Old/New Testament
1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, while I was among those of the Golus by the Nahar Kevar, that Shomayim was opened, and I saw mar’ot Elohim.
2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of the Golus of HaMelech Yoyakhin [593 B.C.E.},
3 The Devar Hashem came expressly unto Yechezkel the kohen, ben Buzi, in Eretz Kasdim (Chaldeans) by the Nahar Kevar; and the Yad Hashem was there upon him.
4 And I looked, and, hinei, a ruach se’arah came out of the tzafon, an anan gadol, and flashing fire, with brilliant light all about it, and out of the midst thereof something gleaming, shining out of the midst of the eish.
5 Also out of the midst thereof came the demut (likeness) of four Chayos. And this was their appearance: they had the demut adam.
6 And every one had arba’ah panim, and every one had arba kenafayim.
7 And their regalim were regel yesharah; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a regel egel; and they gleamed like the shining of burnished nechoshet.
8 And they had the hands of an adam under their kenafayim on their four sides; and they four had their panim and their kenafayim.
9 Their kenafayim were joined one to another; they turned not as they went; they went every one face forward.
10 As for the demut of their panim, they four had the face of an adam, and the face of an aryeh, on the right side; and they four had the face of a shor on the left side; they four also had the face of a nesher.
11 Thus were their panim; and their kenafayim were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their geviyot.
12 And they went every one face forward; whither the Ruach was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.
13 As for the demut of the Chayos, their appearance was like coals of eish burning, and like the appearance of lapidim (torches); it spread back and forth among the Chayos; and the eish was brilliant, and out of the eish went forth barak (lightning).
14 And the Chayos ran and returned as the appearance of bazak (a flash of lightning).
15 Now as I beheld the Chayos, hinei there was one Ofan ba’aretz etzel the Chayos, with its four panim.
16 The appearance of the Ofanim and their making was like unto the color of tarshish; and they four had one demut; and their appearance and their making was as it were an Ofan within an Ofan.
17 Arba’at (four) sidedly they went; and they turned not as they went.
18 As for their rims, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rims were mele’ot einayim saviv (full of eyes round about) the four of them.
19 And when the Chayos went, the Ofanim went beside them; and when the Chayos were lifted up from ha’aretz, the Ofanim were lifted up.
20 Whithersoever the Ruach was to go, they went, thither was the Ruach to go; and the Ofanim were lifted facing them; for Ruach HaChayah was in the Ofanim.
21 When those went, these went; and when those stood still, these stood still; and when those were lifted up from ha’aretz, the Ofanim were lifted up facing them; for the Ruach HaChayah was in the Ofanim.
22 And the demut of the raki’a upon the rashei HaChayah was as the color of terrible ice crystal, spread out upward above their rashim.
23 And under the raki’a were their kenafayim stretched out, 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 geviyot.
24 And when they went, I heard the kol of their kenafayim, like the kol of mayim rabbim, as the Kol Shaddai, the voice of a tumult, as the sound of a machaneh; when they stood still, they let down their kenafayim.
25 And there was a kol (voice) from the raki’a that was over their rosh, when they stood still, and had let down their kenafayim.
26 And above the raki’a that was over their rosh was the demut kisse, as the appearance of a precious stone, a sapphire; and upon the demut hakisse was the demut like the appearance of adam above upon it.
27 And I saw something gleaming, shining out like the appearance of eish; inside it all around, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw something like the appearance of eish, and it had radiance all around.
28 As the appearance of the keshet (rainbow) that is in the anan in yom hageshem, so was the appearance of the radiance all around. This was the appearance of the demut Kavod Hashem. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke.
2 And He said unto me, Ben Adam, stand upon thy raglayim, and I will speak unto thee.
2 And the Ruach [Hakodesh] entered into me just as He spoke unto me, and stood me upon my raglayim, that I heard Him that spoke unto me.
3 And He said unto me, Ben Adam, I send thee to the Bnei Yisroel, to Goyim HaMoredim (Rebellious Nations [Tribes]) that hath rebelled against Me; they and their Avot have rebelled against Me, even unto this very day.
4 For they are stubborn banim and chizkei lev (stiffhearted). I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem.
5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will refrain from heeding— for they are a bais meri (house of rebellion), yet shall they know that there hath been a navi among them.
6 And thou, Ben Adam, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their devarim, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among akrabim (scorpions); be not afraid of their devarim, nor be afraid at their looks, for they are a bais meri.
