Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Psalm by David.

11 Moreover the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of Yahweh’s house, which looks eastward. Behold, twenty-five men were at the door of the gate; and I saw among them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. ² He said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity, and who give wicked counsel in this city; ³ who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses. This is the cauldron, and we are the meat.’ ⁴ Therefore prophesy against them. Prophesy, son of man.”

⁵ Yahweh’s Spirit fell on me, and he said to me, “Speak, ‘Yahweh says: “Thus you have said, house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind. ⁶ You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain.”

⁷ “‘Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: “Your slain whom you have laid in the middle of it, they are the meat, and this is the cauldron; but you will be brought out of the middle of it. ⁸ You have feared the sword; and I will bring the sword on you,” says the Lord Yahweh. ⁹ “I will bring you out of the middle of it, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you. ¹⁰ You will fall by the sword. I will judge you in the border of Israel. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. ¹¹ This will not be your cauldron, neither will you be the meat in the middle of it. I will judge you in the border of Israel. ¹² You will know that I am Yahweh, for you have not walked in my statutes. You have not executed my ordinances, but have done after the ordinances of the nations that are around you.”’”

¹³ When I prophesied, Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell down on my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, “Ah Lord Yahweh! Will you make a full end of the remnant of Israel?”

¹⁴ Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, ¹⁵ “Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, the men of your relatives, and all the house of Israel, all of them, are the ones to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Go far away from Yahweh. This land has been given to us for a possession.’

¹⁶ “Therefore say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Whereas I have removed them far off among the nations, and whereas I have scattered them among the countries, yet I will be to them a sanctuary for a little while in the countries where they have come.”’

¹⁷ “Therefore say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”

¹⁸ “‘They will come there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there. ¹⁹ I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them. I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh, ²⁰ that they may walk in my statutes, and keep my ordinances, and do them. They will be my people, and I will be their God. ²¹ But as for them whose heart walks after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their way on their own heads,’ says the Lord Yahweh.”

²² Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, and the wheels were beside them. The glory of the God of Israel was over them above. ²³ Yahweh’s glory went up from the middle of the city, and stood on the mountain which is on the east side of the city. ²⁴ The Spirit lifted me up, and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to the captives.

So the vision that I had seen went up from me. ²⁵ Then I spoke to the captives all the things that Yahweh had shown me.

5 I saw, in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, a book written inside and outside, sealed shut with seven seals. ² I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book, and to break its seals?” ³ No one in heaven above, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book or to look in it. ⁴ Then I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look in it. ⁵ One of the elders said to me, “Don’t weep. Behold, the Lion who is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome: he who opens the book and its seven seals.”

⁶ I saw in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. ⁷ Then he came, and he took it out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. ⁸ Now when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹ They sang a new song, saying,