Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Song of degrees.

121 I lift up mine eyes unto the mountains: whence shall my help come?

² My help [cometh] from Jehovah, who made the heavens and the earth.

³ He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

⁴ Behold, he that keepeth Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ Jehovah is thy keeper, Jehovah is thy shade upon thy right hand;

⁶ The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

⁷ Jehovah will keep thee from all evil; he will keep thy soul.

⁸ Jehovah will keep thy going out and thy coming in, from henceforth and for evermore.

1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth [month], on the fifth of the month, as I was among the captives by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

² On the fifth of the month, (it was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,)

³ the word of Jehovah came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of Jehovah was there upon him.

⁴ And I looked, and behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the look of glowing brass, out of the midst of the fire.

⁵ Also out of the midst thereof, the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.

⁶ And every one had four faces, and every one of them had four wings.

⁷ And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled as the look of burnished brass.

⁸ And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings:

⁹ their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

¹⁰ And the likeness of their faces was the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle.

¹¹ And their faces and their wings were parted above; two [wings] of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

¹² And they went every one straight forward: whither the Spirit was to go, they went; they turned not when they went.

¹³ And as for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, as the appearance of torches: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright; and out of the fire went forth lightning.

¹⁴ And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

¹⁵ And I looked at the living creatures, and behold, one wheel upon the earth beside the living creatures, toward their four faces.

¹⁶ The appearance of the wheels and their work was as the look of a chrysolite; and they four had one likeness; and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

¹⁷ When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not when they went.

¹⁸ As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rims full of eyes round about.

¹⁹ And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

²⁰ Whithersoever the Spirit was to go, they went, thither would [their] spirit go; and the wheels were lifted up along with them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

²¹ When those went, they went; and when those stood, they stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up along with them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

²² And there was the likeness of an expanse over the heads of the living creature, as the look of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

²³ And under the expanse were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two which covered on this side, and every one had two which covered on that side their bodies.

²⁴ And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, a tumultuous noise, as the noise of a host: when they stood, they let down their wings;

²⁵ and there was a voice from above the expanse that was over their heads. When they stood, they let down their wings.

¹⁹ and, having received food, got strength. And he was with the disciples who [were] in Damascus certain days.

²⁰ And straightway in the synagogues he preached Jesus that *he* is the Son of God.

²¹ And all who heard were astonished and said, Is not this *he* who destroyed in Jerusalem those who called on this name, and here was come for this purpose, that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?

²² But Saul increased the more in power, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this is the Christ.

²³ Now when many days were fulfilled, the Jews consulted together to kill him.

²⁴ But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched also the gates both day and night, that they might kill him;

²⁵ but the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket.

²⁶ And having arrived at Jerusalem he essayed to join himself to the disciples, and all were afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.

²⁷ But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and related to them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.

²⁸ And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem,

²⁹ and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and discussed with the Hellenists; but they sought to kill him.

³⁰ And the brethren knowing it, brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

³¹ The assemblies then throughout the whole of Judaea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified and walking in the fear of the Lord, and were increased through the comfort of the Holy Spirit.