7 And thou shalt speak My devarim unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will refrain from heeding; for they are meri (rebellious).
8 But thou, Ben Adam, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou meri (rebellious) like that bais hameri (rebellious house). Open thy mouth and eat what I give thee.
9 And when I looked, hinei, a yad was sent unto me; and, hinei, a megillat sefer was therein;
10 And He unrolled the megillah before me; and it was written on front and back: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
11 Now Emunah is the substance of things for which we have tikvah. Emunah is the conviction of things not seen.
2 For by Emunah have our Zekenim been given approval.
3 By Emunah we have binah Shomayim v’ha’Aretz found their "barah" from the Dvar Hashem, so that not from anything visible has what we see come into being. [TEHILLIM 33:6]
4 By Emunah Hevel (Abel) offered to Hashem a korban that was a mincha tovah than that of Kayin. Through this he was given approval that he was a tzaddik, Hashem bearing solemn eidus (testimony) to his matanot; and by his Emunah, Hevel, though niftar (deceased), still speaks.
5 By Emunah Chanoch was taken up, was translated, not to see mavet, V’EINENNU KI LAKACH OTO ELOHIM ("and he was not, because G-d took him [up]" Gn 5:24). Before Chanoch was raptured in his aliyah l’Shomayim, he received solemn eidus (testimony) that he had been pleasing to Hashem.
6 And without Emunah it is impossible to please Hashem. For it is necessary for the one making a kiruv approach to Hashem to have Emunah in the fact that yesh Elohim (G-d is there), and that Elohim gives sachar (reward) to those who seek him with zerizut.
7 By Emunah Noach, having been warned about the things not yet visible to the eye of flesh, and being an ish of yirat Shomayim, built the Teva (Ark) for the Geulah of the Beis HaNoach. By his Emunah he condemned the Olam Hazeh and he became the yoresh (heir) of the Tzedek Hashem that is credited to Emunah. [Gn 15:6; Hab 2:4]
8 By Emunah Avraham Avinu, when he was called to go out to a place which he was about to receive as a nachalah (inheritance), responded with mishma’at (obedience), and he went out, not having da’as of where he was going.
9 By Emunah he made aliyah to HA’ARETZ ASHER DIBER ("the land that He promised" DEVARIM 9:28), Ha’aretz haHavtacha (the Promised Land), as in an eretz zarah (a strange land), living in oholim (tents), as did Yitzchak and Ya’akov, the fellow yorshim (heirs) of the same havtachah (promise);
10 For Avraham Avinu was looking forward to HaIr (The City) having a yesod Olam (eternally firm foundation), whose Planner and Builder is Hashem.
11 By Emunah also Sarah, herself barren, received the ability to found a posterity, and she did so even beyond the normal age, als (since) she considered ne’eman (faithful) the One having given the Havtachah (promise);
12 therefore, also, from one man were born [DEVARIM 26:5] and indeed this man was kimat (practically, as good as) dead many, as numerous as HAKOKHAVIM in HASHOMAYIM and as innumerable as the sand ASHER AL SEFAT ("that is on the seashore”). [BERESHIS 15:5; 22:17]
13 Yet all of these became niftarim (deceased) in Emunah, not having received the havtachot (promises), but having seen them and, as it were, they gave the havtachot a "Baruch Habah!" welcome from a distance, and they made the Ani Ma’amin hoda’ah (confession) that they were GERIM ["strangers" Ps 39:13(12)] and TOSHAVIM ("sojourners") in the Golus of the Olam Hazeh.
14 For those saying such things make it clear that they are searching for an Eretz Moshav.
15 And if they were remembering ha’aretz from which they made aliyah, they would have had an opportunity to make yerida (to descend back, return).
16 But, as it is, they aspire for something better, an Eretz HaAvot b’Shomayim; therefore, Hashem is not ashamed to be called "Ehoheihem;" for he prepared for them an Ir Kodesh.
17 By Emunah Avraham Avinu, when he underwent nisayon, offered up the Akedas HaYitzchak; and he who had received the Havtachot (Promises) was offering as a korban his Ben Yechid. [Yn 3:16]
18 This was Avraham Avinu, about whom it was said KI VEYITZCHAK YIKARE LECHA ZERA ("In Yitzchak will be called your seed" BERESHIS 21:12).
19 Avraham Avinu considered that Hashem was able to bring about the Techiyas HaMesim, from which he also received back Yitzchak as a tipus (type, pattern).
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