Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Hope in the Lord’s forgiving love.

A Song of Ascents.

1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the ^[a]captives by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. ² In the fifth day of the month, which 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.

⁸ But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that which I give thee. ⁹ And when I looked, behold, a hand was put forth unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; ¹⁰ and he spread it before me: and it was written within and without; and there were written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe. 3 ¹ And he said unto me, Son of man, eat that which thou findest; eat this roll, and go, speak unto the house of Israel. ² So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat the roll. ³ And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

10 And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, arrayed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire; ² and he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left upon the earth; ³ and he cried with a great voice, as a lion roareth: and when he cried, the seven thunders uttered their voices. ⁴ And when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying, Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. ⁵ And the angel that I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his right hand to heaven, ⁶ and sware by him that liveth ^[a]for ever and ever, who created the heaven and the things that are therein, and the earth and the things that are therein, ^[b]and the sea and the things that are therein, that there shall be ^[c]delay no longer: ⁷ but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then is finished the mystery of God, according to the good tidings which he declared to his ^[d]servants the prophets. ⁸ And the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard it again speaking with me, and saying, Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel that standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. ⁹ And I went unto the angel, saying unto him that he should give me the little book. And he saith unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey. ¹⁰ And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and when I had eaten it, my belly was made bitter. ¹¹ And they say unto me, Thou must prophesy again ^[e]over many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.