Ezekiel 1 – NIRV & AKCB

New International Reader’s Version

Ezekiel 1:1-28

The Lord Gives Ezekiel Visions of His Glory

1I was 30 years old. I was with my people. We had been taken away from our country. We were by the Kebar River in the land of Babylon. On the fifth day of the fourth month, the heavens were opened. I saw visions of God.

2It was the fifth day of the month. Jehoiachin had been king of Judah. It was the fifth year since he had been brought to Babylon as a prisoner. 3A message from the Lord came to me. I was by the Kebar River in Babylon. The power of the Lord came on me there. I am Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi.

4I looked up and saw a windstorm coming from the north. I saw a huge cloud. The fire of lightning was flashing out of it. Bright light surrounded it. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal. 5I saw in the fire something that looked like four living creatures. They appeared to have the shape of a human being. 6But each of them had four faces and four wings. 7Their legs were straight. Their feet looked like the feet of a calf. They were as bright as polished bronze. 8The creatures had human hands under their wings on their four sides. All four of them had faces and wings. 9The wings of one touched the wings of another. Each of the creatures went straight ahead. They didn’t change their direction as they moved.

10Here’s what their faces looked like. Each of the four creatures had the face of a human being. On the right side each had the face of a lion. On the left each had the face of an ox. Each one also had an eagle’s face. 11That’s what their faces looked like. They each had two wings that spread out and lifted up. Each wing touched the wing of another creature on either side. They each had two other wings that covered their bodies. 12All the creatures went straight ahead. Anywhere their spirits would lead them to go, they would go. They didn’t change their direction as they went. 13The living creatures looked like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures. It was bright. Lightning flashed out of it. 14The creatures raced back and forth like flashes of lightning.

15As I looked at the living creatures, I saw wheels on the ground beside them. Each creature had four faces. 16Here’s how the wheels looked and worked. They gleamed like topaz. All four of them looked alike. Each one seemed to be made like a wheel inside another wheel at right angles. 17The wheels could go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced. The wheels didn’t change their direction as the creatures moved. 18Their rims were high and terrifying. All four rims were full of eyes all the way around them.

19When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved. When the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. 20Anywhere their spirits would lead them to go, they would go. And the wheels would rise along with them. That’s because the spirits of the living creatures were in the wheels. 21When the living creatures moved, the wheels also moved. When the creatures stood still, they also stood still. When the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them. That’s because the spirits of the living creatures were in the wheels.

22Something that looked like a huge space was spread out above the heads of the living creatures. It gleamed like crystal. It was terrifying. 23The wings of the creatures were spread out under the space. They reached out toward one another. Each creature had two wings covering its body. 24When the living creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings. It was like the roar of rushing waters. It sounded like the thundering voice of the Mighty God. It was like the loud noise an army makes. When the creatures stood still, they lowered their wings.

25Then a voice came from above the huge space over their heads. They stood with their wings lowered. 26Above the space over their heads was something that looked like a throne made out of lapis lazuli. On the throne high above was a figure that appeared to be a man. 27From his waist up he looked like glowing metal that was full of fire. From his waist down he looked like fire. Bright light surrounded him. 28The glow around him looked like a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day.

That’s what the glory of the Lord looked like. When I saw it, I fell with my face toward the ground. Then I heard the voice of someone speaking.

Akuapem Twi Contemporary Bible

Hesekiel 1:1-28

Ateasefo No Ne Awurade Anuonyam

1Afe 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.

2Ɔsram no da a ɛto so anum no na ɔhene Yehoiakin adi mfe anum wɔ asutwa mu. 3Awurade 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.

4Mehwɛe, 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. 5Na ogya no mu na na wohu biribi te sɛ ateasefo baanan. Na wɔn su te sɛ onipa, 6wɔn mu biara anim yɛ anan na wɔwowɔ ntaban anan anan. 7Wɔn anan yɛ kirebenn, wɔn anammɔn te sɛ nantwi ba de na ɛhyerɛn te sɛ kɔbere mfrafrae a wɔahoa ho. 8Wɔwowɔ nnipa nsa wɔ ntaban a ɛwowɔ afaafa anan no ase. Wɔn mu biara wɔ nnipa nsa anan a baako wɔ ntaban biara ase, 9na wɔn ntaban keka sisi anim. Wɔn nyinaa kɔ wɔn anim tee a wɔnnan wɔn ho.

10Na 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. 11Saa 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. 12Obiara kɔ nʼanim tee. Baabiara a honhom no bɛkɔ no, hɔ na wɔbɛkɔ a wɔnnan wɔn ho. 13Ateasefo no suban te sɛ nnyansramma a ɛredɛw anaa ogyatɛn. Ogya di akɔneaba wɔ ateasefo no mu; ɛhyerɛn na mu na anyinam fi twitwa. 14Na ateasefo no de mmirika di akɔneaba te sɛ anyinam a ɛretwitwa.

15Bere a merehwɛ ateasefo no, mihuu sɛ nkyimii si fam wɔ ateasefo a wɔn mu biara anim yɛ anan no nkyɛn mu. 16Sɛɛ 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. 17Sɛ nkyimii no nam a wɔkɔ faako a ateasefo no ani kyerɛ; nkyimii no nnan wɔn ho bere a ateasefo no nam no. 18Wɔn hankare no korɔn, na ɛyɛ hu, na aniwa tuatua hankare anan no nyinaa ho.

19Sɛ 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. 20Baabiara 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. 21Sɛ 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.

22Na ntrɛwmu bi wɔ ateasefo no atifi a etwa yerɛw yerɛw te sɛ sukyerɛmma, na ɛyɛ hu. 23Na wɔatrɛtrɛw wɔn ntaban no mu asisi anim wɔ ntrɛwmu no ase, na ateasefo no mu biara wɔ ntaban abien a ɛkata ne ho. 24Ateasefo 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.

25Na nne bi fi ntrɛwmu a ɛkata wɔn so no atifi bae, bere a wɔatrɛtrɛw wɔn ntaban mu na wogyinagyina hɔ no. 26Na 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. 27Mihuu 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. 28Sɛnea 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.