Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹¹ People come telling lies. They ask me of things that I do not know. ¹² They pay me what is bad in return for what is good. My soul is sad. ¹³ But when they were sick, I put on clothes made from hair. With no pride in my soul, I would not eat. And I prayed with my head on my chest. ¹⁴ I went about as if it were my friend or brother. I put my head down in sorrow, like one crying for his mother. ¹⁵ But when I would fall, they would gather together in joy. Those who say things to hurt people would gather against me. I did not know them. They spoke against me without stopping. ¹⁶ They ground their teeth at me like bad people making fun of others at a special supper.

¹⁷ Lord, how long will You look on? Save me from being destroyed by them. Save my life from the lions. ¹⁸ I will give You thanks in the big meeting. I will praise You among many people. ¹⁹ Do not let those who hate me for no reason stand over me with joy. Do not let those who hate me for no reason wink their eye. ²⁰ They do not speak peace. But they make up lies against those who are quiet in the land. ²¹ And they opened their mouth wide against me. They said, “O, O, our eyes have seen it.”

²² You have seen it, O Lord. Do not keep quiet. O Lord, do not be far from me. ²³ Awake Yourself. Come and help me. Fight for me, my God and my Lord. ²⁴ Say what is right or wrong with me, O Lord my God, because You are right and good. Do not let them have joy over me. ²⁵ Do not let them say in their heart, “O, just what we wanted!” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him up!” ²⁶ Let all who are happy because of my trouble be ashamed and without honor. Let those who think they are better than I, be covered with shame and without honor.

²⁷ Let them call out for joy and be glad, who want to see the right thing done for me. Let them always say, “May the Lord be honored. He is pleased when all is going well for His servant.” ²⁸ And my tongue will tell about how right and good You are, and about Your praise all day long.

Ezekiel Sees God’s Throne

1 On the fifth day of the fourth month in the thirtieth year, while I was by the Chebar River with the Jews who had been taken away from their land, the heavens were opened and I saw God in a special way. ² (On the fifth day of the month in the fifth year that King Jehoiachin had been living in a strange land, ³ the Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the religious leader, son of Buzi, in the land of the Babylonians by the Chebar River. There the hand of the Lord came upon him.)

⁴ I looked and saw a wind storm coming from the north. There was a big cloud with lightning coming from it and with a bright light around it. Inside the fire was something like shining brass, ⁵ and in the fire was what looked like four living beings. They looked like men, ⁶ but each of them had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight, and their feet were like those of a calf. They shined like bright brass. ⁸ Under their wings on their four sides were hands like a man’s. 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 one moved straight ahead. ¹⁰ As for what their faces looked like, each of the four had the face of a man, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of a bull on the left side, and the face of an eagle. ¹¹ Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above. Each had two wings touching the wings of another, and two covering their bodies. ¹² And each one went straight ahead. Every place where the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. ¹³ Between the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like fire lamps moving from side to side among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was coming out of the fire. ¹⁴ And the living beings ran this way and that, like lightning.

¹⁵ As I looked at the living beings, I saw one wheel on the earth beside each of the living beings with its four faces. ¹⁶ The way the wheels were made, they looked like shining chrysolite stone. All four of them looked the same. They were made to look as if one wheel were within another. ¹⁷ When they moved, they went in one of their four ways, without turning as they went. ¹⁸ The wheels were so high that they caused fear. And all four of them were full of eyes all around. ¹⁹ When the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. And when the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. ²⁰ Whatever way the spirit would go, they would go that way. And the wheels rose close beside them, for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. ²¹ When the living beings moved, they moved. When the beings stood still, they stood still. And when the beings rose up from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them. For the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.

²² Over the heads of the living beings there was something that looked like the sky. It shined like crystal and spread over their heads. ²³ Under this covering their wings were spread out straight, one toward the other. Each one also had two wings covering their bodies on one side and on the other. ²⁴ When they went, I heard the sound of their wings. They sounded like many waters, like the voice of the All-powerful. They sounded like the noise of an army camp. Whenever they stood still, they let down their wings. ²⁵ A voice came from above the large covering over their heads. Whenever they stood still, they let down their wings.

²⁶ Above the large covering that was over their heads there was something that looked like a throne, and looked like it was made of sapphire. Sitting on the throne was what looked like a man. ²⁷ Then I saw that there was something like shining brass from the center of his body and up to his head. It looked like fire all around within it. And from the center of his body and down to his feet I saw something like fire. There was a bright light shining all around Him.

²⁸ This light shining around Him looked like the rainbow in the clouds on a day of rain.

This was what the shining-greatness of the Lord looked like. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.

God Calls Ezekiel to Speak for Him

2 He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.”

Peter Goes to Cornelius

²³ Peter asked them to come in and stay with him for the night. The next day he went with them. Some of the brothers from Joppa went along. ²⁴ The next day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was looking for them. He had gathered all his family and close friends at his house. ²⁵ When Peter came, Cornelius got down at his feet and worshiped him. ²⁶ But Peter raised him up and said, “Get up! I am just a man like you.” ²⁷ As Peter spoke with Cornelius, he went into the house and found a large group of people gathered together. ²⁸ Peter said to them, “You know it is against our Law for a Jew to visit a person of another nation. But God has shown me I should not say that any man is unclean. ²⁹ For this reason I came as soon as you sent for me. But I want to ask you why you sent for me?”

³⁰ Cornelius said, “Four days ago at three o’clock in the afternoon I was praying here in my house. All at once, I saw a man standing in front of me. He had on bright clothes. ³¹ He said to me, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayers and has remembered your gifts of love. ³² You must send to Joppa and ask Simon Peter to come here. He is staying at the house of Simon, the man who works with leather. His house is by the sea-shore.’ ³³ I sent for you at once. You have done well to come. We are all here and God is with us. We are ready to hear whatever the Lord has told you to say.”