A Prayer for Mercy

A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; ^Cperhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover].

Ezekiel’s Vision of Living Creatures

1 It was the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month [^Cof Ezekiel’s life, or of Nabopolassar’s reign, or since King Josiah’s reforms]. I was by the Kebar ·River [Canal; ^Ca branch of the Euphrates River south of Babylon] among the ·people who had been carried away as captives [exiles]. The ·sky [heavens] opened, and I saw visions of God.

² It was the fifth day of the month of the fifth year that King Jehoiachin had been ·a prisoner [in exile/captivity; ^C593 bc; 2 Kin. 24:12, 15]. ³ The ·Lord spoke his word [^Lword of the Lord came] to Ezekiel son of Buzi in the land of the Babylonians by the Kebar ·River [Canal; 1:1]. There ·he felt the power of the Lord [^Lthe hand of the Lord was on him].

⁸ But you, ·human [^Tson of man; 2:1], listen to what I say to you. Don’t ·turn against me [rebel] ·as those people do [^Llike that rebellious house]. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.”

⁹ Then I looked and ·saw [^Tbehold] a hand stretched out to me, and a ·scroll [scroll with writing on it; ^Lscroll of a document/book] was in it [Jer. 36:2; Rev. 10:2]. ¹⁰ He ·opened [unrolled] the scroll in front of me. Written on the front and back were ·funeral songs, sad writings, and warnings about disaster [^Lwords of lament, mourning, and woe].

3 Then the Lord said to me, “·Human [^TSon of man; 2:1], eat what ·you find [you see; is before you]; eat this scroll. Then go and speak to the ·people [^Lhouse] of Israel.” ² So I opened my mouth, and he ·gave [fed] me the scroll to eat.

³ He said to me, “·Human [^TSon of man; 2:1], eat this scroll which I am giving you, and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth [Jer. 15:16; Rev. 10:9, 10].

The Angel and the Small Scroll

10 Then I saw another ·powerful [mighty; strong] ·angel [messenger; 5:2] coming down from heaven ·dressed [wrapped; robed] in a cloud with a ·rainbow [or halo] over his head. His face was like the sun, and his ·legs [or feet] were like pillars of fire. ² The angel was holding a small scroll open in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. ³ Then he ·shouted [cried out] loudly like the roaring of a lion [Hos. 11:10; Amos 3:8]. And when he ·shouted [cried out], the voices of seven thunders [Ps. 29] spoke. ⁴ When the seven thunders spoke, I ·started [was about] to write. But I heard a voice from heaven say, “·Keep hidden [^LSeal up; Dan. 12:4] what the seven thunders said, and do not write them down.”

⁵ Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven [^Cas when taking an oath; Ex. 6:8; Deut. 32:40], ⁶ and he ·made a promise [swore an oath] ·by the power of the One [^Lby the One] who lives forever and ever [Dan. 12:7]. He is the One who ·made [created] the ·skies [or heavens] and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it [Gen. 1]. The angel ·promised [swore an oath], “There will be no ·more waiting [delay; ^Ltime]! ⁷ [^LBut] In the days when the seventh angel is ready to blow his trumpet, God’s ·secret [mystery; hidden plan] will be ·finished [completed]. This ·secret [mystery; hidden plan] is ·the Good News God told [or just as he announced] to his servants, the prophets [Amos 3:7; 1 Pet. 1:10–12].”

⁸ Then I heard the same voice from heaven again, saying to me: “Go and take the open scroll that is in the hand of the angel that is standing on the sea and on the land.”

⁹ So I went to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. And he said to me, “Take the scroll and eat it [^Ca symbol of internalizing the word]. It will be ·sour [bitter] in your stomach [^Cbecause it is a message of judgment], but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey [^Cbecause it is God’s word and because it brings salvation and vindication to his people; Ps. 119:103; Jer. 15:16; Ezek. 2:8—3:3].” ¹⁰ So I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. In my mouth it tasted sweet as honey, but after I ate it, it was ·sour [bitter] in my stomach. ¹¹ Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings [^Che must share the word he just received].”