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.'

³⁶ Then Jesus left the people and went into the house. His disciples came to him. They said, `Tell us the meaning of the story about the weeds in the field.'

³⁷ Jesus answered, `The person who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.

³⁸ The field is the world. The good seed means the people who belong to the kingdom. The weeds mean those who belong to the bad one.

³⁹ The bad man who planted the weeds is the devil. The harvest time is the end of this world. The men who cut the harvest are angels.

⁴⁰ The weeds are gathered and burned in a fire. That is the way it will be at the end of the world.

⁴¹ The Son of Man will send his angels. They will gather everything that is bad and the people who do bad things. They will take them out of his kingdom.

⁴² They will put them into the big fire. There they will cry and make a noise with their teeth.

⁴³ Then the people who are right with God will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. Everyone who has ears, listen.'