¹در روز پنجم ماه چهارم و سال سی ام، که پنج سال از تبعید یهویاکین پادشاه می گذشت، من حِزقیال کاهن (پسر بوزی) با سایر تبعیدشدگان یهودی در کنار دریای خابور در بابل زندگی می کردم. در همان روز ناگهان آسمان باز شد و خدا رؤیاهائی را به من نشان داد.

¹Now 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.

²در آنجا، در کنار دریای خابور، واقع در بابل، وقتی خداوند با من حرف زد، نیروی او را در وجود خود احساس نمودم.

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

³به بالا نگاه کردم و دیدم که طوفانی از طرف شمال می آمد. پیشاپیش آن ابر بزرگی حرکت می کرد و هاله ای از نور به دور آن بود. در بین آن یک چیزی برنجی، روشن و تابان بود.

³The 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.

⁴در وسط ابر چهار موجود زنده را دیدم که به انسان شباهت داشتند،

⁴And 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.

⁵اما هر کدام آن ها دارای چهار روی و چهار بال بود.

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

⁶پاهای شان راست و کف پای شان به سُم گوساله می ماند و مثل یک شئی برنجی صیقلی و براق بودند.

⁶And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

⁷در زیر بالهای خود دستهائی داشتند، شبیه دست انسان.

⁷And 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.

⁸نوک بالهای آن چهار جانور به یکدیگر تماس داشت و بدون اینکه به عقب برگردند، مستقیماً پرواز می کردند.

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

⁹هر یک از آن ها چهار روی مختلف داشت: در پیشرو، شکل انسان، در طرف راست، روی شیر، در طرف چپ روی گاو و در عقب، روی عقاب.

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

¹⁰هر کدام دو جفت بال داشت. یک جفت آن باز بود و نوک آن ها به دو بال جانور پهلویش تماس داشت. جفت دیگر بدن شان را می پوشاند.

¹⁰As 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.

¹¹آن ها مستقیماً حرکت می کردند و هر جائی که دل شان می خواست می رفتند، بدون اینکه رو برگردانند.

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

¹²در بین این چهار موجود زنده چیزی مثل قوغ آتش یا مشعل افروخته در حال حرکت بود. نور آن بسیار روشن بود و برق می زد.

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

¹³این چهار موجود زنده بسرعت به پیشرو و به عقب حرکت می کردند.

¹³As 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.

¹⁴در همان حالی که متوجه آن چهار موجود زنده بودم، چهار چرخ را بر زمین و پهلوی هر یک از آن موجودات دیدم.

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

¹⁵چرخها همه یکسان و مثل زبرجد، براق بودند. در بین هر چرخ یک چرخ دیگر قرار داشت.

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

¹⁶به این ترتیب به هر طرف که می خواستند، می توانستند حرکت کنند، بدون اینکه دور بزنند.

¹⁶The 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.

¹⁷حلقۀ دور آن ها بلند و مهیب و پُر از چشم بود.

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

¹⁸وقتی آن چهار موجود زنده حرکت می کردند چرخهای پهلوی شان هم به حرکت می آمدند و هرگاه آن ها از زمین بر می خاستند، چرخها نیز بلند می شدند. وقتی توقف می کردند، چرخها هم از حرکت بازمی ماندند. چون روح آن چهار موجود زنده در چرخها بود، به هر جا که روح می رفت، چرخها نیز همراهش حرکت می کردند.

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

¹⁹بالای سر هر یک از آن چهار موجود زنده چیزی به شکل گنبد که مثل بلور می درخشید قرار داشت.

¹⁹And 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.

²⁰زیر گنبد دو بال هر جانور طوری پهن بودند که به بالهای جانور پهلویش می رسید و دوبال دیگر بدن آن ها را می پوشاند.

²⁰Whithersoever 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.

²¹وقتی پرواز می کردند، بالهای شان مثل غرش امواج بحر و آواز خدای متعال و غریو یک سپاه عظیم صدا می دادند. هرگاهی که توقف می کردند و بالهای خود را پائین می آوردند،

²¹When 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.

²²صدائی از گنبد بالای سر شان بگوش می رسید.

²²And 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.

²³بر گنبد بالای سر شان چیزی مانند یک تخت به رنگ یاقوت کبود دیده می شد. بر سر آن تخت موجودی نشسته بود که به انسان شباهت داشت.

²³And 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.

²⁴از کمر بالا مثل فلز آتشین و شعله ور می درخشید، از کمر پائین مانند شعلۀ آتش می تابید و اطراف او با نور درخشنده ای منور بود،و همچون کمانهای رنگین که در یک روز بارانی بوجود می آید، درخشان و تابان بود. این منظره نور پُر جلال حضور خداوند را نشان داد. وقتی آن صحنه را دیدم رو بخاک افتادم. آنگاه آواز کسی را شنیدم که با من حرف می زد.

²⁴And 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.

²⁵و همچون کمانهای رنگین که در یک روز بارانی بوجود می آید، درخشان و تابان بود. این منظره نور پُر جلال حضور خداوند را نشان داد. وقتی آن صحنه را دیدم رو بخاک افتادم. آنگاه آواز کسی را شنیدم که با من حرف می زد.

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

²⁶And 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.

²⁷And 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.

²⁸As 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.