Book of Common Prayer

10 Then I saw another strong angel coming down from the sky. A cloud was around him and a rainbow was over his head. His face was like the sun and his legs were like posts of fire.

² In his hand he had a small book that was open. He put his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land.

³ He called in a very loud voice like a lion roaring. When he called, it was like the voices of seven thunders.

⁴ When the seven thunders had spoken, I was going to write down what they said. But I heard a voice from the sky that said, `Do not tell what the seven thunders said. Do not write it down.'

⁵ The angel that I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand toward the sky.

⁶ He made a promise in the name of the one who lives for ever and ever. He made it in the name of the one who made the sky and everything in it, who made the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it. He said, `There is no more time.

⁷ But when the seventh angel calls by blowing his trumpet, then the secret plan of God will be finished. It will happen just as God told his servants, the prophets.'

⁸ The voice I heard in the sky talked to me again. It said, `Go to the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land. Take the open book from his hand.'

⁹ So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little book. He said to me, `Take it and eat it. It will be bitter inside you, but it will be sweet like honey in your mouth.'

¹⁰ So I took the little book from the angel's hand and ate it. It was sweet like honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

¹¹ Then he said to me, `You must tell again what God is saying to many nations, countries, languages, and kings.'

⁴⁴ `The kingdom of heaven is like this. Something worth a lot of money is buried in a field. A man found it and covered it again. He was so glad that he went and sold everything he had. Then he bought that field.'

⁴⁵ `The kingdom of heaven is like this. A trader was looking for fine stones called pearls.

⁴⁶ He found a pearl that was worth a lot of money. Then he went and sold everything he had and bought it.'

⁴⁷ `The kingdom of heaven is like this. A fish net was thrown into the sea. It caught all kinds of fish.

⁴⁸ When it was full, the men pulled it to the land. They sat down and picked out the good fish into baskets. But they threw the bad fish away.

⁴⁹ That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and take the bad people away from the good people.

⁵⁰ They will put the bad people into the never-ending hell fire. There they will cry and make a noise with their teeth.'

⁵¹ Jesus asked, `Have you understood all these stories?' The disciples said, `Yes.'

⁵² Then Jesus said to them, `So anyone who knows the law and has learned about the kingdom of heaven, is like the headman of a house. He can bring both new things and old things out of what he has stored up.'

⁵³ When Jesus had finished telling these stories, he went away from there.

⁵⁴ He went back to his home town and he taught people in their meeting house. They were very much surprised and said, `Where did he learn all this? Where did he get the power to do these big works?

⁵⁵ Is he not the carpenter's son? Is not Mary his mother? Are not James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers?

⁵⁶ Are not his sisters all here with us? Where did he get all this?'

⁵⁷ They did not understand Jesus. Jesus said to them, `Other people honour a man who is a prophet. But the people in his own country and home do not honour him.'

⁵⁸ Jesus could not do many big works in that place because the people did not believe in him.