Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
11 False witnesses rose up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.
12 They rewarded me evil for good, to the grieving of my soul.
13 But as for me, when they were sick my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, and my prayer returned unto mine own bosom.
14 I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother; I bowed down in heaviness, as one that mourneth for his mother.
15 But in mine adversity they rejoiced and gathered themselves together; yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they tore at me and ceased not.
16 With hypocritical mockers at feasts they gnashed their teeth against me.
17 Lord, how long wilt Thou look on? Rescue my soul from their destructions, my precious soul from the lions.
18 I will give Thee thanks in the great congregation; I will praise Thee among many people.
19 Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me; neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.
20 For they speak not peace, but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land.
21 Yea, they opened their mouths wide against me and said, “Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it.”
22 This Thou hast seen, O Lord; keep not silence; O Lord, be not far from me.
23 Stir up Thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.
24 Judge me, O Lord my God, according to Thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me.
25 Let them not say in their hearts, “Ah, so would we have it!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”
26 Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at my hurt; let them be clothed with shame and dishonor that magnify themselves against me.
27 Let them shout for joy and be glad that favor my righteous cause; yea, let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified who hath pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”
28 And my tongue shall speak of Thy righteousness and of Thy praise all the day long.
1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River of Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
2 On the fifth day of the month (which was the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity),
3 the word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.
4 And I looked, and behold, a whirlwind 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 color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
5 Also out of the midst thereof came 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 had four wings.
7 And their feet were straight feet, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot; and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass.
8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and all 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 As for the likeness of their faces, all four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side, and all four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.
11 Thus were their faces. And their wings were stretched upward; 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, and they turned not when they went.
13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire and like the appearance of lamps; 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, like the appearance of a flash of lightning.
15 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold, a wheel was upon the earth by each of the living creatures with his four faces.
16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the color of beryl, and all four had the same 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; and they turned not when they went.
18 As for their rims, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rims were full of eyes round about the four.
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 was their spirit to go: and the wheels were lifted up opposite them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up opposite them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
22 And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creatures was as the color of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.
23 And under the firmament 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 of 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, the voice of speech as the noise of a host. When they stood, they let down their wings;
25 and there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads when they stood and had let down their wings.
26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, with the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness in appearance of a man above upon it.
27 And I saw as the color of amber, with the appearance of fire round about within it. From the appearance of His loins even upward and from the appearance of His loins even downward, I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
28 As the appearance of the rainbow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of One who spoke.
2 And He said unto me, “Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.”
23 Then Peter called them in and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
24 And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends.
25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
26 But Peter took him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself also am a man.”
27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together.
28 And he said unto them, “Ye know that it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to keep company with or to come unto one of another nation. But God hath shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
29 Therefore came I unto you without gainsaying as soon as I was sent for. I ask therefore, with what intent ye have sent for me?”
30 And Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
31 and said, ‘Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms have been remembered in the sight of God.
32 Send therefore to Joppa and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter. He is lodged in the house of one Simon, a tanner, by the seaside. He, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee.’
33 Immediately therefore I sent to thee, and thou hast done well, that thou hast come. Now therefore are we all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee from God.”
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.