Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Praise Yahweh!

⁸ “Now as for you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and ^(A)eat what I am giving you.” ⁹ Then I looked, and behold, a ^(B)hand was sent forth to me; and behold, a ^[a](C)scroll was in it. ¹⁰ Then He spread it out before me, and it was written on the front and back, and written on it were lamentations, sighing, and ^(D)woe.

Ezekiel Sent to the House of Israel

3 Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; ^(E)eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” ² So I ^(F)opened my mouth, and He ^[b]fed me this scroll. ³ And He said to me, “Son of man, ^[c]feed your stomach and ^(G)fill your ^[d]body with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I ^(H)ate it, and it was sweet as ^(I)honey in my mouth.

⁴ Then He said to me, “Son of man, go now, come to the house of Israel, and you shall speak with My words to them. ⁵ For ^(J)you are not being sent to a people of ^[e](K)unintelligible lips or a difficult tongue, but to the house of Israel, ⁶ nor to many peoples of ^[f]unintelligible lips or a difficult tongue, whose words you cannot ^[g]understand. ^[h]But I have sent you to them ^[i]who should listen to you; ⁷ yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are ^(L)not willing to listen to Me. Surely the whole house of Israel is ^[j]stubborn with a strong forehead and stiff heart. ⁸ Behold, I have made your face as strong as their faces and your forehead as strong as their foreheads. ⁹ Like ^[k]diamond stronger than flint I have made your forehead. Do not be afraid of them or be dismayed before them, though they are a rebellious house.” ¹⁰ Moreover, He said to me, “Son of man, take into your heart all My ^(M)words which I will speak to you and listen with your ears. ¹¹ And go now, come to the exiles, to the sons of your people, and you shall speak to them and say to them, whether they listen or whether they refuse, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh.’”

The Angel and the Little Scroll

10 Then I saw another ^(A)strong angel ^(B)coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud, and the ^(C)rainbow was upon his head, and ^(D)his face was like the sun, and his ^(E)feet like pillars of fire; ² and he had in his hand a ^(F)little scroll which was open. He placed ^(G)his right foot on the sea and his left on the earth, ³ and he cried out with a loud voice, ^(H)as when a lion roars. And when he had cried out, the ^(I)seven peals of thunder ^[a]uttered their voices. ⁴ And when the seven peals of thunder had spoken, ^(J)I was about to write; and I ^(K)heard a voice from heaven saying, “^(L)Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.” ⁵ Then the angel, whom I saw standing on the sea and on the earth, ^(M)lifted up his right hand to heaven, ^6 (N)and swore by ^(O)Him who lives forever and ever, ^(P)who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that ^(Q)there will be delay no longer, ⁷ but in the days of the voice of the ^(R)seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then ^(S)the mystery of God is finished, as He proclaimed good news to His slaves, the prophets.

⁸ Then ^(T)the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take ^(U)the scroll which is open in the hand of the angel who ^(V)stands on the sea and on the earth.” ⁹ So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little scroll. And he *said to me, “^(W)Take it and 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 out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. ¹¹ And ^(X)they *said to me, “You must ^(Y)prophesy again about ^(Z)many peoples and nations and tongues and ^(AA)kings.”