Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

For the choir director; a psalm by David.

The Column of Smoke Leads Israel through the Desert

¹⁵ On the day the tent of the words of God’s promise was set up, the ⌞column of⌟ smoke covered it. From evening until morning, the smoke over the tent glowed like fire. ¹⁶ The smoke always glowed this way. At night the smoke covering the tent glowed like fire. ¹⁷ Whenever the smoke moved from the tent, the Israelites would break camp, and wherever it stopped, the Israelites would set up camp. ¹⁸ At the Lord’s command the Israelites would break camp, and at his command they would set up camp. As long as the ⌞column of⌟ smoke stayed over the tent, they would stay in the same place. ¹⁹ When the smoke stayed over the tent for a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord’s command and wouldn’t break camp. ²⁰ The same thing happened when the smoke stayed only a few days over the tent: At the Lord’s command they would set up camp, and at his command they would break camp. ²¹ Sometimes the ⌞column of⌟ smoke stayed only from evening until morning. When the smoke moved in the morning, they broke camp. Day or night, when the smoke moved, they broke camp. ²² Whether it was two days, a month, or a year, as long as the ⌞column of⌟ smoke stayed over the tent, the Israelites would stay in the same place and not break camp. But when the smoke moved, they would break camp. ²³ At the Lord’s command they set up camp, and at his command they broke camp. They obeyed the command that the Lord had given through Moses.

A Vision of God’s Throne in Heaven

4 After these things I saw a door standing open in heaven. I heard the first voice like a trumpet speaking to me. It said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.”

² Instantly, I came under the Spirit’s power. I saw a throne in heaven, and someone was sitting on it. ³ The one sitting there looked like gray quartz and red quartz. There was a rainbow around the throne which looked like an emerald.

⁴ Around that throne were 24 other thrones, and on these thrones sat 24 leaders wearing white clothes. They had gold crowns on their heads. ⁵ Lightning, noise, and thunder came from the throne. Seven flaming torches were burning in front of the throne. These are the seven spirits of God.

⁶ In front of the throne, there was something like a sea of glass as clear as crystal. In the center near the throne and around the throne were four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back. ⁷ The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like a young bull, the third had a face like a human, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. ⁸ Each of the four living creatures had six wings and were covered with eyes, inside and out. Without stopping day or night they were singing,