8:1
He led me westward. When the time of setting came, I again saw the bird moving before the sun.
8:2
Messengers approached and lifted the crown from the sun. The bird stood exhausted, its wings drawn inward.
8:3
I asked, “Why do they remove the crown, and why is the bird exhausted?”
8:4
He answered, “After the sun completes the day, four messengers carry its crown upward and renew it, because the crown and rays have been defiled upon earth.”
8:5
I asked how the rays were defiled. He said, “They behold human lawlessness: sexual betrayal, theft, extortion, idolatry, drunkenness, murder, strife, jealousy, slander, murmuring, secret accusation, divination, and works displeasing to Elohim.”
8:6
“The bird is exhausted because its wings restrain the sun’s burning rays through the whole day. Without that shield, no living creature would remain.”