The Angel and the Little Scroll

10 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with ^(A)a rainbow over his head, and ^(B)his face was like the sun, and ^(C)his legs like pillars of fire. ^2 (D)He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, ³ and called out with a loud voice, ^(E)like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. ⁴ And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, ^(F)“Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” ⁵ And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land ^(G)raised his right hand to heaven ⁶ and swore by ^(H)him who lives forever and ever, ^(I)who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, ⁷ but that ^(J)in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, ^(K)just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

⁸ Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” ⁹ So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, ^(L)“Take and ^(M)eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” ¹⁰ And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. ¹¹ And I was told, ^(N)“You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man ^(A)and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

The Fall

3 Now ^(A)the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You^[a] shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” ² And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, ³ but God said, ^(B)‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” ^4 (C)But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ⁶ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,^[b] she took of its fruit ^(D)and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, ^(E)and he ate. ^7 (F)Then the eyes of both were opened, ^(G)and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

⁸ But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and ^(A)a thousand years as one day. ^9 (B)The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise ^(C)as some count slowness, but ^(D)is patient toward you,^{[a] (E)}not wishing that any should perish, but ^(F)that all should reach repentance. ¹⁰ But ^(G)the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then ^(H)the heavens will pass away with a roar, and ^(I)the heavenly bodies^[b] will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.^[c]

^7 (A)Of this gospel I was made ^(B)a minister according to the gift of ^(C)God's grace, which was given me ^(D)by the working of his power. ⁸ To me, ^(E)though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, ^(F)to preach to the Gentiles the ^(G)unsearchable ^(H)riches of Christ, ⁹ and ^(I)to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery ^(J)hidden for ages in^[a] God, ^(K)who created all things, ¹⁰ so that through the church the manifold ^(L)wisdom of God ^(M)might now be made known to ^(N)the rulers and authorities ^(O)in the heavenly places. ¹¹ This was ^(P)according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have ^(Q)boldness and ^(R)access with ^(S)confidence through our ^(T)faith in him.

Further Instructions

^2 (A)Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it ^(B)with thanksgiving. ³ At the same time, pray also for us, that God may ^(C)open to us a door for the word, ^(D)to declare the mystery of Christ, ^(E)on account of which I am in prison— ⁴ that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.