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.
以西結的異象
1第三十年四月五日，我正在迦巴魯河畔被擄的人當中，忽然天開了，我看見了上帝的異象。 2那是約雅斤王被擄第五年的四月五日， 3就在迦勒底人境內的迦巴魯河畔，耶和華的話特別傳給了布西的兒子以西結祭司，耶和華的能力1·3 「能力」希伯來文是「手」。降在他身上。
4在異象中，我看見一陣狂風從北方颳來，隨後有一大朵雲閃耀著火光，四周環繞著燦爛的光芒，火的中心像發光的金屬。 5火中有四個像人形的活物， 6每個活物有四張不同的面孔和四個翅膀。 7他們的腿是直的，腳如同牛犢的蹄，都亮如磨光的銅。 8四面的翅膀下都有人的手，四個活物都有臉和翅膀， 9翅膀彼此相連。他們移動時不必轉身，各朝前面移動。 10四個活物的面孔是這樣的：正面是人的臉，右面是獅子的臉，左面是牛的臉，後面是鷹的臉。 11他們的翅膀向上展開，每個活物的一對翅膀與其他活物的翅膀相連，另外一對翅膀遮蔽身體。 12耶和華的靈往哪裡去，他們也往哪裡去，移動時不用轉身。 13四個活物的形像如燃燒的火炭，又像火把。活物之間有火上下移動，發出耀眼的閃電。 14這些活物像閃電一樣往來飛馳。
15當我觀看這些活物的時候，發現每個活物旁邊的地上都有一個輪子。 16四個輪子的形狀和結構都一樣，好像輪套輪，如同閃耀的綠寶石。 17他們可以向四面移動，移動時輪子不必轉向。 18輪圈高而可畏，周圍佈滿了眼睛。 19活物行走，輪子也在旁邊行走；活物上升，輪子也上升。 20靈往哪裡去，活物也往哪裡去，輪子也跟著往哪裡去，因為活物的靈在輪子裡。 21活物行走，輪子也行走；活物站立不動，輪子也站立不動；活物上升，輪子也跟著上升，因為活物的靈在輪子裡。
22活物的頭上好像鋪展著茫茫的穹蒼，如同頂著耀眼的水晶。 23穹蒼下四個活物伸展翅膀，彼此相對，各用兩個翅膀遮蔽身體。 24他們移動時，翅膀發出的響聲如洪濤之聲，既像全能者的聲音，又像軍隊的呐喊。活物站住的時候，便將翅膀垂下。 25他們站立垂下翅膀時，有聲音從他們頭頂的穹蒼之上傳來。
26在他們頭頂的穹蒼之上彷彿有藍寶石的寶座，有一位形狀像人的高高坐在寶座上。 27我看到祂的腰部以上好像燒紅發亮的金屬，好像有火四面環繞。腰部以下如同火焰。祂周圍有耀眼的光輝， 28彷彿雨天雲中的彩虹。
這是耶和華榮耀的形像。我一看見，便俯伏在地，隨後聽見有說話的聲音。
