Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 20

For the worship leader. A song of David.

¹⁵ When the congregation tent was finally erected and assembled, the cloud of the presence of God covered it and the place where the terms of the covenant were kept. In the dark of night, the presence of God looked like a fire and marked the spot until morning. ¹⁶ And so it continued—cloud cover by day, and something like fiery storm clouds at night. ¹⁷ Whenever the cloud lifted up, the Israelites would pack up and move, and wherever the cloud stopped, they would settle. ¹⁸ This is how the Eternal One indicated when the Israelites should travel and where they should set up camp. As long as the cloud stayed still over the congregation tent, the Israelites also stayed at their tents. ¹⁹ When the cloud remained many days over the tent, the Israelites stayed there and served the Eternal. ²⁰ When the cloud remained only a few days, they did the same. They always followed the command of the Eternal, whether staying or leaving. ²¹ Sometimes it happened that the cloud remained in place only through the night. So, in the morning, they would get going again. Day or night, in this manner they went as God directed. ²² Whether it was a couple of days or just a month or even longer, however long the cloud covered the tent, the Israelites stayed put; but when it lifted, off they went again. ²³ So it was that the Israelites obeyed God’s command. When the Eternal One indicated that they stop, they stopped; when He directed them to move, they moved. They served Him exactly as God commanded them through Moses.

4 After I wrote down these messages, I saw a door standing open in heaven and heard again the first voice that sounded like a trumpet.

² Immediately I was caught up in the Spirit, and I saw a throne that stood in heaven and One seated on the throne. ³ The One enthroned gleamed like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow encircled the throne with an emerald glow. ⁴ Encircling that great throne were twenty-four smaller thrones with twenty-four elders clothed in white robes with wreaths fashioned of gold on their heads. ⁵ Out of the great throne came flashes of lightning, sounds of voices, and peals of thunder. In front of the great throne, seven torches were ablaze, which are the seven Spirits of God. ⁶ Also in front of the throne was a glassy sea of shimmering crystal.

In the midst of the throne and encircling the throne were four living creatures, covered all over with eyes, front to back. ⁷ The first living creature was like a lion, the second creature was like an ox, the third creature had a face like the face of a human, and the fourth creature was like an eagle in full flight. ⁸ These four living creatures, each of which had six wings and was covered with eyes—eyes on the outside and on the inside—did not cease chanting. All day and night they were singing.