. It was the fifth year since he had been brought to Babylon as a prisoner. 3A message from the Lord came to me. I was by the Kebar River in Babylon. The power of the Lord came on me there. I am Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi.

4I looked up and saw a windstorm coming from the north. I saw a huge cloud. The fire of lightning was flashing out of it. Bright light surrounded it. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal. 5I saw in the fire something that looked like four living creatures. They appeared to have the shape of a human being. 6But each of them had four faces and four wings. 7Their legs were straight. Their feet looked like the feet of a calf. They were as bright as polished bronze. 8The creatures had human hands under their wings on their four sides. All four of them had faces and wings. 9The wings of one touched the wings of another. Each of the creatures went straight ahead. They didn’t change their direction as they moved.

10Here’s what their faces looked like. Each of the four creatures had the face of a human being. On the right side each had the face of a lion. On the left each had the face of an ox. Each one also had an eagle’s face. 11That’s what their faces looked like. They each had two wings that spread out and lifted up. Each wing touched the wing of another creature on either side. They each had two other wings that covered their bodies. 12All the creatures went straight ahead. Anywhere their spirits would lead them to go, they would go. They didn’t change their direction as they went. 13The living creatures looked like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures. It was bright. Lightning flashed out of it. 14The creatures raced back and forth like flashes of lightning.

15As I looked at the living creatures, I saw wheels on the ground beside them. Each creature had four faces. 16Here’s how the wheels looked and worked. They gleamed like topaz. All four of them looked alike. Each one seemed to be made like a wheel inside another wheel at right angles. 17The wheels could go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced. The wheels didn’t change their direction as the creatures moved. 18Their rims were high and terrifying. All four rims were full of eyes all the way around them.

19When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved. When the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. 20Anywhere their spirits would lead them to go, they would go. And the wheels would rise along with them. That’s because the spirits of the living creatures were in the wheels. 21When the living creatures moved, the wheels also moved. When the creatures stood still, they also stood still. When the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them. That’s because the spirits of the living creatures were in the wheels.

22Something that looked like a huge space was spread out above the heads of the living creatures. It gleamed like crystal. It was terrifying. 23The wings of the creatures were spread out under the space. They reached out toward one another. Each creature had two wings covering its body. 24When the living creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings. It was like the roar of rushing waters. It sounded like the thundering voice of the Mighty God. It was like the loud noise an army makes. When the creatures stood still, they lowered their wings.

25Then a voice came from above the huge space over their heads. They stood with their wings lowered. 26Above the space over their heads was something that looked like a throne made out of lapis lazuli. On the throne high above was a figure that appeared to be a man. 27From his waist up he looked like glowing metal that was full of fire. From his waist down he looked like fire. Bright light surrounded him. 28The glow around him looked like a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day.

That’s what the glory of the Lord looked like. When I saw it, I fell with my face toward the ground. Then I heard the voice of someone speaking.