¹ Il me dit: Fils de l'homme, mange ce que tu trouves, mange ce rouleau, et va, parle à la maison d'Israël!

² J'ouvris la bouche, et il me fit manger ce rouleau.

³ Il me dit: Fils de l'homme, nourris ton ventre et remplis tes entrailles de ce rouleau que je te donne! Je le mangeai, et il fut dans ma bouche doux comme du miel.

⁴ Il me dit: Fils de l'homme, va vers la maison d'Israël, et dis-leur mes paroles!

⁵ Car ce n'est point vers un peuple ayant un langage obscur, une langue inintelligible, que tu es envoyé; c'est à la maison d'Israël.

⁶ Ce n'est point vers de nombreux peuples ayant un langage obscur, une langue inintelligible, dont tu ne comprends pas les discours. Si je t'envoyais vers eux, ils t'écouteraient.

⁷ Mais la maison d'Israël ne voudra pas t'écouter, parce qu'elle ne veut pas m'écouter; car toute la maison d'Israël a le front dur et le coeur endurci.

⁸ Voici, j'endurcirai ta face, pour que tu l'opposes à leur face; j'endurcirai ton front, pour que tu l'opposes à leur front.

⁹ Je rendrai ton front comme un diamant, plus dur que le roc. Ne les crains pas, quoiqu'ils soient une famille de rebelles.

¹⁰ Il me dit: Fils de l'homme, reçois dans ton coeur et écoute de tes oreilles toutes les paroles que je te dirai!

¹¹ Va vers les captifs, vers les enfants de ton peuple; tu leur parleras, et, qu'ils écoutent ou qu'ils n'écoutent pas, tu leur diras: Ainsi parle le Seigneur, l'Eternel.

¹² Et l'esprit m'enleva, et j'entendis derrière moi le bruit d'un grand tumulte: Bénie soit la gloire de l'Eternel, du lieu de sa demeure!

¹³ J'entendis le bruit des ailes des animaux, frappant l'une contre l'autre, le bruit des roues auprès d'eux, et le bruit d'un grand tumulte.

¹⁴ L'esprit m'enleva et m'emporta. J'allais, irrité et furieux, et la main de l'Eternel agissait sur moi avec puissance.

¹⁵ J'arrivai à Thel-Abib, vers les exilés qui demeuraient près du fleuve du Kebar, et dans le lieu où ils se trouvaient; là je restai sept jours, stupéfait au milieu d'eux.

¹⁶ Au bout de sept jours, la parole de l'Eternel me fut adressée, en ces mots:

¹⁷ Fils de l'homme, je t'établis comme sentinelle sur la maison d'Israël. Tu écouteras la parole qui sortira de ma bouche, et tu les avertiras de ma part.

¹⁸ Quand je dirai au méchant: Tu mourras! si tu ne l'avertis pas, si tu ne parles pas pour détourner le méchant de sa mauvaise voie et pour lui sauver la vie, ce méchant mourra dans son iniquité, et je te redemanderai son sang.

¹⁹ Mais si tu avertis le méchant, et qu'il ne se détourne pas de sa méchanceté et de sa mauvaise voie, il mourra dans son iniquité, et toi, tu sauveras ton âme.

²⁰ Si un juste se détourne de sa justice et fait ce qui est mal, je mettrai un piège devant lui, et il mourra; parce que tu ne l'as pas averti, il mourra dans son péché, on ne parlera plus de la justice qu'il a pratiquée, et je te redemanderai son sang.

²¹ Mais si tu avertis le juste de ne pas pécher, et qu'il ne pèche pas, il vivra, parce qu'il s'est laissé avertir, et toi, tu sauveras ton âme.

²² Là encore la main de l'Eternel fut sur moi, et il me dit: Lève-toi, va dans la vallée, et là je te parlerai.

²³ Je me levai, et j'allai dans la vallée; et voici, la gloire de l'Eternel y apparut, telle que je l'avais vue près du fleuve du Kebar. Alors je tombai sur ma face.

²⁴ L'esprit entra en moi, et me fit tenir sur mes pieds. Et l'Eternel me parla et me dit: Va t'enfermer dans ta maison.

²⁵ Fils de l'homme, voici, on mettra sur toi des cordes, avec lesquelles on te liera, afin que tu n'ailles pas au milieu d'eux.

²⁶ J'attacherai ta langue à ton palais, pour que tu sois muet et que tu ne puisses pas les reprendre, car c'est une famille de rebelles.

²⁷ Mais quand je te parlerai, j'ouvrirai ta bouche, pour que tu leur dises: Ainsi parle le Seigneur, l'Eternel. Que celui qui voudra écouter écoute, et que celui qui ne voudra pas n'écoute pas, car c'est une famille de rebelles.

¹ Now it happened in the thirtieth year, in the fourth [month], in the fifth [day] of the month, as I was among the captives by the river 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 Yahweh came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of Yahweh was there on him.

⁴ I looked, and behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, with flashing lightning, and a brightness around it, and out of its midst as it were glowing metal, out of the midst of the fire.

⁵ Out of its midst came the likeness of four living creatures. This was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.

⁶ Everyone had four faces, and each one of them had four wings.

⁷ Their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like burnished brass.

⁸ They had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and the four of them had their faces and their wings [thus]:

⁹ their wings were joined one to another; they didn't turn when they went; each one went straight forward.

¹⁰ As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and the four of them had the face of a lion on the right side; and the four of them had the face of an ox on the left side; the four of them also had the face of an eagle.

¹¹ Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above. Two wings of each one touched another, and Two covered their bodies.

¹² Each one went straight forward: where the spirit was to go, they went; they didn't turn when they went.

¹³ As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches: [the fire] went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

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

¹⁵ Now as I saw the living creatures, behold, one wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, for each of the four faces of it.

¹⁶ The appearance of the wheels and their work was like a beryl: and the four of them had one likeness; and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel within a wheel.

¹⁷ When they went, they went in their four directions: they didn't turn when they went.

¹⁸ As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and the four of them had their rims full of eyes all around.

¹⁹ When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

²⁰ Wherever the spirit was to go, they went; there was the spirit to go: and the wheels were lifted up beside 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 beside them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

²² Over the head of the living creature there was the likeness of an expanse, like the awesome crystal to look on, stretched forth Over their heads above.

²³ Under the expanse were their wings straight, the one toward the other: each one had two which covered on this side, and every one had two which covered on that side, their bodies.

²⁴ When they went, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a noise of tumult like the noise of an army: when they stood, they let down their wings.

²⁵ There was a voice above the expanse that was over their heads: when they stood, they let down their wings.

²⁶ Above the expanse that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and on the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man on it above.

²⁷ I saw as it were glowing metal, as the appearance of fire within it all around, from the appearance of his waist and upward; and from the appearance of his waist and downward I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him.

²⁸ As the appearance of the rainbow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh. When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke.