Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Lord the Keeper of Israel.

A Song of ^[a]Ascents.

The Vision of Four Figures

1 Now it came about [when I was] in my ^[a]thirtieth year [of life], on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles beside the River Chebar [in Babylonia], the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. ² (On the fifth of the month, which was in the fifth year of ^[b]King Jehoiachin’s captivity,^{(A) 3} the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the ^[c]Chaldeans by the River ^[d]Chebar; and the hand of the Lord came upon him there.)^(B)

⁴ As I looked, I saw a stormy wind coming out of the north, a great cloud with fire flashing continually from it; and a brightness was around it, and in its core [there was] something like glowing [amber-colored] metal in the midst of the fire. ⁵ Within it there were figures resembling ^[e]four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form. ⁶ Each one had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight and the soles of their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they sparkled and gleamed like shiny bronze. ⁸ Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, ⁹ their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn when they moved, each went straight forward. ¹⁰ Regarding the ^[f]form and appearance of their faces: they [each] had the face of a man [in front], and each had the face of a lion on the right side, and the face of an ox on the left side; all four also had the face of an eagle [at the back of their heads].^{(C) 11} Such were their faces. Their wings were stretched out upward; two [wings] of each one were touching another [the wings of the beings on either side of it], and [the remaining] two [wings of each being] were covering their bodies. ¹² And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. ¹³ Among the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches moving back and forth among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire. ¹⁴ And the living beings moved rapidly back and forth like flashes of lightning.

¹⁵ Now as I looked at the living beings, I saw one wheel on the ground beside the living beings, for each of the four of them. ¹⁶ Regarding the appearance of the wheels and their construction: they gleamed like chrysolite (beryl, olivine); and the four were made alike. Their appearance and construction were a wheel [set at a right angle] within a wheel. ¹⁷ Whenever they moved, they went in any [one] of their four directions without turning as they moved. ¹⁸ Regarding their rims: they were so high that they were awesome and dreadful, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes all around. ¹⁹ Whenever the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them; and when the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. ²⁰ Wherever the spirit went, the beings went in that direction. And the wheels rose along with them; for the spirit or life of the living beings was in the wheels. ²¹ Whenever those went, these went; and whenever those came to a stop, these came to a stop; and whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them, for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.

Vision of Divine Glory

²² Now stretched over the heads of the living beings there was something like an expanse, looking like the terrible and awesome shimmer of icy crystal. ²³ Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another. Every living being had two wings which covered its body on one side and on the other side. ²⁴ As they moved, I also heard the sound of their wings like the sound of great [rushing] waters, like the voice of ^[g]the Almighty, the sound of tumult like the noise of an army camp. Whenever they came to a stop, they lowered their wings. ²⁵ And there was a voice above the expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stopped, they lowered their wings.

¹⁹ and he took some food and was strengthened.

Saul Begins to Preach Christ

For several days [afterward] Saul remained with the disciples who were at Damascus. ²⁰ And immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “This Man is the Son of God [the promised Messiah]!” ²¹ All those who heard him continued to be amazed and said, “Is this not the man who in Jerusalem attacked those who called on this name [of Jesus], and had come here [to Damascus] for the express purpose of bringing them bound [with chains] before the chief priests?” ²² But Saul increased in strength more and more, and continued to perplex the Jews who lived in Damascus by examining [theological evidence] and proving [with Scripture] that this Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).

²³ After considerable time had passed [about three years or so], the Jews plotted together to kill him, ²⁴ but their plot became known to Saul. They were also watching the city’s gates day and night so they could kill him; ²⁵ but his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

²⁶ When he arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. ²⁷ However, ^[a]Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and described to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road [to Damascus], and how He had spoken to him, and how at Damascus Saul had preached openly and spoken confidently in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ So he was with them, moving around freely [as one among them] in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ He was talking and arguing with the ^[b]Hellenists (Greek-speaking Jews); but they were attempting to kill him. ³⁰ When the brothers found out [about the plot], they brought him down to ^[c]Caesarea [Maritima] and sent him off to Tarsus [his home town].

³¹ So the church throughout Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace [without persecution], being built up [in wisdom, virtue, and faith]; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort and encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it continued to grow [in numbers].