The Mighty Angel and the Small Scroll

10 Then I saw another mighty angel^(A) coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow^(B) over his head.^[a] His face was like the sun, his legs^[b] were like fiery pillars,^{(C) 2} and he had a little scroll opened in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea, his left on the land, ³ and he cried out with a loud voice like a roaring lion. When he cried out, the seven thunders spoke with their voices. ⁴ And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. Then I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders said,^(D) and do not write it down!”

⁵ Then the angel that I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. ⁶ He swore an oath by the One who lives forever and ever,^(E) who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: “There will no longer be an interval of time,^{[c] 7} but in the days of the sound of the seventh angel,^(F) when he will blow his trumpet, then God’s hidden plan^(G) will be completed, as He announced to His servants^[d] the prophets.”^(H)

⁸ Now the voice that I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the scroll that lies 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 asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take and eat it; it will be bitter in your stomach, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”^(I)

¹⁰ Then I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach became bitter.^{(J) 11} And I was told,^[e] “You must prophesy again about^[f] many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”^(K)

⁸ “And you, son of man, listen to what I tell you: Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.”^{(A) 9} So I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me,^(B) and there was a written scroll in it.^{(C) 10} When He unrolled it before me, it was written on the front and back; words of lamentation, mourning, and woe were written on it.

3 He said to me: “Son of man, eat what you find here. Eat this scroll,^(D) then go and speak to the house of Israel.” ² So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll. ³ “Son of man,” He said to me, “eat^[a] and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you.” So I ate it,^(E) and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.^(F)

⁴ Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak My words to them. ⁵ For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language but to the house of Israel. ⁶ You are not being sent to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. No doubt, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you.^{(G) 7} But the house of Israel will not want to listen to you because they do not want to listen to Me.^(H) For the whole house of Israel is hardheaded and hardhearted. ⁸ Look, I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.^{(I) 9} I have made your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint. Don’t be afraid of them or discouraged by the look on their faces, even though they are a rebellious house.”

¹⁰ Next He said to me: “Son of man, listen carefully to all My words that I speak to you and take them to heart. ¹¹ Go to your people, the exiles, and speak to them. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says,’ whether they listen or refuse to listen.”^(J)

¹² The Spirit then lifted me up,^(K) and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me—praise the glory of the Lord in His place!— ¹³ with the^[b] sound of the living creatures’ wings brushing against each other^(L) and the sound of the wheels beside them,^(M) a great rumbling sound. ¹⁴ So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I left in bitterness and in an angry spirit, and the Lord’s hand was on me powerfully.^{(N) 15} I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were living by the Chebar Canal, and I sat there among them stunned for seven days.^(O)