1 A nd it cometh to pass, in the thirtieth year, in the fourth, in the fifth of the month, and I in the midst of the Removed by the river Chebar, the heavens have been opened, and I see visions of God.

On the fifth day of the fourth month in the thirtieth year, while I was by the Chebar River with the Jews who had been taken away from their land, the heavens were opened and I saw God in a special way.

2 I n the fifth of the month -- it is the fifth year of the removal of the king Jehoiachin --

(On the fifth day of the month in the fifth year that King Jehoiachin had been living in a strange land,

3 h ath the word of Jehovah certainly been unto Ezekiel son of Buzi the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Chebar, and there is on him there a hand of Jehovah.

the Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the religious leader, son of Buzi, in the land of the Babylonians by the Chebar River. There the hand of the Lord came upon him.)

4 A nd I look, and lo, a tempestuous wind is coming from the north, a great cloud, and fire catching itself, and brightness to it round about, and out of its midst as the colour of copper, out of the midst of the fire.

I looked and saw a wind storm coming from the north. There was a big cloud with lightning coming from it and with a bright light around it. Inside the fire was something like shining brass,

5 A nd out of its midst a likeness of four living creatures, and this their appearance; a likeness of man to them,

and in the fire was what looked like four living beings. They looked like men,

6 a nd four faces to each, and four wings to each of them,

but each of them had four faces and four wings.

7 a nd their feet straight feet, and the sole of their feet as a sole of a calf's foot, and they are sparkling as the colour of bright brass;

Their legs were straight, and their feet were like those of a calf. They shined like bright brass.

8 a nd hands of man under their wings -- on their four sides, and their faces and their wings -- to them four;

Under their wings on their four sides were hands like a man’s. As for the faces and wings of the four of them,

9 j oining one unto another their wings, they turn not round in their going, each straight forward they go.

their wings touched one another. Their faces did not turn when they moved. Each one moved straight ahead.

10 A s to the likeness of their faces, the face of a man, and the face of a lion, toward the right to them four, and the face of an ox on the left to them four, and the face of an eagle to them four.

As for what their faces looked like, each of the four had the face of a man, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of a bull on the left side, and the face of an eagle.

11 A nd their faces and their wings are separate from above, to each two joining together, and two are covering their bodies.

Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above. Each had two wings touching the wings of another, and two covering their bodies.

12 A nd each straight forward they go, whither the spirit is to go, they go, they turn not round in their going.

And each one went straight ahead. Every place where the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went.

13 A s to the likeness of the living creatures, their appearances as coals of fire -- burning as the appearance of lamps; it is going up and down between the living creatures, and brightness to the fire, and out of the fire is going forth lightning.

Between the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like fire lamps moving from side to side among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was coming out of the fire.

14 A nd the living creatures are running, and turning back, as the appearance of the flash.

And the living beings ran this way and that, like lightning.

15 A nd I see the living creatures, and lo, one wheel in the earth, near the living creatures, at its four faces.

As I looked at the living beings, I saw one wheel on the earth beside each of the living beings with its four faces.

16 T he appearance of the wheels and their works as the colour of beryl, and one likeness to them four, and their appearances and their works as it were the wheel in the midst of the wheel.

The way the wheels were made, they looked like shining chrysolite stone. All four of them looked the same. They were made to look as if one wheel were within another.

17 O n their four sides, in their going they go, they turn not round in their going.

When they moved, they went in one of their four ways, without turning as they went.

18 A s to their rings, they are both high and fearful, and their rings full of eyes round about them four.

The wheels were so high that they caused fear. And all four of them were full of eyes all around.

19 A nd in the going of the living creatures, the wheels go beside them, and in the living creatures being lifted up from off the earth, lifted up are the wheels.

When the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. And when the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also.

20 W hither the spirit is to go, they go, thither the spirit to go, and the wheels are lifted up over-against them, for a living spirit in the wheels.

Whatever way the spirit would go, they would go that way. And the wheels rose close beside them, for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.

21 I n their going, they go; and in their standing, they stand; and in their being lifted up from off the earth, lifted up are the wheels over-against them; for a living spirit in the wheels.

When the living beings moved, they moved. When the beings stood still, they stood still. And when the beings rose up from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them. For the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.

22 A nd a likeness over the heads of the living creatures of an expanse, as the colour of the fearful ice, stretched out over their heads from above.

Over the heads of the living beings there was something that looked like the sky. It shined like crystal and spread over their heads.

23 A nd under the expanse their wings straight, one toward the other, to each are two covering on this side, and to each are two covering on that side -- their bodies.

Under this covering their wings were spread out straight, one toward the other. Each one also had two wings covering their bodies on one side and on the other.

24 A nd I hear the noise of their wings, as the noise of many waters, as the noise of the Mighty One, in their going -- the noise of tumult, as the noise of a camp, in their standing they let fall their wings.

When they went, I heard the sound of their wings. They sounded like many waters, like the voice of the All-powerful. They sounded like the noise of an army camp. Whenever they stood still, they let down their wings.

25 A nd there is a voice from above the expanse, that above their head: in their standing they let fall their wings.

A voice came from above the large covering over their heads. Whenever they stood still, they let down their wings.

26 A nd above the expanse that over their head, as an appearance of a sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne, and on the likeness of the throne a likeness, as the appearance of man upon it from above.

Above the large covering that was over their heads there was something that looked like a throne, and looked like it was made of sapphire. Sitting on the throne was what looked like a man.

27 A nd I see as the colour of copper, as the appearance of fire within it round about, from the appearance of his loins and upward, and from the appearance of his loins and downward, I have seen as the appearance of fire, and brightness to it round about.

Then I saw that there was something like shining brass from the center of his body and up to his head. It looked like fire all around within it. And from the center of his body and down to his feet I saw something like fire. There was a bright light shining all around Him.

28 A s the appearance of the bow that is in a cloud in a day of rain, so the appearance of the brightness round about.

This light shining around Him looked like the rainbow in the clouds on a day of rain. This was what the shining-greatness of the Lord looked like. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.