Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the {Hebrew: captivity.}captives by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,
the word of Jehovah came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of Jehovah was there upon him.
And I looked, and, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, with a fire {Or, flashing continually}infolding itself, and a brightness round about it, and out of the midst thereof {Or, as amber to look upon}as it were glowing {Or, amber}metal, out of the midst of the fire.
And out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man;
and every one had four faces, and every one of them had four wings.
And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like burnished brass.
And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings thus:
their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.
As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle.
{Or, And thus were their faces; and their wings were &c.}And their faces and their wings were separate above; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; they turned not when they went.
As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches: the fire went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold, one wheel upon the earth beside the living creatures, for each of the four faces thereof.
The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto a beryl: and they four had one likeness; and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel {Hebrew: in the mist of.}within a wheel.
When they went, they went {Hebrew: on their four sides.}in their four directions: they turned not when they went.
As for their {Or, felloes}rims, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rims full of eyes round about.
And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went; thither was the spirit to go: and the wheels were lifted up {Or, over against}beside them; for the spirit {Or, of life}of the living creature was in the wheels.
When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up {Or, over against}beside them: for the spirit {Or, of life}of the living creature was in the wheels.
And over the head of the living creature there was the likeness of a firmament, like the terrible {Or, ice}crystal to look upon, stretched forth over their heads above.
And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two which covered {Or, for them}on this side, and every one had two which covered {Or, for them}on that side, their bodies.
And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a noise of tumult like the noise of a host: when they stood, they let down their wings.
And there was a voice above the firmament that was over their heads: when they stood, they let down their wings.
And 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 a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above.
And I saw as it were glowing metal, 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 saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness round about {Or, it}him.
As 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 Jehovah. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
Querverweise zu Hesekiel 1,4 Hes 1,4
The {Or, oracle concerning}burden of the wilderness of the sea.As whirlwinds in the South sweep through, it cometh from the wilderness, from a terrible land.
And he spake unto the man clothed in linen, and said, Go in between the whirling wheels, even under the cherub, and fill both thy hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and {Or, sprinkle}scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight.
Now the cherubim stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court.
And the glory of Jehovah mounted up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of Jehovah's glory.
And I saw as it were glowing metal, 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 saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness round about {Or, it}him.
And the word of Jehovah came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a boiling caldron; and the face thereof is from the north.
And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled.
And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.
And mount Sinai, the whole of it, smoked, because Jehovah descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
Then I beheld, and, lo, a likeness as the appearance of fire; from the appearance of his loins and downward, fire; and from his loins and upward, as the appearance of brightness, {Or, as amber to look upon}as it were glowing metal.
Then Jehovah said unto me, Out of the north evil {Hebrew: shall be opened.}shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
And the glory of Jehovah abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
And there appeared in the cherubim the form of a man's hand under their wings.
Set up a standard toward Zion: flee for safety, stay not; for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
And the appearance of the glory of Jehovah was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.
And I looked, and behold, four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside one cherub, and another wheel beside another cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like unto a {Or, stone of Tarshish}beryl stone.
Flee for safety, ye children of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and raise up a signal on Beth-haccherem; for evil looketh forth from the north, and a great destruction.
And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the heart of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.
and his feet like unto burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace; and his voice as the voice of many waters.
Behold, the tempest of Jehovah, even his wrath, is gone forth, yea, a whirling tempest: it shall burst upon the head of the wicked.
And Jehovah spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of words, but ye saw no form; only ye heard a voice.
behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith Jehovah, and I will send unto Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about; and I will {Hebrew: devote.}utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations.
it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking Jehovah; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments {Or, for song}of music, and praised Jehovah, saying, For he is good; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever; that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of Jehovah,
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be raised up from the uttermost parts of the earth.
so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of Jehovah filled the house of God.
Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves; and their horsemen {Or, spread themselves}press proudly on: yea, their horsemen come from far; they fly as an eagle that hasteth to devour.
Then spake Solomon, Jehovah hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
They come all of them for violence; {Hebrew: the eagerness (or, assembling) of their faces is &c.}the set of their faces is {Or, towards the east}forwards; and they gather captives as the sand.
Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt-offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of Jehovah filled the house.
And the priests could not enter into the house of Jehovah, because the glory of Jehovah filled Jehovah's house.
And all the children of Israel looked on, when the fire came down, and the glory of Jehovah was upon the house; and they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and gave thanks unto Jehovah, saying, For he is good; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
He made darkness his hiding-place, his pavilion round about him,Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed,Hailstones and coals of fire.
Jehovah also thundered in the heavens,And the Most High uttered his voice,Hailstones and coals of fire.
Our God cometh, and doth not keep silence:A fire devoureth before him,And it is very tempestuous round about him.
Clouds and darkness are round about him:Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
A fire goeth before him,And burneth up his adversaries round about.
Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters;Who maketh the clouds his chariot;Who walketh upon the wings of the wind;
Who maketh {Or, his angels winds}winds his messengers;Flames of fire his ministers;
The {Or, oracle concerning}burden of Egypt.Behold, Jehovah rideth upon a swift cloud, and cometh unto Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall tremble at his presence; and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
Jehovah is slow to anger, and great in power, and will by no means clear the guilty: Jehovah hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel; and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.
The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt; and the earth is upheaved at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.
Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken asunder by him.
God {Or, cometh ( and similarly to the end of verse 15)}came from Teman,And the Holy One from mount Paran. [Selah.His glory covered the heavens,And the earth was full of his praise.
And his brightness was as the light;He had {Hebrew: horns.}rays coming forth {Or, at his side}from his hand;And there was the hiding of his power.
Before him went the pestilence,And {Or, burning coals}fiery bolts went forth at his feet.
for our God is a consuming fire.