EZEKIEL'S FIRST VISION OF GOD (1.1—7.27)
God's Throne
1 On the fifth day of the fourth month of the thirtieth year, I, Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, was living with the Jewish exiles by the Chebar River in Babylonia. The sky opened, and I saw a vision of God. ( 2 It was the fifth year since King Jehoiachin had been taken into exile.) 3 There in Babylonia beside the Chebar River, I heard the Lord speak to me, and I felt his power.
4 I looked up and saw a windstorm coming from the north. Lightning was flashing from a huge cloud, and the sky around it was glowing. Where the lightning was flashing, something shone like bronze. 5 At the center of the storm I saw what looked like four living creatures in human form, 6 but each of them had four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and they had hoofs like those of a bull. They shone like polished bronze. 8 In addition to their four faces and four wings, they each had four human hands, one under each wing. 9 Two wings of each creature were spread out so that the creatures formed a square, with their wing tips touching. When they moved, they moved as a group without turning their bodies.
10 Each living creature had four different faces: a human face in front, a lion's face at the right, a bull's face at the left, and an eagle's face at the back. 11 Two wings of each creature were raised so that they touched the tips of the wings of the creatures next to it, and their other two wings were folded against their bodies. 12 Each creature faced all four directions, and so the group could go wherever they wished, without having to turn.
13 Among the creatures there was something that looked like a blazing torch, constantly moving. The fire would blaze up and shoot out flashes of lightning. 14 The creatures themselves darted back and forth with the speed of lightning.
15 As I was looking at the four creatures I saw four wheels touching the ground, one beside each of them. 16 All four wheels were alike; each one shone like a precious stone, and each had another wheel intersecting it at right angles, 17 so that the wheels could move in any of the four directions. 18 The rims of the wheels were covered with eyes. 19 Whenever the creatures moved, the wheels moved with them, and if the creatures rose up from the earth, so did the wheels. 20 The creatures went wherever they wished, and the wheels did exactly what the creatures did, because the creatures controlled them. 21 So every time the creatures moved or stopped or rose in the air, the wheels did exactly the same.
22 Above the heads of the creatures there was something that looked like a dome made of dazzling crystal. 23 There under the dome stood the creatures, each stretching out two wings toward the ones next to it and covering its body with the other two wings. 24 I heard the noise their wings made in flight; it sounded like the roar of the sea, like the noise of a huge army, like the voice of Almighty God. When they stopped flying, they folded their wings, 25 but there was still a sound coming from above the dome over their heads.
26 Above the dome there was something that looked like a throne made of sapphire, and sitting on the throne was a figure that looked like a human being. 27 The figure seemed to be shining like bronze in the middle of a fire. It shone all over with a bright light 28 that had in it all the colors of the rainbow. This was the dazzling light which shows the presence of the Lord.
God Calls Ezekiel to Be a Prophet
When I saw this, I fell face downward on the ground. Then I heard a voice
Esekiyeli ye Yaawe la kallankeeyaa je
1 Sanji taŋ sabanjaŋo, kari naaninjaŋo tili luulunjaŋo la, wo ye a tara nte Esekiyeli be mutamoolu le kono, mennu be sabatiriŋ nuŋ Kebari Boloŋo daala, Babiloni bankoo kaŋ. A fele, saŋo daa yeleta n ye, Alla ye n jerindi feŋolu la. 2 Wo keta Mansa Yehoyahini sambariŋ koolaa le mutoo kono, a sanji luulunjaŋo, karoo tili luulunjaŋo la.
3 Wo luŋo la le, Yaawe* la kumoo naata nte Piriisi* Esekiyeli kaŋ, Busi dinkewo, Kebari Boloŋo daala, Babiloni bankoo kaŋ. Yaawe la semboo jiita n kaŋ jee le to.
4 A fele, biriŋ ŋa santo juubee, ŋa turubaadi baa le je, a ka bo naŋ maraa karoo la, aniŋ minaayi fiŋ baa niŋ saŋ ŋalasoo, mala baa ye a murubeŋ. Dimbaa le tarata mala kaŋ a teema, aduŋ dimbaa ñiŋ kono, feŋ ne be ñeliñeli kaŋ jee meŋ ka muluŋ ko jaawaloo. 5 Wo dimbaa kono, ŋa daafeŋ baluuriŋ naani le je, ì ka muluŋ ne ko hadamadiŋo, 6 bari kiliŋ-wo-kiliŋ ñaadaa naani le be a la, aniŋ dampaŋ naani. 7 Ì siŋolu be tilindiŋ duuma, meŋ ka muluŋ ko ninsi worosoo. Ì kiliŋ-kiliŋ naa siŋo be malamala kaŋ ne ko ì ye jaawaloo meŋ kuloori. 8 Aduŋ kiliŋ-wo-kiliŋ, hadamadiŋ buloo le be a dampaŋ fuloo koto. Ñiŋ daafeŋ naanoo bee ye ñaadaalu niŋ dampaŋolu le soto, 9 aduŋ ì dampaŋ neŋolu ka ñoo maa le. Meŋ-wo-meŋ ye a kuŋo tiliŋ daameŋ, a ka taa wo le to, aduŋ ì taatoo ì buka yelema kara doo la.
