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Introduction
EZECHIEL, whose name signifies the STRENGTH OF GOD, was of the
priestly race; and of the number of captives that were carried away
to Babylon with king JOACHIN. He was contemporary with JEREMIAS, and
prophesied to the same effect in Babylon, as JEREMIAS did in
Jerusalem; and is said to have ended his days in like manner, by
martyrdom.
His "technical" description of the "glory of the
Lord" inspired many fans of the idea of "ancient
astronauts". For example, Joseph Blumrich, an
engineer from NASA, inspired by this description came up with a patent
for a flying vehicle.
What do you think?
Here is the original, unaltered description from the Bible
(Revised Standard Version).
Ezechiel 1:1-28
1:1. Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth
month, on the fifth day of the month, when I was in the midst of the
captives by the river Chobar, the heavens were opened, and I saw the
visions of God.
1:2. On the fifth day of the month, the same was the fifth year of
the captivity of king Joachin,
1:3. The word of the Lord came to Ezechiel the priest the son of
Buzi in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Chobar: and the hand
of the Lord was there upon him.
1:4. And I saw, and behold a whirlwind came out of the north: and a
great cloud, and a fire infolding it, and brightness was about it:
and out of the midst thereof, that is, out of the midst of the fire,
as it were the resemblance of amber:
1:5. And in the midst thereof the likeness of four living creatures:
and this was their appearance: there was the likeness of a man in
them.
1:6. Every one had four faces, and every one four wings.
1:7. Their feet were straight feet, and the sole of their foot was
like the sole of a calf's foot, and they sparkled like the
appearance of glowing brass.
1:8. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four
sides: and they had faces, and wings on the four sides,
1:9. And the wings of one were joined to the wings of another. They
turned not when they went: but every one went straight forward.
1:10. And as for the likeness of their faces: there was the face of
a man, and the face of a lion on the right side of all the four: and
the face of an ox, on the left side of all the four: and the face of
an eagle over all the four.
1:11. And their faces, and their wings were stretched upward: two
wings of every one were joined, and two covered their bodies:
1:12. And every one of them went straight forward: whither the
impulse of the spirit was to go, thither they went: and they turned
not when they went.
1:13. And as for the likeness of the living creatures, their
appearance was like that of burning coals of fire, and like the
appearance of lamps. This was the vision running to and fro in the
midst of the living creatures, a bright fire, and lightning going
forth from the fire.
1:14. And the living creatures ran and returned like flashes of
lightning.
1:15. Now as I beheld the living creatures, there appeared upon the
earth by the living creatures one wheel with four faces.
1:16. And the appearance of the wheels, and the work of them was
like the appearance of the sea: and the four had all one likeness:
and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the
midst of a wheel.
1:17. When they went, they went by their four parts: and they turned
not when they went.
1:18. The wheels had also a size, and a height,
and a dreadful appearance: and the whole body was full of eyes round
about all the four.
1:19. And, when the living creatures went, the wheels also went
together by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from
the earth, the wheels also were lifted up with them.
1:20. Withersoever the spirit went, thither as the spirit went the
wheels also were lifted up withal, and followed it: for the spirit
of life was in the wheels.
1:21. 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 together, and followed them: for the spirit of life was in the
wheels.
1:22. And over the heads of the living creatures was the likeness of
the firmament, the appearance of crystal terrible to behold, and
stretched out over their heads above.
1:23. And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one
toward the other, every one with two wings covered his body, and the
other was covered in like manner.
1:24. And I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many
waters, as it were the voice of the most high God: when they walked,
it was like the voice of a multitude, like the noise of an army, and
when they stood, their wings were let down.
1:25. For when a voice came from above the firmament, that was over
their heads, they stood, and let down their wings.
1:26. And above the firmament that was over their heads, was the
likeness of a throne, as the appearance of the sapphire stone, and
upon the likeness of the throne, was the likeness of the appearance
of a man above upon it.
1:27. And I saw as it were the resemblance of amber as the
appearance of fire within it round about: from his loins and upward,
and from his loins downward, I saw as it were the resemblance of
fire shining round about.
1:28. As the appearance of the rainbow when it is in a cloud on a
rainy day: this was the appearance of the brightness round about.
Ezechiel 2:1-3
2:1. This was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the
Lord, and I saw, and I fell upon my face, and I heard the voice of
one that spoke, and he said to me: Son of man, stand upon thy feet,
and I will speak to thee.
2:2. And the spirit entered into me after that he spoke to me, and
he set me upon my feet: and I heard him speaking to me,
2:3. And saying: Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel,
to a rebellious people, that hath revolted from me, they, and their
fathers, have transgressed my covenant even unto this day.
Ezechiel 3:12-14
3:12. And the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me the voice of
a great commotion, saying: Blessed be the glory of the Lord, from
his place.
