< Hesekiel 1 >
1 Afe a ɛto so aduasa no, ɔsram a ɛto so anan no da a ɛto so anum no, na meka wɔn a wɔatwa wɔn asu akɔ amannɔne no ho. Mewɔ Asubɔnten Kebar ho no, ɔsoro buei, na mihuu Onyankopɔn wɔ anisoadehu mu.
[I am] Ezekiel, a priest, the son of Buzi. When I was 30 years [old], I [living] among [Israeli] people who had been (exiled from/forced to leave) [and had come to Babylon]. I was living along the Kebar River/ [south of Babylon]. Almost five years after King Jehoiachin had been (exiled/forced to leave Judah), on the fifth day of the fourth [of that year, it was as though] the sky was opened and I saw visions from God. On that day,
2 Ɔsram no da a ɛto so anum no na ɔhene Yehoiakin adi mfe anum wɔ asutwa mu.
3 Awurade asɛm baa Busi babarima Hesekiel a ɔyɛ ɔsɔfo no nkyɛn wɔ Asubɔnten Kebar ho wɔ Babilonia asase so. Ɛhɔ na Onyankopɔn nsa baa ne so.
God gave me [in visions here] in Babylonia, and I felt the power [MTY] of Yahweh on me.
4 Mehwɛe, na mihuu sɛ ahum kɛse bi fi atifi fam reba, omununkum kɛse bi a ɛretwa anyinam na hann bi a ano yɛ den atwa ho ahyia. Ogya no mfimfini te sɛ dade a asɔ kɔɔ.
[In one of the visions, I saw a] windstorm coming from the north. There was a huge cloud, and lightning was flashing continually, and a brilliant light surrounded the cloud. In the center of where the lightning was flashing there was something that resembled glowing bronze.
5 Na ogya no mu na na wohu biribi te sɛ ateasefo baanan. Na wɔn su te sɛ onipa,
In the center of the storm I saw what resembled four living creatures. They resembled humans,
6 wɔn mu biara anim yɛ anan na wɔwowɔ ntaban anan anan.
but each of them had four faces and four wings [DOU].
7 Wɔn anan yɛ kirebenn, wɔn anammɔn te sɛ nantwi ba de na ɛhyerɛn te sɛ kɔbere mfrafrae a wɔahoa ho.
Their legs were straight. Their feet resembled the hooves of calves, and the creatures shone like polished bronze.
8 Wɔwowɔ nnipa nsa wɔ ntaban a ɛwowɔ afaafa anan no ase. Wɔn mu biara wɔ nnipa nsa anan a baako wɔ ntaban biara ase,
On their four sides under their wings there were hands like humans have.
9 na wɔn ntaban keka sisi anim. Wɔn nyinaa kɔ wɔn anim tee a wɔnnan wɔn ho.
As the four [stood there, they formed a circle/square], with their wings touching each other. They did not turn when they were moving; they went straight ahead.
10 Na sɛɛ na wɔn anim tete: Wɔn mu biara wɔ onipa anim, wɔwɔ gyata anim wɔ nifa so, wɔwɔ nantwi anim wɔ benkum so; na wɔn mu biara nso wɔ ɔkɔre anim.
[of the creatures had four faces]. The face that was in front [of each one was a face that] resembled a human face. The face on the right side resembled a lion’s face. The face on the left side resembled an ox’s face. The face in back resembled an eagle’s face.
11 Saa na na wɔn anim tete. Wɔatrɛtrɛw wɔn ntaban mu kɔ soro; na wɔn mu biara wɔ ntaban abien abien, a mu biara si ɔfoforo de anim wɔ benkum ne nifa, na ntaban abien nso katakata wɔn ho.
Two of each creature’s wings were lifted up and touched the wings of the creatures that were on each side. The other two wings were folded against the creature’s body.
12 Obiara kɔ nʼanim tee. Baabiara a honhom no bɛkɔ no, hɔ na wɔbɛkɔ a wɔnnan wɔn ho.
The creatures went straight ahead in whatever direction the [that controlled/guided them] wanted them to go, without changing directions while they were moving.
13 Ateasefo no suban te sɛ nnyansramma a ɛredɛw anaa ogyatɛn. Ogya di akɔneaba wɔ ateasefo no mu; ɛhyerɛn na mu na anyinam fi twitwa.
[four] creatures resembled burning coals or torches. A blazing fire moved back and forth among the creatures, and lighting flashed from among them.
14 Na ateasefo no de mmirika di akɔneaba te sɛ anyinam a ɛretwitwa.
The creatures moved back and [extremely rapidly], like [SIM] flashes of lightning.
15 Bere a merehwɛ ateasefo no, mihuu sɛ nkyimii si fam wɔ ateasefo a wɔn mu biara anim yɛ anan no nkyɛn mu.
While I looked at the four living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each of them.
