1 N ow it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

În al treizecilea an, în a cincea zi a lunii a patra, în timp ce mă aflam printre exilaţii de lângă râul Chebar, cerurile s-au deschis şi am văzut vedenii dumnezeieşti.

2 I n the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,

În a cincea zi a lunii – era al cincilea an de exil al regelui Iehoiachin –

3 T he word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.

Cuvântul Domnului a venit la Ezechiel, fiul preotului Buzi, în ţara caldeenilor, la râul Chebar, şi mâna Domnului a fost peste el acolo.

4 A nd I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

M-am uitat şi am văzut un vânt năprasnic venind dinspre nord şi aducând cu el un nor mare strălucind de jur împrejur şi fulgere luminând. În mijloc, în inima focului, era ceva ca metalul lustruit.

5 A lso out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

În mijlocul lui se afla ceva asemănător cu patru fiinţe, a căror înfăţişare era ca înfăţişarea unui om.

6 A nd every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

Fiecare fiinţă avea câte patru feţe şi câte patru aripi.

7 A nd their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.

Picioarele lor erau drepte, iar talpa picioarelor lor era asemenea copitei unui viţel, strălucind ca bronzul lustruit.

8 A nd they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.

Sub aripile lor, pe fiecare din cele patru părţi, se afla câte o mână de om. Toate cele patru fiinţe aveau feţe şi aripi.

9 T heir wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

Se atingeau una de alta cu aripile, astfel încât nu se răsuceau în mers, ci, când mergeau, fiecare se orienta drept înainte.

10 A s for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

Feţele lor arătau astfel: înainte, fiecare fiinţă avea câte o faţă de om; în partea dreaptă, toate cele patru fiinţe aveau câte o faţă de leu; în partea stângă, toate patru aveau câte o faţă de bou, iar înapoi, toate patru aveau câte o faţă de vultur.

11 T hus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

Aşa arătau feţele lor. Aripile le erau întinse în sus; fiecare avea două aripi, cu care atingea aripile celor de lângă ea, şi alte două aripi cu care îşi acoperea trupul.

12 A nd they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.

Fiecare dintre cele patru fiinţe mergea înainte: mergeau încotro le îndruma duhul să meargă, fără să se abată din mersul lor.

13 A s for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

Aspectul fiinţelor, înfăţişarea lor exterioară, era asemenea unor cărbuni aprinşi, asemenea unor torţe care umblau încoace şi încolo printre fiinţe. Strălucirea lor era ca a focului, iar din foc ieşeau străfulgerări.

14 A nd the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

Fiinţele fugeau şi se întorceau cu o repeziciune ca a fulgerului.

15 N ow as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.

În timp ce mă uitam la acele fiinţe, am observat că pe pământ, în apropierea fiecărei fiinţe, se afla câte o roată, în total patru, câte una pentru fiecare faţă.

16 T he appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

Înfăţişarea roţilor şi lucrătura lor era ca strălucirea crisolitului; toate cele patru roţi aveau aceeaşi înfăţişare; aspectul şi lucrătura lor se asemăna cu o roată în mijlocul altei roţi.

17 W hen they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.

Când mergeau, ele se puteau deplasa în toate cele patru direcţii, fără să se rotească în mers.

18 A s for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

Obezile lor erau înalte şi totodată înspăimântătoare, căci erau pline de ochi de jur împrejurul celor patru fiinţe.

19 A nd when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

Când mergeau fiinţele, mergeau şi roţile alături de ele, iar când se ridicau fiinţele de la pământ, se ridicau şi roţile.

20 W hithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

De aceea fiinţele mergeau acolo unde le punea duhul să meargă, încotro le îndruma duhul să meargă, iar roţile se ridicau să li se alăture, deoarece duhul fiinţelor era în roţi.

21 W hen those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

Când fiinţele mergeau, când se opreau sau când se ridicau de la pământ, li se alăturau şi roţile, deoarece duhul fiinţelor era în roţi.

22 A nd the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

Deasupra capetelor celor patru fiinţe se afla ceva ca o întindere, având sclipirea minunată a cristalului, ce se aşternea în înălţime, deasupra capetelor lor.

23 A nd under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.

Dedesubtul întinderii, aripile le stăteau întinse, una spre cealaltă, fiecare fiinţă având câte două aripi cu care se acoperea.

24 A nd when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.

Am auzit bătaia aripilor lor când se mişcau, aceasta fiind ca vuietul unor ape mari, asemenea glasului Celui Atotputernic, asemenea unui vuiet de furtună, asemenea zgomotului unei oştiri. Când fiinţele se opreau, îşi lăsau aripile în jos.

25 A nd there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.

Vuietul se auzea de deasupra întinderii care era peste capetele lor; când fiinţele se opreau, îşi lăsau aripile jos.

26 A nd above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

Peste întinderea aflată deasupra capetelor lor se afla ceva asemănător cu un tron, având strălucirea pietrei de safir, iar deasupra a ceea ce părea a fi un tron se afla cineva care la înfăţişare era asemănător cu un om.

27 A nd I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

De la ceea ce părea a fi brâul său în sus am văzut ceva ca sclipirea metalului lustruit, ca un foc închis de jur împrejur, iar de la ceea ce părea a fi brâul său în jos am văzut ceva ca înfăţişarea focului. De jur împrejurul lui era o lumină strălucitoare.

28 A s the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

Asemenea curcubeului din nor în ziua ploioasă, aşa era înfăţişarea sclipirii ce radia de jur împrejur. Aşa arăta înfăţişarea ce părea a fi slava Domnului. Când am văzut-o, am căzut cu faţa la pământ şi am auzit glasul Unuia Care vorbea.