3:13. The noise of the wings of the living creatures striking one
against another, and the noise of the wheels following the living
creatures, and the noise of a great commotion.
3:14. The spirit also lifted me, and took me up: and I went away in
bitterness in the indignation of my spirit: for the hand of the Lord
was with me, strengthening me.
Ezechiel 3:22-24
3:22. And the hand of the Lord was
upon me, and he said to me: Rise and go forth into the plain, and
there I will speak to thee.
3:23. And I rose up, and went forth into the plain: and behold the
glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory which I saw by the
river Chobar: and I fell upon my face. 3:24. And the spirit entered
into me, and set me upon my feet: and he spoke to me, and said to
me: Go in; and shut thyself up in the midst of thy house. Ezechiel
8:1-4
1 In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the
month, as I sat in my house, with the elders of Judah sitting before
me, the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.
2 Then I beheld, and, lo, a form that had the appearance of a man;
below what appeared to be his loins it was fire, and above his loins
it was like the appearance of brightness, like gleaming bronze.
3 He put forth the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my head;
and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me
in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the gateway of
the inner court that faces north, where was the seat of the image of
jealousy, which provokes to jealousy.
4 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the
vision that I saw in the plain. Ezechiel 10:1-4
1 Then I looked, and behold, on the firmament that was over the
heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a
sapphire, in form resembling a throne. 2 And he said to the man
clothed in linen, "Go in among the whirling wheels underneath
the cherubim; fill your hands with burning coals from between the
cherubim, and scatter them over the city." And he went in
before my eyes. 3 Now the cherubim were standing on the south side
of the house, when the man went in; and a cloud filled the inner
court. 4 And the glory of the LORD went up from the cherubim to the
threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and
the court was full of the brightness of the glory of the LORD. 5 And
the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer
court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks. 6 And when he
commanded the man clothed in linen, "Take fire from between the
whirling wheels, from between the cherubim," he went in and
stood beside a wheel. 7 And a cherub stretched forth his hand from
between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and
took some of it, and put it into the hands of the man clothed in
linen, who took it and went out. 8 The cherubim appeared to have the
form of a human hand under their wings. 9 And I looked, and behold,
there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub;
and the appearance of the wheels was like sparkling chrysolite. 10
And as for their appearance, the four had the same likeness, as if a
wheel were within a wheel. 11 When they went, they went in any of
their four directions without turning as they went, but in whatever
direction the front wheel faced the others followed without turning
as they went. 12 And their rims, and their spokes, and the wheels
were full of eyes round about--the wheels that the four of them had.
13 As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing the whirling
wheels. 14 And every one had four faces: the first face was the face
of the cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the
third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. 15
And the cherubim mounted up. These were the living creatures that I
saw by the river Chebar. 16 And when the cherubim went, the wheels
went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to
mount up from the earth, the wheels did not turn from beside them.
17 When they stood still, these stood still, and when they mounted
up, these mounted up with them; for the spirit of the living
creatures was in them. 18 Then the glory of the LORD went forth from
the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. 19 And the
cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth in my
sight as they went forth, with the wheels beside them; and they
stood at the door of the east gate of the house of the LORD; and the
glory of the God of Israel was over them. 20 These were the living
creatures that I saw underneath the God of Israel by the river
Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim. 21 Each had four faces,
and each four wings, and underneath their wings the semblance of
human hands. 22 And as for the likeness of their faces, they were
the very faces whose appearance I had seen by the river Chebar. They
went every one straight forward.
Ezekiel 11:22-25
.22 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside
them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. 23 And the
glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon
the mountain which is on the east side of the city. 24 And the
Spirit lifted me up and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of
God into Chalde'a, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen
went up from me. 25 And I told the exiles all the things that the
LORD had showed me.
Ezekiel 40:1-4
1 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the
year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after
the city was conquered, on that very day, the hand of the LORD was
upon me, 2 and brought me in the visions of God into the land of
Israel, and set me down upon a very high mountain, on which was a
structure like a city opposite me. 3 When he brought me there,
behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like bronze, with a
line of flax and a measuring reed in his hand; and he was standing
in the gateway. 4 And the man said to me, "Son of man, look
with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your mind upon all
that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I
might show it to you; declare all that you see to the house of
Israel."
Ezekiel 43:1-6
1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate facing east. 2
And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the east; and
the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters; and the
earth shone with his glory. 3 And the vision I saw was like the
vision which I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and like
the vision which I had seen by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my
face. 4 As the glory of the LORD entered the temple by the gate
facing east, 5 the Spirit lifted me up, and brought me into the
inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 6
While the man was standing beside me, I heard one speaking to me out
of the temple;
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