16 Sɛɛ na na nkyimii no bɔbea te: Etwa yerɛw yerɛw te sɛ sikabereɛbo, na anan no nyinaa sesɛ. Wɔayɛ mu biara te sɛ nkyimii a ɛtoa nkyimii foforo mu.
Each of the wheels was the same, and they all shone like [SIM] (chrysolite/a valuable green stone). Each seemed to have one wheel inside another wheel.
17 Sɛ nkyimii no nam a wɔkɔ faako a ateasefo no ani kyerɛ; nkyimii no nnan wɔn ho bere a ateasefo no nam no.
Whenever they moved, they would go straight in one of the four directions that they faced; they did not [in another direction] while they moved.
18 Wɔn hankare no korɔn, na ɛyɛ hu, na aniwa tuatua hankare anan no nyinaa ho.
The rims of the wheels were covered with eyes.
19 Sɛ ateasefo no nantew a nkyimii a ɛbatabata wɔn ho no nso kɔ saa ara; sɛ ateasefo no ma wɔn ho so fi fam a nkyimii no nso ma wɔn ho so.
Whenever the living creatures moved, the wheels moved with them. [So] whenever the creatures rose from the ground, the [also] rose up.
20 Baabiara a honhom no bɛkɔ no, ateasefo no nso bɛkɔ, na nkyimii no bɛka wɔn ho ama wɔn ho so, efisɛ ateasefo no honhom wɔ nkyimii no mu.
Wherever the [that controlled the creatures] wanted the creatures to go, they went, and the wheels went with them, because the [that controlled/guided them] was in the wheels [DOU].
21 Sɛ ateasefo no tu teɛ a nkyimii no nso kɔ saa ara; sɛ ateasefo no gyina a, wɔn nso gyina; sɛ ateasefo no pagyaw wɔn ho a nkyimii no ne wɔn pagyaw wɔn ho, efisɛ ateasefo no honhom wɔ nkyimii no mu.
Whenever the creatures moved, the wheels moved. Whenever the creatures [still], the wheels stopped. Whenever the creatures rose up from the ground, the wheels rose up with them.
22 Na ntrɛwmu bi wɔ ateasefo no atifi a etwa yerɛw yerɛw te sɛ sukyerɛmma, na ɛyɛ hu.
Above the heads of the creatures there was something that resembled a dome. It shone like ice (OR, crystal) shines, and it was awesome.
23 Na wɔatrɛtrɛw wɔn ntaban no mu asisi anim wɔ ntrɛwmu no ase, na ateasefo no mu biara wɔ ntaban abien a ɛkata ne ho.
Under the dome, the creatures stretched out their wings. Each one had two wings; [each wing] stretched towards the creature [was next to] it, and two wings that were against the creature’s body.
24 Ateasefo no tu teɛe no, metee wɔn ntaban no nnyigyei a ɛte sɛ asu a ɛworo, te sɛ Otumfo no nne, anaa asraafo huuyɛ. Sɛ wogyina a wɔatrɛtrɛw wɔn ntaban mu.
Whenever the creatures moved, their wings made a sound that resembled the roar made by a rushing stream. It also sounded like the voice of Almighty God, and like [SIM] the noise of a huge army marching. Whenever the creatures stood [on the ground], they lowered their wings.
25 Na nne bi fi ntrɛwmu a ɛkata wɔn so no atifi bae, bere a wɔatrɛtrɛw wɔn ntaban mu na wogyinagyina hɔ no.
While they [on the ground] with their wings lowered, there was a voice from the dome that was over their heads.
26 Na biribi a ɛte sɛ aboɔdemmo ahengua wɔ ntrɛwmu a ɛkata ateasefo no atifi no so, na biribi a ɛte sɛ onipa te ahengua so wɔ ɔsoro hɔ.
Above the dome was something that resembled [huge] [that was made of a huge] (sapphire/valuable blue stone). Sitting on the throne was someone that resembled a human.
27 Mihuu sɛ efi nea ayɛ sɛ nʼasen mu rekɔ ne soro no na ɔte sɛ dade a adɔ kɔɔ sɛ ogya a ano asɔ, na efi hɔ reba ne fam no na ɔte sɛ ogyaframa; na hann a ɛhyerɛn atwa ne ho ahyia.
I saw that above his waist his body resembled metal that was glowing as though it [a very hot] fire inside it. And I saw that below his waist there was a very brilliant light that surrounded him.
28 Sɛnea nyankontɔn to wɔ omununkum mu osutɔ da no, saa ara na hann a atwa ne ho ahyia no te. Eyi yɛ Awurade anuonyam ahoyi no sɛso. Na mihui no, mede mʼanim butuw fam, na metee obi a ɔrekasa nne.
[shone] like [SIM] a rainbow shines in the clouds on a rainy day. That was the brilliant light that represented the presence of Yahweh. When I saw it, I prostrated myself on the ground, and I heard him speak.