Chapter 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.

Il cinque del quarto mese dell'anno trentesimo, mentre mi trovavo fra i deportati sulle rive del canale Chebàr, i cieli si aprirono ed ebbi visioni divine.

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

Il cinque del mese - era l'anno quinto della deportazione del re Ioiachìn -

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.

la parola del Signore fu rivolta al sacerdote Ezechiele figlio di Buzì, nel paese dei Caldei, lungo il canale Chebàr. Qui fu sopra di lui la mano del Signore.

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.

Io guardavo ed ecco un uragano avanzare dal settentrione, una grande nube e un turbinìo di fuoco, che splendeva tutto intorno, e in mezzo si scorgeva come un balenare di elettro incandescente.

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.

Al centro apparve la figura di quattro esseri animati, dei quali questo era l'aspetto: avevano sembianza umana

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

e avevano ciascuno quattro facce e quattro ali.

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.

Le loro gambe erano diritte e gli zoccoli dei loro piedi erano come gli zoccoli dei piedi d'un vitello, splendenti come lucido bronzo.

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

Sotto le ali, ai quattro lati, avevano mani d'uomo; tutti e quattro avevano le medesime sembianze e le proprie ali,

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

e queste ali erano unite l'una all'altra. Mentre avanzavano, non si volgevano indietro, ma ciascuno andava diritto avanti a sé.

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.

Quanto alle loro fattezze, ognuno dei quattro aveva fattezze d'uomo; poi fattezze di leone a destra, fattezze di toro a sinistra e, ognuno dei quattro, fattezze d'aquila.

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.

Le loro ali erano spiegate verso l'alto; ciascuno aveva due ali che si toccavano e due che coprivano il corpo.

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

Ciascuno si muoveva davanti a sé; andavano là dove lo spirito li dirigeva e, muovendosi, non si voltavano indietro.

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.

Tra quegli esseri si vedevano come carboni ardenti simili a torce che si muovevano in mezzo a loro. Il fuoco risplendeva e dal fuoco si sprigionavano bagliori.

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

Gli esseri andavano e venivano come un baleno.

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

Io guardavo quegli esseri ed ecco sul terreno una ruota al loro fianco, di tutti e quattro.

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.

Le ruote avevano l'aspetto e la struttura come di topazio e tutt'e quattro la medesima forma, il loro aspetto e la loro struttura era come di ruota in mezzo a un'altra ruota.

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

Potevano muoversi in quattro direzioni, senza aver bisogno di voltare nel muoversi.

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

La loro circonferenza era assai grande e i cerchi di tutt'e quattro erano pieni di occhi tutt'intorno.

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.

Quando quegli esseri viventi si muovevano, anche le ruote si muovevano accanto a loro e, quando gli esseri si alzavano da terra, anche le ruote si alzavano.

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.

Dovunque lo spirito le avesse spinte, le ruote andavano e ugualmente si alzavano, perché lo spirito dell'essere vivente era nelle ruote.

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.

Quando essi si muovevano, esse si muovevano; quando essi si fermavano, esse si fermavano e, quando essi si alzavano da terra, anche le ruote ugualmente si alzavano, perché lo spirito dell'essere vivente era nelle ruote.

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.

Al di sopra delle teste degli esseri viventi vi era una specie di firmamento, simile ad un cristallo splendente, disteso sopra le loro teste,

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.

e sotto il firmamento vi erano le loro ali distese, l'una di contro all'altra; ciascuno ne aveva due che gli coprivano il corpo.

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.

Quando essi si muovevano, io udivo il rombo delle ali, simile al rumore di grandi acque, come il tuono dell'Onnipotente, come il fragore della tempesta, come il tumulto d'un accampamento. Quando poi si fermavano, ripiegavano le ali.

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

Ci fu un rumore al di sopra del firmamento che era sulle loro teste.

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.

Sopra il firmamento che era sulle loro teste apparve come una pietra di zaffiro in forma di trono e su questa specie di trono, in alto, una figura dalle sembianze umane.

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.

Da ciò che sembrava essere dai fianchi in su, mi apparve splendido come l'elettro e da ciò che sembrava dai fianchi in giù, mi apparve come di fuoco. Era circondato da uno splendore

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.

il cui aspetto era simile a quello dell'arcobaleno nelle nubi in un giorno di pioggia. Tale mi apparve l'aspetto della gloria del Signore. Quando la vidi, caddi con la faccia a terra e udii la voce di uno che parlava.