A primeira visão dos querubins
1 E aconteceu, no trigésimo ano, no quarto mês, no dia quinto do mês, que, estando eu no meio dos cativos, junto ao rio Quebar, se abriram os céus, e eu vi visões de Deus. 2 No quinto dia do mês (no quinto ano do cativeiro do rei Joaquim), 3 veio expressamente a palavra do Senhor a Ezequiel, filho de Buzi, o sacerdote, na terra dos caldeus, junto ao rio Quebar, e ali esteve sobre ele a mão do Senhor. 4 Olhei, e eis que um vento tempestuoso vinha do Norte, e uma grande nuvem, com um fogo a revolver-se, e um resplendor ao redor dela, e no meio uma coisa como de cor de âmbar, que saía dentre o fogo.
5 E, do meio dela, saía a semelhança de quatro animais; e esta era a sua aparência: tinham a semelhança de um homem. 6 E cada um tinha quatro rostos, como também cada um deles, quatro asas. 7 E os seus pés eram pés direitos; e as plantas dos seus pés, como a planta do pé de uma bezerra, e luziam como a cor de cobre polido. 8 E tinham mãos de homem debaixo das suas asas, aos quatro lados; e assim todos quatro tinham seus rostos e suas asas. 9 Uniam-se as suas asas uma à outra; não se viravam quando andavam; cada qual andava diante do seu rosto. 10 E a semelhança do seu rosto era como o rosto de homem; e, à mão direita, todos os quatro tinham rosto de leão, e, à mão esquerda, todos os quatro tinham rosto de boi, e também rosto de águia, todos os quatro. 11 E o seu rosto e as suas asas eram separados em cima; cada qual tinha duas asas juntas uma à outra, e duas cobriam os corpos deles. 12 E cada qual andava diante do seu rosto; para onde o Espírito havia de ir, iam; não se viravam quando andavam. 13 E, quanto à semelhança dos animais, o seu parecer era como brasas de fogo ardentes, como uma aparência de tochas; o fogo corria por entre os animais, e o fogo resplandecia, e do fogo saíam relâmpagos. 14 E os animais corriam e tornavam, à semelhança dos relâmpagos.
15 E vi os animais; e eis que havia uma roda na terra junto aos animais, para cada um dos seus quatro rostos. 16 O aspecto das rodas e a obra delas eram como cor de turquesa; e as quatro tinham uma mesma semelhança; e o seu aspecto e a sua obra eram como se estivera uma roda no meio de outra roda. 17 Andando elas, andavam pelos quatro lados deles; não se viravam quando andavam. 18 Essas rodas eram tão altas, que metiam medo; e as quatro tinham as suas cambas cheias de olhos ao redor. 19 E, andando os animais, andavam as rodas ao pé deles; e, elevando-se os animais da terra, elevavam-se também as rodas. 20 Para onde o Espírito queria ir, iam; pois o Espírito os impelia; e as rodas se elevavam defronte deles, porque o Espírito da criatura vivente estava nas rodas. 21 Andando eles, andavam elas, e, parando eles, paravam elas, e, elevando-se eles da terra, elevavam-se também as rodas defronte deles, porque o Espírito dos animais estava nas rodas. 22 E, sobre a cabeça dos animais, havia uma semelhança de firmamentos, como um aspecto de cristal terrível, estendido por cima, sobre a sua cabeça. 23 E, debaixo do firmamento, estavam as suas asas direitas, uma em direção à outra; cada um tinha duas, que lhe cobriam o corpo de uma banda; e cada um tinha outras duas, que o cobriam da outra banda. 24 E, andando eles, ouvi o ruído das suas asas, como o ruído de muitas águas, como a voz do Onipotente, a voz de um estrondo, como o estrépito de um exército; parando eles, abaixavam as suas asas. 25 E ouviu-se uma voz por cima do firmamento, que estava por cima da sua cabeça; parando eles, abaixavam as suas asas.
26 E, por cima do firmamento, que estava por cima da sua cabeça, havia uma semelhança de trono como de uma safira; e, sobre a semelhança do trono, havia como que a semelhança de um homem, no alto, sobre ele. 27 E vi como a cor de âmbar, como o aspecto do fogo pelo interior dele, desde a semelhança dos seus lombos e daí para cima; e, desde a semelhança dos seus lombos e daí para baixo, vi como a semelhança de fogo e um resplendor ao redor dele. 28 Como o aspecto do arco que aparece na nuvem no dia da chuva, assim era o aspecto do resplendor em redor. Este era o aspecto da semelhança da glória do Senhor; e, vendo isso, caí sobre o meu rosto e ouvi a voz de quem falava.
1 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 captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, 3 The 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.
4 ¶ And 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. 5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. 6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. 7 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 the colour of burnished brass. 8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. 9 Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. 10 As 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. 11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. 12 And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. 13 As 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. 14 And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
15 ¶ Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. 16 The 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. 17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. 18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. 19 And 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. 20 Whithersoever 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. 21 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 over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 22 And 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. 23 And 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. 24 And 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. 25 And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.
26 ¶ 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 the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. 27 And 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. 28 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 the LORD. And when I saw it , I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.