Date of Vision of Living Creatures and Glory of the Throne of Yahweh

¹ And it was in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, and I was in the midst of¹ the exiles² by the ⌞Kebar River⌟.³ The heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

1. Or “among”
2. Hebrew “exile”
3. Literally “river of Kebar”

² On the fifth day of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of the king Jehoiachin—

³ the word of Yahweh ⌞came⌟¹ clearly² to Ezekiel the son of Buzi, the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans at the ⌞Kebar River⌟,³ and the hand of Yahweh was on him there.

1. Literally “was”
2. Or “certainly”
3. Literally “river of Kebar”

⁴ And I looked,¹ and look! A storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud, and fire flashing back and forth, and brightness around and ⌞within it⌟,² and from its midst³ it was like the outward appearance of amber stone from the midst⁴ of the fire.

1. Or “saw”
2. Literally “for it”
3. Or “middle”
4. Or “middle”

⁵ And from its midst¹ was the likeness of four living creatures, and this was their appearance: ⌞a human form⌟,²

1. Or “middle”
2. Literally “this their appearance the likeness of a human to them”

⁶ and ⌞each had four faces⌟,¹ and ⌞each of them had four wings⌟.²

1. Literally “and four faces to each”
2. Literally “and four wings to each for them”

⁷ And their legs were straight legs, and the sole of their feet was like the sole of the foot of a calf, and they were sparkling like the outward appearance of polished bronze.

⁸ And under their wings were ⌞human hands⌟¹ on their four sides. And their faces and their wings for the four of them were as follows:

1. Literally “hand his a man”

⁹ ⌞their wings were touching one another⌟;¹ ⌞each of them went straight forward⌟,² ⌞without turning right or left⌟.³

1. Literally “their wings were touching each her sister”
2. Literally “they did not turn at their going”
3. Literally “each toward the side of his face they went”

¹⁰ The likeness of their faces was the face of a human in front, and the face of a lion on the right ⌞of each of them⌟,¹ and the face of an ox on the left ⌞of each of them⌟,² and the face of an eagle ⌞for each of them⌟.³

1. Literally “of the four of them”
2. Literally “of the four of them”
3. Literally “of the four of them”

¹¹ So were their faces; their wings were spread out ⌞upward⌟;¹ each had two touching one another and two covering their bodies.

1. Literally “from to above”

¹² And each ⌞went straight forward⌟;¹ ⌞wherever the spirit went⌟² they went, and ⌞they did not turn as they went⌟.³

1. Literally “toward the side of his face they went”
2. Literally “towards which it was there the spirit”
3. Literally “they did not turn at their going”

¹³ As for¹ the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches. It² was moving to and fro between the living creatures, and ⌞the fire was very bright⌟³ and lightning was going out from the fire.

1. Or “And”
2. That is, the fire
3. Literally “brightness was for the fire”

¹⁴ And the living creatures ⌞were speeding to and fro⌟¹ like the appearance of lightning.

1. Literally “sped forth and returned”

¹⁵ And I saw the living creatures, and look! A wheel was on the earth¹ beside ⌞each of the living creatures that had four faces⌟.²

1. Or “ground”
2. Literally “the living creatures for the four of his/its faces.” The LXX has “for the four of them.”

¹⁶ The appearance of the wheels and their construction was like the appearance of beryl,¹ and ⌞they all looked alike⌟,² and their appearance and their construction was ⌞like a wheel within a wheel⌟.³

1. Or “chrysolite,” or “topaz”; this stone is difficult to identify exactly
2. Literally “likeness was one for the four of them”
3. Literally “as that it was a wheel in the midst of a wheel”

¹⁷ When they moved, they went toward their four sides; they did not ⌞veer at all as they went⌟.¹

1. Literally “turn away when they went”

¹⁸ And their rims ⌞were high and awesome⌟,¹ and ⌞all four of⌟² their rims were full of eyes all around.

1. Literally “height was for them and awesomeness was for them”
2. Literally “of the four of them”

¹⁹ And at the going of the living creatures, the wheels next to them also went, and ⌞when the creatures were lifted from the ground⌟¹ the wheels also rose.

1. Literally “and at the lifting up of the creatures from the earth”

²⁰ ⌞Wherever⌟¹ the spirit went they would go there, and the wheels rose, for the spirit of the living creatures² was in the wheels.

1. Literally “Toward which”
2. Hebrew “creature”

²¹ At their¹ going, they² go, and at their standing, they stood, and at their being lifted up from on the earth,³ the wheels rose,⁴ for the spirit of the living creatures⁵ was in the wheels.

1. That is, the living creatures
2. That is, the wheels
3. Or “ground”
4. Or “were lifted up”
5. Hebrew “creature”

²² Now¹ the likeness above the heads of the living creatures was an expanse like the outward appearance of ⌞awesome⌟² ⌞ice⌟³ spread out above their heads ⌞upward⌟.⁴

1. Or “And”
2. Literally “terrible”
3. Literally “frozen water”
4. Literally “from to upward”

²³ And under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight ⌞one toward the other⌟;¹ each had two wings covering them, and each had two wings covering their bodies.

1. Literally “each towards its sister”

²⁴ And I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the voice of Shaddai,¹ and ⌞when they moved⌟² there was a sound of tumult like the sound of an army; ⌞when they stood still⌟³ they lowered their wings.

1. Often translated “Almighty”
2. Literally “at their going”
3. Literally “at their standing”

²⁵ And there was¹ a sound from above the expanse that was above their heads, ⌞and when they stood⌟² they lowered their wings.

1. Or “it was”
2. Literally “at their standing”

²⁶ And from above the expanse that was above their heads there was the likeness of a throne, ⌞looking like a sapphire⌟,¹ and above the likeness of the throne was a likeness similar to² the appearance of a human on it, but ⌞above it⌟.³

1. Literally “the appearance of a stone of sapphire”
2. Or “like”
3. Literally “from to above”

²⁷ And I saw something like the outward appearance of amber, something like the appearance of fire, with a covering around it, from the likeness of his loins and ⌞upward⌟.¹ And from the likeness of his loins and ⌞downward⌟² I saw something like the appearance of fire, and ⌞it was radiant all around⌟.³

1. Literally “to above”
2. Literally “to down”
3. Literally “brightness was for it around”

²⁸ Like the appearance¹ of a bow that is in the cloud on ⌞a rainy day⌟,² such was the radiance³ around it; thus was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh. And I saw, and I fell on my face, and I heard a voice speaking.

1. Or “likeness”
2. Literally “the day of the rain”
3. Or “brightness”