10 Ì ñaadaalu be teŋ ne: Ì kiliŋ-wo-kiliŋ, hadamadiŋ ñaadaa muluŋo le be a ñaatiliŋo la, jata ñaadaa muluŋo be a bulubaa karoo la, tuuraa ñaadaa muluŋo be a maraa karoo la, aniŋ wataa ñaadaa muluŋo be a kooma la. 11 Ì ñaadaalu be wo le ñaama. Daafeŋ kiliŋ-wo-kiliŋ ye dampaŋ fula le soto a kara fuloo bee la. Ì dampaŋ fuloo be werendenderiŋ ne ka ñoo maa, ì dampaŋ fula doolu le ka ì baloo muuri. 12 Ì bee ye ì kuŋo tiliŋ ì ka taa ko Yaawe la nooroo ye ì tilindi daameŋ. Niŋ ì be taa kaŋ ì buka jenke. 13 Ñiŋ daafeŋolu ka muluŋ ne ko dimbaa keñemboo niŋ pacamoo meŋ be mala kaŋ. Wo dimbaa meŋ be mala kaŋ ñiŋ daafeŋolu teema, ka tu taa la kooma niŋ ñaato le. Niŋ dimbaa malata waati meŋ na, ŋalasi baalu le ka bo a kono. 14 Bituŋ wo daafeŋolu fanaa ka taa kooma niŋ ñaato wo le ñaama, ko ŋalasoolu ka ke ñaameŋ.
15 Bituŋ m be wo daafeŋolu juubee kaŋ waati meŋ na doroŋ, ŋa sareeti siŋolu je looriŋ bankoo to, wo daafeŋolu daala. Sareeti siŋo le be looriŋ wo daafeŋolu bee kiliŋ-kiliŋ naa daala. 16 Ñiŋ sareeti siŋolu ka ñeliñeli le ko bere ñiimaa baa, aduŋ ì naanoo bee ka muluŋ ne ko ì fula-fula le be bulariŋ ñoo kono. 17 Ñiŋ sareeti siŋolu ka bori noo kara naanoo bee la, ka taa kooma niŋ ñaato, bulubaa niŋ maraa, aduŋ ì buka waalii waraŋ ka jenke ñoo ye, niŋ ì be taa la. 18 Ñiŋ sareeti siŋolu riimoolu loo jamfata santo le, aduŋ ñaakesoolu le be ì dandaŋolu bee la, ì silaŋñaa warata.
19 Niŋ wo daafeŋolu be taa kaŋ, sareeti siŋolu fanaa ka taa wo le ñaama. Niŋ ì wulita ka bankoo bula ka taa santo, ì niŋ sareeti siŋolu fanaa ka taa ñoo la le. 20 Niŋ nooroo ye ì samba daameŋ, ì ka taa wo le to, aduŋ ì niŋ ñiŋ sareeti siŋolu fanaa ka taa ñoo la wo le ñaama. Kaatu wo nooroo meŋ be daafeŋolu kono, wo le be ñiŋ sareeti siŋolu fanaa kono. 21 Niŋ daafeŋolu taata, sareeti siŋolu fanaa ka taa le, niŋ ì loota, sareeti siŋolu fanaa si loo. Niŋ daafeŋolu wulita ka bankoo bula ka taa santo, ì niŋ sareeti siŋolu ka taa ñoo la santo le. Kaatu nooroo meŋ be ì kono, wo le ka sareeti siŋolu ñiŋ mara.
22 Ŋa feŋ ne je wankariŋ wo daafeŋolu kunto santo meŋ ka ñeliñeli, a be kaawakuuyaariŋ. 23 Wo feŋo koto, daafeŋolu ye ì dampaŋ werendende fo ì neŋolu ka maa ñoo la, aduŋ daafeŋ-wo-daafeŋ, a dampaŋ fuloo le ka a baloo muuri. 24 Niŋ ì be taa kaŋ, ì dampaŋolu kumakaŋo ka muluŋ ne ko baa baliŋolu ka bumbuŋ ñaameŋ, waraŋ ko kelediŋ kafu baa maakaŋo ka kuma ñaameŋ, waraŋ niŋ Alla Tallaa faŋo be daali kaŋ. Niŋ ì loota, ì ka ì dampaŋo seyindi a ñaama le. 25 Kabiriŋ ì loota ì ye ì dampaŋolu seyindi a ñaama, bituŋ kumakaŋo bota naŋ wo feŋo kono meŋ be wankariŋ ì kunto santo.
26 N naata feŋo je a kaŋ, meŋ mulunta ko mansasiiraŋo, a dadaata safiiri bere ñiimaa le la. Meŋ be siiriŋ wo mansasiiraŋo kaŋ, ka muluŋ ne ko hadamadiŋo. 27 Ka bo a tewo to ka taa fo santo, ka muluŋ ne ko jaawaloo, ì ye meŋ bula dimbaa kono fo a wuleeta tiwu, a ka ñeliñeli, a naata ke ko niŋ dimbaa maloo ye meŋ murubeŋ. Aduŋ ka bo a tewo to fo duuma, a ka muluŋ ne ko dimbaa. Malamaloo ye a murubeŋ ka dulaa bee fanundi. 28 A ka muluŋ ne ko kullimaaroo meŋ ka finti tawaloo kono niŋ sanjiyo keta waati meŋ na.
N naata a kalamuta ko, wo malamaloo mu Yaawe faŋo la kallankeeyaa* le ti. Kabiriŋ ŋa wo je, wo to le ŋa m fayi bankoo to, m bitita n ñaadaa kaŋ. Bituŋ kumakaŋo naata n kaŋ naŋ.
